《Sweet Subterfuge》


 Chapter 1

    Chapter 1


    Larissa Seymour only realized that Travis Hardy may have cheated on her after seeing the pile of


    pregnancy supplies in his Amazon shopping cart.


    Back when Travis was wooing her, Larissa had told him frankly that she had no desire to have children.


    Travis was the one who said, ¡°That¡¯s fine. It¡¯s even better if it¡¯s just the two of us.¡± Only then did Larissa


    agree to be with him, and they got married.


    So, the pregnancy supplies were definitely not for her.


    Larissa thought for a moment. Of all the rtives and friends Travis had, the only one who had recently


    gotten pregnant was a female subordinate of his, Amber Fox.


    Thest time their department had hosted a team gathering, she¡¯d forgotten her keys and gone to


    Travis for his. She saw Amber rubbing the tiny bump on her stomach while sitting next to Travis. Their


    postures were definitely more intimatepared to their other colleagues.


    Larissa had not feltfortable with it then, but when Amber greeted her graciously, she thought that


    she was reading into it too much. But now¡­


    A sudden thought urred to her, and she quickly checked Travis¡¯s previous orders.


    Aside from the same pregnancy supplies in the shopping cart, there were also all sorts of luxury


    cosmetics and skincare products, as well as a limited-edition Chanel handbag.


    If she remembered correctly, Amber had had that very Chanel handbag with her that day.


    Having connected all the dots, Larissa felt her scalp tingle, as if someone had pulled hard on her hair.


    Her chest felt tight too, and she nearly had trouble breathing. At the same time, she also had a little bit


    of hope¡ªwhat if¡­ What if¡­this was all just a coincidence?


    Larissa was not desperate to confront Travis.


    Today was thest Friday of the month. As usual, their department was going to host a team gathering


    again. She called Travis and asked if he was allowed to bring family with him.


    ¡°I don¡¯t feel like cooking today.¡±


    She had caught a cold two days ago. It had gotten worse today, so she had taken the day off to rest at


    home. Travis knew this.


    ¡°They¡¯re quite rowdy, you know. Your headache might get worse,¡± he said.


    It was not as if Larissa had never eaten with his subordinates before. They knew their limits. At least,


    she did not find them that rowdy when she went that time.


    His reaction only showed that he had something to hide.


    ¡°I¡¯m just going over to eat,¡± she said, ¡°I¡¯ll leave once I¡¯m finished.¡±


    Travis hesitated for a moment before saying, ¡°Okay then.¡± He seemed rather reluctant.


    Larissa¡¯s heart sank at that.


    ¡­


    Larissa¡¯splexion was not great because of her cold. Not wanting to be outdone, she deliberately


    put on a full face of makeup and changed into a tight dress. She then left the house wearing heels.


    The ce where Travis and his subordinates were gathered was a fancy restaurant. There were many


    people in his department, so they booked a private room with tworge tables in it. When Larissa


    arrived, they had already taken their seats.


    Unsurprisingly, Amber was sitting next to Travis.


    Her grip tightening on her bag strap, Larissa smiled insincerely and greeted everyone while dropping a


    hand on Travis¡¯s shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s been a while, guys!¡±


    In her peripheral vision, she noticed that Amber¡¯s smile had vanished.


    Likewise, Travis¡¯s expression was stiff. He patted the empty seat next to him and said to Larissa, ¡°Here,


    have a seat.¡±


    Larissa moved her chair closer to Travis before sitting down. She leaned against him naturally and held


    his hand. Travis instinctively tried to pull his hand back, but Larissa had it firmly in her grip.


    Lowering his head, Travisined under his breath. ¡°Don¡¯t behave like that in front of so many


    people¡­¡±


    Larissa sneered to herself, but her smile remained sweet.


    ¡°What are you afraid of? We¡¯re married, right?¡± She gave a knowing look to the others at the table


    before raising their intertwined hands such that Travis¡¯s wedding band could be seen. She then asked,


    ¡°Do you guys mind?¡±


    ¡°Nah, nah! We don¡¯t mind!¡± the crowd chorused as one.


    Amber, however, had a sullen expression on her face, her hands clenching at the ends of the tablecloth


    that had touched her thighs.


    ¡­


    Halfway through the meal, Larissa went to the restroom.


    When she emerged from the cubicle, Amber happened to be touching up her makeup. The Chanel


    handbag was ced on the sink in front of her, and the YSL lipstick that she was holding was the same


    one that Larissa saw in Travis¡¯s previous Amazon order.


    cing her hands under the tap, Larissa casually said, ¡°Amber, your Chanel¡¯s a limited-edition bag,


    right? I wanted to get one too, but sadly I wasn¡¯t able to.¡±


    ¡°Oh, is that so?¡± Amber¡¯s movements paused as a slight smirk appeared on her face. ¡°My husband


    bought this handbag online for me via assisted purchase. He paid extra for it.¡±


    Husband?


    Larissa pressed her lips together. She drew a paper towel out of the dispenser and asked while wiping


    her hands, ¡°When did you get married? I¡¯ve never heard Travis say anything about that. Howe you


    got pregnant so soon?¡±


    Amber¡¯s eyes were gleaming. However, when she locked eyes with Larissa through the mirror, a sunny


    smile appeared on her face.


    ¡°Last year. We never hosted a reception, so we didn¡¯t make an announcement.¡±


    Marriedst year? That meant that she had been hooking up with Travis for a year!


    Larissa had trouble breathing again, and her heart ached. She pretended to check herself in the mirror


    while bracing herself against the sink. It was only then that she managed to keep her body upright.


    They left the restroom together.


    To reach the private room, they had to pass through a long corridor. Waiters with dishes ready for


    serving were constantly traveling through it. The moment they walked out, they saw a waiter carefully


    bearing a hot bowl of stewing toward them.


    Right at this time, Larissa noticed the way Amber was suddenly unsteady on her feet. She kept pitching


    over to her side.


    There was only a foot¡¯s distance between Larissa and the waiter. She made a decision in a few


    seconds and hastened her pace to avoid colliding with Amber. As a result, Amber crashed into the


    waiter instead.


    The waiter¡¯s hands jerked, and the stew spilled onto the both of them.


    ¡°Ah!¡± Amber screamed in pain. She fell onto the floor, her hands covering her stomach securely. The


    waiter did not fare well either. Larissa immediately called for an ambnce.


    Having caused quite amotion, people kept looking out from the two private rooms situated in the


    corridor. A crowd was also beginning to gather where they were.


    N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.


    ¡°Amber!¡±


    Suddenly, Travis¡¯s voice rang out from afar. Larissa had just turned around when he raced over to lift


    Amber into his arms, ignoring her soiled clothes. Seeing him, Amber¡¯s wails became more unbridled.


    ¡°Travis¡­ It hurts so much¡­¡±


    Travis peppered her face with kisses out of pity and soothed her. ¡°I¡¯ll take you to the hospital


    immediately. Don¡¯t be afraid, okay?¡±


    Their tant show of intimacy pissed Larissa off. Quickening her pace, she caught up with Travis and


    grabbed his arm. Eyeing Amber, she asked, ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you give me an exnation?¡±


    Travis felt a brief moment of guilt, but soon lost his patience in dealing with Larissa due to Amber¡¯s


    whimpers of pain.


    ¡°Later¡ªonce I¡¯ve sent Amber to the hospital.¡±


    He shook Larissa¡¯s hand off and swiftly made his way over to the elevators.


    Larissa stood still for a long time. It was only after she managed to pull herself out of her anger and


    grief that she realized her right ankle was hurting.


    Looking down, she saw that her ankle was a raw shade of red. There were still some oil stains on her


    skin¡ªthey must have been from the stew that spilled earlier. Some of it hadnded on her too.

 Chapter 2

    Chapter 2


    Larissa did not return to the private room.


    The incident in the corridor had attracted the attention of quite a crowd. That naturally included Travis¡¯


    subordinates. They had seen Travis leaving with Amber in his arms, but not a single person showed


    any signs of shock or surprise.


    It was likely that they already knew about Travis and Amber¡¯s affair.


    Thinking back to how she deliberately acted affectionately with Travis in front of them, Larissa thought


    herself an idiot. They were likelyughing at her on the inside.


    Doing everything in her power to hold back her tears, Larissa drove home.


    The house was dark. When she turned on the lights, everything was as she left it before leaving for the


    gathering.


    But the air had gotten significantly colder.


    Without further dy, Larissa stuffed all of her valuables into tworge suitcases and headed straight


    to her workce, the Regal Dynasty Hotel.


    She was the manager of the hotel¡¯s housekeeping department, and she had a private staff room there


    due to her constant night shifts. Although there was nothing in there but a bed, it was enough to be a


    temporary home before she could find a new ce to live.


    ¡­


    Although Larissa was in charge of the housekeeping department, she was quite familiar with the people


    in the lobby as well as the reception due to having worked at the Regal Dynasty Hotel for almost five


    years.


    ¡°Ms. Seymour? I thought you took the day off today?¡± Livie, a receptionist, asked in surprise when she


    saw Larissae in with tworge suitcases.


    ¡°Something came up, so I came back.¡± Larissa easily avoided the question.


    But Livie was staring at her suitcases. ¡°What about those?¡±


    ¡°Oh, an important guest ising to our hotel. To provide the best service for him, I¡¯ll be staying in the


    hotel for now.¡± Larissa recalled the matter discussed by the general manager during the morning


    meeting two days ago and used it as an excuse.


    Sure enough, Livie did not question her.


    ¡°Yeah, I heard about it from our manager too. Looks like an executive from thepany. He told us to


    be as professional as possible for these two days. If we¡¯re caught making mistakes, then we¡¯d have to


    pack our things and go.¡± She pursed her lips.


    Larissa hummed in response. She had no desire to hang around. Pointing at the elevators, she said,


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be heading up.¡±


    She had not even taken two steps when the sounds of two different sets of steady footsteps could be


    heard. In the quiet of the night, it was rather loud. Larissa turned around on instinct.


    Two men walked in, side by side.


    They wore tidy ck suits and were rather tall.


    Larissa¡¯s attention was drawn to the taller man. He looked like one of those young stars with huge


    followings¡ªslim eyebrows, captivating dark eyes, and soft lips set against smooth skin¡ªand yet he


    was still rather masculine.


    His left hand fell naturally at his side, and his right was loosely stuck in his trousers¡¯ pocket. Despite his


    elegance, there was a hint of roguishness to his temperament. As if sensing Larissa¡¯s gaze, he looked


    up and turned to her.


    His stare was terribly sharp, unlike his overall innocuous appearance. Larissa could not help but


    shudder at that.


    ¡°Um¡­would you like to check in?¡± Livie¡¯s sweet voice sounded at just the right moment. Only then did


    the man withdraw his gaze, and Larissa quickly turned away.


    The shorter man stepped forward and said, ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Have you made reservations?¡± Livie queried yet again.


    ¡°Yes.¡± He handed his ID over. ¡°One presidential suite, and one deluxe suite.¡±


    The words ¡°presidential suite¡± made Larissa pause once again. There was only one presidential suite in


    the Regal Dynasty Hotel. ording to the general manager, it was reserved for that ¡°important


    guest¡±¡­


    Larissa flung her suitcases at the reception, turned, and made her way to that tall man. She put a


    professional smile on her face and stuck out her hand. Just as she was about to open her mouth, she


    suddenly remembered that she did not even know his name. Her smile froze for a second before she


    managed to cover it up.


    ¡°Hello. I am the manager of the Regal Dynasty¡¯s housekeeping department. My name is Larissa


    Seymour. I will be in charge of any affairs during your stay.¡±


    The man gazed at her for two seconds before turning his attention to her hand.


    ¡°Hello.¡±


    His voice was just as melodious as Larissa had expected. It had a low, rich timbre, like a good-quality


    cello.


    She was still caught up in it when her hand suddenly got cold¡ª


    The man had removed his right hand from his pocket and was gripping hers. His hand was just as


    smooth as his face, and his fingers were slender and well-defined.


    Larissa gazed at her own hand, which was slightly more calloused than his, and a sense of self-


    loathing swelled from within.


    ¡°Kevan Rogers,¡± the man said, uttering an unfamiliar name.


    Larissa was stunned for a few seconds before she realized that he was introducing himself.


    ¡°Nice to meet you, Mr. Rogers!¡± she said respectfully.


    Kevan¡¯s dark eyes narrowed as they took note of her facial expressions. Soon, the faint smile faded


    from his face, and a hint of frost crept into his gaze. He drew back his hand and stuck it into his pocket


    again.


    The other man had finished checking in and handed a room card to him. ¡°We¡¯re good to head upstairs.¡±


    Kevan hummed lowly in response. He went around Larissa, epted the card, and walked toward the


    elevator. When the other man bypassed Larissa, he kept shooting meaningful looks at her.


    Larissa felt mortified by all the furtive looks. She touched her cheek awkwardly, and waited until they


    were both in the elevator before she asked Livie, ¡°Is there something on my face?¡±


    Livie shook her head in confusion.


    ¡­


    Larissa got a call from Travis early in the morning. ¡°Where have you been?¡± He used an interrogatory


    tone.


    She did not answer his question. ¡°Travis, let¡¯s get a divorce.¡±


    There was a half-minute silence on the other end.


    When Travis spoke again, his voice was a lot softer. ¡°Lari, let me exin¡­¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Larissa chuckled. ¡°Go on. I¡¯m listening.¡±


    Not expecting her reaction to be like this, Travis was stunned.


    ¡°Amber and I¡­ It was just a drunken ident. I didn¡¯t expect a child to get involved,¡± he said. ¡°I wanted


    to break things off with her, but she kept pestering me, insisting that I take responsibility¡­¡±


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    Larissa was not blind. She was not stupid either. Just based on his anxious expression yesterday, the


    affair was definitely not one-sided as he imed.


    ¡°Okay, then.¡± Larissa gazed out the window at the sky. The look in her eyes became cold. ¡°Take Amber


    to abort the child today. Break it off with her, then this marriage may continue.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡± Travis faltered. ¡°Amber¡¯s already four months pregnant. Going through an abortion now will


    damage her health greatly¡­ Besides¡­ My mom has been urging us to have children since after the


    new year. She¡¯s been calling every week. I was afraid that you might find it upsetting, so I never told


    you about it. But honestly, I¡¯m so stressed out to the point that I¡¯m gonna explode¡­ It¡¯s just as well that


    Amber is pregnant. Once she delivers the baby, we can bring the kid home and raise it. That way, my


    mom will get what she wants too.¡±


    Larissa closed her eyes, pushing down the rage and disappointment in her heart. She struggled to


    speak calmly. ¡°Travis Hardy, I¡¯ve told you before. I do not want children.¡±


    ¡°I know why you don¡¯t!¡± Thinking he had her figured out, Travis was a little triumphant. ¡°You¡¯re just


    scared of the pain, and you¡¯re worried that you¡¯ll lose your figure after pregnancy! You don¡¯t even need


    to go through all that now, you just need to raise the kid. Isn¡¯t that great?¡±


    Larissa choked out augh in her fury. Still fighting to keep her patience, she asked, ¡°Does Amber


    agree with everything you just said?¡±


    ¡°Her agreement is not needed!¡± Travis somehow got aggressive at this time. Unfortunately, Larissa did


    not believe him.


    ¡°I¡¯m not interested in raising children, much less raising someone else¡¯s kid.¡± She simply refuted him. ¡°I


    think it¡¯d be better if you stayed with Amber. I think you two are good together.¡±


    Larissa mockingly hoped that they would stay together forever.


    ¡°Is there no room for discussion?¡± Travis asked.


    ¡°None,¡± Larissa replied.


    ¡°Fine then!¡± Travis gave up ying nice, and his voice went back to its initial coldness. ¡°Since you¡¯re


    the one who wants a divorce, don¡¯t think about getting a single penny from me!¡±


    So, that was what all that acting was about.


    Larissa¡¯s numbed heart froze over with ice at this moment.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go through legal proceedings. It¡¯ll be fair and impartial,¡± she said.

 Chapter 3

    Chapter 3


    During the morning meeting, the general manager announced the news of the ¡°important guest¡±


    checking in and expected all department managers to supervise those under theirmand to ensure


    that they were as careful and meticulous as possible.


    As the housekeeping manager who had frequent direct contact with the ¡°important guest,¡± Larissa was


    held back for extra instructions and exhortations. ¡°Mr. Rogers has extreme germaphobia, so the rooms


    must be kept clean at all times. Work together with the reception; the moment they see Mr. Rogers


    heading out, tell the cleaning staff to clean his rooms immediately. Additionally, the cleaning staff are


    not allowed to touch Mr. Rogers¡¯ personal effects. Not even once!¡±


    Larissa thought it was a little ridiculous. ¡°But what if Mr. Rogers left his clothes or whatever on the bed


    or something? Do we not make the bed for him then, just to avoid touching his clothes during


    cleaning?¡±


    ¡°Firstly, with his personality, Mr. Rogers would never just toss his clothes onto the bed. Secondly, even


    if he did, it¡¯s better to wait for his return before you make the bed. Touching his things is an absolute


    no-no. Last year, something like this urred in the main branch of the Regal Dynasty in Bartham. A


    cleaning staff moved Mr. Rogers¡¯ptop in order to wipe the table. When he found out, the


    housekeeping department, from managers to cleaning staff, all resigned.¡±


    The general manager was stern. ¡°I¡¯m reminding you for your own good. Don¡¯t take it for granted.¡±


    ¡°I will keep it in mind, Mr. Compton!¡±


    When Larissa left, she immediately called for a department-wide meeting and conveyed the general


    manager¡¯s explicit instructions to them. To ensure no mistakes were made, she specifically arranged


    for the two oldest and most experienced cleaning staff in the department to be in charge of cleaning the


    presidential suite.


    ¡­


    Kevan went out rather early and did not return even after Larissa¡¯s shift had ended at 8 pm.


    She was just feeling thankful for getting through the first day when she noticed several missed calls


    from the same unknown number after her shower. Larissa hurriedly called back. The call was about to


    be dropped automatically when someone finally answered it.


    ¡°Come to Room 8888.¡± The male voice on the other end was terribly hoarse, as if he were trying to


    suppress something.


    Larissa froze for a bit before realizing who was on the other end and quickly said, ¡°Of course, Mr.


    Rogers. I¡¯ll be right there.¡±


    She hurriedly changed out of her pajamas and headed upstairs with her long hair wet. 8888 was the


    room number of the Regal Dynasty¡¯s presidential suite, which was also where Kevan Rogers was


    staying. Larissa stood outside the door and rang the doorbell anxiously.


    A momentter, Kevan opened the door.


    He wore only a white shirt, one side of the hem loosely tucked into his silvery gray pants. The other


    side of the hem was left hanging.


    The shirt was notpletely buttoned up, as three buttons from the cor were loose. It revealed his


    slender neck, well-defined vicles, and slightly defined chest.


    It seemed that he had just showered too, considering the fresh smell of shower gel wafting off of him.


    His hair was not entirely dry yet and was disheveled. It made him look sinfully sexy.


    Larissa was outright staring.


    Kevan yanked her into the room before she could react. The door mmed shut with a loud thud, and


    Larissa¡¯s back collided against the solid, cold door. Her face scrunched up at the pain. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Right as


    she gasped out in pain, he bit her lower lip.


    Larissa¡¯s eyes widened in shock.


    Kevan¡¯s face was so close to hers. His eyes were closed, his eyshes quivering slightly, and his face


    had an unnatural flush. His kiss was fierce and frantic, as if he were someone who had just managed to


    quench his thirst.


    Larissa instinctively tried to push him away, but the disparity in strength had her essentially pinned to


    the door. She was so panicked that she hit and kicked him. Yet, at the same time, she restrained


    herself out of apprehension about his status.


    Her resistance meant nothing to Kevan. Not only did it fail to stop him, but it encouraged him further.


    Leaning close to her ear, Kevan murmured, ¡°Have you forgotten how your husband betrayed you?


    Don¡¯t you want to get back at him?¡±


    Larissa froze as if she had been struck by lightning. Kevan pulled the hem of her shirt out of her short


    skirt. Her rationality told her, ¡°No! You can¡¯t!¡± But then the intimate scene between Travis and Amber


    appeared before her mind¡¯s eye.


    Since the marriage was all but dead, why could she not indulge herself?


    Larissa closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around Kevan¡¯s neck. Receiving her response, Kevan¡¯s


    dark eyes snapped open, revealing a strange gleam within them. It seemed to get brighter and brighter.


    ¡­


    Larissa passed out.


    What woke her was the incessant ringing of a phone. The room was still dark due to the curtains


    covering the windows. She cracked open an eyelid and reached out for the phone that looked just like


    hers on the bedside table. Then, she answered it without bothering to check the number.


    ¡°Hello?¡±


    Her nasal twang shocked the caller.


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    ¡°Holy fuck! A woman?!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Larissa¡¯s brain was muddled. She only knew that she did not understand what the guy meant,


    but she did not have the energy to think of anything else.


    The bathroom door opened, and faint footsteps sounded.


    Right after that, the soft mattress dipped, and Larissa¡¯s hand was empty. The phone had been taken


    from her.


    ¡°What do you want?¡± Kevan¡¯s cold, displeased voice sounded above her head.


    Larissa was shocked into wakefulness as yesterday¡¯s events flooded her mind. She clutched at the


    sheets out of mortification and anxiety, wishing fervently that she could disappear from here.


    The room was quiet. She heard the guy from the phone ask teasingly, ¡°What, you¡¯re no longer saving


    yourself for your dream girl? Who¡¯s that woman? Karin Gagher or Laura Newman?¡±


    Karin and Laura were A-list actresses who were currently popr.


    ¡°Neither.¡± With that, Kevan hung up. He tossed the phone, and itnded on the bed.


    ¡°Are you awake?¡± he asked Larissa, who had no choice but to open her eyes at this point.


    Kevan was nude from the waist up, with a towel covering everything from the waist down. He sat on the


    edge of the bed, his eyes fixed on her.


    ¡°Last night was an ident. Don¡¯t think too much into it,¡± he said.

 Chapter 4

    Chapter 4


    ¡°I was drugged. Originally, I wanted to get you to find a call girl for me, but you didn¡¯t pick up my calls¡­


    When you came up, I couldn¡¯t hold myself back anymore,¡± Kevan said as if his actions were justified,


    and there was no hint of regret on his face.


    Larissa was not quite able to react at the moment, so she failed to respond to him.


    Kevan swiftly turned away, avoiding eye contact with some guilt. He pulled open the bedside table


    drawer and retrieved a billfold. Then he drew out a card.


    ¡°This is my supplementary card. There¡¯s no limit to it. Just swipe it whenever you want.¡± He handed the


    card to her. ¡°Consider itpensation forst night.¡±


    While he was saying all that, he stared at the bed, not really daring to look at her. His heart was


    pounding faster than it usually did, and he held his breath, listening attentively to Larissa¡¯s movements.


    Larissa had long since figured out that he was acting weird. Getting involved with him was her own


    choice. However, what he said earlier caused her fury to re up.


    What did he take her for?


    ¡°You¡¯re quite generous, Mr. Rogers.¡± A mocking smile appeared on her face. ¡°But we¡¯re all adults here.


    This is nothing. Besides, not anyone can just sleep with someone like you. If you really want to do the


    math, I didn¡¯t lose anything, in fact, I¡¯ve gained something. So¡ª¡± She pushed the card back at him.


    ¡°You can keep this card, Mr. Rogers. I don¡¯t need it.¡±


    Keeping her eyes locked on Kevan¡¯s dull gaze, Larissa sat up with the sheets wrapped around her. Her


    anger had turned into courage. She rested her chin on her hands and said tartly, ¡°If you really want to


    compensate me, how about apanying me a few more times?¡±


    She thought that Kevan would get angry. He could even fire her in rage, but he did something


    completely unexpected.


    After getting over his shock, Kevan raised an eyebrow and smiled somewhat yfully.


    ¡°Sure,¡± he said, ¡°As long as you want it, I¡¯ll oblige.¡±


    ¡­


    Larissa practically ran away.


    She overestimated her courage and underestimated Kevan¡¯s.


    As she left Room 8888, she almost crashed into someone.


    ¡°Sorry!¡± she said frantically, and the other person let out a ¡°Huh?¡± of excitement and curiosity. There


    was no disapproval whatsoever. Only then did Larissa realize that it was the man who checked in with


    Kevan the day before yesterday.


    He was elegant, although his brow was softer than Kevan¡¯s, which gave off an air of approachability.


    He wore a pair of gilt-edged sses, looking very much like a gentleman as well as having the aura of


    a white-cor elite.


    ¡°Last time Kevan was hurrying me, so I wasn¡¯t able to say hello. So, hi!¡± The man offered his hand to


    her. ¡°My name is Dn Shields. I¡¯m awyer who specializes in handling divorce cases.¡±


    The word ¡°divorce¡± was emphasized, and an idea struck Larissa. If it were not for the fact that she was


    wearing Kevan¡¯s big shirt, as well as having that red mark on her neck, she would definitely sit down


    and have a good talk with Dn.


    ¡°Hello, Mr. Shields.¡± She shook his hand and let go after two seconds. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that I have work, so


    I¡¯ll take my leave.¡±


    ¡°Wait¡ª¡± Dn stopped her and pulled out a tin of ointment from his pocket. ¡°This is for you.¡±


    ¡°Burn cream?¡± Larissa was confused. ¡°Why do I need this?¡±


    Dn gestured to her right ankle. ¡°Weren¡¯t you hurt? You¡¯ll heal faster with that ointment.¡±


    The spot where she had been scalded by hot stew two nights ago had long since stopped hurting, but a


    dark red mark was left behind. Larissa did not expect Dn to notice this¡ªthey had only met briefly in


    the hotel lobby after all, and she did not think that he would specifically buy medication for her.


    ¡°Thank you, Mr. Shields.¡± She was ttered.


    However, Dn said, ¡°If you want to thank someone, thank Mr. Rogers. He bought this ointment


    yesterday when he went out, but it was left behind in my car. I have something I need him for, so I was


    just going to give it to him in passing.¡±


    Larissa froze. Kevan got her medication? Why?


    With the ointment in hand, Larissa went back to her private staff room in a daze. She showered and


    changed into a fresh skirt suit before putting her hair up into a bun. Then she applied a thickyer of


    concealer on her neck until the mark fromst night could not be seen.


    It was as if by doing that, she could erase everything that had happenedst night.


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    She threw Kevan¡¯s shirt and the burn cream onto the bed, staring at them as she carefully thought of


    how to deal with these two items.


    Suddenly, her phone rang.


    Having learned her lessonst night, Larissa did not dare hesitate and answered the call at once.


    Livie¡¯s panicked voice came through the speaker as she said, ¡°Ms. Seymour, pleasee over at


    once!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Larissa tensed up immediately.


    ¡°There are two people iming to be your inws saying that they want to see you. Ms. Moss tried to


    get them to wait so you could confirm their identities, but they refused. They insisted on forcing their


    way through and are now fighting with security¡­¡±


    Larissa could faintly hear the sounds of an argument on the other end. This behavior¡­ They were


    definitely her weird inws. She quickly made her way downstairs.


    The lobby was in chaos. A bunch of people were entangled in a fight¡ªor, more urately, a bunch of


    security guards were being pummeled by an elderly couple.


    They were hurling abuse too. ¡°Cheap fuckers! Watchdogs! Do you even know your ce? How dare


    you block us!¡±


    The lobby manager, Rachel Moss, was trying to break up the fight with two subordinates. ¡°Sir, ma¡¯am,


    please stop fighting! We have already called Ms. Seymour. She will be here soon!¡±


    Larissa hastened her pace. ¡°Dad, Mom,¡± she called. Only then did Travis¡¯ parents stop.


    Janine Hardy red at the guard she just punched and shouted, ¡°What are you looking at? Hurry up


    and scram! Be the watchdog you were meant to be!¡±


    The guard was a young, hot-blooded guy. His temper red the moment he heard that. ¡°You had better


    watch your mouth, you old hag!¡±


    ¡°What, I¡¯m not allowed to yell at you?¡± Janine took one step forward and snarled viciously. ¡°You fucking


    watchdog! This is me yelling at you, asshole! Take that!¡±


    The guard raised his hand.


    ¡°Oh, you wanna hit me now?¡± Janine shoved her face toward him. ¡°Go on! Hit me if you dare! I fucking


    dare you to, shitface!¡±


    The young guard¡¯s face was blotchy, and his lips were trembling from the force of his rage. His


    colleague quickly held him back, whispering, ¡°Forget it. If you hit her, it¡¯ll just make things worse.¡±


    Larissa got between the guards and her inws and asked Janine, ¡°Mom, what brings you and Dad


    here?¡±


    Janine said nothing and delivered a resounding p across her face. ¡°You have the audacity to ask?¡±


    she shrieked, eyes zing with fury.


    The blow was dealt rather harshly, and Larissa¡¯s head snapped to one side. Her frail body stumbled


    from the force of it, and she felt dizzier than ever. Apart from the buzzing in her ears, Larissa could hear


    nothing else.


    The previously cacophonous hotel lobby was now eerily quiet. The crowd stared at both of them,


    including the security force that was about to leave.


    Larissa barely managed to recover as she spoke as calmly as she could. ¡°Let¡¯s talk in my office, Mom.¡±


    She reached out for Janine but was fiercely smacked away.


    ¡°What, you¡¯re scared that your nastiness will be known by others?¡± Janine smiled cruelly at Larissa as


    the venom in her gaze stabbed at thetter repeatedly.


    ¡°I will not go to your office. I want to say it here! I¡¯ll let your colleagues know exactly what kind of person


    you are!¡±


    Larissa was already boiling with rage. She only treated them politely due to their age as well as to not


    cause amotion.


    But now Janine had pissed her off entirely. Throwing caution to the wind, she said, ¡°Sure, go ahead


    then. Say it out loud for everyone to hear.¡±

 Chapter 5

    Chapter 5


    ¡°Ms. Seymour here is my daughter-inw. She¡¯s been married to my son for almost a year but hasn¡¯t


    gotten pregnant yet. We¡¯ve never held it against her and wanted to take her to the hospital for


    checkups, but she refused no matter what. She even spoke aggressively to me in front of a bunch of


    rtives to embarrass me!


    ¡°But even then, my foolish boy didn¡¯t divorce her and kept protecting her! Since she¡¯s incapable of


    getting pregnant, my son found a way and got a surrogate instead. She even agreed to it, but now that


    the surrogate is pregnant, she wants to back out of it! Two nights ago, she even pushed the surrogate


    down onto the floor at a fancy restaurant. The woman was already four months pregnant! Also, she


    poured hot stew all over the poor girl! The surrogate nearly lost the baby, and she¡¯s still under


    observation at the hospital!


    ¡°Tell me, people. How can she be so cruel!¡±


    N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.


    Larissa always knew that Janine¡¯s skills in distorting the truth were impable but hearing the


    ridiculous extreme to which she had twisted the truth caused Larissa¡¯s chest to go tight once more.


    ¡°Since you¡¯ve chosen to publicly humiliate me, I don¡¯t think I need to bother sparing you and your son¡¯s


    reputation.¡± Larissa straightened up, her attitude neither haughty nor humble.


    ¡°First off, there¡¯s nothing wrong with me. I¡¯m not pregnant simply because I don¡¯t want to be. I¡¯vee


    clean to your son about this early on in our rtionship. He was afraid that you couldn¡¯t ept it, so he


    never told you about it. Secondly, your son did not find a surrogate, and he never informed me either.


    That woman who is four months pregnant is his mistress¡ªoh, no, soon-to-be wife actually, because I¡¯m


    already going to divorce your son. Thirdly, that woman crashed into the waiter herself. How she banged


    herself up has nothing to do with me.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re lying! You little liar! Shameless bitch!¡± Janine raised her hand in preparation to p Larissa


    again, but thetter was not going to let her prevail. She only got pped because she had not had the


    time to react. This time, Larissa caught Janine¡¯s wrist and stopped her.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care if you don¡¯t believe me. My conscience is clear, and I don¡¯t care how you see me. If there¡¯s


    nothing else, I will return to my work.¡±


    Larissa let go of Janine¡¯s hand, but her hair was yanked on the moment she turned. The pain from her


    scalp caused her to hiss.


    ¡°You little liar! Fucking bitch!¡± Janine¡¯s aggrieved voice sounded from behind. ¡°You will go to the


    hospital with me! Apologize to the poor girl! Apologize to my grandchild that you nearly murdered!¡±


    Larissa instinctively yanked at Janine¡¯s hand, but thetter had a firm grip on her hair and refused to let


    go. Janine began to drag her out, and the other hotel staff did not dare provoke the elderly couple with


    such great bat power.¡± They could only try to persuade them from afar.


    ¡°Ma¡¯am, please don¡¯t do this!¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t let go, we¡¯ll call the police!¡±


    However, threats like these did not scare Janine. ¡°Do it! Call them! Let them be the judge. How long


    should my grandchild¡¯s murderer be sentenced to jail for!¡±


    Suddenly, a cold voice sounded. ¡°What¡¯s with all themotion?¡± The tone was filled with impatience.


    Rachel was the first to react. ¡°Mr. Rogers, sir!¡±


    The other receptionists looked over and followed her example. ¡°Mr. Rogers, sir!¡±


    However, Kevan did not bother looking at them. He came over slowly, his brow furrowed deeply. ¡°Does


    the security of this branch do nothing? You would allow some random lunatic from nowhere toe


    and abuse your manager?¡±


    The security guards had clearly been informed by their supervisor too and were wary of Kevan. So,


    when he said that, those who were still observing and hesitating came over at once. Even if Janine


    screamed, shouted, punched, and kicked, they refused to back off.


    Soon, they managed to free Larissa. Her bun was now loose from Janine¡¯s yanking, and the cheek that


    was swollen from the p had also gained a bloody scratch from the mayhem. Her clothes were now in


    complete disarray from the tugging and yanking, and she was in a sorry state indeed.


    Seeing that security was determined to chase them out and not put up with them like before, the Hardy


    coupley down side by side on the floor in perfect synchronization.


    ¡°Help! We¡¯re being beaten up! Murderers! Does thew still exist around here?¡± they howled loudly,


    even rolling about at times.


    The guards stared at one another before looking toward Kevan for his next order.


    Although Larissa was frequently embarrassed because of them, she had never once experienced


    anything like this before. She only wanted to bury herself in the ground right now. Sucking in a deep


    breath, Larissa prepared to go over to persuade them to leave. She had just taken a step forward when


    Kevan stopped her.


    He was so much taller than her. Whenever they stood together like this, she had to look up to see him.


    Kevan¡¯s head was turned down slightly, his gaze on her face. His own expression was dark, likely


    because he was in a bad mood.


    ¡°Go upstairs,¡± he said tly.


    Larissa wanted to flee from everything, of course. The further away she could be, the better. But no,


    that was not okay. She said, ¡°This incident started because of me. Of course, I should be the one to


    deal with it.¡±


    ¡°You? Deal with it?¡± Kevan suddenly let out a cold snort. ¡°How do you n to deal with it? Be pped


    and dragged by your hair again?¡±


    His sarcasm was not disguised in the slightest. Larissa¡¯s face was prickling with heat, the flush


    reaching her ears.


    His smile disappearing, Kevan repeated, ¡°Go upstairs. I¡¯ve called the police. You¡¯re not needed here.¡±


    She could see the resolve in his eyes. ¡°¡­Okay.¡± She turned and headed toward the elevator.


    Once Kevan was sure that she had entered the elevator, he instructed the security guards. ¡°Pick them


    up and throw them out.¡±


    The guardsplied, and the Hardy couple resisted with everything they had.


    ¡°If you dare touch me, I¡¯ll sue you till you lose everything! I will also get on television and tell everyone


    how shitty your hotel is! I¡¯ll make sure that no onees to your hotel!¡± Janine screeched.


    ¡°Wait.¡± Kevan motioned for the guards to stop.


    Thinking he was frightened by her words, Janine mbered up from the floor and smiled triumphantly.


    ¡°Scared, eh? If you are, then get that bitch, Larissa, out here. She will go to the hospital with us! Only


    then I may consider not suing you, and you will only have to pay for our medical fees!¡±


    Kevan stuck his hands into his pockets, his dark eyes gazing sharply at her. A shallow smile appeared


    on his face. ¡°Medical fees? How much?¡± he asked in a genial tone.


    ¡°200 thousand!¡± Janine said strongly with her hands on her hips.


    ¡°200 thousand?¡± Kevan raised an eyebrow. ¡°Of course.¡±


    His forthrightness stunned Janine. Chagrined, she waved her hand and said, ¡°I made a mistake, it¡¯s not


    200 thousand, it¡¯s 500 thousand!¡±


    ¡°500 thousand? That¡¯s fine too.¡± Kevan did not hesitate.


    Hearing this, Dick Hardy red at Janine before stepping in front of her. ¡°That¡¯s too little, we demand


    one million!¡±


    ¡°How about this,¡± Kevan¡¯s smile grew bigger. ¡°I¡¯ll give you two million.¡±


    The Hardys¡¯ eyes widened with delight.


    ¡°For your lives.¡± Kevan finished speaking.


    The smiles of the Hardy couple stiffened on their faces.

 Chapter 6

    Chapter 6


    Larissa¡¯s office was situated on the side of the hotel facing the street.


    Not long after she went upstairs, the sounds of police sirens could be heard below. She pushed open


    the window and looked down. There was a police car parked in front of the hotel¡¯s main entrance. A


    few minutester, two policemen led the Hardy couple out.


    What really surprised her was that they were not resisting. They did not even pull away from the police


    and followed them obediently into the car. Larissa only found out the reasonter from Livie, who said,


    ¡°Mr. Rogers said he was going to pay two million dors for their lives. It scared them well. When they


    saw the police, it was like they¡¯d found their saviors and insisted on going with them so that they would


    be protected.¡±


    Livie continued to narrate with rapture, ¡°You didn¡¯t even see how they looked afterward, Ms. Seymour.


    They were just two total losers. It was hrious.¡±


    Larissa could not bring herself tough about it, however. Now that those two had made fools of


    themselves, they had embarrassed her too. After all, to strangers, they were still her inws.


    ¡­


    Unsurprisingly, Larissa was summoned by the general manager before noon.


    ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    She stood ramrod straight, her hands sped neatly in front of her. Her head was also bowed as she


    waited for the storm that was sure toe.


    However, it did not.


    On the contrary, the general manager asked kindly, ¡°Do you need a few days off?¡±


    Larissa¡¯s head snapped up in surprise. She wondered if the guy was possessed¡ªwhen she made


    mistakes previously, all that usually awaited her was a scolding. As if he had read her mind, the general


    manager¡¯s face darkened and reverted to his usual stern appearance, which actually reassured


    Larissa.


    ¡°Although what happened today was not something you could control, it did start because of you.¡±


    Larissa¡¯s head went down again.


    ¡°You have three days. Sort out your private affairs, and don¡¯t let it affect your work again. If there¡¯s ever


    another incident like this, your year-end bonus will be entirely forfeited.¡±


    Larissa¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and she immediately promised, ¡°I will definitely do everything I can to


    solve my issues.¡±


    After she left the general manager¡¯s office, Kevan emerged from the partitioned waiting area he had


    been hiding in.


    The general manager smiled quickly and greeted him, ¡°Mr. Rogers.¡±


    Kevan dipped his head slightly and sat across from him.


    ¡°As you instructed, I have given Ms. Seymour a few days off,¡± Mr. Compton said.


    ¡°I heard you.¡± Kevan¡¯s face was impassive, and his tone was mild too. ¡°One more thing.¡± His gaze


    became frosty, causing the general manager to recoil.


    ¡°Yes, sir?¡±


    ¡°Have Karin Gagher check out from the hotel. Inform the other Regal Dynasty branches that she is


    cklisted henceforth and is not allowed to stay.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡± Mr. Compton was a little hesitant. ¡°Ms. Gagher¡¯s room was reserved by her production crew.


    Their crew has several big-shot celebrities who are staying in our hotel this time. I¡¯m afraid that if we


    force Ms. Gagher to check out, the others would too¡­¡±


    ¡°Then let them.¡± Kevan did not waver. In fact, his face got colder too. ¡°It¡¯s not like the Regal Dynasty


    can¡¯t handle a minor loss like this.¡±


    The general manager was intimidated by his imposing aura, and he nodded quickly. ¡°Yes, sir. It will be


    arranged.¡±


    ¡­


    Despite suddenly getting three days off, Larissa was not happy at all. She called Travis and said, ¡°Are


    you free today? Let¡¯s meet up.¡±


    He said, ¡°Fine. I¡¯ve been looking for you anyway.¡± His tone was not friendly. It sounded like he was


    trying to suppress his anger.


    Now that a few hours had passed, it was more than enough time for his parents to tattle to him.


    ¡°3:30 pm, at the Elegant Indulgence Cafe next to the Victory General Hospital.¡± Travis made the


    decision without bothering to consult her, then hung up without waiting for a reply.


    Larissa had already been boiling with anger. If it was not for the fact that she wanted to deal with this


    dumb thing as soon as possible, she would not have bothered to show up due to Travis¡¯ attitude.


    She reached the Elegant Indulgence Cafe at the appointed time. The ce was not big and only had


    about ten tables. But it was already considered a location with an ¡°excellent environment¡±pared to


    the other diners around the hospital.


    There were not many people inside at this time. The moment Larissa said she was looking for


    someone, the waiter immediately led her to Travis¡¯ table. Just as she imagined, Travis did not look


    amiable. He did not even greet her upon seeing her arrival. His eyes were filled with wrathful


    resentment.


    Larissa acted as if she had seen nothing and sat down gracefully. She then proceeded to ept the


    menu handed over by the waiter.


    ¡°A cup of lemon tea, thanks.¡±


    She smiled at the waiter, who froze before saying, ¡°Of course.¡±


    Then, he left with a blush on his face.


    Travis looked even more pissed than ever.


    ¡°The divorce isn¡¯t even finalized yet, and you¡¯re already trying to seduce other men?¡± He red at


    Larissa as if she was a criminal that deserved to be condemned.


    Finding it funny, Larissa chortled out loud.


    ¡°Never mind whether I was seducing someone or not, even if I did¡ª¡± Her smile faded, and her eyes


    became cold. ¡°What right do you have to use me anyway, Travis Hardy?¡±


    Travis stiffened for a few seconds before changing the subject. ¡°Didn¡¯t you want a divorce? Sign this


    divorce agreement and I¡¯ll go to the City Hall with you tomorrow.¡±


    Seeing the file in front of him, Larissa¡¯s heart sank.


    It was less than two days from the time she found out about him and Amber until now. Even if he got a


    lawyer right after sending Amber to the hospital, an official divorce agreement would not have been


    drafted so quickly.


    That could only mean one thing¡ª


    This was something he had prepared long ago.


    ¡°How long have you been waiting?¡± Larissa smiled coldly.


    Travis was stunned. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°To divorce me.¡± Larissa kept her eyes fixed on him.


    Travis looked away nervously before huffing with irritation. ¡°What¡¯s the point of asking me this now?¡±


    Larissa sneered and took the file from him. She opened it and began to read the document carefully.


    As they had no children, the main point of the agreement was naturally on asset division. Travis


    requested for this to follow thew strictly and to have both their marital assets divided equally.


    To that, Larissa had no objections.


    Their ie levels wereparable, so splitting it equally just meant that they would keep their own


    assets to themselves. Neither would be taking advantage of the other. The only thing she really cared


    about was¡ª


    ¡°The house?¡±


    She had read through the whole agreement, and there was nothing mentioned about the house.


    ¡°Who¡¯s getting the house?¡±


    The house was bought after their marriage. Because Travis had used his money to buy stocks, he did


    not have any savings. Larissa sold the one-bedroom apartment that she had lived in for years and


    barely managed to pay for the down payment.


    Travis, on the other hand, used the condition of ¡°helping to pay back the mortgage¡± to get his name on


    the deed. But he¡¯d never paid a single cent during these years.


    Based on Larissa¡¯s thought process, she was the one paying for the house, so it was natural for her to


    have it¡ªat most, she would just give Travis some money to go through the arduous procedure of


    removing his name from the deed.


    ¡°What do you mean, who¡¯s ¡®getting¡¯ the house?¡± Travis retorted, a smug gleam in his eyes. ¡°You had


    better get this straight, Larissa. The house has nothing to do with you!¡±

 Chapter 7

    Chapter 7


    ¡°What the hell do you mean?¡± Larissa was no longer able to keep calm, and she leaped to her feet,


    scaring the waiter who had brought her drink over.


    ¡°Your¡ªyour lemon tea, miss.¡± The waiter put the cup on the table nervously, his eyes darting between


    the two before leaving. Even then, he kept turning back to look at them.


    Having been interrupted like that, Larissa recognized that she was in a public setting and somewhat


    restrained her discontent.


    ¡°I paid the down payment, and I¡¯ve been paying the monthly mortgage too. If the house has nothing to


    do with me, then who else could it belong to?¡± She struggled to keep her voice low enough so that only


    the two of them could hear.


    Hearing this, Travis unhurriedly retrieved yet another document from his ever-present briefcase.


    ¡°Take a look at this.¡±


    On the top of the first page, bold letters announced the document to be an agreement for the gifting of


    property. Larissa¡¯s gaze stopped at the title for two seconds before she began reading quickly¡ª


    Gifter: Larissa Seymour (hereinafter referred to as Party A¡±)


    Giftee: Travis Hardy (hereinafter referred to as Party B)


    The gift was precisely the house that they lived in after their marriage.


    ¡°What are you showing me this for? You want me to sign this?¡± Larissa tossed the papers back at him


    with a cold smile. ¡°I¡¯m telling you, Hardy, dream on!¡±


    Travis was not frustrated at all. In fact, there was a triumphant smirk on his face that he could not hide.


    He turned to thest page of the document and pushed it toward Larissa again. His index finger


    pointed at the ce where the signatures were meant to be and said, ¡°Take a closer look, then tell me


    if I¡¯m still dreaming.¡±


    Below the words ¡°Party A¡± was a mboyant signature that said her name. The penmanship was one


    that she was most familiar with, and it did not seem like it was forged.


    And the signature was shown to be dated three months ago! After a bit of calcting, it must have


    been shortly after Amber got pregnant.


    They¡­ They had been plotting against her since the beginning! And yet she had been kept in the dark


    until now!


    Larissa was so angry that she was trembling. She finally managed to speak through gritted teeth. ¡°I do


    not remember signing these papers.¡±


    She did not know how Travis had conned her into signing anything, but she could not recall seeing


    anything remotely like these papers about gifting property.


    ¡°Regardless of whether or not you remember, you did sign it. I¡¯ve had this agreement notarized.¡± Travis


    refused to give her an exnation and simply emphasized thest few words. ¡°You¡¯ve given me the


    house, so it¡¯s mine. Based on thew, I don¡¯t have the obligation to give you even a square foot of it!¡±


    ¡°Oh, and by the way¡ª¡± Travis went on his phone for a moment before showing a photo to Larissa. ¡°I¡¯ve


    completed the property transfer procedure. This is the new property deed¡ª¡±


    There was only Travis¡¯s name on it.


    Larissa stared nkly at the image. In an instant, she was unable to think.


    Travis rapped his knuckles on the table and brought her back to reality. ¡°Hurry up and sign the


    agreement. I still need to look after Amber at the hospital. I don¡¯t have time to waste with you here.¡±


    ¡°No. I won¡¯t sign it,¡± Larissa said. Her voice was light but firm. Before she figured out all the fishy stuff in


    this deal, she would never let Travis have it his way.


    ¡°Are you serious?¡± Travis scowled irritably. ¡°Even if you don¡¯t sign it, the house is still mine. It¡¯s


    impossible to give it back to you.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t sign it,¡± Larissa repeated. ¡°I don¡¯t mind wasting time with you. Let¡¯s see who can drag things


    out the longest.¡±


    ¡°You!¡± Travis gnashed his teeth.


    Larissa ignored him and took out a 20-dor bill and left it on the table. She then picked up her bag and


    rose from her seat. Before she could take two steps further, Travis blocked her way.


    ¡°Think this through carefully.¡± He lowered his voice, his expression savage. ¡°You know what my parents


    are like. Aren¡¯t you afraid they¡¯ll cause a scene at your hotel again?¡±


    Of course Larissa was afraid. But she could not show it, or else Travis would have leverage over her.


    ¡°Go back and ask your parents¡ª¡± A mocking smile appeared on her face. ¡°If they have decided to use


    their own lives in exchange for two million dors?¡±


    Travis¡¯ expression shifted a little. ¡°Murder is against thew!¡± he hissed in a low tone even as a hint of


    panic flickered through his eyes.


    ¡°You can get them to try.¡± Larissa casually tossed out those words and quickly left the cafe while Travis


    was still stunned.


    ¡­


    Larissa obviously could not actually drag things out forever with Travis. Not for any other reason but


    that she simply did not want to have anything to do with him anymore.


    But the signature on the property agreement really bothered her.


    She was certain that she never signed anything like that before, even if the penmanship seemed to be


    hers. And that property deed with the changed name¡ª


    She was so surprised. Travis could actually seed in the property transfer procedure without her


    presence. All of this was extremely illogical.


    Without a moment of hesitation, Larissa drove back to the hotel. The moment she arrived at the lobby,


    she raced toward reception.


    ¡°Livie, could you help me check which room Mr. Shields¡ªyou know, the guy who came with Mr. Rogers


    ¡ªis staying in?¡±


    Normally, the guests¡¯ information could not be disclosed to anyone. A seven-star hotel such as the


    Regal Dynasty took this aspect rather seriously. But Larissa was not just ¡°anyone,¡± she was also the


    manager of the housekeeping department.


    Thinking Larissa was asking for work purposes, Livie found out Dn¡¯s room number through the


    system easily and told her.


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    When Larissa arrived at the floor where Dn¡¯s room was located, she heard a shrill voice shrieking


    abuse once she exited the elevator. ¡°I¡¯ve paid for the room! On what grounds are you kicking me out?


    Do you know who I am? If you dare touch me, I¡¯ll make sure you¡¯ll be as famous as your hotel!¡±


    Clearly, a guest and the staff were in conflict.


    Although she was technically on her day off, Larissa could not just stand by now that she had


    encountered this.


    Quickening her pace, Larissa went toward the direction of the voice. She saw several guards and


    cleaning staff standing before a door after turning a corner. They were seemingly in a stand-off with


    someone. Once she got closer, she realized that it was the famous star, Karin Gagher.


    Larissa recalled that Karin and her production crew all had rooms on this floor.


    ¡°Ms. Seymour!¡± The cleaning staff gazed at her with stars in their eyes when they saw her. It was as if


    their savior had arrived.


    Hearing that, Karin emerged from her room, still in an agitated state. Without waiting for Larissa to


    speak, Karin jabbed a finger at her and shouted, ¡°You¡¯re the manager? Exin to me why I¡¯m forced to


    check out! Does your hotel not want business anymore?¡±

 Chapter 8

    Chapter 8


    Larissa was confused by the usation. But as she was someone who had quite some experience


    working here, she had met more unreasonable guests.


    Therefore, she was able to react quickly and gave her an apologetic smile. ¡°My apologies, Ms.


    Gagher. There must be a misunderstanding here. I just got back, and I am not quite sure what¡¯s


    going on. Could you give me some time to look into the situation?¡±


    At the same time, her mind was racing. The Regal Dynasty was a proper hotel with an established


    background. It would not be possible for them to forcibly evict someone without cause. But seeing the


    guards and cleaning staff present, the eviction did not seem false either.


    Larissa could think of no one else who had the power to evict guests other than the general manager.


    She was just about to call him for rification about the situation when the door to the room at the end


    of the corridor opened.


    Dn emerged in his pajamas. His was stone-faced and exuded a cold aura simr to Kevan¡¯s. His


    geniality in the morning was nowhere to be seen.


    Thinking that they had disturbed his rest, Larissa quickly apologized. ¡°Forgive me, Mr. Shields. There is


    a situation that we need to take care of at the moment. If you find the noise bothersome, I can have


    someone put you up in a different room.¡±


    However, Dn waved her off and smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡±


    Larissa was totally confused once again. If it was fine, then why was he upset earlier?


    Dn walked straight up to Karin, who clearly knew him.


    ¡°M¡ªMr. Shields?¡± Her previous arrogance was gone and reced by anxiety.


    ¡°Ms. Gagher.¡± Dn was not as nice to her as he was to Larissa. His tone was polite and indifferent.


    ¡°Mr. Rogers was the one who requested your eviction. As for why¡­¡± His smile did not reach his eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you know.¡±


    Karsyn froze and steadily turned pale.


    Dn proceeded to add, ¡°If you don¡¯t want this to get any worse, I suggest you check out quietly now.¡±


    Karin bit her lip, clearly struggling with herself for a few seconds before she turned and went back into


    her room. Soon, she emerged with her two assistants.


    She wore a cap that was pulled down as much as possible. Arge pair of sunsses as well as a


    mask hid her face from view. She did not say a word to anyone else and hurriedly made her way


    forward. Her assistants each dragged arge suitcase behind them as they followed her.


    Having aplished their mission, the security guards left, and the cleaning staff began cleaning up


    Karin¡¯s room.


    Only Larissa and Dn were left in the corridor.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you on leave?¡± Dn asked her.


    Larissa had no energy left to wonder why he knew about her being on leave. She went straight into the


    topic. ¡°Are you avable at the moment? I would like to have you as mywyer.¡±


    Dn froze for a moment before letting out a knowing smile.


    ¡°Sure,¡± he said.


    ¡­


    Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Larissa followed Dn into his room. He beckoned her to sit on the couch and asked, ¡°Water?¡±


    Larissa shook her head and said, ¡°No, thanks.¡±


    Dn then sat on the armchair on the side. ¡°You¡¯d like a divorce?¡± he asked.


    He had previously introduced himself as awyer who ¡°specialized in handling divorce cases,¡± so being


    able to guess Larissa¡¯s goal was not that hard.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Larissa felt bashful. It was as if she was exposing her wounds to someone else. She


    straightened up discreetly and clenched her fists, which were ced on herp.


    Unlike what she expected, Dn did not ask for the reason why. However, he simply became more


    professional and asked, ¡°Has the asset division been settled?¡±


    Larissa smiled bitterly. ¡°I¡¯m in need of your services precisely because it¡¯s not.¡±


    Dn was not the least bit surprised. ¡°How would your former husband like to divide it?¡±


    Larissa described the contents of the divorce agreement, and Dn raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°Just that? What about the house? It won¡¯t be divided?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s where the problem is.¡± The moment Larissa thought about the house, her rage began to ramp


    up. She did her best to control it, and her nails dug unconsciously into her soft flesh.


    ¡°Oh?¡± Dn looked interested in what she had to say.


    ¡°This house that we¡¯re living in was bought after we got married. I made the down payment, and I am


    also paying for the mortgage. But the deed had both our names on it. However, just a few hours ago,


    my former husband showed me the papers for a gifting of property agreement that I had apparently


    signed and said that I had gifted the house to him. Moreover, he even went through the procedure to


    get the name on the deed changed to just his own.¡±


    Dn¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°Did you sign the papers in person?¡± he asked.


    Larissa replied, ¡°Based on the penmanship, it does seem to be by my hand. However, I don¡¯t recall


    signing those papers.¡±


    Dn was silent for a moment. ¡°We can do a penmanship verification first. If you really didn¡¯t sign it,


    then it¡¯s good. But on the off chance that it is¡­ Unless you can prove that you were deceived by your


    former husband and were unaware of the contents of the papers, they will be legally valid.¡±


    Larissa¡¯s hope plummeted into a dark abyss. She did not even know when she signed the damn


    papers. How was she supposed to prove that she was deceived?


    ¡°However, you don¡¯t have to feel so bad. We can still approach it from another angle.¡± Having sensed


    her sadness, Dn showed her aforting smile. ¡°Regardless of whether or not the papers are


    genuine, the transfer process he went through is definitely illegal. We can hold onto this point and do


    some digging. For all we know, we could implicate a bunch of people. By that time, there will be many


    who will want to get back at your former husband, so we won¡¯t even need to do anything.¡±


    This was a good idea, and the only feasible one at the moment.


    Larissa was worried, however. ¡°By implicating a bunch of people, would we be in danger?¡±


    Although she did not want Travis to have it easy, she did not want to risk herself and Dn either.


    ¡°You can rest easy on that.¡± Dn was confident and even lifted his head with some pride. ¡°Those guys


    wouldn¡¯t dare touch me.¡±


    Larissa¡¯s good opinion of him rose a couple of notches.


    ¡°Leave this to me. Just focus on your work,¡± Dn said.


    With such solid backing, Larissa was definitely calmer than before. Hence, she was in the mood to


    think of other things¡ªsuch as some gossip.


    ¡°Why did Mr. Rogers want to evict Karin Gagher from the hotel?¡±


    Karin was an A-lister with a huge following of die-hard fans. She just needed to publicly boycott the


    Regal Dynasty, and the hotel¡¯s upancy rate would tank along with its reputation. There would likely


    even be people who would deliberatelye over to cause trouble.


    Offending her was as good as a death sentence.


    Dn chuckled derisively. ¡°She had the audacity to drug Kevan¡¯s wine with a roofie! She deluded


    herself into thinking that she could climb her way up by sleeping with him¡ªI don¡¯t even know if I¡¯m


    supposed to praise her for her bravery or call her an idiot!¡±


    Karsyn was responsible for Kevan¡¯s drugging?!


    This fact shocked Larissa greatly.


    ¡°Does Karin¡­even need to bother with roofies?¡±


    Any man, who wanted to use unscrupulous means on Karin, would probably need to queue up for


    miles. Larissa found it hard to imagine that Karin would demean herself like that.


    The only logical exnation was¡ª


    ¡°Is there something wrong with Mr. Rogers?¡±

 Chapter 10

    Chapter 10


    ¡°Such as¡­¡± Dn¡¯s smile became sly as his gaze shifted over to Kevan. ¡°Having good rtions with


    Mr. Rogers here and having him help out in dealing with them.¡±


    Larissa¡¯s ballooning anticipation burst like Dn had punctured it with a needle.


    ¡°Um¡­¡± She nced furtively at Kevan, who seemedpletely indifferent. ¡°It¡¯s better not to bother Mr.


    Rogers, right?¡±


    Kevan spoke up at this time. ¡°What, you don¡¯t think I¡¯m good enough for the task?¡± He gazed at her


    with a half-smile on his face.


    Larissa quickly exined. ¡°Of course not. You¡¯re a busy man, Mr. Rogers. How could I trouble you with


    something insignificant like that? Besides, I¡¯ve only known you for a few days¡­¡±


    She did not know which part of her words had ruffled Kevan¡¯s feathers.


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Kevan¡¯s smile got a little bigger, but his gaze became cold. ¡°How could you trouble me with


    something as trivial as this? However¡ª¡± His words suddenly took a turn. ¡°You did me a big favor


    yesterday, I should repay you somehow. Why don¡¯t you tell me what you need me to do?¡±


    ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary.¡± Larissa did not hesitate to refuse him. ¡°You¡¯ve helped me to this morning.


    We¡¯re even. Neither of us owes each other anything.¡±


    Kevan still had that half-smile on his face. ¡°Are you sure, Ms. Seymour? After this, the deal¡¯s off.¡±


    The moment he finished speaking, Larissa said, ¡°I¡¯m sure.¡±


    ¡°Very well.¡± Kevan looked away and lifted his wine ss. He tilted his head back, and the dark red


    liquid seeped into his mouth. His Adam¡¯s apple bobbed as he gulped down the wine.


    Larissa had just nced over casually, but Kevan¡¯s amazingly symmetrical face as well as hisnguid


    sensuality actually made her stare. Her mouth went dry, and she could not help but swallow.


    Although Kevan did not notice her losing herposure, Dn sure as hell did.


    ¡°Do you think Mr. Rogers is good-looking, Ms. Seymour?¡± His abrupt question shocked Larissa back to


    reality.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Larissa fought to hide her panic and looked at him as calmly as she could.


    Dn repeated his question, and Kevan turned to look as well.


    Unable to fudge her way out of this, Larissa nodded. ¡°Yes.¡±


    At least she was not lying.


    Dn refused to let her go, however, and asked, ¡°Then do you like men like Mr. Rogers?¡±


    This question really had Larissa stumped. She did like Kevan¡¯s face, but¡­ that was it.


    She smiled and gave a vague answer. ¡°What woman wouldn¡¯t like a man like Mr. Rogers?¡±


    ¡°Do you, then?¡± This time, Dn was not the one who asked, but Kevan himself.


    Larissa hesitated, but said, ¡°Of course I do.¡± Her conscience was not as important as her job.


    Even though Kevan knew that she was just being courteous, he was still pleased by her answer.


    ¡°Since you like me so much¡­¡± He waved the waiter over. ¡°The same wine as before. Another bottle,


    please.¡±


    His actions caused Larissa to gape. She really wanted to know if it was toote to retract her words


    from before.


    ¡­


    Unable to retract her words, the only thing Larissa could do was drink as much as she could. The more


    she drank, the less she would lose. As a result, she ended up in a drunken stupor.


    Larissa¡¯s post-alcoholic behavior was great. When she got drunk, she would not make a scene nor


    cause trouble, but would instead stare nkly into space while sitting still.


    Dn called out to her. ¡°Ms. Seymour?¡±


    After almost two minutes, Larissa only responded with a questioning hum that was dragged out. Her


    expression was nk, and her head was tilted to one side as if she were deliberately acting cute.


    Dn clicked his tongue lightly and teased Kevan. ¡°The way your Lyssa looks right now could really


    incite criminal behavior.¡±


    Kevan gave him a cold look and did not answer him.


    Dn rubbed his nose sheepishly and wisely shut himself up.


    Larissa saw his mouth moving and could hear him. But she did not understand anything he just said.


    She was troubled, but her brain waspletely muddled, and she could not think.


    She subconsciously stuck out her tongue and licked her wine-stained lips¡ª


    In the next second, she was pulled into an embrace that was tinged with the smell of red wine.


    Using one hand to press her head firmly against his chest, Kevan slipped his other arm under her


    knees and picked her up.


    ¡°Your treat,¡± he said to Dn before walking out of the restaurant.


    Gazing at his retreating silhouette, Dn huffed with a pout. ¡°Jackass. I see how it is. Love over


    friendship, huh?¡±


    ¡­


    Kevan went straight to his room.


    Along the way, he met quite a few people. However, Larissa¡¯s face was hidden in his chest, and


    anyone who recognized him dared not look for long. They only gossiped behind his back about how


    ¡°Mr. Rogers is carrying a woman upstairs!¡±


    Larissa did not make a single sound. When Kevan put her down on the bed, he only realized that she


    had fallen asleep.


    Her eyes were firmly closed, her nose twitching rhythmically, and her mouth was parted slightly. Her


    crimson lips were rather tempting.


    Following his heart, Kevan leaned down and kissed her.


    Her lips were so soft, like jelly. But it did not have the sweetness of the confection. Instead, it tasted


    bitter from the wine.


    Even so, he was happy.


    Kevan sucked gently on her lips, and Larissa seemed to be aware of it in her sleep and let out a soft


    whine while frowning.


    She turned her head, and Kevan¡¯s mouth brushed past her cheek. A mouthful of powder ended up in


    his mouth.


    He hurriedly spat it out and used a paper towel to wipe his mouth. Then he went to the bathroom to


    rinse his mouth until he could no longer taste the unbearable vor of the powder.


    Looking down, he saw arge beige stain on the chest of his white shirt, which was unsurprising.


    All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.


    Kevan stripped off his shirt and threw it into the hamper with disgust. After that, he wrung a hot towel of


    excess water and began removing Larissa¡¯s makeup for her while sitting on the edge of the bed.


    Her makeup was quite thick, to the point that her original skin tone could not be seen.


    Kevan felt that her makeup today was so much heavier than her usual get-up. Soon, he found out the


    reason why¡ªwithout the powder concealing it, the swollen side of her face was revealed to him.


    This was obviously from the woman who caused a scene this morning.


    Kevan¡¯s eyes narrowed as a hint of savage fury shed through them. He gently touched Larissa¡¯s face


    with a finger, slowly tracing a line across the swollen area.


    ¡°Idiot. Moron,¡± he hissed through gritted teeth as he prodded her cheek out of spite¡ªyet he dared not


    to use too much force.


    ¡°Abandoning me for an asshole like that¡­ Serves you right that you¡¯re having it hard right now!¡±

 Chapter 11

    Chapter 11


    When Larissa opened her eyes, she was still rather out of it.


    Even so, she could recognize that she was in Room 8888, the ce where she had been ¡°fortunate¡±


    enough to have spent that fateful night with Kevan.


    Shock and fear chasing away thest bit of tiredness in her bones, Larissa lifted a corner of the sheets


    ¡ª


    She was not naked like she thought she would be. However, her current state of dress was not that


    much better either. The clothes she wore yesterday were gone. They were reced by a high-end silk


    dressing gown that the hotel had custom-made for high-profile guests.


    Moreover, the concealer on her neck was gone too, revealing deep red kiss marks.


    She could not remember what happenedst night and dared not try to recall the events.


    She was alone in the huge king-sized bed, the space beside her empty. The pillows were stacked


    neatly at the head of the bed, and the sheets were neat apart from the side that she slept in.


    Larissa did not know if Kevan had already left the room or if he had not even slept herest night. She


    sure hoped it was thetter.


    The bathroom door was open, and there was no one inside. The hamper was filled with clothes,


    however. The ones on the top were Kevan¡¯s, and the ones at the bottom were hers. The sight of their


    clothes muddled together had a rather suggestive vibe.


    Larissa immediately gave up the idea of picking up the soiled clothes. After freshening up, Larissa


    decided to wear a set of Kevan¡¯s clothes just like she did the previous time.


    She had just opened the wardrobe when the bedroom door swung open.


    Startled, Larissa mmed the wardrobe door shut, which caused it to bounce twice before settling


    closed.


    Kevan was the one who entered the room.


    This time, he was wearing a simple, casual outfit. His hair was also left unstyled, falling t against his


    scalp.


    Seeing Larissa up and about, he was a little surprised. But that was only shown through a slightly


    raised eyebrow.


    ¡°Get changed, since you¡¯re up.¡± He tossed a paper bag he had been carrying onto the bed. ¡°Dn has


    something to say to you.¡±


    After that, he turned and left.


    Larissa nced over and only saw his reddened ears. She opened the paper bag and saw that it was


    full of womenswear¡ªthere were even three sets of lingerie, which made her blush hard.


    Based on Kevan¡¯sposure earlier, he definitely did not buy these clothes in person¡ªhe probably


    had not even seen them before.


    But these clothes were unquestionably bought by a typical man. Because other than lingerie, there


    were only a few pink dresses in the bag, and they had the kind ofce that made women look like


    fairies or something ridiculous like that.


    Larissa might have liked it 20 years ago when she was still in elementary school, but now¡­


    Well, she did not have any other choice.


    Picking the inest dress she could find, Larissa changed and patted her neck with the loose powder


    that she always carried in her bag. She barely managed to cover the kiss marks this way.


    Kevan and Dn were in the living room. They sat on opposite ends of the sofa.


    ¡°Mr. Shields, Mr. Rogers,¡± she greeted them, and they turned to her at the same time.


    Dn seemed to smile instantaneously as he desperately tried to stifle hisughter. His fist covered his


    mouth as he choked out, ¡°This dress¡­¡± His voice was quivering.


    Annoyed, Larissa clutched at the skirt and lowered her head so that her hair could hide her burning


    face.


    It took some time before Dn managed to finish his sentence. ¡°Looks pretty good.¡±


    Larissa did not answer, and Kevan asked, ¡°You don¡¯t like it?¡±


    Feeling the prickle of his gaze, Larissa looked up. Kevan¡¯s brows were furrowed, and he seemed a little


    unhappy.


    So, she nodded at once. ¡°It looks pretty good.¡± Only then did Kevan¡¯s expression brighten a little.


    ¡°Here, Ms. Seymour.¡± Dn patted the empty seat next to him, which was between him and Kevan.


    Larissa was a little hesitant.


    ¡°Go on. Sit.¡±


    She only sat down carefully after Kevan spoke.


    ¡°It¡¯s a little cramped, Ms. Seymour. Perhaps you could move over there a little?¡± Dn asked sincerely.


    ¡°Oh, of course!¡± Larissa immediately moved away.


    The couch was just enough for three. She had originally been sitting squarely in the middle and would


    not have touched anyone. But now that she had moved, she ended up sitting rather close to Kevan.


    Recalling what Dn said to her about Kevan hating bodily contact with others, she immediately


    apologized to him and said, ¡°Forgive me, Mr. Rogers, I¡¯d better sit over there.¡± She pointed at the


    armchair nearby.


    But before she could move, Kevan pinned her down.


    ¡°Here is fine.¡± His tone was mild, and his face revealed nothing. But she could tell that he was not


    angry.


    However, Larissa was not able to be at ease. She moved her arm a little so that there was a crack of


    space between her and Kevan. Noticing this, Kevan¡¯s eyes darkened a little.


    Turning to Dn, Larissa asked, ¡°You had something to say to me, Mr. Shields?¡±


    Dn made a noise of affirmation. ¡°I¡¯ve contacted your former husband and gotten the divorce


    agreement from him as well as the papers for the gifting of property with your signature on it. I¡¯ve sent


    thetter to a professional organization for verification.¡±


    Not expecting Dn to be so efficient, Larissa was surprised. Then, Dn said, ¡°None of these is the


    main point though.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± She froze. ¡°Then what is?¡±


    ¡°I checked the assets under your former husband¡¯s name and discovered he has less than ten


    thousand dors left in savings. The stocks he had in hand have also been sold a few months ago.¡±


    Dn was very solemn.


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible!¡± Larissa denied it at once.


    She knew that Travis did not have much in savings, but that was because he used his money for stock


    trading. Just recently, the stock market crashed, so he did end up losing quite a bit of money, but it


    could not have gotten so bad that he had less than ten thousand left!


    Besides, ording to the man himself, the amount of money he had put in was over one million


    dors!


    ¡°I¡¯ve already filed a request to the court to freeze his capital assets on your behalf. But it¡¯s toote now,


    unfortunately. So, there isn¡¯t much use to it.¡± Dn was very straightforward.


    Rage was no longer enough to describe Larissa¡¯s feelings at the moment. She only knew that if Travis


    was here right now, she would not hesitate to beat the shit out of him, even if it meant ruining her


    image.


    ¡°So, I¡¯m going to, what, suffer all this in silence?¡± she asked hoarsely.


    Now that Travis had no money, not only would she not get a single penny from him, but she had to give


    him half of hers!


    N?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    What a calctive bastard!


    ¡°Actually, no.¡± Dn smiled andforted her. ¡°Your former husband did indeed transfer his assets. It¡¯s


    easy to prosecute him, and the chances of winning are high. I¡¯ve sent someone to gather evidence. By


    then, not only are we going to get him to cough up the money he¡¯s moved, but we¡¯re also going to get


    him into jail for a well-deserved punishment.¡±


    These words mitigated some of the anxiety that Larissa was feeling.


    ¡°Do I need to do anything to help?¡± she asked.


    ¡°No.¡± Dn said, ¡°We¡¯ll stay put for now to prevent tipping them off, as that only gives them the chance


    to destroy evidence.¡±

 Chapter 12

    Chapter 12


    As Dn had full discretion in handling the divorce, Larissa¡ªdespite being the intiff¡ªhad pretty


    much nothing to do.


    Having two days of leave left, Larissa decided to visit a real estate agency so that she could rent a


    small apartment near the Regal Dynasty Hotel.


    The hotel was located in one of the most prosperous locations in Covenford. The area surrounding it


    had high-end neighborhoods whose properties cost over ten thousand dors per square foot. Vacant


    properties in the area were rare, and even if there were any, they were not avable for rent to


    outsiders.


    She could only settle for the next best thing and fixed the location range of her new home within the


    distance of three train stations, or a half-hour¡¯s driving distance during non-peak hours.


    The real estate agent led her around for the whole day to view several properties, but they either had


    noisy surroundings or were old buildings thatcked elevators.


    In other words, none of them satisfied her needs.


    Dragging her tired body back to the hotel, Larissa had justid down on the bed when she got a call


    from Travis¡¯ brother, Andrew Hardy.


    Without even greeting her, he said, ¡°I¡¯ming to Covenford with Kara next weekend. Book a flight


    and hotel for us.¡±


    Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Andrew currently studied at a university in Bartham, and Kara Harper was his girlfriend of two years.


    Larissa had only interacted with him a few times during her marriage ceremony and this year¡¯s new


    year celebrations. They were not really familiar with each other. She had never even met Kara before,


    but frequently heard the Hardys talking about how she was the only daughter of some big shot in


    Bartham.


    So, when Larissa got ordered around like that, she was a bit confused. It was not necessary to


    approach her for this sort of thing, right?


    ¡°You can get your brother to do it for you.¡±


    It seemed that the Hardys had yet to tell him about the divorce between her and Travis. To prevent any


    complications, Larissa did not mention it either.


    She was going to end the call when Andrew got angry.


    ¡°My bro¡¯s so busy every day. How could he have time to book all these things for me!¡± He spoke very


    rudely. ¡°As my sister-inw, what¡¯s wrong with giving me a hand? Besides, don¡¯t you work in the Regal


    Dynasty? It shouldn¡¯t be that hard for you to tell reception about it, right?¡±


    In the few times that she was together with Andrew, he was always gaming on his phone, and he never


    said much. Hence, Larissa thought that he was an introverted, quiet guy. Who knew that the real him


    would be just as weird as his parents?


    However, this was kind of understandable too.


    ¡°I can only book the hotel for you,¡± Larissa said after a moment¡¯s thought. ¡°Take care of the flight ticket


    yourself or ask your brother.¡±


    Since he insisted on staying in the Regal Dynasty, she would not refuse the opportunity to do business.


    ¡°For fuck¡¯s sake, stop being so fake. If you don¡¯t want to help, then don¡¯t! Forget the hotel, I¡¯ll do it all


    myself!¡± Andrew hung up after yelling at her.


    Larissa pursed her lips and threw her phone aside. She thought that this was the end of it when


    Andrew called her again the next day when she was out looking at properties.


    ¡°I¡¯ll book the flight ticket myself. You do the hotel for me. I want an executive suite for two nights, Friday


    and Saturday. I¡¯ll text you my detailster. The contact number is the one I¡¯m using right now.¡±


    The real estate agent was still waiting for her. Not being in the mood to argue, Larissa agreed to this.


    Two minutester, Andrew indeed texted her. The message only contained his details. There was not


    even a thank you.


    By the time evening rolled around, Larissa was still unsessful.


    When she passed by the reception, she remembered what Andrew told her to do, so she went to look


    for Livie.


    ¡°Reserve an executive suite for me for the next Friday and Saturday nights.¡±


    ¡°Booking for a friend?¡± Livie asked in passing.


    ¡°I guess so.¡± Larissa gave her Andrew¡¯s details.


    After entering it all into the system, Livie asked, ¡°Do you want to use your employee discount for his


    room rate?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Larissa answered without blinking.


    Helping him book a room was already good enough. Using her employee discount? Forget it!


    ¡°Oh? Ms. Seymour?¡± Dn¡¯s voice sounded from behind her.


    Larissa turned to see him with Kevan. They each had a suitcase with them.


    ¡°Mr. Shields, Mr. Rogers.¡± She greeted them first before asking, ¡°Are you checking out?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Dn nodded before pointing at reception. ¡°Are you finished?¡±


    Larissa immediately gave them space. ¡°Yes, yes, I am!¡± Then, she turned to instruct Livie. ¡°Please help


    them check out.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right! Of course!¡± Livie gingerly epted the room cards Dn handed over and had the checkout


    procedure done within two minutes.


    Larissa asked Dn, ¡°Are you leaving Covenford? Then my¡­¡± She was a little worried.


    ¡°We¡¯re not leaving the city,¡± Dn replied with a smile. ¡°On the contrary, Mr. Rogers and I are nning


    to stay here.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Larissa did not understand.


    ¡°Our actual purpose in Covenford is to establish a Microworks Corporation branch here. We originally


    wanted to go back to Bartham after everything had been dealt with, but the process was a lot more


    complicated than we thought and couldn¡¯t be finished anytime soon. It may take a few years,¡± Dn


    exined.


    ¡°Microworks Corporation?¡± Larissa was stunned. ¡°THAT Microworks Corporation?¡±


    Were they really talking about Microworks Corporation, that extraordinarypany that only took ten


    years to be the top dog in the IT industry? The one very few people knew who its president was?


    ¡°Yes.¡± Dn nodded. ¡°That one.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ What has Microworks Corporation got anything to do with you?¡± Larissa stared nkly at them.


    One was a mysterious executive of the Regal Dynasty, and the other was awyer who specialized in


    handling divorce cases. No matter how she looked at it, they had no rtions whatsoever to that


    company.


    Dn suddenly straightened up and adjusted his tie before clearing his throat.


    ¡°Allow me to introduce you,¡± he said formally. ¡°He¡ª¡± he pointed at Kevan, ¡°is the founder and current


    president of Microworks Corporation. And I¡ª¡± he then pointed at himself, ¡°am his co-founder. I am also


    thepany¡¯s secondrgest shareholder.¡±


    If Larissa wore sses, they definitely would have fallen to the floor by now.


    ¡°Oh, by the way, where have you been over the past two days?¡± Dn quickly changed the subject. ¡°I


    heard that you¡¯ve been leaving early buting backte.¡±


    Perhaps it was due to the way she had developed a ¡°revolutionary camaraderie¡± with Dn, but she no


    longer treated him like a stranger. She said frankly, ¡°I¡¯ve been looking for a new ce as I can no


    longer live in my old one. Although it¡¯s convenient in terms of work to live in my private staff room, it¡¯s


    rather troublesome in all other aspects.¡±


    ¡°You want to buy a new house?¡± Dn asked.


    Larissa smiled wryly. ¡°Nah. I don¡¯t have the money for that. I n to rent for a while. Once the divorce


    is settled and I have enough money by then, I¡¯ll take out a loan to buy a house.¡±


    As one of the two top major cities in the country, housing prices skyrocketed really quickly. Even the


    suburban properties beyond Avenue 5 started from two thousand dors per square foot.


    With Larissa¡¯s current savings, she probably could not even afford a restroom in Avenue 3.


    ¡°Do you have a house in mind?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Larissa shook her head and could not help butin. ¡°I¡¯ve seen more than ten houses and


    none of them were satisfactory at all.¡±


    ¡°In that case, you can rent mine,¡± Dn said.

 Chapter 13

    Chapter 13


    Dn was quite famous in his industry and had been specifically handling divorce cases for wealthy


    clients in recent years. The remuneration for each case was over a million dors. In addition to his


    position as the co-founder of Microworks Corporation, buying a house in Covenford was as easy as


    pie.


    ¡°I happen to have an empty apartment. It¡¯s just nearby in Foxtail Garden.¡±


    Foxtail Garden was one of the elite, high-end neighborhoods in Covenford. Those who could afford


    properties there were either rich or had high social status. Moreover, Foxtail Garden was the closest


    neighborhood to the Regal Dynasty Hotel, and the surrounding facilities were readily avable.


    ¡°Really? You¡¯ll rent it out to me?¡± Larissa could not believe her luck.


    ¡°Of course.¡± Dn nodded, his face showing nothing but seriousness. ¡°If you want to rent it, you can


    follow us to have a look right now.¡±


    ¡°Great!¡± Larissa agreed at once.


    There was a car waiting at the main entrance of the hotel. The moment Kevan and Dn emerged, the


    driver got out and helped them put their suitcases into the trunk of the car.


    Dn quickly imed the passenger¡¯s seat before Larissa could, and said cheerily, ¡°I like sitting here.¡±


    Larissa immediately let him have it. ¡°Of course.¡±


    While they were talking, Kevan had already gotten into the car. He had not closed the door, so his cool


    voice was able to reach Larissa¡¯s ears. ¡°Hurry up.¡±


    Larissa quickly sat in the back seat. Kevan was sitting close to the middle, as he had nearly upied


    two seats at once. To ensure that she would not touch him, Larissa sat as close to the door as she


    could. But even then, his face was so stony and neutral that it was frightening.


    Larissa¡¯s back was ramrod straight, and she barely dared breathe for fear of angering him. Thankfully,


    the drive from the hotel to Foxtail Garden was less than five minutes long, so it was not too hard to


    bear.


    The car stopped before a building.


    ¡°It¡¯s here.¡± Dn got out of the car first. ¡°Floors 18 and 19 are mine. If you want to rent, you can take


    Floor 19.¡±


    This building contained huge, penthouse-grade apartments. It was the type that had an elevator


    opening directly into the apartment.


    They headed to Floor 19 first. The apartment was nicely renovated and had a minimalistic air to it. But


    it was clear that Dn¡¯s furniture was of higher quality than most minimalistic-type furniture.


    ¡°After I renovated this ce, I never lived in it. So, everything here is new,¡± Dn exined to Larissa.


    ¡°I have everything here aside from food. You can move in any time you want.¡±


    Larissa took a good look at the ce and was very much satisfied with the renovation and surrounding


    environment.


    Her only concern was¡­


    ¡°The rent¡­¡±


    It probably was not cheap.


    ¡°Three thousand a month?¡± Dn threw out a random number. When he saw Larissa¡¯s shocked


    expression, he hurriedly backtracked. ¡°If you think it¡¯s too expensive, two thousand is fine too. I¡¯ve


    never rented property myself nor rented to someone, so I¡¯m not quite sure about what the market rate


    is. Anyway¡­ you can pay as you see fit.¡±


    Only then did Larissa realize that he had misunderstood her!


    ¡°No, no, no.¡± She waved her hands quickly. ¡°I just feel that three thousand is way too cheap.¡±


    If his apartment was under a real estate agency, the monthly rent was definitely not going to be lower


    than thirty thousand dors. However, the price he gave was only a tenth of that!


    Larissa could not help but sigh to herself. Dn Shields was honestly a godsend.


    After hearing her words, Dn sighed in relief to himself.


    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s a friendship discount.¡± He sounded so natural saying it. ¡°This ce is left empty anyway. You


    renting this ce means I have someone to keep an eye on it, and I can even earn some passive


    ie. No matter how I look at it, it¡¯s a win.¡±


    His logic was¡­ rather wless.


    Although Larissa was tempted by the three-thousand-dor rent, she would never take advantage of


    Dn like that since he considered her a friend.


    Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°How about this.¡± She braced herself. ¡°I¡¯ll pay you 15 thousand per month and take care of the utilities


    myself.¡±


    This was way beyond her budget, but it was not as if she was unable to pay for it¡ªthe most important


    thing was that she could not rebuff Dn¡¯s kindness, and besides, she really liked this apartment.


    Dn¡¯s face hardened. ¡°You¡¯re too kind, Ms. Seymour.¡±


    Kevan, who had said nothing then, spoke. ¡°Three thousand. Take it or leave it.¡±


    Their firm attitudes made it look as if she was the one who was losing something. Larissa was torn


    between amusement and exasperation.


    ¡°Three thousand is really low¡­¡± she tried to reason with them, but Kevan only pointed at the door


    without looking at her.


    ¡°Go.¡±


    Panicking, Larissa eximed, ¡°Alright, alright! I¡¯ll take it. Three thousand is fine.¡±


    She had wasted two days looking for a suitable ce. If she missed out on Dn¡¯s apartment, she did


    not know how much more time she would have to waste on finding a new ce to live in.


    Dn was smiling again.


    ¡°Great, I¡¯ll have a colleague send over a contractter. We¡¯ll sign it tomorrow once you have time.¡±


    He handed over an ess card to Larissa and added, ¡°If you want to, you can move in tonight.¡±


    Larissa carefully put away the card. ¡°I¡¯ll move after signing the contract.¡± Otherwise, it may appear


    inappropriate.


    ¡°As you wish.¡± This time, Dn and Kevan did not force her to do anything.


    ¡°I live downstairs on Floor 18, Kevan¡¯s on Floor 20. You can find us if you need anything,¡± Dn added.


    Larissa assumed he said that out of politeness and responded in kind. However, she did not think of


    looking for them at all.


    ¡­


    After seeing the house, Larissa wanted to return to the hotel.


    Dn whacked himself on the head and groaned. ¡°Shit!¡±


    Larissa had never seen him loseposure before and was a little nervous yet curious. ¡°What¡¯s


    wrong?¡±


    ¡°I forgot to tell the driver to wait for us.¡± Dn raced over to the balcony connected to the living room


    and leaned over the rails to look. Then he came back looking despondent. ¡°The driver¡¯s gone.¡±


    ¡°Did you need to go somewhere?¡± Larissa asked, ¡°I can call a cab.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Dn exined. ¡°I originally wanted to have him send you back to the hotel.¡±


    Well, that made things easier.


    Larissa immediately replied, ¡°It¡¯s pretty close to the hotel, I can walk back.¡±


    ¡°No, no.¡± Dn looked worried. ¡°It¡¯s too dark out, and there are very few people in Foxtail Garden.


    What if something happens to you on the road?¡±


    Larissa wanted to say that Covenford¡¯s security was not that bad and that she was not as stupid as


    they thought she was. But before she could speak, Kevan rose from the sofa with a hand in his pocket


    and walked swiftly to the door.


    Larissa stared at his back in confusion.


    Kevan stopped at the door and turned around. He was frowning, and his gazended on Larissa, who


    immediately caught the displeasure in his eyes.


    ¡°Well? Why aren¡¯t you following?¡± he asked with irritation.

 Chapter 15

    Chapter 15


    Kevan sessfully got Travis to shut up. Choking, thetter managed to spit out, ¡°Shameless bastard!¡±


    Kevan was unconcerned. He had lived for 34 years and had heard worse than this. The words


    ¡°shameless bastard¡± had no effect on him at all.


    ¡°Is there any use in being modest?¡± he retorted. ¡°I¡¯m sure the two of you know better than I do that


    sometimes being shameless is the key to sess.¡±


    His sarcasm was obvious; Travis caught on to it immediately.


    ¡°You!¡± Enraged, Travis let go of Amber and charged over. His fist aimed for Kevan¡¯s face, but thetter


    caught it a few inches before it couldnd.


    ¡°You¡¯re biting off more than you can chew,¡± Kevan sneered coolly as he twisted Travis¡¯ wrist, causing


    him to turn around.


    Kevan then kicked the back of Travis¡¯ knee. With a thud, Travis was kneeling on the ground.


    Covering her mouth, Amber wailed shrilly, ¡°Help! Help! There¡¯s an attack! Someone¡¯s assaulting my


    partner!¡±


    Her voice was rather irritating in the silence of the night.


    Kevan leveled a cold re at her and growled, ¡°Shut up! Or I¡¯ll beat you up too!¡±


    Amber took a big step back. ¡°How dare you!¡± She did her best to look fierce, but that did not shield the


    fear in her eyes.


    ¡°You¡¯ll find outter, won¡¯t you?¡± Kevan smiled darkly as he yanked on Travis¡¯ hair and stepped on his


    calf. A twist of his forefoot caused Travis to let out a piercing shriek.


    ¡°Amber, call the police!¡± he cried.


    Coming to her senses, Amber reached for her phone, fumbling several times before she finally got it


    out. Before she could unlock it, however, Larissa snatched it and threw it on the ground.


    ¡°My phone!¡± Amber let out a squawk of despair before she lunged at Larissa like a mad woman.


    Being pregnant, Amber was heavier than Larissa. So, when Larissa moved aside, Amber missed her


    target and fell t on the ground.


    It was a pretty bad fall. There was no sound for a while before her soft whimpers finally made


    themselves known.


    Compared to loud howling, Amber¡¯s current reaction was more rming to Larissa. She hurriedly went


    to turn Amber over and crouched to check her condition.


    She was pale, andrge beads of sweat were dripping down her forehead. Amber was also biting her


    lip hard and trembling incessantly, her hand pressed against her stomach while the other clutched at


    the hem of her shirt.


    Larissa noticed that a dark red patch had stained Amber¡¯s light gray pants.


    ¡°Shit!¡± she thought as she quickly whipped out her own phone to call emergency services.


    ¡°Amber!¡± Travis cried tearfully. He used all the power he had in his body to free himself from Kevan¡¯s


    clutches and practically flew to Amber¡¯s side, holding her hand.


    ¡°Hold on! Just hold on for a little while longer! You¡¯ll be fine. I won¡¯t let anything happen to you!¡± He


    comforted her softly.


    When he came over, Larissa let him have her space. Right now, she stood about two steps away and


    watched the couple with coldness in her eyes.


    History was repeating itself, but she was not as miserable as she was that night at the fancy restaurant.


    As a matter of fact, she felt nothing.


    Kevan stood next to her. However, she did not know when he hade over.


    ¡°Are you cold?¡± he asked.


    As the question was not rted to the situation before them, Larissa was stunned for two seconds


    before she replied, ¡°A little.¡±


    Autumn had just begun. Hence, asional cold winds were blowing in the night.


    Larissa had only worn a thin shirt that could not resist the cold. She rubbed her arms and ended up


    hugging herself.


    The very next second, she felt a weight upon her shoulders¡ªKevan had taken off his suit jacket and


    draped it over her. The fragrance of male cologne invading her senses made her feel a little


    ufortable.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Larissa wanted to peel off the jacket and return it to Kevan, but he stopped her.


    ¡°Keep it there.¡± Kevan nced at the weeping couple on the ground, who seemed to act as if they were


    going to lose each other, and said in a low voice, ¡°As things stand right now, you won¡¯t be able to get


    back to the hotel soon. It¡¯s colder at night, you¡¯ll easily fall ill.¡±


    The moment he said that, Larissa sneezed.


    Biting his lip, Kevan moved to face Larissa with a stern expression as he helped her to adjust the


    jacket, ensuring that she was well covered.


    ¡°See?¡±


    Larissa pursed her lips and stopped resisting his good intentions.


    ¡­


    The ambnce arrived quickly.


    Travis followed Amber into the vehicle. As he passed by Larissa and Kevan, he snarled a threat at the


    former, ¡°If something happens to the child, I¡¯ming after you!¡±


    The ambnce sirens grew fainter, and Larissa remained where she was.


    N?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    ¡°Do you think¡­that she¡¯ll be okay?¡± she asked Kevan so softly that thetter thought he imagined it.


    He was not a doctor, so he could not answer that question. But he was certain of one thing at least.


    ¡°Regardless of what happens to her, you will be fine.¡±


    Larissa blinked and turned to look at him. When she locked eyes with his unreadable ones, her heart


    began to race. She immediately looked down andposed herself.


    ¡­


    Larissa spent the rest of the night stricken with anxiety. The moment she closed her eyes, she either


    saw a bloodied Amber or a gentle Kevan who draped his jacket over her.


    Her emotions kept switching between fear and embarrassment, which made her feel like she was going


    to have a mental breakdown.


    ¡­


    Her rm rang at 8 am, exactly as she had set it, and Larissa weed her first day of work after her


    three-day leave.


    The dark circles were quite heavy under her eyes due to her not getting much sleepst night, and she


    barely managed to cover them up with her concealer.


    Fortunately, there were not many guests checking in today, and since Kevan and Dn, the ¡°important


    guests,¡± had checked out, she pretty much spent the whole day in her office. There were no incidents


    that required her attention.


    In the evening, Travis called her. ¡°Are you happy now, Larissa? Amber¡¯s child is gone! My child is gone!


    Is this the result you wanted?¡±


    His voice was hoarse, and he must have been crying for a long time. There was also great rage in his


    voice.


    Of course, this was not the result Larissa wanted. No matter how much she hated Travis and Amber,


    the child was innocent. Except¡­she would not feel sorry for those two because of this.


    ¡°I just moved aside; I didn¡¯t expect her to fall.¡± She stated the facts calmly, but that only made Travis


    angrier.


    ¡°You knew she was pregnant!¡± His voice got loud, causing Larissa¡¯s ears to hurt from the volume. ¡°You


    knew she would fall when you moved aside! You did that on purpose to hurt her! You wanted her to


    have a miscarriage! You wanted to murder our child! Larissa, you cruel bitch!¡±


    ¡°Me? Cruel?¡± Larissaughed. ¡°Get this straight, Hardy. You two were the ones who came looking for


    trouble. The ones who caused the loss of your child weren¡¯t me! You two did that to yourselves.¡±

 Chapter 16

    Chapter 16


    Larissa knew that Travis would not give up that easily. But after that call, he and his family did not cross


    paths with her even until she had signed the contract with Dn and moved into Foxtail Garden.


    She dared not let her guard down, however. Even if she was close to her workce, she chose to drive


    back and forth from work to minimize the chances of being caught alone.


    Two dayster, she was called into the general manager¡¯s office. His expression was quite solemn.


    N?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    Larissa recalled her work for the past two days¡ªshe was sure she had made no mistakes.


    Mr. Compton asked her, ¡°Do you know Mr. Skr Fox of Soaring Corporation?¡±


    ¡°Soaring Corporation?¡± Shocked, Larissa tensed up at once.


    This was not a nationally unfamiliar name¡ªit was a conglomerate that had made its fortune in real


    estate since the 70s. As time passed, thepany got bigger, and its business expanded into various


    sectors. They could be considered one of the main pirs of the economy.


    Larissa had left Bartham without looking back and came to Covenford because of Soaring Corporation


    ¡ªor at least, because of the person in charge.


    Even now, she still held onto the memory of that unpleasant experience. Getting involved with Soaring


    Corporation again made her really nervous¡ªanxious even. As for Skr Fox, she had never heard of


    him. But thest name Fox bothered her a bit.


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t know him,¡± she replied. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Her guard went up in an instant.


    ¡°You really don¡¯t?¡± Mr. Compton frowned, trying to figure out if she was lying. ¡°Then why did he call me


    last night to get me to fire you using any reason I can find?¡±


    Mr. Compton had been promoted to his current position from Larissa¡¯s current post. He was the one


    who hired her after she graduated from university, and she worked diligently under hismand for


    three years. After gaining his recognition and support, she got promoted at the same time he did.


    To the general manager, Larissa was someone he had mentored personally, so their bond was deeper


    than that of regr colleagues. Because of that, his first instinct was not to blindly obey Skr¡¯s


    instruction but to understand the situation from Larissa¡¯s perspective and see if he could find an


    alternative solution.


    ¡°I really don¡¯t know him,¡± Larissa said. But she had a suspicion that was somewhat confirmed¡ªthis Mr.


    Fox was likely rted to Amber. ¡°But I know why he wants you to fire me.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± the general manager asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s tooplicated to exin.¡± Larissa had no intention of announcing her mess with Travis to the


    world. She gazed calmly at the general manager and asked solemnly, ¡°Will you fire me?¡±


    Mr. Compton sighed.


    ¡°I¡¯ve always valued you, so I won¡¯t. But¡ª¡± He paused, a conflicted expression appearing on his face.


    ¡°The Regal Dynasty is under Soaring Corporation. Even if Mr. Fox isn¡¯t involved in the hotel side of


    things, his position is quite high in thepany, I can¡¯t afford to offend him either¡­¡±


    This was the first time that Larissa heard that the Regal Dynasty was under Soaring Corporation after


    working here for five years. If she had known this earlier, she would not have chosen this job.


    ¡°Mr. Compton.¡± She made her decision at once. ¡°You don¡¯t have to fire me, I will quit.¡±


    The general manager thought she was acting in the best interests of the hotel and felt both touched


    and a little sorry for her.


    ¡°Is there no possibility of salvaging the situation? Maybe you could apologize to Mr. Fox?¡±


    ¡°No, thank you.¡± Larissa rejected his suggestion. ¡°Just go through the termination process for me.¡±


    Mr. Compton did not agree to it immediately. He just said, ¡°Just go back and wait, alright?¡±


    The moment she left, he called Kevan. ¡°Mr. Rogers, are you avable at the moment? I would like you


    to do me a favor.¡±


    ¡­


    Under normal circumstances, one had to give a one-month notice to resign, then go through a process


    to begin the handover process.


    But Larissa¡¯s situation was different. She did not know how long she could stay in the Regal Dynasty.


    So, the moment she got back to her office, she summoned her assistants, intending to hand over her


    duties to them.


    Her assistants were confused, and one of them asked, ¡°Ms. Seymour, are you going to go on a


    business trip?¡±


    Larissa shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m going to leave the Regal Dynasty.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± they eximed at the same time. ¡°So suddenly?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Larissa smiled wryly. ¡°But this isn¡¯t public knowledge yet. You must keep this secret for me.¡±


    ¡­


    Larissa had just gotten home when the doorbell rang.


    Only two people could enter this building in Foxtail Garden without letting her know in advance¡ªher


    upstairs and downstairs neighbors respectively.


    She opened the door, and sure enough, Dn was standing there. He had already changed into


    loungewear, which clearly meant that he had returned from work for quite a while.


    ¡°I hope I haven¡¯t disturbed you.¡± Dn smiled.


    ¡°No, you didn¡¯t.¡± Larissa quickly invited him in and got him a ss of water after settling him in the living


    room. She noticed the sealed paper bag in his arms and asked, ¡°What is this?¡±


    ¡°The results of the penmanship verification,¡± Dn said as he tore open the bag and handed a few


    sheets of paper over to Larissa.


    The fine print increased Larissa¡¯s anxiety, so she just flipped to thest page for the result.


    The signature was consistent with her penmanship.


    In other words, she really did sign those papers herself.


    Although she had braced herself for this and anticipated this result, she still could not stop herself from


    copsing onto the sofa.


    Dn had been observing her reactions, and he spoke up at the right time. ¡°This is considered bad


    news, but I have a piece of good news for you.¡±


    Her energy surged once more. Larissa asked, ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°I found the guy who did the property transfer procedure for your former husband, and he has admitted


    to epting a bribe. Because the transfer process was illegal, it will be ruled as void in court.¡± Dn¡¯s


    exnation was simple.


    This news was like a shot of adrenaline, finally bringing a glimmer of joy to Larissa, who had been hit


    hard with consecutive blowstely.


    ¡°Oh, I also looked into where your former husband¡¯s savings have gone,¡± Dn said. ¡°He bought a new


    house in his hometown for his parents. It was paid in full, and he also seems to have rued several


    foreign debts.¡±


    ¡°He bought a house?¡± Larissa¡¯s hand clenched and crumpled a corner of the papers.


    He could not even pay for half of the down payment needed for their house, but he could make a full


    payment for his parents¡¯ house.


    ¡°Yup.¡± Dn nodded. ¡°Did he mention this to you?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    Travis still had some wits about him. If he did mention it, Larissa would not have approved, and she


    would have made him help pay the monthly mortgage for their own house too.


    ¡°Which means, he did not confer with you when he took the liberty to use your marriage assets.¡±


    Dn¡¯s smile got bigger, and the gleam in his eyes brighter too. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll help you get the


    money back.¡±

 Chapter 17

    Chapter 17


    The worries in her heart dissipated one by one, and for once, Larissa slept soundly.


    After the morning meeting, she was once again asked to stay behind by the general manager.


    Larissa thought he was about to tell her to leave immediately. Unexpectedly, the general manager¡¯s


    expression was a picture of happiness when he told her, ¡°You don¡¯t have to leave.¡±


    ¡°But why?¡± Larissa hardly mirrored his joy, but she was curious, all the same, regarding the reasoning


    behind his words.


    She did not think that Travis and Amber would let her off the hook so easily. Furthermore, Mr. Fox had


    a much higher rank than the general manager of the Regal Dynasty Hotel. Mr. Compton should not


    have had the courage to ignore his demands.


    ¡°I¡¯ve reported the entire incident to Mr. Rogers, and he said that he will take care of everything. Mr.


    Rogers instructed that your position should be reinstated and for you to return to work as normal.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Rogers? Kevan Rogers?¡± Larissa was a bit surprised.


    The general manager frowned. ¡°You might be able to get off from calling Mr. Rogers by his full name


    here, but don¡¯t you ever do the same thing outside of this room! If Mr. Rogers catches wind of you


    disrespecting him like this, he might ask you to leave and when that happens, I can no longer cover for


    you anymore!¡±


    Larissa thought to herself that it seemed that Kevan¡¯s position in Soaring Corporation was ranked


    higher than Mr. Fox¡¯s.


    N?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    But considering the fact that he too, was the president of Microworks Corporation, along with his


    position on the board of senior executives of Soaring Corporation, would he be too busy to handle


    everything?


    As soon as that thought crossed her mind, she chided herself promptly. How ridiculous of her! It was


    pointless for her to worry about him at all anyway.


    Whether he could handle it or not was his own business. It had nothing to do with her.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s a need to bother Mr. Rogers,¡± Larissa said. ¡°With the years of training and


    guidance I have received from you, even if I leave Regal Dynasty, I wouldn¡¯t have to worry about


    finding another job.¡±


    ¡°But if you want to continue working in the hotel industry, Regal Dynasty is your best option.¡±


    The general manager¡¯s words had sessfully swayed her firm heart.


    He was not wrong. There were only two seven-star hotels in the nation, and both of them were under


    the Regal Dynasty.


    In terms of the working environment, sry and benefits, and even future development opportunities,


    the Regal Dynasty was at the forefront of the industry, having left its runners-up in the dust.


    Larissa was certain that she would not have been able to find another job better than the one she


    currently had.


    ¡°Moreover, I have already bothered Mr. Rogers about this matter.¡± The general manager red at her.


    ¡°If you insist on resigning, you will not just be disappointing me and Mr. Rogers, but you¡¯ll also be


    making it extremely difficult for me to exin things to Mr. Rogers.¡±


    Larissa thought about it for a long time before she finally spoke. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll stay. But I can¡¯t guarantee


    that President Fox will not target me again. I feel bad having to bother you and Mr. Rogers to settle


    things for me every time that happens.¡±


    The general manager remained silent.


    After a few moments, he replied, ¡°Just don¡¯t be hasty in resigning yet. Wait and see for a bit.¡±


    ¡­


    Larissa did not take the general manager¡¯s words to heart. Instead, she continued quietly handing over


    her work to her two assistants.


    When it was her turn to work the night shift that night, she did not return to Foxtail Garden but chose to


    stay in the private staff room.


    Andrew called her at about 9.00 pm.


    It was then that Larissa remembered that it was Friday, which was also the day he and his girlfriend


    would be in Covenford.


    Larissa hadn¡¯t wanted to pick up his call at all, but now that Andrew was here in Covenford, he was


    also a guest at the Regal Dynasty Hotel, which made him her customer, and customers were supposed


    to be treated as ¡°gods.¡±


    She inhaled deeply.


    ¡°Hi,¡± she said, struggling to regte her emotions. She did not want to channel her anger toward his


    brother onto Andrew.


    ¡°I¡¯m already in the Regal Dynasty. I¡¯m checking in.¡± Andrew¡¯s voice was cold and hard. ¡°Come to the


    front desk right now,¡± hemanded.


    Larissa was stunned. Instinctively, she asked, ¡°Is something wrong?¡±


    Andrew replied impatiently, ¡°Of course, there¡¯s something wrong! I wouldn¡¯t have called you if there


    wasn¡¯t!¡±


    Larissa bit her lips. ¡°He is a guest; endure it,¡± she repeated in her heart.


    ¡°Alright, please just wait for a moment. I¡¯ll be right down.¡±


    She rushed to the front desk.


    There were four or five customers lined up in a total of three lines at the front desk, all waiting for their


    check-in. In one of the lines was a tall and skinny young man.


    Larissa took a closer look. It was Andrew.


    He leaned against the counter, his head lowered as he scrolled at his phone.


    In front of him, the woman managing the front desk grimaced, her face filled with awkwardness and


    helplessness.


    ¡°Andrew.¡± Larissa tapped him on his shoulders, forcing a smile.


    Andrew raised his head. His expression was unpleasant as heined, ¡°What took you so long?¡±


    Larissa suppressed the anger rising within her and asked, ¡°What happened?¡±


    Andrew began interrogating her coldly, ¡°Didn¡¯t I ask you to book a room for me?¡±


    ¡°I booked it right after you asked me to that day.¡±


    Larissa swept her gaze over the three receptionists working at the front desk that night before she


    realized that Livie was not among them. ¡°Is there an error in the system? Couldn¡¯t you find his booking


    information in the database?¡± she asked the receptionist attending to Andrew.


    ¡°I found it.¡± The receptionist¡¯s answer came quickly. ¡°But the guest refuses to pay for the room fees¡ª¡±


    Her voice gradually faded. ¡°He said he¡¯s your brother-inw, and he wants to ce all of his expenses


    on your tab. Our hotel doesn¡¯t have policies that allow situations like this, and¡ª¡±


    And so, the two of them were at a standoff, and it was starting to affect the other guests.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t your hotel a seven-star hotel? Don¡¯t your employees know how to adapt?¡± Andrew scowled at the


    receptionist. He huffed coldly, ¡°You¡¯ll be fired tomorrow!¡±


    The receptionist had evidently taken his words seriously. Her big eyes were helpless as she nced


    sideways at Larissa.


    Andrew¡¯s self-serving and toxic attitude as a bully made Larissa sick to her stomach.


    She stepped forward to console the receptionist, ¡°You did what was right. In the future, if the same


    thing happens, you should stick to what you did just now.¡±


    The receptionist was startled, and she let out a sigh of relief. A joyful smile lit up her face. ¡°Understood,


    Ms. Seymour!¡±


    Andrew, on the other hand, turned his head in shock and stared at Larissa.


    ¡°What do you fucking mean?¡±


    ¡°My point is¡ª¡± Larissa took back her smile, staring directly into his eyes, and spoke seriously. ¡°Our


    hotel does not keep tabs, and no one is ever allowed to break this rule.¡±


    Her expressionlessness gave her a cold, arrogant bearing. When she was serious, the air she radiated


    made a majority of the people around her feel easily intimidated.


    Andrew naturally happened to fall into that category too.


    He avoided her gaze somewhat guiltily. Since he was afraid of Larissa, he could onlysh out at the


    innocent receptionist. ¡°Can you give me my damn room card now?¡± The volume of his voice was


    considerably lower than before.


    Seeing that he and Larissa really knew each other, the receptionist hurriedly went to hand him his room


    card.


    ¡°Wait.¡± Larissa stopped her.


    The girl stared at Larissa dumbfounded, not knowing what she should do next.


    Larissa raised her chin and pointed at Andrew. ¡°He hasn¡¯t paid for his room yet.¡±


    Her words made both the receptionist and Andrew freeze in shock.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you¡ªaren¡¯t you paying for him?¡± the receptionist asked in a small voice.


    ¡°Of course not.¡± Larissa¡¯s refusal was direct and firm. She reminded Andrew, ¡°Our hotel requires its


    guests to pay their room fees before they check-in. You can pay the remaining charges¡ªif any¡ªwhen


    you check out.¡±


    Andrew stared at her in disbelief, his mouth slightly agape, and his face flushed in shock.


    When he¡¯d returned to his senses, he scolded, ¡°Is this how you treat me as my sister-inw?¡±

 Chapter 18

    Chapter 18


    Chapter 18


    Andrew¡¯s voice was so loud that it immediately drew the attention of the other


    guests.


    ¡°I¡¯ve gone above and beyond just to bring my girlfriend here for a visit, and now you can¡¯t even pay for


    two nights of my stay for me? How much would it cost you? This is nothingpared to your sry!¡±


    Andrew reproached her with great conviction.


    One night in an executive suite was almost five thousand dors. Andrew had booked the suite for two


    nights, amounting to ten thousand dors in total.


    That amount of money was hardly nothing to Larissa. Rather, it was an amount she would not spend


    without a great amount of consideration beforehand.


    If Andrew¡¯s attitude toward her had been better, she might have gritted her teeth and taken the loss


    without anotherint. However, the way he was speaking to her


    now-


    Larissa suddenly regretted her decision.


    She should have told Andrew about her divorce from his brother. If she had done so earlier, she


    wouldn¡¯t have been caught in this dilemma-


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    If Larissa wanted to put some distance between the two of them, she would have to reveal her private


    matters to the public. If she continued to say nothing and insisted on not paying for his room, she would


    leave the impression of her being stingy and heartless with her colleagues.


    As she was hesitating, a well-dressed, beautiful woman approached them with two pieces of luggage.


    She stopped beside Andrew and looked at Larissa and the receptionist. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Are you


    not done yet?¡± she asked.


    The impatient expression on her face mirrored Andrew¡¯s earlier one. ¡°It¡¯s been so long already. I


    thought you said your sister-inw was the manager of the housekeeping department here and that


    she¡¯d already arranged for a room for us in advance?¡±


    Larissa guessed that this was Andrew¡¯s girlfriend, Kara.


    They were quite the match-both of them cared about no one other than themselves.


    After being questioned by Kara, Andrew¡¯s expression changed immediately. He smiled broadly and


    wrapped his arms around her waist.


    Chapter 18


    For the first time, Larissa realized that he was actually capable of smiling.


    ¡°The room has already been prepared, but I have to pay the room fees first,¡± Andrew exined softly,


    tenderness filling in his voice as he tried his hardest to please her.


    ¡°Pay, then,¡± Kara said.


    Andrew¡¯s expression turned hesitant. When he looked over at Larissa again, his eyes


    bore a hint of malevolence.


    ¡°I thought my sister-inw had already paid for the room fees, so I didn¡¯t bring enough money with me.


    I didn¡¯t think she would¡¯ve refused to pay, and I don¡¯t have enough money now anyway-¡±


    Kara frowned. ¡°Andrew, you pathetic, embarrassing son of a bitch! God! Going out with you is just


    embarrassing!¡±


    She took out a credit card from her Chanel bag, her expression stony, and handed it


    to the front desk.


    ¡°Here. Swipe it.¡±


    The receptionist did not immediately take the card. Instead, she looked over at Larissa. It was only


    when Larissa nodded that she swiped Kara¡¯s card andpleted the payment.


    The receptionist handed the room card as well as her credit card to Kara. Smiling, she said, ¡°Your room


    number is 2510, and your room will be on the 25th floor. When you arrive on the floor, someone will be


    there to show you the way. If you need anything at all, please do not hesitate to call the front desk.¡±


    Kara ignored her and walked in the direction of the elevators, pulling her luggage behind her. She did


    not speak to Andrew either.


    Andrew red at Larissa.


    ¡°Baby! Wait up!¡± He jogged after Kara.


    Once the big disy of drama hade to an end, the hotel resumed its normal operating procedures.


    Only-


    The few receptionists at the front desk looked at Larissa strangely.


    Larissa thought that this would be the end of the incident, but it was really the beginning of a series of


    nightmares.


    She had Saturday off.


    The day before, she had been on duty and hadn¡¯t been able to sleep well. Initially, she had decided to


    stay at home and rest for the entire day, but it was only 2.00 pm when she received a call from her


    assistant, requesting for her to return to the hotel.

 Chapter 19

    Chapter 19


    Chapter 19


    Her assistant¡¯s tone was urgent as she spoke. ¡°There¡¯s an emergency at the hotel. You need toe


    over and handle it in person.¡±


    Reluctantly, Larissa climbed out of her bed and changed. She hadn¡¯t even gotten the time to put on her


    makeup before she hastily drove to the Regal Dynasty Hotel.


    Her assistant was waiting for her in the parking lot. As soon as she saw Larissa¡¯s car, she immediately


    stepped forward and opened the car door for her.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Larissa asked before she had even stepped out of her car.


    ¡°One hour ago, the guest who checked into room 2510st night, called and said that she had lost one


    of her gold nes and that she suspected that it was stolen by one of our cleaning staff. I asked the


    two cleaning staff who were responsible for cleaning up the room and they said that they never saw


    any gold ne when they were in the room. The guest called the police and they¡¯re now upstairs,


    trying to make sense of the situation,¡± the assistant exined as she matched Larissa¡¯s footsteps, her


    heels clicking noisily on the floor as they walked quickly to the hotel.


    ¡°Room 2510?¡± Larissa raised an eyebrow.


    If she wasn¡¯t mistaken, that was the room Andrew and his girlfriend were in.


    When they¡¯d both arrived, Larissa spotted Andrew and his girlfriend immediately.


    There were also three uniformed police officers with them in the room and the two cleaning staff from


    the hotel.


    Larissa knocked on the door twice out of habit. All heads turned in her direction upon hearing her


    knocking.


    She introduced herself. ¡°Apologies for the intrusion, my name is Larissa Seymour. I¡¯m the manager of


    the housekeeping department here at the Regal Dynasty.¡±


    Kara had met her the day before and remembered her clearly. She just hadn¡¯t known who she was


    then.


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    ¡°The manager of the housekeeping department? Are you Andrew¡¯s sister-inw, then?¡± Kara was a


    little surprised, but she quickly regained herposure. ¡°In that case, that¡¯s perfect.¡± She pointed at


    the cleaning staff standing helplessly on one side. ¡°I want their persons searched at once and their


    work area scouted.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Larissa agreed. ¡°But under one condition.¡± Her words turned sharp.


    ¡°What condition?¡± Kara asked.


    ¡°If we don¡¯t find your ne after the search, I want you to apologize to our two cleaning staff.¡±


    Larissa stood primly, her attitude unrelenting.


    Kara did not expect that. She was taken aback by Larissa¡¯s request, slight displeasure coating her


    features.


    Andrew, on the other hand, questioned Larissa directly. ¡°What if they hid the


    ne somewhere else? What if they¡¯d thrown the ne away beforeing here because


    they¡¯re afraid of being sent to jail?¡±


    ¡°We can check the surveince cameras too.¡± Larissa remained calm, having dealt with many simr


    incidents in the past. ¡°Our hotel has surveince cameras in all corners, providing excellent coverage.


    You don¡¯t have to worry.¡±


    Kara personally searched the two cleaning staff, but she couldn¡¯t find anything on them. Their work


    area had been turned upside down too, but the ne was nowhere to be found. Eventually, they


    went to the security room to check on the


    surveince cameras.


    They spent the entire afternoon watching the security footage but found nothing.


    The two cleaning staff were either cleaning up rooms, organizing their equipment in the work area, or


    having lunch in the staff cafeteria.


    Every ce they went, including the work area, corridors, lifts, and the cafeteria was covered with 360-


    degree surveince cameras that recorded their every action, and there was nothing suspicious in their


    behavior.


    Larissa had even sent someone to check all the rooms they¡¯d cleaned earlier, as per Andrew and


    Kara¡¯s request, but the ne was nowhere to be found.


    Even the police had concluded at the end of the day that the ne had not been taken away by the


    hotel¡¯s cleaning staff.


    In the evening, all of them returned to room 2510.


    Larissa addressed Kara, ¡°Now that we¡¯ve kept our end of the promise, can you apologize to our


    cleaning staff?¡±


    Kara pressed her lips together, seemingly unwilling to apologize.


    Andrew spoke up for her. ¡°What promise? You were the one who made that one- sided request. We


    never even agreed to it!¡±

 Chapter 20

    Chapter 20


    Chapter 20


    Andrew¡¯s response was exactly what Larissa had expected, so she did not waste her energy getting


    mad.


    ¡°We have cooperated and fulfilled each and every one of your requests,¡± she said. ¡± Now that we¡¯ve


    proven that the ne wasn¡¯t stolen by our cleaning staff, your usations naturally fall into the


    category of defamation. As your actions havepromised the reputation of our hotel and its workers,


    causing negative implications to all parties involved, we will sue you for defamation.¡±


    Kara and Andrew¡¯s faces fell instantly.


    Larissa watched their horror and smiled gently. She evenforted them, ¡°Of course your offense is


    not severe enough to warrant imprisonment. At most, you¡¯ll be asked to pay a certain sum as


    compensation.¡±


    Andrew was so angry that his face turned red. He gritted his teeth noisily. Suddenly, he grabbed the


    crystal ashtray on the coffee table and hurled it in Larissa¡¯s direction.


    Larissa waspletely caught off guard. The ashtray hit her shoulder directly. She sucked in a breath


    and hissed in pain.


    ¡°Ms. Seymour!¡± Her assistant and the two cleaning staff rushed over in concern. ¡°Are you injured? Is it


    serious? Do you need to go to the hospital?¡±


    N?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    The ashtray was very heavy, and Larissa¡¯s shoulder was very bony. There was hardly any room for


    cushioning. Her bones had borne the full force of the ashtray¡¯s impact. She did not know how extensive


    her injuries were. All she knew was she could no longer move her right arm at all.


    Her assistant decided immediately. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the hospital.¡±


    They had no time to hold Andrew ountable for his actions. The group helped Larissa downstairs as


    quickly as possible.


    Larissa¡¯s assistant drove her to the hospital. There, the doctor handed her a list of tests to be


    performed.


    It was a Saturday evening, but the hospital was still very crowded, so even taking an X-ray image


    required her to wait in line for over half an hour. Afterpleting all of the tests and having returned to


    the emergency room, Larissa was already exhausted to her bones.


    The doctor examined her imaging results and pointed at a certain spot on her right shoulder. ¡°You have


    a small fracture here. We¡¯ll need to do a simple fix.¡±


    (Chaple- 20


    He added a splint to her shoulder and reminded her again, ¡°Try not to use this arm. before the bone is


    fully healed. Be extra careful when you¡¯re sleeping. Try not to put too much pressure on your right


    arm.¡±


    Sleeping?


    Larissa endured the piercing pain on her shoulder and thought to herself, ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be getting


    any sleep tonight.¡±


    At home, Larissa called her general manager and requested a leave of absence.


    She simply stated that she had a fractured bone on her shoulder from being hit by a guest with an


    ashtray, omitting the other details.


    The general manager inquired about the details of her injury and generously granted her a week off to


    recuperate at home.


    ¡°I will take care of the rest and let you know,¡± he told her.


    However, the next day, Larissa received the news about Andrew and Kara¡¯s early checkout from the


    hotel.


    ¡°The two of them went down to the front desk to check out shortly after we left the day before,¡± her


    assistant informed her.


    Their actions were so swift that the front desk was unaware of what else to do other than process their


    checkout and let them leave. No one had thought about making them stay.


    ¡°What now?¡± her assistant asked.


    Larissa sighed. ¡°What else can we do? Just leave it at that!¡±


    Apart from Andrew being Travis¡¯ brother and the fact that he¡¯d attended university in Bartham, Larissa


    knew practically nothing about him. Even if she had wanted him to take responsibility for his actions,


    she hardly knew where to start looking for him. As for his family-she would rather die than contact


    them. Moreover, even if she did, they would never disclose anything to her.


    Thus, she could only ept her misfortune.


    With one arm immobilized, Larissa found everything inconvenient.


    In the few days she had spent trapped in her own home, she¡¯d been purely relying on takeout for all of


    her meals.


    At night, she went downstairs to take out the trash and ran into Kevan and Dn, who were just


    returning from somewhere else.


    Seeing the stic bags in her hand, all of them bearing the logos of various restaurants, Kevan¡¯s brows


    knitted instinctively.

 Chapter 21

    Chapter 21


    Chapter 21


    ¡°You¡¯re eating takeout every day?¡±


    Kevan¡¯s reproachful tone was evident, intensifying the inexplicable guilt Larissa felt.


    ¡°I only ordered takeout because I injured my shoulder and can¡¯t cook,¡± she exined.


    ¡°You injured your shoulder?¡± Kevan narrowed his eyes, his gaze sweeping between her shoulders, as if


    he was trying to see through her coat to her injuries beneath.


    ¡°My right side. I have a mild fracture.¡± Larissa tapped the spot of her injury lightly. ¡°It¡¯s not that big of a


    deal. A few more days¡¯ rest and I¡¯ll be as good as new.¡±


    ¡°How did you injure yourself?¡± Dn asked.


    Larissa lied instinctively, ¡°I identally hit a wall.¡±


    Dn did not believe her. ¡°Did you really hit it yourself? Are you sure it has nothing to do with your ex-


    husband and his family?¡±


    His questions frightened and startled her. If it hadn¡¯t been for the suspicion in his eyes, Larissa


    would¡¯ve thought that he already knew the truth behind her injuries.


    ¡°Tell me the truth,¡± Dn said. ¡°If it was really caused by them, this injury can serve as proof of your ex-


    husband¡¯s acts of domestic violence toward you. You could use this to demand morepensation


    from him.¡±


    Even if Andrew was Travis¡¯ biological brother, this injury of hers really had nothing to


    do with Travis.


    ¡°Of course, I would like to have morepensation from him, but unfortunately, this injury really was


    caused by myself,¡± Larissa said regretfully.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Dn did not press any further. Instead, he rerouted the conversation to the topic of takeout.


    ¡°Eating takeout for every meal doesn¡¯t seem like a sustainable solution. Kevan and I hired a cook to


    make us dinner every night. Why don¡¯t you join


    us?¡±


    Larissa was tempted.


    The food she¡¯d been getting from restaurants outside was greasy. Furthermore, they were almost never


    guaranteed to be hygienic. Home-cooked meals were always


    superior inparison.


    And yet, the thought of eating together with the two men¡­ Larissa was afraid that she would be so


    stressed that she wouldn¡¯t be able to swallow her food. Worse still,


    she might even choke to death.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± she declined Dn¡¯s offer politely. ¡°My injury will heal in a few days. I won¡¯t keep on ordering


    takeout after that.¡±


    Dn looked at Kevan. Thetter had his hands in his pockets, his expression nonchnt.


    ¡°Suit yourself,¡± Kevan said.


    Because of Kevan¡¯s extreme germaphobia, the cook prepared dinner every day at Dn¡¯s ce and


    left before the pair returned home.


    Kevan and Dn sat on opposite sides of the dining table, facing one another.


    Dn picked up his cutlery and asked as he ate, ¡°Do you really believe that Larissa¡¯s injuries were self-


    inflicted?¡±


    Kevan lowered his gaze, his voice low and cold. ¡°Whether I believe it or not is not important.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s important then?¡± Dn asked curiously.


    ¡°The truth,¡± Kevan said, gripping his utensils tightly.


    For Kevan, finding out the truth was simple. It was but a phone call away.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Dn stood beside him, waiting with a cup of tea in his hands.


    Kevan tossed his phone after dimming his screen in the direction of the coffee table.


    ¡°Not her ex-husband.¡±


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    ¡°Huh?¡± His answer was beyond Dn¡¯s expectations.


    Kevan paused for a while, a dangerous air radiating from him. ¡°It was her ex-


    husband¡¯s brother.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Dn was even more surprised. ¡°Because of her ex-husband?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s unrted to her ex-husband.¡±


    ¡°So, what are you going to do about it?¡±


    Kevan leaned against the couchzily, his long legs crossed.


    ¡°Nothing,¡± he replied. A sneer tugged at the corner of his lips. ¡°All of this happened as a consequence


    of her foolish choices back then. She deserves to suffer.¡±

 Chapter 22

    Chapter 22


    Chapter 22


    Larissa went to the hospital for a follow-up examination. When she exited the hospital, she stood by the


    road, waiting for her ride.


    The street in front of the hospital was always congested, and most drivers dislikeding to the area.


    After struggling to find a ride through her e-hailing app, she was just about to open the passenger door


    when a figure rushed out suddenly from the corner and jumped into the back seat before she could get


    in.


    ¡°Come here! Hurry! Get in here!¡± the figure shouted to someone else at the back.


    Larissa thought his voice was oddly familiar. Taking two steps back, she looked into the back seat.


    It turned out to be her ex-father-inw, Travis¡¯ dad!


    All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.


    If he was still in Covenford, did that mean her ex-mother-inw-


    Sure enough, not that far away, Janine Hardy was carrying several bags in one hand and holding


    Amber¡¯s hand in the other. The pair were scrambling in their direction. hurriedly.


    Amber¡¯s face was displeased as sheined impatiently, ¡°Slow down! I haven¡¯tpletely


    recovered yet. Don¡¯t you know how much it hurts to run?¡±


    Janine slowed down immediately and apologized to her profusely. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry! I¡¯m so sorry, dear! Just


    look at your father-inw, urging us to hurry and everything. I hadn¡¯t realized I was running because I¡¯d


    been so anxious. If it hurts, we can walk slowly. The car¡¯s just there anyway. It¡¯s not going to run away.¡±


    Watching the scene unfold in front of her, Larissa¡¯s heart was filled with


    indescribable unpleasantness.


    She had never seen Janine speak in such a low and submissive tone. In front of her, the entire Hardy


    family acted as if they were superior to herself.


    She¡¯d always known that Janine and Dick Hardy had never liked her.


    Theyined that her family carried no reputable background and that she served no purpose to


    Travis¡¯ prospects.


    Larissa remembered the first time she had returned home with Travis. She¡¯d specifically purchased a


    bunch of expensive supplements as a gift, but his parents. hadn¡¯t even given them a second nce


    before instructing Travis to ce them.


    Chapter 22


    directly in the storeroom.


    Whenever they conversed, both of them gave her lots of attitude and spoke in sarcastic and ambiguous


    manners. Whichever way she looked at it, they¡¯d never thought she would be able to aplish


    anything by herself.


    Yet, despite thinking that, it still didn¡¯t stop them from treating her like a maid.


    Even if she was in their house as a guest, she was asked to sweep and mop the floors, prepare their


    meals, cook, and wash the dishes. Even the fruits they had after dinner were cut by her.


    At that time, Travis would still feel bad for her and volunteer to help her out, only to be pulled away


    resolutely by his mother.


    ¡°You¡¯re a grown man, you shouldn¡¯t be doing house chores! Those are all women¡¯s work! Go away! Go


    sit there and wait!¡±


    Eventually, Larissa was left to work alone, exhaustion filling her as the three of them sat on the couch


    leisurely, watching TV and eating snacks.


    Larissa had tried to suppress the rage she felt for Travis¡¯ sake.


    That night, she¡¯d bought a train ticket in preparation to leave. She¡¯d only agreed to stay after Travis


    held her for a long time and coaxed her into staying.


    In order to prevent further conflict between her and his parents, he¡¯d especially booked a room for her


    at a hotel nearby. Janine had initially nned for her to sleep on the couch that night.


    The next day, Travis invited her over for lunch. Just as she stepped into the door, Janine brought out a


    bucket of dirty clothes for her to wash.


    ced on the very top of the pile was a man¡¯s underwear, yellowed and torn from years of use.


    Larissa could no longer take it. She turned and left.


    Travis was just about to run after her when his mother called him back.


    He sent her a text. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Lari. I¡¯ll make it up to you when we return to Covenford.¡±


    Larissa replied, ¡°We should break up.¡±


    That was the first time she was adamant about breaking up with him.


    Marriage wasn¡¯t just a matter that concerned the two of them. She couldn¡¯t stand living with a family


    like this where she had to constantly swallow her pride.


    Travis kept on calling her. He was always at her house and at the hotel where she worked. He cried,


    apologized, and even knelt before her once. All he begged for was for her to return to him.


    He promised determinedly. ¡°After we get married, we won¡¯t live with my parents. I swear, they will not


    affect our lives at all.¡±

 Chapter 23

    Chapter 23


    Chapter 23


    Larissa¡¯s greatest w was her tendency to be overly forgiving.


    Travis had gone so far as to say those kinds of things and did all those things for her. If she didn¡¯t


    agree to get back together with him, she would appear to be too cold-


    hearted.


    Moreover, in reality, she couldn¡¯t actually bear to be without him.


    Later, when she married Travis, they¡¯d bought a house together in Covenford.


    His parents had initially suggested that they live together with the two of them, but Travis had refused


    adamantly.


    His parents had med her for Travis¡¯ refusal. They thought she had been the one to influence his


    decision. Their judgment and negative opinions toward her only further increased after that.


    Furthermore, as she failed to get pregnant as time passed, Janine brought up her intentions to bring


    Larissa to a famous naturopathic doctor in their vige when they returned home for the New Year.


    When she refused, the two of them started


    convincing Travis to divorce her and marry someone else.


    At that time, Travis had scolded them severely. He¡¯d told them, ¡°If you ever bring this up with me again,


    I¡¯ll nevere home!¡±


    Larissa had been moved by his actions. What she had failed to see back then¡­was that he was


    already with Amber before that incident.


    ¡°What are you doing here, you evil bitch? Are you here to harm my daughter-inw again?¡± An angry


    shout jolted her from her reminiscence.


    Larissa looked toward the source of themotion and saw Dick sitting in the back seat of the car,


    leaning out from the car door and ring at her viciously.


    She gathered her thoughts and replied calmly. ¡°Excuse me, I was the one who called this cab. Please


    get out of the car.¡±


    ¡°You? Called this cab?¡± Dick continued acting shamelessly. ¡°Is your name on the car or what?¡±


    Larissa knew that there was no way she could reason with him. Instead, she called out to the driver


    directly. ¡°Sir, it was my order that you epted.¡±


    The driver was an honest man. He told Dick, ¡°Sir, I have, in fact, taken thisdy¡¯s order. You can¡¯t be in


    my car.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah? And why is that?¡± Dick¡¯s eyes bulged from its socket. His seething features were scary as


    he pped the leather seat at the back and spoke, his voice trembling with rage. ¡°I want to ride in this


    car today!¡±


    ¡°Sir, please listen to reason.¡± The cab driver was helpless. ¡°I took thedy¡¯s order. If I fail to bring her to


    her destination, my money and credibility score will be deducted by the app!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t fucking care about whatever it is that¡¯s deducted!¡± Dick twisted his face away, his expression


    obstinate. ¡°If you don¡¯t take me to where I want to go, I¡¯ll go up to yourpany andin. I¡¯ll


    comin about you until they fire you!¡± he threatened.


    ¡°Oh, you stubborn old man! Why are you like this?¡± The driver¡¯s temper was beginning to show. He got


    out of the car, went around to the back seat, and pointed at Dick. Are you getting out or not?¡±


    Dick continued to be stubborn. ¡°I¡¯m not getting out. Make me. Go on, I dare you!¡±


    Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    The driver rolled up his sleeves and shook his fists in Dick¡¯s face. ¡°Do you really think I don¡¯t have the


    guts to hit an old man?¡±


    Larissa quickly stopped him. ¡°Forget it, sir. Forget it!¡±


    This was her feud with the Hardy family. She did not want to bring another innocent


    man down with her.


    ¡°You fucking bitch!¡± Out of a sudden, Larissa felt a sharp pain in her back. As she turned around, she


    saw arge bag flying in her direction. Once again, it hit her squarely on the back.


    The impact almost knocked her off her feet. Unsteadily, she staggered forward.


    ¡°You motherfucking bitch! You murdered my grandchild! I want you to fucking pay for my grandchild¡¯s


    life!¡±


    Janine was throwing everything she had in her hands at Larissa like a lunatic.


    Larissa tried to protect her injured shoulder, but it was hit by a bag regardless. A sharp, stabbing pain


    shot through her shoulder. The beads of cold sweat dotting her forehead dripped into her eyes, blurring


    her vision.


    Someone pushed her, and her legs gave way beneath her. She fell right onto the middle of the busy


    road.


    ¡°Ah-¡±


    ¡°Make way, quickly!¡±


    The screams of passersby rang out around her.


    Larissa raised her head, only to see a car speeding right toward her.

 Chapter 24

    Chapter 24


    Chapter 24


    As if someone had cast a spell on her, Larissay there, unmoving, watching as the car sped closer


    and closer toward her.


    A rational part of her urged her to run, but her body refused to oblige.


    The screech of brakes engaging pierced the air.


    And then, it felt like the whole world had stilled.


    Some passersby covered their eyes in fear. Some of them turned their gaze to the


    scene.


    She didn¡¯t know how much time had passed. Maybe it had been a few seconds, or a few minutes-


    perhaps it had been ten minutes or tens of minutes. Slowly, sound seeped into Larissa¡¯s ears again.


    Unexpectedly, she had not been hit. The car¡¯s bumper had barely touched her when it stopped


    completely. There wasn¡¯t even a single scratch on her.


    Due to the incident, the remaining cars that passed by had slowed down as the number of people


    gathered around gradually increased, trapping her in the middle of the crowd.


    N?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    ¡°Miss, are you alright?¡±


    ¡°Can you


    stand?¡±


    ¡°You haven¡¯t lost your mind, have you?¡±


    The passersby interjected one by one, hurling questions at her without pausing.


    Larissa blinked. She felt her heart rate slowly return to normal, having stopped momentarily out of fear.


    A stranger reached out. Larissa ced her hand in his and stood up with great difficulty, leaning onto


    his strength.


    ¡°Thanks.¡± She forced out a smile.


    Her face was pale, though she didn¡¯t know if it was from the pain or from her fright. Even her voice was


    extraordinarily weak and feeble.


    ¡°Miss, let me take you to the hospital for a checkup. I need to be responsible if there¡¯s anything wrong


    at all.¡± His expression was sincere.


    Chapter 24


    Larissa was still confused. ¡°What are you responsible for?¡±


    The man pointed at the parked silver Mercedes not that far away from where they stood. ¡°Don¡¯t you


    remember? I almost hit you just now.¡±


    Larissa¡¯s mind had been mostly nk earlier. She¡¯d only seen the car and not the


    driver.


    ¡°Oh.¡± She nodded. ¡°This is not your fault. You don¡¯t have to be responsible for anything.¡±


    She turned and searched for Janine and Dick.


    The cab she had called was still where it was, but the passengers in the car were long gone.


    The driver told her, ¡°Those three cowards ran away a long time ago!¡± He pointed in the direction where


    they had gone. ¡°They went that way!¡±


    Larissa considered her current situation. She knew that it was impossible for her to try to run after them


    now.


    The stranger gripped her arm. ¡°Since the hospital is just here, you should go in for a checkup! I¡¯ll pay


    for it.¡± Seeing as she was about to refuse, he added, ¡°Don¡¯t say no, please. Even if it wasn¡¯t my fault, I


    have a share of responsibility in this too. I wouldn¡¯t be able to rest without knowing that you¡¯re fine.¡±


    Larissa couldn¡¯t resist him. Plus, she was going in to check on her injuries anyway, so she followed him


    into the emergency room.


    The doctor on-call in the emergency room was the one who had given her a splint thest time she


    went in. Upon seeing her, the first thing he asked was, ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you to go to orthopedics for your


    follow-up? Why are you here?¡±


    Larissa smiled bitterly. ¡°I¡¯ve already gone for my follow-up. I fell outside just now. I want to check if my


    fracture has been affected.¡±


    ¡°How could you be so careless!¡± the doctor chided as he gestured for her to remove her clothes.


    The man who had apanied her to the emergency room walked out of the consultation room self-


    consciously and closed the door behind him.


    The doctor removed the bandages wrapped around her shoulder and examined the


    site of her injury. Sweat dotted her forehead as pain shot up her arm.


    ¡°It¡¯s definitely been misaligned.¡± The doctor sighed. ¡°I need to fix it with another splint.¡±


    All that hard work spent on recovering for days was utterly wasted. She was back to square one again.


    Larissa¡¯s heart filled with bitterness.


    When the doctor was done fixing her bandages, the man was still waiting for her outside.


    ¡°How are you now?¡± he asked.

 Chapter 25

    Chapter 25


    Chapter 25


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Larissa said.


    ¡°But your shoulder-¡± He nced at her swollen right shoulder.


    ¡°I injured my shoulder about a week ago. My shoulder was refractured because I¡¯d been hit by a bag,


    not because of you or your car,¡± she exined.


    The man¡¯s expression did not rx. ¡°Did the doctor prescribe any medication for you? I can go get it for


    you.¡±


    Larissa shook her head.


    ¡°So, can you walk? Do you need me to help you? It¡¯s so congested outside right now, trying to call a


    cab won¡¯t be an easy feat. How about I send you home.¡±


    His eagerness made her wary. ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± she repeated, searching for another excuse. ¡°I¡¯ll call my friend


    toe and get me.¡±


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    Sensing the distance and resistance in her tone, the man defended himself hurriedly. ¡°Don¡¯t get me


    wrong, I have no intentions of taking advantage of you or anything like that! I¡¯m just worried about you


    getting home alone in your condition. If you don¡¯t want me to send you home, I¡¯ll wait here with you until


    your friend arrives.¡±


    Larissa cursed silently. She had no friends who could pick her up right there and


    then.


    Her closest friend, Wendy Simmons, had gone abroad to further her studies two years ago. She hadn¡¯t


    even been able to make it back for her wedding.


    She reconsidered her options before finally dialing Dn¡¯s number.


    Her reasoning was simple. Dn had mentioned before that his neww firm in Covenford was still in


    the process of being established and hadn¡¯t officially opened yet. Since he had no new cases to work


    on at the moment, he was rather free every day. Moreover, the Covenford branch of Microworks


    Corporation was just two streets away from the hospital. It wouldn¡¯t be too much of a hassle for him to


    pick her up here.


    ¡°Ms. Seymour.¡± Dn¡¯s voice carried a hint of amusement. ¡°Is there anything that I can help you with?¡±


    Larissa murmured her assent. Hesitantly, she asked, ¡°Is it convenient fore by Victory General


    Hospital right now?


    you


    to


    Dn¡¯s tone turned serious immediately. ¡°Why are you at the hospital? Are you hurt?


    Larsso didn¡¯t want to exin too much over the phone. Vaguely, she replied, ¡°Yeah. I guess. Sort of.


    Dn arved at the hospital very quickly.


    and vet Kevan was even quicker.


    Before Dn¡¯s car had stoppedpletely, Kevan had already jumped out of the car.


    When Dn heard the sound of the car door closing, he turned and caught sight of a rapidly


    disappearing figure running toward the emergency room.


    Kevan found Larissa in aer of the lobby on the ground floor. Beside her was a


    men bevaguely recognized.


    He had no time to ponder the man¡¯s identity. At that moment, his full attention was focused on Larisse.


    He examined her from head to toe once, but he didn¡¯t see any


    covicus injunes


    He let out a breath of relief and said. ¡°Let¡¯s go.


    Larissa thought she was hallucinating when she heard his voice until she raised her eac and sew his


    usual cold and aloof face. It was only then that she realized he was


    truly here


    ¡°Mr. Rogers.¡± She stood up quickly. ¡®Why are you here? Where¡¯s Dn?¡±


    She looked behind him, all the while standing on the tip of her toes.


    Kevan furrowed his eyebrows for two seconds before rxing them.


    ¡°He¡¯s parking his car outside. His lips curled up slightly as he teased, ¡°Why? Are you not happy to see


    me?¡±


    ¡°No! Of course not!¡± she denied quickly. ¡°I was just curious.¡±


    Mr. Rogers?¡¯ The man beside Larissa widened his eyes. He looked at Kevan, his face ful of disbelief.


    ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    It was then that Kevan spared him a nce.


    And you are-


    The man introduced himself enthusiastically. ¡°My name is Lucas Hermes. My father s Xander Hermes


    of Torqua


    Lucas Hermes-


    That name. It rang a distant bell in Kevan¡¯s mind.


    It wasn¡¯t because of who his father was, but because his girlfriend was- Kevan nced at Larissa once


    and thought to himself, ¡°What a coincidence.¡±

 Chapter 26

    Chapter 26


    Chapter 26


    Kevan had no intentions of chatting further with Lucas. He replied with a simple ¡°Oh, ¡°and said no


    more.


    Lucas was not deterred by his indifference. Quite the contrary, he continued


    rambling as he attempted to express his excitement. ¡°I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d actually see you here, Mr.


    Rogers! You know, you¡¯ve always been my idol!¡±


    Kevan nodded indifferently. ¡°Are we leaving or not?¡± he asked Larissa.


    He turned and started walking in the opposite direction. Larissa followed hurriedly.


    Lucas followed the two of them and leaned closer toward Larissa. ¡°Is Mr. Rogers your friend?¡± he


    whispered.


    Friend? Of course not. But she did say before that her friend would be here to pick her up. She just


    didn¡¯t know why Dn had turned into Kevan-


    Larissa was faced with a dilemma. She swallowed and nodded lightly.


    Lucas¡® eyes sparkled.


    ¡°In that case, can you introduce me to Mr. Rogers? I want to be friends with him too!¡± He grabbed her


    hands.


    ¡°I-¡± Larissa nced at Kevan¡¯s cool and elegant silhouette. She hesitated for a long time before she


    finally replied, ¡°I¡¯ll have to ask Mr. Rogers himself about it.¡±


    Kevan did not hear footsteps behind him for a long time. He stopped and turned around, catching sight


    of Larissa and Lucas¡® joined hands.


    Larissa felt an icy gaze on her face. She looked back and met the flickering eyes of Kevan directly.


    His soft lips were pressed into a straight line, and the corners of his mouth were downturned. His face


    waspletely expressionless.


    Unexpectedly, Larissa thought that Kevan¡¯s mood was not very pleasant at the moment.


    However, Lucas seemed to be entirely clueless about it, so much so that he grinned at Kevan, showing


    a line of his white teeth.


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    Kevan narrowed his eyes. ¡°What are you chatting so happily about?¡± he asked.


    Lucas, a grown man, blushed. He lowered his head in bewilderment. Subconsciously, he squeezed


    Larissa¡¯s hands even harder.


    ¡°No¨Cnothing,¡± he stammered.


    Kevan looked at Larissa.


    His gaze was so intense that Larissa couldn¡¯t bear looking at him anymore. She turned her face away.


    Lucas was worried that she would betray his ¡°secret.¡± He pinched her arm softly.


    Having received his signal, Larissa swallowed the words on the tip of her tongue.¡± Nothing,¡± she said


    instead.


    ¡°Very well.¡± Kevan smiled, though his smile barely reached his eyes.


    Dn rushed into the emergency room and spotted Kevan immediately. However, the direction Kevan


    was walking in was theplete opposite of where Dn was.


    ¡°Why are you out here?¡± Dn asked. ¡°Where¡¯s Larissa?¡±


    Keyan huffed coldly. His shoulders brushed past Dn as he left.


    Dn was confused. The questions in his mind were only answered when he saw Larissa and Lucas


    walking toward him together.


    ¡°And you are?¡± Dn smiled and looked at Lucas, directing his question to Larissa.


    Larissa did not know how to introduce Lucas. She said simply, ¡°He was the one who


    sent me to the hospital.¡±


    Lucas didn¡¯t dare take credit for this. He scratched the back of his head and smiled


    shyly, ¡°Actually, I was the one who almost hit Ms. Seymour.¡±


    Dn immediately stopped trying to be nosy and his expression became much more serious. ¡°What do


    you mean?¡±


    Larissa pursed her lips. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you about it in the car.¡±


    Lucas was preparing to follow them to the parking lot when Larissa pointed at his silver Mercedes


    parked in the middle of the road in front of the hospital and reminded him, ¡°I think the traffic police are


    issuing you a ticket.¡±


    ¡°What? Oh!¡± Lucas immediately retrieved a name card from his jacket and handed it to Larissa before


    running toward his car hurriedly. He shouted as he ran, ¡°Ms. Seymour! Remember what i told you!¡±


    Dn stared at his retreating figure for a few seconds before saying to Larissa. ¡°This man¡­is quite an


    interesting person.¡±


    Larissa felt the same way. ¡°Indeed.

 Chapter 27

    Chapter 27


    Chapter 27


    Dn withdrew his gaze and asked Larissa curiously. ¡°What he said just now- remember what I told


    you-what was that?¡±


    ¡°I-uhm-¡± Larissa was a bit hesitant. ¡°That is¡­a secret for now.¡±


    ¡°Tsk.¡± Dn teased. ¡°You just met him, and you already have little secrets between you two.¡±


    No wonder Kevan had left with a sour face.


    Kevan did not bring his car keys with him. Having arrived at the car earlier than the other two, he could


    only wait for them outside.


    Dn unlocked the car, and Kevan slid into the passenger seat without hesitation.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Dn looked like he¡¯d discovered something new. ¡°I thought you only exclusively sat at the


    back.¡±


    Even if it was the two of them, Kevan had never offered to sit in front.


    Dn had criticized him countless times before because of this. ¡°Do you really take me as your driver?¡±


    Kevan had always remained indifferent to hisints. Now, however, he looked straight ahead and


    said coldly, ¡°It¡¯s dirty.¡±


    Dn chided, ¡°Didn¡¯t you sit at the back when we came?¡±


    Larissa boarded the car without a word.


    It wasn¡¯t the car that was dirty. It was her.


    Even though Kevan¡¯s words hurt, thinking about his extreme germaphobia, she could


    somewhat understand his reservations.


    She supposed, in this world, there were very few people whom Kevan wouldn¡¯t consider dirty.


    ¡°Ms. Seymour, where do you want to go?¡± Dn started the engine.


    ¡°Home,¡± she replied.


    Dn nced at her from the rearview mirror. ¡°You said you¡¯d almost gotten hit by a car just now. What


    exactly happened?¡±


    Larissa ran through her rehearsed speech internally before speaking. ¡°I ran into my ex


    father-inw, ex-mother-inw and that mistress of my ex-husband¡¯s when I came out of the hospital


    earlier. We had a little conflict, and someone pushed me onto the road. It was very chaotic at that time.


    I didn¡¯t exactly see who pushed me.


    Fortunately, Mr. Hermes was able to stop his car in time. It was thanks to him that


    I¡¯m still alive now.¡±


    Recalling what had happened, she was still a bit shaky.


    Neither Dn nor Kevan spoke after hearing her words.


    Larissa thought the temperature in the car seemed to have plunged significantlypared to earlier.


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    After dropping Larissa off at her house, Dn and Kevan rushed back to the


    When Larissa had called Dn earlier, they were both in the middle of a meeting. The sudden vibration


    of Dn¡¯s phone had earned him a re from Kevan.


    He was about to ignore the iing call and put his phone on silent when he caught sight of Larissa¡¯s


    name on the screen and immediately changed his mind.


    He waved his phone at Kevan. ¡°I need to take this call outside.¡±


    Every senior executive in Microworks Corporation knew that Mr. Rogers despised any form of


    interruption during their meetings.


    Dn¡¯s bold actions and tant vition of Kevan¡¯s personal rules had everyone else on the edge of


    their seats with anxiety for him.


    And yet, to the surprise of everyone present, Mr. Rogers did not stop him. Instead, he said, ¡°I¡¯ll go with


    you.¡±


    The pair did not return after that.


    Dn nced sideways at the man who had switched to the back seat after Larissa had left and


    teased, ¡°What? Is it not dirty now?¡±


    Kevan looked out of the car window wordlessly.


    ¡°Tsk,¡± Dn scoffed. ¡°With your personality, don¡¯t even think about getting a girl to like you!¡±


    Kevan red at the back of Dn¡¯s head. ¡°Do you ever stop talking?¡±


    Dn smiled gleefully and continued wheedling him. ¡°Channeling our embarrassment into anger now,


    are we?¡±


    Seeing as Kevan was about to lose his temper, Dn immediately switched the topic. of conversation.


    ¡°Today, Larissa almost lost her life because of them. Do you really n on letting those people continue


    bullying her?¡±


    Kevan¡¯s eyes darkened. His hands that were previously resting on hisp tightened. ¡°Let¡¯s wait a little


    longer.¡±

 Chapter 28

    Chapter 28


    Chapter 28


    When Larissa¡¯s shoulder had healed to the point where she could return to work normally at the hotel,


    two weeks had already passed.


    Her colleagues celebrated her return by booking a private room at the most upscale fine¨Cdining


    restaurant in Covenford. They hung banners, inted balloons, and even bought her a big cake.


    Larissa felt guilty about epting their grand gesture. As such, she epted every single toast that


    came her way-


    And¡­she got drunk again.


    Some of the others wanted to send her home, but they didn¡¯t know her address. When asked about her


    family or friend¡¯s contact number, she could only stare back nkly without saying a word.


    ¡°Ah!¡± Someone raised their hand suddenly. ¡°I have Ms. Seymour¡¯s husband¡¯s contact number! One


    time, Ms. Seymour¡¯s phone died, and she borrowed mine to give her husband a call. I conveniently


    saved his number back then!¡±


    ¡°Call him! Call him!¡± the group urged.


    Someone spoke up weakly. ¡°Aren¡¯t Ms. Seymour and her husband¡­divorced?¡±


    This was undoubtedly breaking news to many of them.


    ¡°Is that for real?¡±


    ¡°I never realized it! Ms. Seymour is no different from before.¡±


    ¡°Yeah! Exactly! Is your source of information reliable?¡®Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!


    Bombarded with a series of questions, the person who revealed the news about Larissa¡¯s divorce was


    no longer certain about the authenticity of the news.


    ¡°I heard the news from the front desk. About a month ago, Ms. Seymour¡¯s inws came to the hotel


    and caused a racket. At that time, it was Ms. Seymour herself who revealed that her husband had a


    mistress. She even said that she wanted to file a divorce with her husband immediately.¡±


    ¡°With a wife as good as Ms. Seymour, her husband still cheated?¡±


    ¡°That man must be blind!¡±


    The group was indignant.


    ¡°So should we still give Ms. Seymour¡¯s husband a call?¡± Amid the chaotic discussion, the person who


    first suggested calling Travis, interrupted.


    Everyone looked at each other.


    ¡°Should we¨Cjust give it a try? What if Ms. Seymour hasn¡¯t divorced her husband yet?¡±


    The call connected quickly. Travis asked, ¡°Who is this?¡±


    Larissa¡¯s assistant was pulled over to act as a spokesperson. ¡°Hi, I¡¯m Ms. Seymour¡¯s assistant. Ms.


    Seymour is drunk now. Could you pleasee over and pick her up?¡±


    Travis was shocked. He had originally intended to ask, ¡°Have you dialed the wrong number?¡± but


    instead, he asked, ¡°Can you pass the phone over to Larissa?¡±


    Larissa was drunk? He couldn¡¯t believe it.


    Larissa was an extremely disciplined woman. She knew her limits when it came to drinking, and she


    would never drink excessively in public due to her low alcohol tolerance. It was only when they were


    both at home that she would apany him for a few extra drinks.


    He suspected that this was some kind of trap.


    Her assistant nced at Larissa sitting quietly in her seat and replied reluctantly. ¡± Ms. Seymour is so


    drunk that she¡¯s no longer conscious of her surroundings. I¡¯m afraid she can¡¯t speak to you right now.¡±


    Travis remained alert. ¡°Then¨Ccan you switch on the video camera on your end?¡±


    Her assistant felt that his requests were excessive, but she switched on the video camera regardless.


    Larissa¡¯s face appeared on his screen immediately, startling Travis.


    He quickly regained hisposure and observed her carefully.


    Larissa¡¯s pale cheeks were dusted pink. Those bright, lively eyes hadpletely lost all of their luster,


    making them seem unusually empty.


    Someone called her in the background. After two or three minutes, her eyes swiveled in their direction


    groggily, and she opened her mouth to let out an ¡°mm¡± sound.


    That sound she made aroused Travis immensely. It twisted and turned andtched onto his heart like


    an unrelenting hook.

 Chapter 29

    Chapter 29


    Chapter 29


    Travis licked his lips and spoke, his voice hoarse. ¡°Please send me the address. I will be there shortly.¡±


    Larissa¡¯s assistant switched off the camera and sent over the restaurant¡¯s address.


    When they heard that Travis wasing over to pick Larissa up, the group started gossiping again.


    ¡°Looks like the two of them are still together!¡±


    ¡°Ms. Seymour really is patient! Her husband had an affair, and she still hasn¡¯t divorced him!¡±


    ¡°What else can she do? Society puts more pressure on women than men. It¡¯s harder to find a partner


    when you¡¯re a divorced woman.¡±


    All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.


    ¡°They have no children anyway. Based on Ms. Seymour¡¯s looks and financial status alone, even if she


    was divorced, plenty of people would be lining up to pursue her, regardless!¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright,¡± Larissa¡¯s assistant interrupted. ¡°Regarding Ms. Seymour and her husband¡¯s private


    matters, let¡¯s all forget what we heard today. Don¡¯t you all start spreading rumors about this outside of


    this room.¡±


    At that time, Travis was still working overtime in his office.


    Since the incident in the fancy restaurant, Amber had resigned from her position to recuperate at home.


    Travis also moved into her rental house to take care of her.


    When the two of them lived in separate houses, their rtionship was very harmonious. They¡¯d had


    very few arguments too. Yet, after spending more and more time together, conflicts naturally arose.


    Travis and Larissa were both very busy with work, so the two of them had decided to split the burden of


    doing household chores between them. Sometimes, when Travis¡® team had a project tounch, he


    would be so busy that he could only return home after three or four in the morning. Larissa would then


    voluntarily help him out with his part of the chores.


    Amber, on the other hand, was a woman unfamiliar with the realities of society. Moreover, she¡¯d grown


    up in a household where she¡¯d never had to experience hardships. She grew up living infort and


    luxury, which resulted in her hardly


    knowing how to do any, if not all, household chores.


    The first time Travis visited Amber¡¯s house, he had almost run away in fright as soon as he saw the


    mess.


    Her living room couch was piled with clothes, including those she had worn, those she hadn¡¯t worn yet,


    underwear, jackets, coats, and overcoats¨Call of them were mixed together in a big heap.


    On the coffee table, apart from the fashion magazines she adored, there were also discarded takeout


    containers,


    The mess in her bedroom was even more frightful.


    Her double bed was piled up even more messily than her couch. All kinds of cosmetics and beauty


    productsy haphazardly on her dressing table. Various bottles had been overturned and spilled over,


    but Amber had not bothered to ce. them back upright.


    Travis had spent an entire day trying to clean her house up to a livable state.


    Yet, not even two dayster, it had returned to its original, frightful state.


    Travis had tried talking to her about it multiple times. He¡¯d advised her to clean her house at least once


    every two days to maintain its cleanliness.


    Amber had promised to try, but she had never once followed through on her promises.


    Just recently, hispanyunched an important project. Travis could barely get six hours of sleep in


    three days. When he returned home and saw the house filled with trash, the anger he had been trying


    to suppress finally erupted.


    He¡¯d had a big fight with Amber that night. In the end, it only stopped when Amber cried till she couldn¡¯t


    breathe and yelled about the pain in her stomach. He had held and kissed andforted her until she


    finally calmed down.


    Despite that, Amber seemed to have no intention of changing.


    Travis thought about the child she was carrying and tried to tolerate her for its sake.


    And yet, Amber¡¯s temper had only gotten worse, reaching its peak when she¡¯d had her miscarriage. At


    that point, everyone had toply with her every need to satisfy her. Not only that, if anyone did not


    meet her expectations even in the slightest, she would not just curse and yell at them but would also


    smash everything she could get her hands on.


    Travis was already exhausted from dealing with his work. Now, he had to endure her


    temper too when he visited her at the hospital. As time passed, he even started to harbor some


    resentment toward her. Eventually, he had his parents move from their house in his hometown just to


    take care of her.


    Amber¡¯s uncle held a high¨Cranking position at Microworks Corporation.


    Coincidentally, thergest shareholder in thepany he worked for happened to be Microworks


    Corporation as well.


    As soon as his mother heard about Amber¡¯s family background, she was undoubtedly pleased. From


    the moment she met Amber, she had been trying to suck. up to her, speaking to her in a low and gentle


    tonepletely at odds with how she had treated Larissa.


    His mother also took care of Amber voluntarily. Everything she did for Amber was meticulous. She


    even personally attended to all the details despite being constantly hit and scolded by Amber. Amber¡¯s


    lack of respect toward his mother was greeted with noints whatsoever.


    Sometimes, Travis would look at his mother and think of her as a pathetic suck¨Cup. Then,


    remembering that she was only doing all of this for him, he found that he couldn¡¯t bring himself to say


    anything harsh about her.

 Chapter 30

    Chapter 30


    Chapter 30


    After Amber was discharged from the hospital, Travis still did not send his parents


    away.


    He terminated her lease for the one¨Cbedroom apartment she used to live in and


    rented a two¨Cbedroom apartment to make it easier for his parents to stay and take


    care of her.


    As for himself, he starteding hometer andter as time went on. Even when he had finished all


    of his tasks, he would create excuses to work overtime just to


    avoid being on the receiving end of Amber¡¯s sudden rages.


    Today was no different.


    When Travis arrived at the restaurant, most of Larissa¡¯s colleagues had already dispersed, leaving only


    a few who were sober to apany Larissa until his arrival.


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    Travis didn¡¯t know if he was simply overthinking or not. He couldn¡¯t help but feel that the remaining


    people in the private room were looking at him with open disdain, as if they despised his very


    existence.


    ¡°Ms. Seymour is over there.¡± Larissa¡¯s assistant pointed at Larissa, who was already asleep on a round


    table in a corner.


    Travis thanked her and walked over immediately.


    Larissa was wearing a thin, V¨Cneck sweater, her shoulder¨Clength hair tied into a ponytail, revealing her


    smooth, slender neck.


    Travis looked at her with a strange feeling in his heart.


    Larissa was undoubtedly beautiful. He wouldn¡¯t have married her otherwise, even if it meant never


    having children in his lifetime.


    Her face and her body were extremely attractive to him, but her performance in bed often left him


    disappointed.


    As such, he was immediately hooked by Amber¡¯s passionate nature.


    Travis initially thought that he was capable ofpartmentalizing his spirit and his body, but as time


    went on and the longer he remained in his illicit yet gentle affair with Amber, the more disgusted he felt


    with Larissa, who didn¡¯t understand sensuality.


    Travis restrained his amped¨Cup desire and reached out to grab hold of Larissa¡¯s shoulder.


    Her assistant stopped him hurriedly. ¡°Don¡¯t touch Ms. Seymour¡¯s shoulder! She was injured some time


    ago and just took off her splint yesterday.¡±


    Travis had known nothing about the incident.


    He was stunned for a moment before guilt rushed through his body.


    After learning about his infidelity, Larissa¡¯s assistant was not polite to him at all. She nced at him


    sideways, her words sharp. ¡°What kind of husband are you? How did you not notice these kinds of


    details? Do you want to put her in the hospital again?¡±


    Travis was rendered speechless.


    He cautiously avoided the site of her injury and lifted her slowly. He carried her all the way downstairs


    and let her lie in the back seat of his car.


    Larissa had already moved out of the house, and he¡¯d long used hical means to transfer the


    ownership of the house to his name.


    He realized that he did not know where she currently lived.


    In the end, he drove back to the house where they both used to live.


    As they had yet to finalize the matters of their divorce, Travis was not in a rush to move over with


    Amber. Now, the house was still empty, its interior unchanged from what it used to be when he moved


    out.


    No one had been there for more than a month and the house had umted a


    thickyer of dust.


    As soon as he entered, Travis choked on the dust flying everywhere. For a moment, he could only


    cough.


    Travis wiped off a corner of the sofa with his hand and let Larissa sit there. Later, he changed the


    sheets and bed covers of the master bedroom.


    When he was finally ready to carry Larissa inside, his phone rang.


    The only people who would call him at this hour were Amber and his parents.


    The caller was Amber.


    Travis pursed his lips and answered his phone reluctantly.


    Amber plowed ahead without bothering with pleasantries. ¡°Where are you now?¡± Her tone was


    aggressive and unrestrained

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    Chapter 31


    Travis did not want to argue with her. He replied softly, ¡°I¡¯m still working at thepany. Is there


    something you need?¡±


    ¡°Travis Hardy, what kind of motherfucking bullshit are you talking about!¡± Amber cursed loudly. ¡°I


    already asked your other colleagues, and they said you left an hour ago!¡±


    Travis panicked. He hadn¡¯t expected Amber to have set a trap for him to fall into.


    ¡°Tell me the truth, where are you now?¡± Amber demanded. ¡°Are you in some cheap bitch¡¯s bed?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not,¡± he quickly denied. ¡°What nonsense are you thinking? I was just tired from work so I went out


    for a drink with my friend.¡±


    ¡°Why did you lie about working overtime then?¡± Amber persisted.


    After juggling his marriage to Larissa and his affair with Amber for so long, Travis had long mastered


    the skills ofing up with excuses on the spot.


    ¡°I just didn¡¯t want you to misunderstand! Your emotions have been so unstabletely. If you get too


    worked up and drive yourself crazy, I¡¯ll be the one to suffer!¡± he said softly.


    Amber knew how he used to deceive Larissa. She wasn¡¯t going to fall for it that easily.


    ¡°Who are you drinking with? Have him answer the phone.¡±


    Travis looked anxiously around the empty bedroom.


    Suddenly, an idea struck him. He said to the empty air, ¡°My wife wants to talk to you.¡±


    After a few seconds, he said again, ¡°Just answer it. If you don¡¯t, she¡¯s going to get


    suspicious.¡±


    ¡®Just help a brother out, will you?¡±


    His one¨Cman show went on for a while before he told Amber, ¡°He said he doesn¡¯t know you too well


    and feels too embarrassed to answer the phone.¡±


    ¡°Ha!¡± Amber mocked him coldly. ¡°Travis, do you think I¡¯m that stupid ex¨Cwife of yours who takes your


    words at face value? You have half an hour. If you aren¡¯t in front of me by then, I¡¯ll break everything I


    can find at home! You know as well as I do that I¡¯m capable of doing that!¡±


    Travis¡® frustration resurfaced.


    He didn¡¯t want to go back, but he had to.


    The house was rented under his name, and most of the furniture inside belonged to the tenant. If he let


    Amber destroy everything, he would be the one paying for the damages, and it would not be a small


    amount of money.


    Given their current financial situation, they would pretty much be broke when he was done paying for


    the losses.


    Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    He rubbed his aching temples and, before he left, hoisted Larissa onto the bed.


    Larissa didn¡¯t think she would ever return to the bedroom she shared with Travis


    when they were married.


    In fact, she could not remember how she¡¯d gotten there at all.


    She wandered around the house and found that her and Travis¡® personal belongings were gone. All


    that was left wererge pieces of furniture too heavy to be moved and some cheap decorations.


    The house was very dusty. It was evident that Travis did not live there.


    The only cleaner ces in the house were the bed in the main bedroom, and a corner on the living


    room couch.


    Larissa did not know if she¡¯d done that or if someone else had.


    When she returned to the hotel, she asked her assistant, ¡°Did I go home by myself yesterday?¡±


    ¡°Of course not.¡± Her assistant didn¡¯t know why she would ask her something like that, but she informed


    Larissa honestly. ¡°You were very drunk yesterday, and we didn¡¯t know where you lived, so we gave


    your husband a call. He was the one who brought you home.¡±


    ¡°My husband?¡± Larissa¡¯s face paled in shock. ¡°Are you sure it was my husband?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Her assistant nodded. ¡°Didn¡¯t you used to have a picture of you and your husband as your


    lock screen? I recognized his face, and the person who came to pick you upst night looked exactly


    like that picture.¡±


    Larissa¡¯s temples pounded. She felt as if her brain was about to explode from all the newfound


    information.


    She just didn¡¯t know if it was the aftermath of her hangover or her fear of the


    possibility of having spent the night with Travis.

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    Chapter 32


    Larissa contemted for a very long time before finally summoning the courage to call Travis.


    Yet, despite having made several calls in a row, Travis never answered.


    At night, when Larissa returned home after work, she was stopped by someone at the entrance of


    Foxtail Garden.


    The sky was getting dark, and the figure stood against the light. All Larissa could make out was a


    skinny figure, her arms outstretched.


    It seemed to be a woman.


    Before she could cause any idents, Larissa mmed on the brakes.


    Her car stopped about ten feet away from the figure.


    Larissa was stunned for about two seconds before she felt her heart rate slow to a normal pace.


    When she¡¯d recovered from her shock and looked back to where the figure was standing earlier, there


    was only dust dancing under the dim, yellowish light. Where had the figure gone?


    Larissa was questioning if what she had seen was nothing but a hallucination when she heard the


    sound of someone trying to pull her car door open at the passenger¡¯s side. And when whoever it was


    realized that they couldn¡¯t pry open her door, they started knocking on her window frantically.


    ¡°Open the door! Open the fucking door!¡± The woman shouted from the outside, her


    voice urgent and sharp. Her pitch was so high that her voice cracked.


    The ss on her door was reflective, but Larissa could not properly discern the woman¡¯s features.


    Instead, the hazy reflection on the ss showed a dark silhouette with disheveled long hair¨Cit was a


    rather terrifying sight.


    Larissa did not believe in ghosts or supernatural creatures, but when faced with something like this in


    the middle of the night, she couldn¡¯t help but feel her scalp tingle as her skin crawled with goosebumps.


    ¡°Who¨CWho are you?¡± She wrapped her arms around herself and asked, her body trembling.


    The woman ignored her question and kept on shouting, ¡°Open the door! Open the door! Just open the


    damn door!¡±


    Naturally, Larissa did not open the door.


    She didn¡¯t even dare to roll down her car window as she tried to turn her car keys, her hands shaking.


    The car started to move again slowly. Taking into consideration the person who was just outside her


    car, she stepped on the gas pedal lightly.


    The woman followed her closely, her palms repeatedly hitting Larissa¡¯s car window two times harder


    than before.


    ¡°Open the door! Open the door!¡±


    The woman¡¯s shouts sounded like the devil¡¯s chants in her ears. Larissa gritted her


    teeth and tried to not listen.


    When she had finally reached the entrance, the guard did not raise the barricade as he usually did.


    Larissa had no choice but to stop the car again.


    She rolled down the window at the driver¡¯s side halfway, just enough for her to make eye contact with


    the security guard in the guardhouse.


    The guard shot her an apologetic look as he exined, ¡°That woman beside your car is not a resident


    of Foxtail Garden. She tried to force her way in, and we called the police after we failed to reason with


    her. Don¡¯t worry, the police are on their way. If you could just wait for a moment until she leaves, Miss,


    I¡¯ll let you in after that.¡±


    As a majority of Foxtail Garden¡¯s residents hailed from upper¨Css or elite backgrounds and were high


    society figures, the security in that area was especially tight. Outsiders who wished to enter either had


    to use an ess card or have a rtive or friend who lived inside let them in.


    Evidently, the woman had no ess card and knew no one inside who could let her


    1. in.


    Larissa suddenly understood why she had been so adamant about prying her car door open earlier.


    She supposed the woman had wanted to hitch a ride with her to enter Foxtail Garden.


    The woman seemed to be provoked by the security guard¡¯s words. She continued pounding against


    Larissa¡¯s car door while shouting, ¡°I¡¯ve told you multiple times already! My uncle lives in there! His


    name is Skr Fox! He lives on the 25th floor of


    Block 12! If you don¡¯t believe me, you can give him a call yourself and ask him if he has a niece called


    Amber!¡±


    As soon as she heard the name ¡°Skr Fox¡°, Larissa froze. And then, when she heard the name


    ¡°Amber¡°¨C


    The two of them were indeed rted.All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.


    No wonder she had run into Amber and Travis in Foxtail Gardenst time.


    Larissa immediately closed her window tightly and retrieved a cap from the storagepartment. She


    pulled the cap low on her head just so that Amber wouldn¡¯t recognize her.


    She wasn¡¯t remotely afraid of what Amber would do to her. It was just¡­ It was better to be safe than


    sorry.


    The guard repeated what he¡¯d said before exasperatedly, ¡°We don¡¯t have the contact numbers of our


    residents. Miss, if your uncle really lives here, could you please give him a call and have hime


    down and meet you here?¡±


    Amber screamed. ¡°If I had been able to get through to him, why else would I be here, you


    motherfucking bastard?¡±


    She rushed past Larissa¡¯s car like a gust of wind and clung to the window of the guardhouse.

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    Chapter 33


    Larissa instinctively lowered her head.


    Seeing as her forceful attempts at entering were not working, Amber started crying. ¡± I need to see my


    uncle urgently! Please! You have to let me in! This is a matter of life and death. If I can¡¯t see my uncle, I


    might as well be dead! Do you really have the heart to watch me meet my end without doing anything?¡±


    Snot and tears trickled down her cheeks. She looked particrly pitiful.


    Slight difort colored the guard¡¯s face, but he remained professional. ¡°These are the orders I have


    from my higher¨Cups. I¡¯m sorry, Miss, I really cannot let you in.¡±


    N?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    Amber hurled her backpack into the guardhouse. The guard took a step back in fright.


    ¡°My phone, wallet, and ID are all in this bag. Please, I¡¯m begging you! Take these in exchange and let


    me in. I really am not a bad person!¡±


    The guard bent down and picked her backpack up before handing it back to her wordlessly. His stance


    was firm and there was no changing his mind.


    ¡°Beep, beep-¡±


    A car came from behind and sounded its horn, most probably due to the blockage on


    the road.


    Larissa wanted to let the car behind her pass, but it wasn¡¯t up to her to decide when


    she could leave.


    The guard was held up by Amber¡¯s fit and could not walk up to exin the current situation to the driver


    behind her.


    Not long after, Larissa caught a glimpse of a figure walking toward them through her rearview mirror.


    The man stopped between her car and the guardhouse.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± The icy voice was filled with impatience.


    That tone¨CLarissa was more than familiar with it.


    ¡°Mr. Rogers!¡± The guard immediately straightened and greeted him politely.


    ¡°You! Why are you here?¡± Amber quickly recognized Kevan as well. Her eyes widened in shock, her


    mouth slightly agape. She pointed at him for a long time but couldn¡¯t get a single word out.


    Kevan¡¯s lips curled in a slight smile. ¡°What a coincidence.¡±


    His familiarity with Amber stunned the guard.


    ¡°Mr. Rogers, do you know this woman?¡±


    ¡°I do.¡± Kevan nodded.


    Amber did not know how that pretty boy she once met turned into ¡°Mr. Rogers¡± all of a sudden, but she


    did not have the heart to care about her previous feud with Kevan.


    Instead, she clutched his arm and resumed her initial overbearing attitude. ¡°See? I know Mr. Rogers.


    Can you let me in now?¡±


    Kevan¡¯s face darkened instantly.


    He suppressed his extreme difort and subtly tried to remove his arm from her.


    The guard looked between Amber and Kevan before he asked tentatively. ¡°So- should I let thisdy in,


    Mr. Rogers?¡±


    Kevan spat coldly. ¡°Let her in.¡±


    Amber smiled as the guard quickly raised the barricade.


    However, she did not rush inside. ¡°Mr. Rogers, aboutst time¨CI sincerely apologize,¡±


    she said instead.


    Her head was lowered but she tried her hardest to observe Kevan¡¯s expression as she spoke. She bit


    her lower lip, traces of undried tears shining on her cheeks. She looked extremely pitiful at that


    moment.


    Kevan was rather generous. ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± he replied.


    Amber immediately started to tter him. ¡°Oh, Mr. Rogers, you truly are a great and forgiving person!


    Thank God I ran into you today, or else I wouldn¡¯t know how much longer I would have to stand in this


    cold-¡±


    ¡°No problem,¡± Kevan replied. He then took off his coat and handed it to her. ¡°Wear this if you¡¯re cold.¡±


    Amber was pleasantly surprised.


    ¡°Thank you, Mr. Rogers!¡± She swiftly put on his coat and rubbed her hands shyly. Her face was filled


    with anticipation when she spoke again, ¡°Could you¨Ccould you maybe drive me over to Block 12?¡±


    Block 12 was located deep within the heart of Foxtail Garden. It would take her half an hour to walk


    there alone. Moreover, she had already expended a lot of energy on

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    Chapter 34


    Amber froze in shock.


    She couldn¡¯t understand why Kevan had transformed in a split second from being. caring and


    concerned about her wellbeing to being distant, arrogant, and


    unapproachable.


    ¡°But¨Cbut why?¡± Her eyes filled with tears and her voice quivered.


    However, at that moment, the only thing Kevan had eyes for was the gradually disappearing car in the


    distance. He did not hear Amber¡¯s question at all, nor did he realize that Dn¡¯s car had stopped


    beside him.


    It wasn¡¯t until a horn red shrilly that he was pulled out of his trance. Pulling open the back door, he


    boarded the car, leaving Amber standing alone indignantly.


    Dn eyed the coat on Amber and teased, ¡°That coat has to cost at least tens of thousands, right? And


    you gave it away without even giving it a second thought? Mr. Rogers, if you¡¯re so rich, how about you


    increase my year¨Cend bonuses just a tiny bit more.¡±


    Kevan¡¯s brows remained knitted as he brushed away the nonexistent dirt on his arms. ¡°Dirty. So dirty.¡±


    His tone was filled with disgust.


    Dn clicked his tongue and remarked jokingly, ¡°From now on, if I see any article of clothing of yours


    that suits my taste, I¡¯ll juste over and touch them a few times.¡±


    Kevan sneered coldly. ¡°I¡¯d rather throw them in the garbage bin downstairs than give them to you.¡±


    Dn sneered at him in response. ¡°If you¡¯re so smart, don¡¯t youe to me for information next time!¡±


    Kevan¡¯s expression froze.


    He rubbed his nose and looked out of the window ufortably. Then, in a low voice, he said, ¡°If


    there¡¯s any piece of my clothes that you want, just tell me. I¡¯ll buy you a new one.¡±


    Dn almost burst outughing. It was fortunate that he managed to stop the car in time.


    This was the first time since he had met Kevan that he hade out victorious in their exchanges.


    He had already decided to hold on tight to Larissa as his bounty from there onward and never let go.


    ¡°Speaking of which, you had the security guard let that mistress in right in front of Larissa. You even


    gave her your own coat. Aren¡¯t you afraid of Larissa


    misunderstanding your intentions?¡± Dn asked in concern as he recalled the


    incident earlier.


    The two of them recognized Larissa¡¯s car almost immediately. Kevan had only gone down himself to


    investigate because of that.


    Was he afraid of Larissa misunderstanding his intentions?


    Kevan pursued his lips. ¡°No,¡± he spat.


    What he was really afraid of¡­was her not even sparing him a single nce.


    Larissa witnessed all that Kevan had done¨Chelping Amber out and giving her his coat to keep her


    warm.


    Her chest felt tight.


    She was well aware that despite that one absurd night she¡¯d had with Kevan, they were nothing more


    than casual acquaintances.


    What Kevan did, the friends he made, and to whom he showed kindness to were his own decisions and


    were independent of how she felt or what she thought about them.


    Larissa copsed on the couch and gulped down half a cup of warm milk. Her previously tense nerves


    from her encounter with Amber finally rxed.


    She nced at the time. It was past 9 pm now.


    Usually, if Travis had no project deadlines he was rushing to meet, he would¡¯ve gotten off work by this


    time.


    Larissa called him again. This time was different from thest few times she had called¨Chis phone was


    switched off.


    Larissa thought something felt off about the entire situation.


    Travis was the head of the technology department at the securitypany he worked in, and the


    company¡¯s system relied entirely on their continuous development and maintenance. In order to


    prevent the system from crashing suddenly, Travis¡® phone had always been switched on 24 hours a


    day so that he


    could promptly troubleshoot and repair any problem that may arise without affecting the normal affairs


    of thepany.


    Larissa recalled Amber¡¯s crazy appearance just now-


    Perhaps something had indeed happened.


    Still, it shouldn¡¯t have anything to do with her, or else Travis would have called her a long time ago.


    Toward midnight, when Larissa was sleeping, she heard the ring of sirens downstairs.


    Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!


    She had never been able to differentiate between the sirens of police cars, ambnces, and fire trucks.


    Worried that the building might be on fire, she quickly got out of bed.

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    Chapter 35


    Larissa opened the curtains, leaned against the windowsill, and looked down.


    All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.


    Even though the building was pretty high up from the ground, she could clearly make out a police car


    parked downstairs.


    Two of them passed by their block and rounded over to the back.


    Seeing as their block wasn¡¯t involved in this, Larissa didn¡¯t pay much attention to it. The next day, when


    she checked the group chat Dn had added her into along with everyone else who owned properties


    in Foxtail Garden, she realized that the racketst night had been caused by a woman howling and


    disrupting the peace under Block 12 in the middle of the night. Her screams had been so loud that the


    residents of that block were unable to sleep. As such, a few of them had been forced to call the police.


    A woman under Block 12¨C


    Amber¡¯s face shed across Larissa¡¯s mind,


    The members of the group chat continued discussing the incident.


    ¡°I think she was looking for Mr. Fox on the 25th floor.¡±


    ¡°The 25th floor? Mr. Fox of Soaring Corporation?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s him.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t he sell his house here and move away a while ago? Why would someone stille looking for


    him?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I heard about that too. They say he¡¯d been siphoning money from Soaring Corporation for a few


    years now ever since he started working there. Just from epting bribes and embezzlingpany


    funds, I reckon he took almost a billion dors. Soaring Corporation had only found out about this


    recently; not only does he have to pay a significant amount aspensation, but he even has to go to


    jail for a long time too.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a serious offense. He¡¯ll have to spend at least ten years in prison for that, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s for sure. The new president of Soaring Corporation has some tough cards up his sleeves. This


    time, about seven or eight other high¨Cranking executives, including Skr Fox, were brought down by


    him. Looks like the internal structure of thepany is about to undergo a major reshuffle.¡±


    Chapter 35


    Larissa stopped reading after that.


    Later, they¡¯d discussed the implications of the incident in regard to the stock market and the business


    ecosystem, but she hardly understood any of it and was not remotely interested. So, she simply exited


    the app.


    The news of Mr. Fox¡¯s fate left a significant impact on her.


    Someone more powerful than her general manager had fallen, just like that.


    And yet, thinking about what he once did to her, she supposed she wasn¡¯t at all surprised about where


    he eventually ended up.


    If she was being entirely honest, she was even somewhat triumphant about his downfall.


    Her satisfaction did notst long, however.


    Her ex¨Cmother¨Cinw came to the hotel to find her again.


    Having learned her lesson from thest time, Mrs. Hardy did not barge in forcefully. Instead, she


    squatted in a corner at the hotel¡¯s entrance and waited. As soon as she spotted Larissa walking out of


    the hotel, she pounced immediately.¡®


    Larissa was defenseless and she staggered backward on instinct, almost knocking over the decorative


    nt by the entrance.


    Mrs. Hardy was afraid that Larissa would try to escape, so she grabbed Larissa¡¯s arm roughly. Her


    weathered face was full of tears as she spoke.


    ¡°Lari! Oh, Lari, I beg of you! Please save my Travis!¡± Her voice was loud and hoarse.


    Larissa winced in pain. ¡°Let me go first!¡± She struggled with all her might.


    Mrs. Hardy had grown up working on a farm and her strength was not something Larissa could rival.


    She dragged Larissa toward the street. ¡°Juste with me to save my Travis! You¡¯re the only one who


    can save him now!¡±


    At that moment, Larissa¡¯s mind was a mess.


    Fear, disgust, and resistance, as well as a series of other emotions, tumbled through her mind, making


    her lose her senses.


    She could only shout instinctively, ¡°Help! I¡¯m being kidnapped!¡±


    The security guards from the hotel heard her screams and ran out of the foyer.


    They recognized Larissa immediately and approached Mrs. Hardy while waving their


    batons threateningly. ¡°Let her go now!¡±


    Realizing that the situation was not working in her favor, Mrs. Hardy released her grip on Larissa and


    knelt down in front of her with a heavy thud.

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    Chapter 36


    Mrs. Hardy¡¯s sudden move shocked everyone present.


    She wrapped her arms around Larissa¡¯s legs and shook her entire body vigorously. Larissa had never


    seen such a scene before. For a moment, she was unsure whether she should turn and leave or help


    her up first.


    Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!


    Mrs. Hardy raised her head and looked at her tearfully.


    ¡°Lari,e with me to the hospital! Juste and see Travis!¡±


    Lari?


    How intimate.


    This was the first time Mrs. Hardy had called her that.


    Whatever illness Travis had, it must be serious.


    And, ording to Mrs. Hardy, only she could save him now.


    Larissa couldn¡¯t help but wonder. Could it be that Travis had leukemia and needed her to donate her


    bone marrow for him? Or perhaps one of his organs had failed, and he needed an organ donation from


    her.


    No matter what it was, her answer was the same. ¡°I¡¯m not going,¡± she told Mrs. Hardy.


    She wasn¡¯t a saint. She wouldn¡¯t go so far as to sacrifice herself for someone like Travis.


    Moreover, she remembered very clearly how the Hardy family had treated her in the first ce.


    Larissa was about to leave when Mrs. Hardy crawled toward her on all fours and hugged her right leg


    tightly.


    ¡°Lari!¡± Her face was pressed against the outside of her thigh, snot and tears staining Larissa¡¯s pants. ¡°I


    know we¡¯ve wronged you before. Travis has wronged you, but please! Consider the fact that he was


    once your husband! I beg of you, think of your past rtionship and for the sake of that, save his life!¡±


    ¡°Me and Travis are no longer rted.¡± Larissa tried to pull her leg out of Mrs. Hardy¡¯s grasp, but the


    moment she tried to move, the old woman¡¯s arms wrapped around her with renewed effort.


    ¡°If you have the time and energy to pester me, why don¡¯t you go beg Amber to save his life? I dare say


    you¡¯ll have much better luck there.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you mention her name to me!¡± Mrs. Hardy¡¯s face changed immediately. Anger and hatred filled


    her eyes, her voice ferocious as she spoke. ¡°It¡¯s all that evil bitch¡¯s fault! If it hadn¡¯t been for her, our


    Travis wouldn¡¯t have-¡± Her voice trailed off and she broke down crying once again, her head lowered.


    The crowd of onlookers grew.


    The bystanders had no context of the situation in front of them, but it didn¡¯t stop them from pointing


    fingers and criticizing Larissa.


    ¡°What¡¯s thedy¡¯s problem? How could she make an old woman kneel at her feet?¡±


    ¡°Exactly! She¡¯s gone too far!¡±


    ¡°Unbelievable!¡±


    Dimly, Larissa heard the sound of camera shutters clicking.


    She raised her head and scanned the crowd. In front of them, about three bystanders raised their


    phones and pointed them in her direction.


    Larissa was worried that those people would record the entire incident and post it online. Worse still,


    they might take the situation out of context and force an


    unjustified usation onto her. Eventually, she sighed and bent down to grab Mrs. Hardy¡¯s arms to pull


    her up.


    ¡°Get up first.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t get up!¡± Mrs. Hardy refused to budge. ¡°I won¡¯t unless you follow me to the hospital!¡±


    Larissa closed her eyes. ¡°I¡¯lle with you.


    Mrs. Hardy did not bring Larissa to Travis. Instead, she led her straight to the payment counter.


    Faced with Larissa¡¯s puzzled gaze, Mrs. Hardy pulled out a stack of overdue bills.


    ¡°Travis is in the intensive care unit now-¡± Her eyes shone with tears. ¡°The nurse kept on asking us to


    pay, but we don¡¯t know his credit card¡¯s pin¨Cand neither I nor his father has any savings left, not to


    mention the debts we already owe-¡±


    At that moment, Larissa finally understood what Mrs. Hardy had meant when she said she needed


    Larissa to ¡°save his life¡± earlier.

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    Chapter 37


    Larissa nced at the collection bills in Mrs Hardy¡¯s hands. The top most one alone was ten thousand


    dors. If it all added up-


    Seeing the hesitation on her face, Mrs. Hardy wiped away her tears and wailed again. ¡°The nurse said,


    if we don¡¯t pay soon, we¡¯ll have to bring Travis home. Travis has suffered such serious injuries. It¡¯s


    been a day, and his condition is still critical¨Cif the hospital doesn¡¯t let him stay, he¡¯ll die! You¡¯re his wife!


    You can¡¯t just stand there and do nothing!¡±


    Herst two sentences were extremely misleading. Many of the people queuing at the payment counter


    immediately cast looks filled with contempt and disdain at Larissa.


    Larissa turned her back on them. She tried to not look at them to reduce the pressure she felt to be


    responsible for Travis condition.


    She had already seen it all¨Cwhen she had to deal with the Hardy family, saving herself from


    embarrassment was not an option.


    She epted the bills and flipped through them. From her rough calctions, they all amounted to


    about thirty thousand dors.


    Thirty thousand dors wasn¡¯t a lot to her, but it wasn¡¯t exactly a small amount either.


    She knew that if she¡¯d just paid for Travis¡® medical bills now unconditionally, she would never get that


    money back from him nor his family.


    So, she told Mrs. Hardy, ¡°I¡¯ll loan you the money, but you¡¯ll have to write me a debt acknowledgment


    form.¡±


    Mrs. Hardy¡¯s eyes widened, as though she hadn¡¯t understood a single word Larissa said. Or, even if


    she had understood her requests, it was as if she couldn¡¯t believe what she¡¯d heard.


    ¡°You¡¯re making me¨Cwrite you a debt acknowledgement form?¡± Her voice was very loud, her tone


    exaggerated.


    Larissa ignored the intense stares behind her and nodded. ¡°Yes, I want you to write me a debt


    acknowledgement form,¡± she repeated.


    Seeing that Mrs. Hardy was still unwilling, Larissa did not force her any further.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t want to.¡± She passed the bills back to her. ¡°Travis stole the ownership of a house


    from me. If you really don¡¯t have the money to pay for his


    Chapter


    medical care, sell that house. I don¡¯t care.¡±


    She raised her voice intentionally. Let those people who couldn¡¯t mind their own business hear it all!


    Mrs. Hardy immediately grabbed Larissa¡¯s arm before she could leave. Her head bobbed up and down,


    almost frantically. ¡°I¡¯ll write you that debt acknowledgement form! Don¡¯t leave yet!¡±


    Larissa had a notepad and a pen on her.


    Once Mrs. Hardy wrote the acknowledgement slip and was done signing her name, Larissa folded the


    note and stored it carefully in apartment in her backpack. Then, she followed Mrs. Hardy back to


    the payment counter and paid off the thirty thousand dors of debt for Travis.


    ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯ll take my leave.¡± Once her job in the hospital was done, Larissa had no


    intention of lingering.


    Mrs. Hardy held her back and stammered, ¡°Travis needs to stay in the hospital for one more day. The


    medical expenses alone would cost us more than a few hundred dors. Since neither of us is allowed


    to enter the intensive care unit, we have to pay for a caretaker too-¡±


    Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!


    The meaning behind her words was apparent¨Cshe needed more money from Larissa.


    Larissa thought to herself that they really thought of her as naive.


    ¡°Every misdeed has a perpetrator, and every debt has a debtor. Since you said that Travis¡® current


    condition is all Amber¡¯s fault, you should go and ask her to pay for it. If she refuses to, you can sue her.


    I¡¯m sure if she really is in the wrong, the judge will stand by your side.¡±


    She yanked her arm away from Mrs. Hardy and strode outside quickly.


    The hospital was very crowded, and they were quickly separated by the bustling activity. Just as Mrs.


    Hardy was about to run after Larissa, she realized she could no longer spot her in the crowd.


    As Larissa expected, Travis had indeed been in an ident.


    She just didn¡¯t expect it to be this serious.


    ¡°Intensive care unit!¡±


    ¡°His condition is still critical!¡±


    Based on Mrs. Hardy¡¯s descriptions, Larissa found it difficult to imagine what had happened between


    him and Amber.


    She thought to herself coldly. If Travis had died, would she still be able to get her house and her money


    back?


    She texted Dn for rification.


    In less than two minutes, Dn called her.


    Larissa answered his call immediately, but before she could speak, Dn¡¯s anxious


    voice rang out on the other end. ¡°Ms. Seymour! You need to calm down! Don¡¯t do anything stupid!¡±

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    Chapter 38


    Larissa was stunned for two seconds before realizing that he hadpletely misunderstood her.


    She exined hurriedly. ¡°No, I don¡¯t want to kill him-¡± Then, she told him about everything that had


    happened today.


    On the other end of the phone, Dn, having realized his mistake, blushed in


    embarrassment.


    He covered his mouth with his hand, coughing lightly before regaining his


    ¡°To be honest, I¡¯ve been handling divorce cases for so many years, but I¡¯ve never encountered a


    situation where the husband dies halfway through the court ruling process. Of course, your ex¨C


    husband is not dead yet, but in the event that he does, the normal procedure would be to continue the


    inheritance process. As for how much money you would get from the property, you¡¯ll have to wait until


    thewsuit is


    over and settled.¡±


    The process sounded very long to her. Larissa couldn¡¯t help but sigh in frustration.


    She thought to herself. She must have been really unlucky in this life to have all that misfortune inflicted


    upon her.


    ¡°Please, don¡¯t me me for meddling when I say this but-¡± Dn hesitated for a while before


    continuing. ¡°With the shameless behavior disyed by your ex- husband¡¯s family, I suspect it would be


    more troublesome if he didn¡¯t die than if he did.¡±


    Of course, his words had to be proven right.


    A dayter, Mrs. Hardy came to the Regal Dynasty again, squatting in the same spot she had upied


    thest few times she was there, lying in wait for Larissa.


    Larissa had already been notified by the security guard¨Cafter thest incident, she¡¯d specially informed


    the guards to call her as soon as they saw Mrs. Hardy in order for her to be prepared and leave


    secretly through the hotel¡¯s emergency back entrance. But Mrs. Hardy was more patient than she had


    imagined.


    After she failed to intercept Larissa that day, Mrs. Hardy came to the hotel every day after, and every


    time she came, she would squat by the entrance for the entire day.


    It had been raining heavily every day for the past week in Covenford as it was located


    in one of the areas affected by the hurricane. All over the city, stagnant puddles umted, some of


    them so deep that they came up to one¡¯s calves.


    Due to the weather conditions making driving inconvenient, most of the citizens chose to use public


    transport as their main traveling means. In that week itself, no matter if it was peak hour or not,


    regardless of the subway line one took, everywhere in the city was overcrowded.


    Yet, under such less¨Cthan¨Cideal conditions, Mrs. Hardy showed up every day anyway, her presence


    even more dedicated than the employees of the hotel.


    The woman held arge ck umbre as she squatted in a corner close to the wall. She was curled


    up in a ball to minimize the chances of her getting wet from the rain. When she was hungry, she would


    take a few bites of the buns she¡¯d brought along with her. And when she was thirsty, she would drink


    hot water from a thermos she¡¯d prepared beforehand.


    Her pitiful appearance had garnered the sympathy of quite a lot of passersby.


    The guard who was helping Larissa keep an eye out for Mrs. Hardy¡¯s presence had tried to advise her


    more than once. ¡°Ms. Seymour, why don¡¯t you go talk to your mother¨Cinw properly? Having her wait


    at the hotel¡¯s entrance every day doesn¡¯t seem right!¡±


    Every time, Larissa brushed it off without giving much thought to it.


    One day, she received another call from the security guard, his voice anxious as he spoke. ¡°Ms.


    Seymour, pleasee downstairs! Your mother¨Cinw has fainted!¡±


    No matter how much she did not want to interact with the Hardy family, she was forced to attend to the


    situation downstairs.


    Mrs. Hardy, who had fainted, had been carried into the hotel lobby and was now lying on the couch


    where the guests rested, her eyes closed.


    The clothes on her werepletely soaked and stered to her skin, and her half-


    white hair separated into strands.


    Mrs. Hardy¡¯s brows were knitted, and her face was flushed unnaturally. Even her pants were heavier


    than usual.


    ¡°She looks like she has a fever,¡± the security guard told Larissa.


    Larissa nced at what Mrs. Hardy had been wearing¨Cit would be a miracle if she didn¡¯t have a fever.


    Because of the consecutive storms, even if they¡¯d just entered October, the


    temperature in Covenford had already dropped to below 68 degrees.


    Mrs. Hardy had been running between the hotel and the hospital on a daily basis for the entire week,


    wearing nothing other than a thin shirt¨Cshe did not even have a jacket on.


    Larissa did not drive to work. In weather like this, not even e¨Chailing apps worked. Therefore, after


    considering their options, they decided to call 911.


    The ambnce arrived almost an hourter. Then, it took one more hour before Mrs. Hardy was sent


    to the hospital closest to the hotel¨CVictory General Hospital.All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.

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    Chapter 39


    After the doctor examined Mrs. Hardy, he found that other than her fever, there was nothing else wrong


    with her. So, he arranged for her to receive an intravenous drip on a bed in the ward. He also


    prescribed a few boxes of cold and cough medication


    for her.


    When Larissa returned from the pharmacy, Mrs. Hardy was still unconscious.


    The nurse told her to remove the wet clothes from the woman¡¯s body to prevent her condition from


    exacerbating. Larissa felt a wave of repulsion from the bottom of her


    heart.


    She tried to call Travis, but his phone was still turned off. Then, she tried to contact Andrew, but he was


    unreachable despite her multiple attempts. She even suspected that Andrew had already blocked her


    number.


    As for Mr. Hardy¨Cshe never even saved his number in the first ce.


    Helplessly, Larissa slipped a hundred dor note to the nurse tending to the next bed and had her


    change Mrs. Hardy¡¯s clothes for her.


    The three bags of IV fluids ordered by the doctor had been administered for almost two hours now.


    Consequently, Larissa had sat by Mrs. Hardy¡¯s bed for almost two


    hours as well.


    Mrs. Hardy started waking up gradually when the nurse came by to draw some blood.


    As soon as she saw Larissa, she pushed away the nurse violently,pletely disregarding the needle


    still stuck on her arm. She threw herself onto Larissa and grabbed her frantically.


    The nurse stumbled back two steps before identally knocking into the bedside table of the


    neighboring bed. It shook violently before the thermos on the table fell and was smashed to bits. Not


    only that, the hot water from the thermos had even sshed all over the nurse.


    The ward was immediately sent into disarray. The patient from the neighboring bed quickly pressed the


    call button.


    Another nurse walked in, surveyed the situation, and frowned. ¡°What happened?¡±


    The nurse who¡¯d been scalded earlier informed the new nurse, ¡°Please call in more people to clean up


    this mess, oh, and the patient from bed 2¡¯s needle is dislodged. Could you please help her deal with


    it?¡± She rushed out of the ward after that.


    Chapter 99


    The patient from bed 2 was none other than Mrs. Hardy.


    Larissa dropped her gaze as soon as she heard the nurse¡¯s words. The needle that had previously


    been on the back of her right palm was indeed dislodged. Bright red blood was trickling through the


    entrance wound, but Mrs. Hardy seemed to barely notice it.


    The woman held onto Larissa, her grip tight. The veins on the back of her hand bulged, and the speed


    of the blood flowing out of her wound increased as well.


    The nurse was just about to help her tamp the bleeding when Mrs. Hardy ducked


    away.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare touch me!¡± she growled ferociously.


    The nurse was taken aback. She pursed her lips in disgust and left after leaving a cotton ball behind.


    ¡°Press this on her woundter,¡± she instructed Larissa.


    C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.


    Larissa squeezed the cotton ball in her palms. Before she could make a move, Mrs. Hardy started to


    climb out of the bed.


    She put on her rubber shoes quickly and dragged Larissa toward the door.


    ¡°Travis is awake! He¡¯s been asking for you since the moment he opened his eyes! You need to go see


    him! You must!¡± She gritted her teeth as she spoke, her voice still weak and hoarse from her illness.


    Without her realizing it, her blood had dripped onto Larissa¡¯s hands, and Larissa felt another surge of


    disgust and repulsion rise within her, her scalp tingling.


    She put in a little more force and withdrew her hand sessfully.


    Mrs. Hardy¡¯s fever had not yet subsided, so she was not as strong as usual.


    She immediately turned around frantically to find Larissa when her fingers closed around nothing but


    air.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going,¡± Larissa told her coldly.


    ¡°But you have to!¡± Mrs. Hardy tried to grab her again.


    Larissa dodged. Mrs. Hardy¡¯s waist identally bumped against the end of her bed and tears


    streamed down her face in pain.


    Taking this opportunity, Larissa quickened her pace toward the door. Just as she reached the door,


    however, a scream pierced the air.

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    Chapter 40


    The scream was from the patient in the next bed.


    She shrunk into a corner, her voice trembling as she spoke. ¡°Ma¨CMa¡¯am, don¡¯t do it!¡±


    Mrs. Hardy knelt on the ground, right in the middle of the spilled hot water.


    In her hands was a silver shard from the shattered inner lining of the thermos, its sharpest end pointed


    toward her own neck.


    ¡°If you don¡¯te with me to see Travis, I will die right here! Right in front of you! I¡¯ll let you feel that


    guilt for your entire life!¡± Her bloodshot eyes red at Larissa, a resolute expression on her face.


    Larissa had to admit, at that moment, she was truly afraid.


    She had been so afraid that for a brief instant, she forgot how much Mrs. Hardy feared death, how truly


    maniptive and shameless she was. In her panic, she agreed to the woman¡¯s request.


    Travis had already passed the critical period and was transferred from the intensive care unit back to a


    regr ward in the spinal surgery department.


    Each ward had three patients in one room, but the room Travis was in only had two


    patients.


    When Larissa entered the room, Mr. Hardy was sleeping on the empty bed, his loud snores filling the


    room.


    As soon as he heard a noise, he moved his neck to nce at the entrance.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!


    Then, he froze.


    Travis¡® appearance at that moment waspletely beyond her expectations. He was bald, his head


    wrapped in bandages, and his thin face crisscrossed with simr bandages. Hisplexion was pallid,


    and his eyes bloodshot.


    It was obvious that he wasn¡¯t doing well at all.


    As soon as he saw her, Travis¡® eyes filled with tears, and Larissa¡¯s slender figure reflected within those


    clear irises. His lips trembled and his throat was constricted but he forced out two sybles after staring


    at her for a long while. ¡°Lari¡ª¡±


    His voice was incredibly hoarse, as if his throat had been scorched by fire and polished with


    sandpaper.


    Larissa stood at the entrance and gazed at him distantly. The passion in his eyes strengthened her


    impulse to turn away and run.


    ¡°He is so gross,¡± she thought to herself.


    She would¡¯ve long sprinted out of the room if it hadn¡¯t been for Mrs. Hardy who was right behind her,


    blocking her sole exit.


    Seeing as she stood there, unmoving, for a long time, Mrs. Hardy gave her a push, forcing her into the


    ward.


    As soon as she entered, Mrs. Hardy followed closely and locked the door behind her.


    ¡°Are you thirsty?¡± she asked Travis.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± he replied, his eyes still pinned on Larissa.


    Larissa avoided his gaze. She clutched her backpack and stood against the wall without saying a word.


    Mrs. Hardy¡¯s expression shifted. With long strides, she approached the sleeping Mr. Hardy and


    smacked his head, hard.


    ¡°I told you to take good care of your son, but here you are, sleeping sofortably!¡±


    Mr. Hardy jolted awake, dodging her fists instinctively. In doing so, he fell off the bed and onto the floor


    with a loud thump.


    Even so, Mrs. Hardy¡¯s fit of rage was far from over. She rounded the bed and kicked him viciously while


    he was down.


    ¡°Do you want our son to die of thirst? What¡¯s the use of you being here? I go out every day in the rain,


    and I even got sent to the hospital today because of a fever, and yet you can¡¯t even understand how


    hard I work? You didn¡¯t even do any of the tasks. you had today! You stupid bastard, you should¡¯ve


    died instead! Why aren¡¯t you the one on this bed? Why aren¡¯t you the one hit by the car instead, you


    useless piece of shit!¡± She yelled furiously, not even stopping to catch her breath. She looked


    completely unlike a patient who was currently burning up.


    Mr. Hardy had initially felt guilty, and he allowed her to hit and scold him without fighting back.


    Later, when she¡¯d gone too far and hit him with too much force, he finally snapped. Supporting himself


    up along the bed, he grabbed her hair in his fists¨Cand mmed her head repeatedly against the wall.


    Again and again, her head banged against the wall, the sound of it particrly frightening.

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    ¡°You motherfucking crazy bitch! I let you have your way but you just keep pushing my limits!¡± Mr. Hardy


    shouted.


    Larissa was afraid things would get out of hand, so she quickly stepped in and attempted to break up


    the fight. Mr. Hardy pushed her away roughly.


    ¡°Get out!¡± He yelled, the motions of his arms never ceasing.


    The other patient in the room seemed to be used to their fights by now. Wordlessly, they closed the


    curtains around their bed. Out of sight, out of mind.


    ¡°Dad! Mom! Are you done embarrassing yourselves?¡± Travis shouted angrily, sessfully bringing Mr.


    Hardy back to his senses.


    He released his grip on Mrs. Hardy, but her eyes rolled to the back of her head and she fainted once


    again.


    There was arge, red mark on her forehead, its color darker on her flushed face as a result of her


    fever. There was no doubt that Mr. Hardy had used a lot of force when he mmed her head against


    the wall earlier


    ¡°Could you please call the nurse in or press the call button on my bed for me?¡± Travis begged Larissa.


    Larissa was just about to leave the room when Mr. Hardy rushed over to stop her.


    ¡°You! Stay here. Don¡¯t go anywhere!¡±


    Even though he had a fight with Mrs. Hardy, he¡¯d witnessed how hard she¡¯d been working the past few


    days, and he had not forgotten why she¡¯d been so determined to get Larissa here.


    Mr. Hardy opened the door and shouted at the top of his lungs. ¡°Nurse!¡±


    Very quickly, a nurse rushed over.


    As soon as she saw Mrs. Hardy on the floor, she was taken aback.


    ¡°Ma¡¯am, what happened?¡± She asked as she knelt down to pull Mrs. Hardy up to her feet.


    Mr. Hardy stood on one side, eyeing them coldly. He didn¡¯t even bother to give them a hand.


    ¡°Who knows what happened?¡± His voice was filled with disdain.


    Chapter 41


    Larissa saw the nurse struggling to support Mrs. Hardy¡¯s weight, so she walked over to support the


    woman on her other side and replied, ¡°She had a fever of 103.1 degrees earlier and received IV fluids


    downstairs, but I suppose her fever hasn¡¯t yet subsided.¡±


    ¡°103.1 degrees?¡± The nurse repeated in surprise. ¡°That¡¯s pretty serious.¡±


    The two of them moved Mrs. Hardy to the bed Mr. Hardy was sleeping in before and took her


    temperature again.


    ¡°100.6 degrees. She still has a high fever. Since she¡¯d already gotten fluids, I¡¯ll bring along two ice


    packs then. You can help apply them on her forehead.¡±


    The nurse brought back the ice packs, but Mr. Hardy refused to take them.


    ¡°I¡¯m going out for a smoke.¡± He said and left the ward.


    Larissa was tempted to do the same. But met with the nurse¡¯s earnest gaze, she couldn¡¯t help but


    reach over and ept the ice packs from her.


    Reluctantly, she sat by Mrs. Hardy¡¯s bed and ced the ice packs on her forehead.


    Travis moved his neck to look at her.


    ¡°Thank you¨CI guess, for today,¡± he murmured, his eyes filled with apology.


    Larissa pursed her lips. She did not deem it necessary to give him any kind of a


    response.


    Travis¡® eyes dimmed. Then, he opened his mouth to speak again. ¡°You must be happy to see me like


    this now, right?¡±


    He said that with a smile, his tone not particrly sharp, but rather, filled with self- deprecation.


    Yet, Larissa felt a surge of annoyance.


    C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Travis Hardy, could you not think of me as equally lowly and disgusting as your family?¡± The way she


    looked at him conveyed nothing but pure hatred. ¡°If I were given the choice, I really do not want to have


    anything to do with your family! Whether you¡¯re living your best lives or not, I do not fucking care. As


    long as you don¡¯t show up in front of me and ask me to do things like this, I would be eternally grateful.¡±


    The smile on Travis¡® face disappeared gradually.


    He lowered his gaze and replied in a faint voice. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for what I did to you, and I don¡¯t me you


    for hating me. I didn¡¯t know my parents had gone to find you-


    Larissa, I swear to you, it won¡¯t happen again You can just¨Cyou can leave I won¡¯t les


    them bother you again.¡°

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    Chapter 42


    Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!


    As soon as Larissa left Travis¡® room and went by the nurses¡® station, she was stopped by the nurse


    who¡¯d given her the ice packs earlier.


    ¡°Oh, perfect timing.¡±


    The nurse beckoned. Confused, Larissa walked over to her.


    ¡°Here!¡± The nurse handed her a bill. ¡°You can pay downstairs.¡±


    Larissa looked at the bill in her hands. It was yet another five¨Cthousand¨Cdor bill.


    ¡°I think you¡¯ve made a mistake.¡± She smiled at the nurse. ¡°I¡¯m not rted to Travis. I think it¡¯s better if


    you have his parents pay for this.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± The nurse was evidently surprised. ¡°Aren¡¯t you his wife? I heard his parents say he¡¯s married,


    but his wife-¡± She hesitated, looking embarrassed.


    Even though the nurse did not say anything else after that, Larissa was well aware that whatever the


    Hardys had said about her, it couldn¡¯t have been ttering.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry. You¡¯re the only one besides his parents to visit him in the hospital, and you¡¯re a woman


    too, so I just assumed,¡± the nurse apologized awkwardly, blushing as she ced the bill back.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Larissa remained herposure. ¡°Oh, and-¡± She prepared herself to voice the question


    she¡¯d been harboring in her mind since she heard of Travis¡® ident. What kind of injury does Travis


    have anyway?¡±


    Since he was in the spinal surgery ward, Larissa supposed there was a problem with his spine. And


    problems rted to the spine¨Cthey sounded serious enough to her.


    ¡°I heard he¡¯d been in an ident and fractured his spine. Some of the nerves in his spinal cord were


    damaged too. He¡¯ll probably be paralyzed for the rest of his life.¡± The nurse paused and nced in the


    direction of Travis¡® room. When she was certain that no one wasing out anytime soon, she


    lowered her voice and continued, ¡°Poor Travis. They say he¡¯s married, but ever since he¡¯s been


    admitted, his wife has not been here once. It was always just his parents. They took care of him, and,


    speaking of his parents, they look like good, honest people¨Cthey really do, but their tempers are simply


    unbelievable! They would start fighting in the ward, almost never for good reason, and they even got


    physical a few times. Sometimes, themotion would be so great that the other patients in the ward


    who aren¡¯t bed- bound would get out of bed to watch. One of our patients even left the room because


    of them, and the other initially wanted to switch rooms, but was forced to


    stay there as we don¡¯t have any other avable beds.¡±


    Larissa did not pay much attention to what the nurse said next. Her attention was entirely focused on


    the phrase ¡°paralyzed for the rest of his life¡°.


    She suddenly understood why Mrs. Hardy had been so adamant about getting her to the hospital.


    Travis was paralyzed. His life was pretty much over.


    And from Mrs. Hardy¡¯s reaction to Amber, Larissa guessed that Amber was either the reason why


    Travis had been in an ident, or she¡¯dpletely ignored Travis after the ident.


    Mrs. Hardy hade looking for her because she had hoped that Larissa would be responsible for


    Travis for the rest of his life.


    She sneered coldly. It looked like they¡¯d really thought this through.


    When Mr. Hardy finished smoking and returned to the ward, Larissa was already


    gone.


    Mrs. Hardy was still unconscious, and the ice pack on her forehead had slipped down to the side of her


    face.


    Mr. Hardy was shocked. ¡°Where¡¯s Larissa? Where did she go?¡± he asked Travis


    hurriedly.


    Travisy supine on the bed, motionless, his lifeless eyes staring nkly at the


    ceiling.


    ¡°She left.¡± His tone was expressionless, resembling that of a zombie.


    Mr. Hardy immediately flew into a temper, the volume of his voice rising. ¡°And you let her leave, just like


    that? Do you even know how hard your mother has worked to get


    her in here?¡±


    ¡°Who asked you to go out for a smoke, then? Travis mocked. ¡°Do you think I could¡¯ve stopped her in


    my current state?¡±


    Mr. Hardy¡¯s face turned a violent shade of purple, his rage preventing him from speaking for a long


    time.


    ¡°Just you wait!¡± His hands shook as he pointed at Travis. ¡°Wait till wakes up. See if she doesn¡¯t scream


    at you!¡±


    your mother


    Travis¡® expression remained unchanged, unaffected by his father¡¯s words in the

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    Chapter 43


    Larissa thought he wanted to discuss something important with her, so she immediately replied, ¡°I¡¯m


    avable.¡±


    She had to work the night shift at the hotel on Thursday night, but after she got off work on Friday


    morning, she would have the rest of the day as well as Saturday off to recharge.


    ¡°In that case, would you like to apany me as my plus one to a banquet that night?¡± Dn asked.


    As if he were afraid that she would refuse him, he added, ¡°I¡¯m new to Covenford, and you¡¯re the only


    female friend I have. Everyone else is bringing plus ones, and it would be very embarrassing for me to


    show up without one.¡± He even added a pitiful emoji at the end.


    Larissa hesitated.


    If Dn had been an ordinarywyer, she would have agreed to help him without having second


    thoughts about it. However, he was Microworks Corporation¡¯s second rgest shareholder. This


    banquet must be no small asion.


    She wasn¡¯t afraid of the business magnates she was sure would be present as well. She was simply


    afraid that she would appear clumsy and inexperienced in front of everyone else, and that she would


    end up embarrassing Dn.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you worry, it¡¯s just a small event with acquaintances.¡±


    ¡°Everyone there is really decent. There won¡¯t be any creeps or perverts.¡±


    ¡°Besides, being my plus one is very simple. You don¡¯t have to drink or talk to anyone. All you have to


    do is stand by my side and support me.¡±


    Dn sent her a series of texts in rapid session when she failed to reply for a long time.


    Larissa thought about it again. Ever since the two of them met, Dn had helped her out multiple


    times, both in her business and private matters. If she refused to help him now, she would¡¯ve appeared


    to be too ungrateful.


    So, she typed out an ¡°okay¡± and sent it.


    Since she¡¯d decided to apany Dn to his banquet, she wanted to do her best to avoid


    embarrassing him.


    ¡°Are there any dress code requirements I should follow?¡± she asked him.


    Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that.¡± Dn had already thought about everything in advance. ¡°I will pick you up


    before the event to meet with a stylist.¡±


    Larissa released a sigh of relief.


    If Dn had arranged everything for her already, she was happy to sit back, rx, and let him do his


    thing. At least she wouldn¡¯t have to worry about making any potentially embarrassing mistakes


    anymore.


    Larissa guessed that Travis had sessfully persuaded his parents to leave her alone when, for two


    days in a row after the incident in the hospital, Mrs. Hardy did not show up at the hotel.


    As such, Larissa no longer needed to sneak out from the back door every day like a


    thief.


    Before she knew it, it was already Friday.


    As soon as she got off work, she went home and slept through the morning. When she woke up, it was


    already three in the afternoon.


    Dn had instructed her beforehand, ¡°There probably won¡¯t be much to eat at the banquet. You should


    eat something at home first in case you get hungry during the


    event.¡®


    Remembering his advice, Larissa cooked a bowl of instant noodles, but could only bring herself to eat


    two bites. She was afraid that if she ate too much, she wouldn¡¯t look as good in a tight¨Cfitting, formal


    dress.


    At about four in the afternoon, Dn called her. ¡°Ms. Seymour, I¡¯m already


    downstairs. You cane down now.¡±


    Larissa grabbed her bag and hurried downstairs.


    There was indeed a car parked downstairs, but it wasn¡¯t Dn¡¯s.


    Larissa looked around the area for a long time before confirming that there were no other cars nearby.


    Only then did she walk over and knock on the window of the passenger¡¯s seat.

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    Chapter 44


    The window on the passenger¡¯s side lowered as soon as she knocked.


    Larissa bent down to look inside. Unexpectedly, her gaze was met with a pair of dark.


    eyes.


    ¡°Mr. Rogers?¡± She looked at the man in the driver¡¯s seat, surprise filling her voice.¡± Where¡¯s Dn?¡±


    Kevan retracted his gaze and looked straight ahead, leaving nothing but a cold profile in her direction.


    ¡°Something came up suddenly and he wanted me to pick you up.¡± His reply was concise and to the


    point.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Larissa nodded. Then, she was faced with a difficult decision.


    She didn¡¯t know where exactly she should sit.


    If she sat in the passenger¡¯s seat, Kevan¡¯s imposing presence might be too much for


    her to handle. On the other hand, if she sat at the back, she couldn¡¯t help but feel as


    if she would be treating Kevan as her chauffeur. She was afraid she would end up offending him.


    ¡°What are you waiting for?¡± Kevan turned to her and narrowed his eyes impatiently. ¡± Do you not want


    to go anymore?¡±


    ¡°No! Of course not!¡± She decided to stop overthinking and pulled the door on the passenger¡¯s side


    open.


    Fortunately, Kevan did not say anything.


    Before, when Dn was around, the atmosphere in the car would still be somewhat lively. Now that it


    was just the two of them, the air felt unusually charged, the silence surrounding them thick and heavy.


    About half an hourter, the car stopped in front of a three¨Cstorey building in Roseville.


    ¡°We¡¯re here.¡± Kevan unfastened his seat belt.


    Roseville was filled with quaint, historical buildings. Because of its unique


    architecture, it was very popr among young artists. A lot of people visited the area for their wedding


    photos, and it¡¯d even been featured as a backdrop in numerous fashion magazines in the past.


    In the past few years, more and more photography and styling studios had been established on this


    particr street. The studio Kevan was bringing her to was one named ¡°V. Style¡°.


    Larissa had read about the studio online before. It was a well¨Cknown studio founded by the renowned


    stylist, Vivian Watts, and it specifically catered to acimed stars. Never in her life did she imagine she


    would ever find herself here to receive the same treatment given to prominent,celebrities worldwide.


    The studio had a reception hall for its guests on the first floor. Its interior was bright and ornately


    decorated.


    ¡°Do you have an appointment?¡± a stylish, young woman greeted them and asked with a smile.


    Kevan gave her Dn¡¯s name.


    The smile on her face widened. ¡°So, it¡¯s Mr. Shields! This way, please!¡±


    They ascended the spiraling staircase directly to the third floor.


    ¡°Vivian is waiting for you inside.¡± The woman gestured to the door.


    Larissa followed Kevan into the room, observing her surroundings as she walked.


    The entire third floor was connected, with no partitions in between. It did not feel empty, however. Rows


    of clothing were arranged in a messy but orderly fashion ording to the year and season of their


    release.


    Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    At the heart of the room, a warm yellow screen stood. In front of the screen was a couch, which a


    woman currently upied.


    Upon hearing their footsteps, she put down the tablet she held and stood.


    ¡°Mr. Shields, I¡¯m the founder and manager of V. Style, Vivi-¡± She stopped mid- sentence, staring at


    Kevan unblinkingly, a startled expression on her face.


    After a long pause, she regained herposure and continued. ¡°Vivian Watts. You can call me Vivian.¡±


    Kevan did not bother to correct her even though she¡¯d mistaken him for Dn. He nodded at Larissa,


    who was standing by his side, and said, ¡°Style a simple and elegant outfit for her. It doesn¡¯t have to be


    too pretty.¡±


    His request left both Larissa and Vivian stunned.

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    Chapter 45


    Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!


    Vivian reacted quicker than Larissa. She grabbed thetter¡¯s hand and studied her briefly, nodding. ¡°Of


    course.¡±


    To Larissa, she said, ¡°Go pick out a few gowns that you like.¡± She waved her hand generously. ¡°The


    clothes on this floor are all high¨Cend customized designs from major brands over the years. Take your


    pick.¡±


    ¡°High¨Cend customized designs¡± meant that these clothes were haute couture- clothes that represented


    the pinnacle of fashion design. Many superstars always wore high¨Cend customized gowns with pride¨C


    even if they were out of season¨Cto attend major events. And whether or not they wore haute couture,


    the choice of the brand, when the clothing was released, and the haute couture of a specific season- all


    became ways for celebrities topete with each other.


    Larissa felt that she was dreaming¨Cno, she could not possibly even be dreaming


    about this.


    She really wanted to ask, ¡°Can I really pick whatever I want?¡± but was afraid that the question would


    expose herck of exposure to high society. So, she forced herself to look nonchnt, and answered


    with a soft hum, her chin slightly raised.


    Vivian exined to her. ¡°The clothes closer to us are thetest designs.¡±


    Larissa made another noise of affirmation with a poker face.


    Vivian then asked Kevan, ¡°Mr. Shields, do you prefer to have a seat and wait here, or¡­


    Kevan cut her off. ¡°I¡¯ll pick with her.¡±


    Larissa jolted and turned to look at him in surprise. Kevan looked straight into her eyes and said, ¡°I


    don¡¯t trust your eye for beauty.¡± There was a hint of scorn in his voice.


    Larissa really wanted to give him a good shake by the shoulders and scream, ¡°Didn¡¯t you just say that


    the outfit ¡®doesn¡¯t have to be too pretty¡®?! Shouldn¡¯t my shitty ¡®eye for beauty¡® fulfill that requirement of


    yours then?!¡±


    But she restrained herself. She even forced herself to squeeze out a very dry smile and said, ¡°I


    suppose I will have to trouble you, Mr. R- Shields.¡±


    There were so many gowns here that Larissa waspletely dazzled. She had never ever had


    difficulty in choosing anything before, but now that she had experienced this, she did.


    She drifted between the rows of clothes, feeling that they were all so nice and pretty, and she did not


    know which one she wanted.


    Kevan, on the other hand, was more decisive than her. He just looked at thetest designs from the


    current season and picked the one he thought was pretty. He removed the item in question from the


    clothes rack and draped it over his arm.


    Soon, he had a p¨ªle in his arms.


    ¡°Try these,¡± he said to Larissa, who took them from him. Just as she was about to head over to the


    fitting room that was segregated by a curtain, she heard a


    ¡°Ms. Gagher, you can¡¯t go to the third floor! Why don¡¯t you explore the second floor first? We¡¯ve had


    a batch of new arrivals recently, no one has rented them yet!¡±


    ¡°Why can¡¯t I go up to the third floor?! I¡¯ve only ever chosen clothes from the third floor! Who cares if the


    clothes are new in the second? I refuse to wear anything that


    isn¡¯t haute couture!¡±


    ¡°But the third floor has been reserved¡­ It was booked several days ago. If you really insist on going up


    to the third floor, could you please wait for a while? Once that customer leaves, I¡¯ll take you up.¡±


    ¡°Reserved? Who made the booking? How much was paid for it? I¡¯ll give twice that/ amount. Get


    whoever the hell it is down right now!¡±


    ¡°Ms. Gagher, it¡¯s not an issue of money¡­ We are a business; we can¡¯t be unreliable.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care. I want to go up to the third floor! Where¡¯s Vivian? I¡¯m done with you. Get Vivian out here to


    see me!¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s styling for the customer now, I¡¯m afraid she doesn¡¯t have time to see you.¡± ¡°Fine then, if she


    doesn¡¯te to me, I¡¯ll go to her instead!¡±

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    Chapter 46


    A series of heel clicks could be heard rushing up, revealing the impatience of the


    neer.


    Soon, a head poked out from the corner where the stairs were.


    ¡°Vivian!¡±


    The grating voice caused Kevan¡¯s brow to furrow.


    Having spent so many years in the entertainment industry, Vivian¡¯s observation skills were as sharp as


    a tack. The moment she noticed Kevan¡¯s expression shift, she immediately went and blocked the


    neer at the stairs.


    ¡°Karin! Why didn¡¯t you let me know that you wereing?¡± She grinned.


    Karin¡¯red at her. ¡°Don¡¯t I oftene by without telling you that I am? But this is the first time I¡¯ve


    been intercepted by your staff downstairs.¡±


    She still had a nasty countenance, but the insolence and arrogance shown toward the staff before were


    not disyed in front of Vivian. Only her tone remained unfriendly as sheined.


    Vivian hugged her arm with affection as she tried to soothe her gently. ¡°Well, that¡¯s because someone


    booked the third floor! Just wait downstairs for a little, hmm? I¡¯ll be finished soon, and it¡¯ll be your turn


    to be styled, alright?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Karin said.


    Seeing the smile freeze on Vivian¡¯s face, Karin¡¯s attitude turned soft at once, and an expression of


    being wronged appeared on her face.


    ¡°I have to attend a banquet today. It starts at 7 pm. I have to leave here at 6:30 pm at thetest. You


    know as well as I do that it takes two to three hours to style me¡­¡®


    ¦§


    Vivian had worked with Karin several times, and their rtionship was pretty good. Not to mention the


    fact that Karin was an A¨Clist actress, Vivian naturally did not want to offend her.


    As for that ¡°Mr. Shields¡°¡­ although he was not a man of many words, he was clearly not someone to


    trifle with either, based on his powerful and imposing aura.


    Vivian could onlye up with apromise. ¡°If you¡¯re really in a rush, I¡¯ll intercede on your behalf.


    You pick your clothes on the third floor and try them on downstairs. Let Amanda style you, how about


    that? She¡¯s the second¨Cbest stylist in this studio right after me, and she¡¯s styled many socialites for


    banquets and is quite


    experienced.¡±


    Although Karin was very displeased, she still agreed to it. ¡°Fine.¡±


    Vivian was one of the top stylists in the industry. She needed her in the future. Thus, she did not want


    to create an embarrassing situation.


    Having taken care of Karin, Vivian was partially relieved. Right after that, she ran back to Kevan in her


    heels.


    Larissa had gone to try on her clothes, and Kevan was waiting for her on the sofa. Hearing the sound


    of clicking heels, he turned over to look, a hint of suspicion in his apathetic eyes.C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.


    When she locked eyes with him, Vivian was shocked to feel her heart racing. After taking time to


    compose herself, she carefully said, ¡°Mr. Shields, it¡¯s like this¡­¡± Because she was asking him for a


    favor, she bent her head. ¡°I have a customer who is in a rush. Would it be possible for you to do us a


    favor and let here up to pick a few clothes? I assure you that she won¡¯t disturb you or your


    companion.¡±


    Kevan raised an eyebrow, and his voice was cold. ¡°I do seem to recall that I reserved this floor.¡± He did


    not show much emotion, but it was easy to sense that he was unhappy.


    Smiling apologetically, Vivian continued politely, ¡°We just need ten minutes, and I¡¯ll refund a portion of


    the payment you made aspensation.¡±


    Seeing that Kevan was unmoved, Vivian brought out her trump card. ¡°You might know the customer,


    Mr. Shields. It¡¯s the famous star, Karin Gagher.¡±


    The name got Kevan¡¯s nk face to shift. Vivian was just rejoicing in secret when she heard him say,


    ¡°Not even for a second.¡±


    Staring at the stylist, Kevan said, ¡°Ms. Watts, we signed a contract.¡± His sharp gaze caused Vivan to


    hunch and look down.


    ¡°If you insist on letting here up, that means the contract is breached. I have the right to demand for


    doublepensation¨Cnot just something as simple as a partial refund.¡±

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    Chapter 47


    Vivian did not expect herself to encounter such a difficult person like Kevan. She did not relish this


    experience, but she could only swallow this bitter pill as she was the unreasonable party in this matter.


    ¡°My apologies, Mr. Shields, I will decline her at once.¡± She bowed lightly and backed away a bit before


    turning to leave.


    She had just left when the soft, yellow curtain was cracked open. Poking her head out, Larissa called


    out softly, ¡°Vivian?¡±


    However, she only saw Kevan on the sofa.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Vivian?¡± she asked him in confusion. ¡°I just heard her.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s gone to deal with something.¡± Kevan stood up, both hands in his pockets as he went to Larissa.


    ¡°Is there something wrong?¡± He stopped before her and looked down at her due to their difference in


    height.


    Larissa had no makeup on her face due to the styling appointment today. In such close proximity,


    Kevan could clearly see the soft hairs on her face and a little red spot behind her right ear. Her skin


    was so soft, though he did not know why her face was so red. Even her ear lobes had an irresistible


    pinkish hue to them too.


    He really¡­wanted to bite them.


    When this thought made itself known, Kevan could not help licking his dry lips and swallowed.


    ¡°Um¡­¡± Larissa worried at her lip, unsure if she should tell him what was troubling her. She asked, ¡°Did


    Vivian say when she would being back?¡±Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°No.¡± Kevan¡¯s gaze remained fixed on her ear lobes, all kinds of romantic scenes shing through his


    mind¡¯s eye¨Clike him sucking gently on her lobes. His eyes darkened and his breathing got a little


    heavier.


    ¡°Then¡­ I¡¯ll wait, I guess.¡± Larissa was about to draw the curtain when a hand shot out and stopped her.


    ¡°Whatever it is, you can tell me too.¡± Even though he was no longer soposed on the inside,


    Kevan¡¯s face was still nonchnt as ever. ¡°I don¡¯t know how long Vivian¡¯s going to take.¡±


    ¡°Er¡­¡± Larissa bit her lip in clear hesitation before saying, ¡°Could you help me with the zipper on the


    back? I identally zipped my hair into it when I did it earlier. I tried


    pulling it myself but it¡¯s still stuck, and the zip is stuck too¡­¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Kevan did not hesitate. He pulled open the curtain and stepped into the fitting room. Although it


    looked shabby on the outside, it was theplete opposite on the inside.


    Apart from arge mirror that took up the space of a whole wall, there was a long table and a high stool


    as well as a half¨Chuman¨Csized chest of drawers


    Larissa¡¯s back was facing Kevan, one hand holding up her hair at the back of her neck. She was


    currently trying on a long strapless gown made of thin and delicate chiffon. The top and the skirt were


    adorned with white flowers. The color and the petals shone against her soft skin, making her look like a


    gorgeous fairy¨Cof course, that was only if you overlooked the zipper that was only zipped halfway up


    her back.


    But Kevan¡¯s attention waspletely drawn to her exposed neck and shoulders. As he was so much


    taller than her, he could even see her alluring corbones.

 Chapter 48

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    Chapter 48


    Kevan swallowed again, his dark eyes teeming with intense emotion.


    ¡°Can you see the hair that¡¯s stuck?¡± Larissa¡¯s question broke him out of his thoughts. Blinking, Kevan


    shoved his fanciful thoughts out of his mind and turned his gaze slowly to the zipper. The dark strands


    that were caught in the zipper were rather


    obvious.


    ¡°It might hurt. Try to bear with it, alright?¡±


    Kevan¡¯s throat was dry, and his voice was hoarser than usual. He pinched the top of the zipper


    together to make sure that the teeth were aligned while his other hand slowly pulled the zip down. His


    movements were very gentle, and he was so focused on the task that it was as if he were handling a


    precious thing.


    Larissa identally glimpsed his face in the mirror, and her shock caused her to freeze on the spot.


    The Kevan now and¡­and the one she knew were quite different. Her heart began pounding so hard


    she felt like it might burst from her chest. All she could hear was her heartbeat drumming in her ears,


    and she quickly looked down to avoid looking at him through the mirror.


    Kevan sessfully brought the zipper back down to the bottom, and in the process, he carefully


    tugged her hair out.


    ¡°Did it hurt?¡± he asked, and Larissa shook her head. ¡°No.¡± But the moment she moved


    her head, her scalp was pulled on, and she hissed in pain.


    Kevan chuckled, and said in a low voice, ¡°Idiot.¡±


    Larissa had no energy to retort. Now that the zipper was fully open, her back was almostpletely


    exposed to Kevan. He still remembered how her skin felt¨Csmooth like silk, and delightfully addictive.


    Hearing nothing behind her, Larissa asked nervously, ¡°Are


    you finished?¡±


    C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.


    ¡°One moment,¡± Kevan replied. He pinched the zipper again and began zipping upwards. In the


    process, a knuckle on his middle finger gently brushed across her spine, like a feather, tickling both


    their hearts. Even though Larissa knew that he was not touching her deliberately, she could not help


    but tense up and hold her breath.


    ¡°Done.¡± The zipper was finally closed, and Kevan let go reluctantly.


    Larissa also let out a long exhale. ¡°Thank you,¡± she said.


    Kevan stuck his hands back into his pockets to curb his urge to touch her. After


    getting a grip on his breathing, he said coolly, ¡°Turn around; show me.¡±


    Larissa let go of her hair and turned around shyly. She was a rather conservative woman and did not


    like showing too much skin. She had worn strapless gowns before, but only on a handful of asions.


    The way Kevan was staring at her made her tug the gown upward with difort in an effort to cover


    herself. But Kevan noticed none of that.


    When Larissa turned around, his throat tightened, and his mind nked out. He stared at her, and


    could only think of one word¨Cfairy.


    A gorgeous, pure, and saintly fairy¨Chis little fairy. ¡°How is it?¡± Larissa asked tentatively.

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    Chapter 49


    Kevan remained expressionless the whole time, and Larissa could not tell what he thought of this gown


    at all.


    Startled, Kevan slowly returned to his senses. ¡°What?¡± he asked.


    Larissa was disappointed. He clearly did not like this gown, so much so that he could space out while


    looking at her.


    ¡°What do you think of this one?¡± she asked again without much hope.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡± Kevan casually threw down those two words.


    It was just as she thought.


    Pursing her lips, Larissa said, ¡°Then please leave. I¡¯ll try the other ones.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t.¡± Kevan waved his hand. When he saw Larissa¡¯s confused gaze, he exined with gleaming


    eyes, ¡°It¡¯ste, just wear this one.¡±


    ¡°Oh, okay.¡± The financial backer had spoken, so Larissa did not dare disobey. ¡°Then I¡¯ll wait here for


    Vivian to do my makeup.¡±


    Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!


    Kevan found an excuse to leave. ¡°I¡¯ll call her.


    He did not dare stay alone with her in such a small space. He was afraid¡­that he could not hold


    himself back.


    With Vivian, she had gone back to the stairs where Karin was waiting for her.


    ¡°Sorry, Karin,¡± Vivian said helplessly. ¡°That customer was rather aggressive, and hoped for no


    disturbances at all.¡±


    ¡°Then what am I going to do?!¡± Karin¡¯s temper exploded once more. ¡°I only wear haute couture to


    attend events¨Cnot to mention the number of socialites attending the banquet tonight! I refuse to be


    outssed by them! I don¡¯t care, Vivian.¡± She grabbed her arm. ¡°You must let me pick an haute couture


    gown!¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡± Vivian was in a dilemma.


    ¡°There are no ¡®buts¡®!¡± Karin could not wait any longer and dashed to the third floor. How am I disturbing


    them by picking a gown? I¡¯ll take care of any consequences thate from this!¡±


    ¡°Karin, wait!¡± Vivian could not stop her in time. She stamped her foot in frustration and chased after her.


    Karin was prepared to confront the aggressive customer that Vivian talked about, but when she got


    there, there was no one on the third floor.


    ¡°Where¡¯s that customer?¡± she asked Vivian, skepticism written all over her face as she studied the


    stylist. ¡°Are you lying to me?¡±


    ¡°Why would I lie to you about this?¡± Vivian countered quickly. ¡°What good would that do for me?¡± She


    turned to observe, it was true that there was no one. There was only one ce that people could hide


    in on the third floor, however, and that is the fitting


    room.


    The curtain was firmly closed, which meant that someone was inside. But for both of them to be in


    there¡­ A few suggestive images crossed Vivian¡¯s mind.


    ¡°They¡¯re probably in the midst of trying on the clothes.¡± Vivian pushed Karin and spoke to her in a low


    voice. ¡°Hurry, take this chance and pick your gown!¡±


    Karin was a little indignant. ¡°Why should I act like a damned thief when picking clothes? I¡¯m a


    superstar, for goodness¡® sake!¡±


    ¡°Of course, you¡¯re right!¡± Vivian quickly soothed her, but pulled a pitiful countenance soon and begged,


    ¡°But have mercy on me, and let me make a living, please?¡±


    ¡°If it weren¡¯t for your sake¡­humph!¡± Karin lifted her chin and went over to the clothes rack with the


    latest season¡¯s haute couture from various luxury brands before going through them carefully.


    ¡°Don¡¯t go through them like that!¡± Vivian kept ncing back at the fitting room to see if there was any


    activity. She instructed Karin anxiously, ¡°Just scan them and pick any good ones you like. You can go


    through them in detail downstairs!¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± Karin¡¯s finger traced the whole rack. ¡°Bring down all of these!¡±


    Vivian was stunned. ¡°My goodness, please don¡¯t joke around with me like that!


    There¡¯s no time!¡±


    However, Karin said primly, ¡°I¡¯m not joking. I think these are all nice. I¡¯ll have to go through all of them in


    detail.¡±


    Vivian closed her eyes as despair engulfed her.


    Just then, the curtain behind them opened.

 Chapter 50

    Chapter 50


    Chapter 50


    The sounds of the curtain rings rubbing against the rod made their way into Vivian¡¯s. ears, and fear


    enveloped her. Jolting, Vivian¡¯s heart also skipped several beats.


    ¡°Vivian!¡± Larissa rushed out before Kevan could when she heard her voice.


    I¡¯ve picked the gown. What do you think?¡±


    Her heart settling, Vivian hurriedly turned while stering a professional smile on her face. ¡°Of course.¡±


    She took a look and was amazed.


    She knew Larissa was beautiful, and knew just how gorgeously fairy¨Clike the gown was, but she did not


    expect that thebination of the two would create something so extraordinary.


    She said sincerely, ¡°It suits you well.¡±


    So well that it seemed that the gown was meant for her.


    Having Vivian¡¯s approval, Larissa regained some of her confidence. She let out a rxed smile and


    said, ¡°That¡¯s great.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you head in and wait for a bit?¡± Vivian instructed her. ¡°I still have something to do. Once I¡¯m


    done, I¡¯ll style your hair and do your makeup.¡±


    Larissa nced at Karin, who was stony¨Cfaced next to Vivian. She took two seconds to deliberate


    whether or not she should greet her before deciding not to¨Cafter all, theirst meeting was not a happy


    one.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    The moment Larissa said that, Karin raised a finger and pointed at her. ¡°I want to try the gown she¡¯s


    wearing.¡±


    Silence fell when that was said.


    Vivian was in a dilemma again. ¡°We only have one design for each gown. That one has been chosen


    by the youngdy¡­ The new arrivals still have some really good ones. Do you want to try them?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Karin never stopped staring at Larissa. ¡°I want the one she¡¯s wearing.¡±


    Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    Larissa was also stuck in an awkward situation. She had just randomly tried a gown that Kevan did not


    even like. Who knew that Karin would like it?


    ¡®I guess I¡¯ll change out of it then.¡±


    It did not matter to her what she wore anyway. There was no need to cause a scene over something as


    trivial as this.


    Although Vivian found it regrettable, she was grateful for Larissa¡¯s concession. She knew Karin¡¯s


    personality well¨Cif her desires were not met, she would cause a huge scene. Bringing her upstairs was


    already a mistake, if she caused a scene and offended Mr. Shields, then the consequences would be


    catastrophic.


    ¡°Wait a moment.¡± Larissa was retreating to the fitting room when she smacked into a wall of flesh upon


    turning around.


    ¡°You will not change.¡± Kevan gripped her arm, but his gaze was locked on Vivian. ¡± Ms. Watts, I seem


    to recall telling you not to let anyone upstairs.¡± His cold voice showed just how displeased he was.


    The very thing she feared hade true. Vivian nearly cked out, her body growing cold even as she


    began to sweat. Mustering what courage she had left, Vivian slowly looked up. ¡°Mr. Sh¡­¡± She started


    to say when Karin cut her off.


    ¡°M¨CMr. Rogers!¡± Karin was pale, and she was trembling like a leaf. It was as if she had seen a ghost.


    Her strange reaction raised several questions for Vivian. Not to mention her address for ¡°Mr. Shields¡°¡­


    ¡°Mr. Rogers?¡± Vivian looked at Kevan in confusion.

 Chapter 51

    Chapter 51


    Chapter 51


    Kevan did not exin to her.


    ¡°Either you send her down right now, and I can pretend this never happened. Or¡­¡°. His eyes


    narrowed, and his voice got heavy. ¡°We will follow the contract.¡±


    Vivian made up her mind at once. ¡°Karin, please go downstairs for now!¡± She frantically tried to signal


    her with her eyes, but Karin was staring at Kevan.


    ¡°Mr. Rogers!¡± Karin started to cry. She quickly ran toward him and knocked Larissa aside to throw


    herself into his arms. She wrapped her arms tightly around his waist.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry about what happened before! I was wrong! That was the agency¡¯s decision -not mine. I


    swear I didn¡¯t want to do it! Please have mercy on me!¡±


    She buried her face into Kevan¡¯s chest, her tears and snot smearing onto his white shirt.


    Kevan¡¯s expression turned livid, and a sense of wintry coldness began emanating from his figure.


    Larissa, who was rubbing her nose while leaning against him, shuddered, and Vivian was equally just


    as terrified as she backed away.


    Yet, Karin did not seem to notice and kept rubbing her face on his chest.


    ¡°I¡¯m willing to do anything! Anything at all, as long as you stop getting filmpanies to ban me!¡±


    C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.


    After her scheme to drug him had failed, she was kicked out of the Regal Dynasty Hotel. Soon after,


    the new series she had been filming for two months decided to rece her with someone else. The


    director cryptically told her, ¡°You¡¯ve probably offended someone you shouldn¡¯t have.¡±


    This was followed by the reality shows she had arranged to be on standing her up, even though they


    agreed on her participation six months prior. No scripts were offered to her for a month, and any scripts


    she had before were no longer avable to her because she was told that ¡°The actor has already been


    cast.¡±


    no other way out, she even lowered herself and tried to audition for four or five productions with a


    bunch of B and C¨Clist actresses, but she never got a response.


    Her manager kept asking her, ¡°Who on earth have you offended?¡±


    Who else? Probably only Kevan Rogers.


    Kevan was not the first man she had slept with.


    1/2


    Under her manager¡¯s guidance, she had been sleeping her way to the top since her debut. That was


    how she gained her current position and fame. Every man she met fell for her charms as long as she


    made the first move¨Cexcept for Kevan.


    For the dinner that night, she and a few other prominent actresses in her agency. were brought over by


    their boss ostensibly towork with industry bigwigs and gain more resources, but actually¡­they were


    expected to sell themselves.


    Kevan caught her eye immediately. For no other reason than the fact that he was the only good¨C


    looking guy in a group of sleazy, rotund old men.


    Her boss also had the intention to have Karin hang on to a valuable big shot like Kevan, and so he


    deliberately arranged for her to sit next to him. The dinner had just started when the other guys started


    pawing at the other actresses as if they were in a private setting. Kevan was the only one who had not


    even bothered to look at her.


    When she spoke to him, he responded perfunctorily; when she tried to toast him, he refused politely,


    when she touched him at her boss¡® signal, she was actually shoved to the floor.


    She still remembered the humiliation and embarrassment from that moment.


    Later, using the opportunity of going to the restroom, she got the drug from her boss, and slipped it into


    Kevan¡¯s ss¨Cthis was the first time she ever needed to drug someone to seduce them.


    But how could she know that she would still fail? The moment Kevan sensed something amiss, he


    called his friend at once and left with him.

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    Chapter 52


    She had not treated this as a serious problem at the time¨Ceven if this was the first time she failed and


    had been rejected. But after that, everything spiraled out of her control and was beyond what she could


    imagine would happen.


    C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.


    She sought out her boss and asked him to save her, but she only got more social calls than before.


    The payoff for the social calls was better resources for other actresses in the agency.


    She demanded an exnation from her boss, and he told her frankly, ¡°You¡¯ve been banned by Mr.


    Rogers. If you don¡¯t deal with him, no one will dare hire you. But don¡¯t worry, I will always remember


    your contributions to the agency. As long as our contract remains valid, your luxurious life will always


    be there.¡±


    She knew exactly what she needed to trade to keep her ¡°luxurious life¡°.


    She still had dreams and aspirations. She did not want to be some call girl for the rest of her life.


    So, she did everything she could to get the invitation for tonight¡¯s banquet in order to see Kevan, to get


    him to have mercy on her. It would be even better if she could ovee her failures and sessfully


    get into bed with him.


    Luck must have smiled down on her today to give her the opportunity to meet Kevan before the


    banquet. She had to make good use of it, of course.


    ¡°I was really forced by my boss! He made me do everything! He threatened me and said that if I didn¡¯t


    do as I was told, he would cklist me indefinitely! I really had no


    other choice¡­¡±


    Karin looked up at Kevan with a face full of tears. She had acted in various productions and knew the


    best way to cry beautifully in order to invoke pity. But such a tactic had no effect on Kevan whatsoever.


    He always hated people who cried, and he definitely hated people who hugged him while crying and


    soiling his clothes in the


    process.


    ¡°D


    query.


    nave security here?¡± he asked Vivian, who was a little stunned by his


    Why would she need to hire security for a tiny modeling studio like hers? But she felt like if she said


    she did not, he would probably trash this whole ce. So, she said, ¡°I¡¯ll call someone up!¡±


    She sped down to the first floor, where most of the staff were, and said, ¡°You, you,


    you, and you, follow me to the third floor!¡±


    When they rushed back upstairs, Kevan had already separated himself from Karin¡ª he remained


    where he was, but Karin was sobbing quietly on the floor.


    As for Larissa¨Cshe had not moved, quietly ying the role of a wallflower.


    Vivian had no idea what had happened when she was absent, she was not in the mood to figure it out


    either.


    ¡°Hurry up and bring Ms. Gagher downstairs. Let her rest before giving her a proper styling for a


    banquet!¡± shemanded her staff.


    ¡°Perhaps you did not understand my meaning, Ms. Watts.¡± Kevan smiled, but his eyes were frigid. ¡°I


    asked you to call security to evict her¨Cto ensure that she never returns to this establishment.¡±


    Everyone present was stunned. Even Karin¡¯s sobbing paused for two seconds.


    Vivian gritted her teeth. ¡°Do as Mr. Shi¨CI mean, Mr. Rogers says!¡±


    But how could Karin let them have their way? She knew that this was her final chance. If she was really


    kicked out from here, her life was over.


    She flung those hands away from her and crawled to Kevan, hugging his leg¨Cthis scene was rather


    familiar to Larissa¨Clike she had gone through something simr


    prior.


    ¡°Please, Mr. Rogers, have mercy on me! I really didn¡¯t mean it! I did not have any inappropriate


    thoughts about you! As long as you can pretend nothing ever happened, I promise I will never provoke


    you again, please?¡± Karin cried pitifully.

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    Chapter 53


    Many present began to look pained at her plight, but Kevan remained unmoved. Larissa could not help


    but wonder if Kevan¡¯s heart was made of stone.


    ¡°You did not have inappropriate thoughts about me?¡± he sneered coldly. ¡°I suppose so. Considering all


    the men you¡¯ve slept with, your taste in men is rather poor.¡±


    Having her hidden past exposed so abruptly, Karin inhaled sharply. Her throat constricted, and it


    caused her to choke and cough for a while.


    The disgust in Kevan¡¯s eyes grew.


    ¡°What are you still standing around for?¡± He looked at the stunned group. ¡°Hurry up and get her out of


    here.¡±


    The staff members snapped back to reality and quickly surrounded Karin. They pulled and tugged and


    got her to let go of Kevan¡¯s leg. They actually ended up picking her up from the floor.


    ring, Karin shouted while coughing, ¡°Put me down!¡±


    But no one responded to her.


    Her cries and shouts kept going until they went downstairs. Even then, it took a long while before her


    shrill voice faded outpletely.


    Finally, the only people left on the third floor were Kevan, Larissa, and Vivian.


    Kevan let go of Larissa to unbutton his jacket.


    C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Do you have tuxedos here?¡± he asked Vivian.


    ¡°We do!¡± Vivian answered quickly. ¡°It¡¯s over there. Let me show you.¡±


    ¡°Wait.¡± Kevan stripped his jacket off and threw it onto the floor. Then he removed his


    tie and shirt.


    His s¡­


    ¡°¡­ I need a shower.¡±


    ess state revealed his well¨Cdefined abs.


    Vivian stared for a long while before she averted her gaze. Blushing, she said, ¡°Th- The bathroom¡¯s on


    the s¨Csecond floor.¡±


    ¡°Take me there,¡± Kevan said.


    ¡°Y¨CYes, sir.¡± Vivian was so overwhelmed by what she saw that she had trouble


    speaking well.


    Kevan then instructed Larissa, ¡°Pick a tux for me.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Larissa had been acting like an idle bystander for so long that the sudden assignment surprised


    her. But her surprise turned into unwillingness from Kevan¡¯s perspective.


    ¡°What, you don¡¯t want to?¡± His displeasure was clearly shown in the way he dragged out the syble of


    thest word.


    ¡°No, no!¡± Larissa hurriedly denied it. ¡°I¡¯m just worried that you won¡¯t like what I¡¯ve picked.¡±


    Kevan rxed.


    ¡°A nonexistent problem.¡± He threw that behind him casually as he left.


    After Kevan followed Vivian downstairs, Larissa wandered around the male section clothes rack,


    eventually picking a tuxedo that matched Kevan¡¯s typical style. It was a in, simple suit¨Csomewhat


    simr to the one he had worn before.


    She thought to herself, ¡°This shouldn¡¯t go wrong.¡±


    Soon, Vivian returned and asked her, ¡°Ms. Seymour, have you picked Mr. Rogers¡®


    outfit?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Larissa showed her the tuxedo draped over her arm. ¡°Do you think it¡¯s nice?¡±


    Vivian pretended to look it over and said with certainty, ¡°Of course it is.¡±


    With the way Kevan looked, even a lousy rag draped over him would look nice.


    ¡°Mr. Rogers said to send the suit over once you¡¯ve picked it. The bathroom is at the end of the corridor


    on the second floor. If you don¡¯t know where it is exactly, you can ask someone for directions.¡± Vivian


    pushed Larissa in the direction of the stairs.¡±

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    Chapter 54


    Theyout of the studio¡¯s second floor was different from the third. The interior decorations and


    furnishings here were closer to that of a high¨Cend boutique.


    Under the guidance of the staff, Larissa wandered around the whole floor for quite a bit before locating


    the small single bathroom at the back of the floor.


    ording to the staff¡¯s exnation, the bathroom was built about a year after the studio began


    operations for artists who had a packed schedule that needed styling. There was nothing around the


    bathroom, and unauthorized personnel would nevere here, so privacy was very much assured.


    Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!


    Larissa knocked on the bathroom door. Soon, Kevan¡¯s guarded voice sounded. ¡°Who is it?¡±


    Larissa replied, ¡°I¡¯m here with your clothes, Mr. Rogers.¡±


    ¡°Are you alone?¡±


    ¡°I am.¡±


    Kevan said nothing more. The door soon opened, and a burst of hot steam wafted from the bathroom.


    Larissa looked up and saw a broad, strong chest glistening with water. Countless beads of water were


    dripping downward, and she could not help but follow them with her eyes. She then only realized that¡­


    Kevan¡¯s long legs were bare.


    Face turning beet red at once, Larissa bowed her neck until it was practically at a 90- degree angle.


    She kept her eyes fixed on the hem of her skirt.


    Compared to her disorientation, Kevan was calmer. He held out his hand to her. ¡± Clothes, please.¡±


    Larissa handed over the clothes in her arms to him as swiftly as possible. Her head


    remained down. ¡°See if you like it. If it doesn¡¯t fit, Vivian said she could alter it for you.


    ¡°Wait here.¡± Kevan shut the door. When he opened it again, he was fully dressed in a simple suit jacket


    and white shirt. Thebination somehow managed to look elegant on him. It also gave off a vibe of


    forbidden beauty.


    Larissa was a little dazed.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t we going up?¡± Kevan¡¯s cool voice brought her back.


    ¡°Yes! We are,¡± she quickly replied.


    Kevan gave her a cool look before putting his hands in his pockets and taking the lead. Larissa


    followed.


    Vivian was waiting for them in the fitting room on the third floor. The empty table was nowden with a


    massive makeup cheat alongside a hairdryer, hair curler, and other hair styling tools.


    When she saw Kevan, her eyes gleamed with desire as she fervently wished she could snap pictures


    of him using her phone so that she could upload them to the studio¡¯s official Twitter ount.


    She really wanted to show off to the others as well as share how amazingly handsome he was.


    But she knew that it was best not to do something dangerous like that.


    ¡°Does it fit?¡± She moved over to ask Kevan, who only gave a grunt of affirmation in return. That


    disappointed Vivian, because she wanted to take the opportunity to feel him up during the alteration


    process.


    Kevan nced down at his watch.

 Chapter 55

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    Chapter 55


    This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    With Karin causing a scene, it was now 5:30 pm.


    ¡°There¡¯s not much time left,¡± he reminded Vivian. ¡°Ms. Seymour¡¯s makeup¡­¡±


    Vivian immediately got Larissa onto the high stool.


    ¡°I will start now!¡±


    Vivian only did a light makeup look for Larissa. She said, ¡°Ms. Seymour is a natural beauty, so


    excessive touch¨Cups are not needed. All she needs is a little powder to enhance herplexion, and


    she¡¯s good to go.¡±


    Kevan nodded in agreement with her statement.


    Larissa started blushing again¨Cin other words, his nod meant that he wasplimenting her.


    Parting Larissa¡¯s long hair in the middle, Vivian brushed it all behind her head, gathering it all into a low


    bun.


    ¡°This exposes her neck and shoulders. Her neck and shoulder lines are already perfect, and there¡¯s no


    need for jewelry for emphasis¨CAs a matter of fact, I think wearing jewelry will detract from the overall


    effect.¡±


    Kevan said, ¡°Very well; leave out the jewelry then.¡±


    Larissa said nothing. Right now, she was a mannequin that they could manipte however they


    wanted. At any rate, it was fine as long as Kevan was satisfied with the


    results.


    Vivian put down the tools in her hand. ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± she eximed. ¡°We still need a pair of shoes for


    Ms. Seymour!¡±


    Larissa¡¯s clothes were the kind that could be easily donned or removed. Her shoes were shallow slip¨C


    ons, and were naturally unsuited for the banquet¨Cnot to mention the fact that they did not match the


    elegant dress that she was wearing.


    The shoes were all on the second floor. Larissa reported her foot size, and Vivian prepared to head


    down and pick her a pair.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go.¡± Kevan reached out and blocked Vivian¡¯s way, which surprised both Vivian


    and Larissa.


    But Vivian recovered quickly and she said, ¡°Of course! You have a good eye, Mr. Rogers. You should


    have better taste than I do.¡±


    3 Chapter 54


    ¡°Yes! We are,¡± she quickly replied.


    Kevan gave her a cool look before putting his hands in his pockets and taking the lead. Larissa


    followed.


    Vivian was waiting for them in the fitting room on the third floor. The empty table was nowden with a


    massive makeup chest alongside a hairdryer, hair curler, and other hair styling tools.


    When she saw Kevan, her eyes gleamed with desire as she fervently wished she could snap pictures


    of him using her phone so that she could upload them to the studio¡¯s official Twitter ount.


    She really wanted to show off to the others as well as share how amazingly handsome he was.


    But she knew that it was best not to do something dangerous like that.


    ¡°Does it fit?¡± She moved over to ask Kevan, who only gave a grunt of affirmation in return. That


    disappointed Vivian, because she wanted to take the opportunity to feel him up during the alteration


    process.


    Kevan nced down at his watch.

 Chapter 56

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    Chapter 56


    ¡°As expected, you really have good taste, Mr. Rogers!¡± Vivianplimented him sincerely. ¡°These are


    thetest limited¨Cedition shoes from Jimmy Choo, with only two thousand pairs around the globe!¡±


    Kevan was indifferent to herpliment, silently going over to Larissa and getting down on one knee.


    C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.


    What?


    Larissa stared at the hair on his head, mouth hanging open from shock. Vivian¡¯s reaction was not any


    better than hers. Looking up at the former, Kevan¡¯s expression remained unchanged.


    ¡°Your foot.¡± He held out his hand.


    It took a while for Larissa to realize that he wanted her to give him her foot.


    ¡°¡­Let me do it!¡± She was about to hop down from the high stool but Kevan gripped


    her left ankle.


    ¡°Don¡¯t move,¡± he said with a frown of displeasure.


    Larissa froze before quietly shifting properly back onto the stool. Then Kevan pulled her foot toward


    him.


    His fingers were cold against her skin, and the pressure from his fingertips felt as if a thin current was


    racing through her body, causing her to quiver and goosebumps to


    form..


    Kevan removed her slip¨Con and gradually moved her foot forward. As Larissa was quite tall, her feet


    were bigger than the average woman¡¯s¨Cthis was also something that she had felt insecure about for


    many years. She subconsciously tried to yank her foot back, but Kevan stopped her.


    ¡°Don¡¯t move,¡± he repeated, his displeasure more pronounced than ever.


    Larissa bit her lip, her face as red as a tomato¨Cthank goodness the foundation covered it up so it


    wasn¡¯t that obvious. Kevan¡¯s finger drifted down and turned to grip her slightly calloused heel.


    ¡°Mr. Rogers¡­¡± she whispered very softly, abashed.


    ¡°Mm?¡± Kevan responded while cing her foot on his knee, which shocked Larissa further.


    Did he not¡­think that it was nasty?!


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­not sanitary¡­¡± She curled her toes.


    Hearing this, Kevan stared at her foot seriously for quite a while¨CMaybe it was due to long periods of


    being wrapped in stockings and leather shoes, but the skin of her feet was fairer than her arms.


    Moreover, despite having been cooped up in her shoes for so long, they did not look sweaty or smell


    nasty.


    ¡°Where?¡± he asked her in response.


    The way he spoke so seriously somehow shut Larissa up. She did not know how to answer and could


    only stare at him. Getting no answer from her, Kevan looked away and removed one shoe from the


    box, carefully putting it onto her foot.


    After that, he pressed on the space at the toe of the shoe and asked, ¡°Does it fit?¡±


    When his fingers left her heel, that feeling of coldness went with it. Larissa felt a strange sense of relief


    once that happened.


    She said, ¡°I¡¯ll have to be on my feet to be able to tell.¡±


    ¡°Very well,¡± Kevan said but reached out for her other foot. In a simr manner, he put on the other shoe


    for her. Then he got up and held out his arm for her. ¡°Try walking and see.¡±


    Larissa hesitated for two seconds before using the proffered arm to step down from he high stool. The


    moment she was on her feet, she let go, which caused Kevan¡¯s -yes to narrow.

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    Chapter 57


    The heels were rather high for these shoes, much higher than the heels Larissa usually wore. She


    could not quite master the height difference yet and fell sideways just after taking a step. Thankfully,


    Kevan caught her before she could hit the floor.¡±


    After using him to regain her bnce, Larissa tried to leave his embrace, but he stopped her.


    ¡°Do you want to fall again?¡± he asked coldly, causing Larissa to bite her lip, and she stopped moving.


    Vivian, who had been quiet, finally spoke up. ¡°How¡¯s Ms. Seymour¡¯s look? Is it¡­good to go?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Kevan replied.


    ¡°And you¡­?¡± Vivian studied him once again, her eyes showing her desire to try her little idea from


    before.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine the way I am.¡± Kevan ignored her passionate gaze and rejected her tly.


    Vivian¡¯s shoulders drooped.


    ¡°Sit,¡± Kevan ordered Larissa while patting the high stool. She did not know why he wanted her to do


    that, but sheplied.


    Kevan crouched down again and helped her take off the heels, recing them with her slip¨Cons.


    ¡°I¡¯ll change them for you again once we reach the venue.¡±


    Larissa stared at him, her heart racing once more even as a sense of warmth engulfed it.


    The banquet was held at a private vi located halfway up the hill.


    As the car drove up from the foot of the hill, all that could be seen through the window were towering


    trees.


    It was a beautiful area that had been leftrgely untouched by man¡­ This was probably the only ce


    preserved in the heart of Covenford. As a result, the vi was quite expensive. Even the average elite


    would not necessarily be able to afford to buy it.


    Larissa grew more and more uneasy, her anxiety racking up as well. She clutched


    Chapter 57


    onto the seat belt across her chest for dear life, and her palms began to sweat.


    Kevan drove into arge courtyard. Well, it was more like a park¨Cthe area was sorge that it was


    shocking, and various nts and sculptures could be seen. Other than having wide driveways, the


    courtyard also had narrow cobblestone paths. Right in the center of the ce was a fountain gleaming


    with various colors.


    Larissa could not help sighing to herself. Poverty had truly limited her imagination. The lives of the rich


    were so opulent to the point she could hardly imagine it.


    The car kept going until it was deep in the courtyard. There was a four¨Cstory vi there. Kevan got out


    of the car first while Larissa was still unbuckling her seat belt, and he opened her door.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get down yet.¡± Kevan retrieved the heels in the backseat and changed shoes for Larissa as he


    did before. He had just straightened up when he heard Dn¡¯s teasing voice sound from behind.


    Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Yoo, since when did Mr. Rogers be so thoughtful?¡±


    Larissa, who was already a ball of nerves, nearly had a heart attack when someone randomly just


    popped out of nowhere. As he was keeping an eye on Larissa¡¯s every move, Kevan noticed the panic


    and fear on her face. He turned and red reproachfully at Dn while also somehow making it look


    threatening.


    Being red at like that, Dn consciously stopped all thoughts of teasing.


    My apologies, Ms. Seymour. I really could not step away, that¡¯s why I had Mr. Rogers ck you up.¡± He


    pretended to apologize to Larissa, who waved her hand and said, It¡¯s alright.¡±


    Squeezing his way past Kevan, Dn held out his hand to Larissa, who was still in the car. ¡°It must be


    hard for you to walk in those heels, yes? Shall I help you up?¡±


    Since Dn was not like Kevan and was not Larissa¡¯s immediate superior¨Cnot to mention that his


    personality was leagues better than Kevan¡¯s¨CLarissa was much more at ease when faced with him.


    ¡°Well, yes, thank you, Mr. Shields.¡± Larissa grinned and reached out to take Dn¡¯s proffered hand


    without hesitation. However, halfway through that, Kevan intercepted her hand.

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    Chapter 58


    Dn¡¯s hand was left awkwardly hanging in the air.


    Confusion appeared on his face. However, his sses concealed the smug excitement at seeding


    in his mischief.


    ¡°Mr. Rogers?¡± He drew his hand back with a slightly raised eyebrow before deliberately reminding him.


    ¡°If I recall correctly, Ms. Seymour is thepanion that I invited.¡±


    This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°If I¡¯m seeing this right¡­¡± Kevan held on to Larissa¡¯s hand tightly, his dark eyes fixed at a specific point


    on the driveway. ¡°That white Lamborghiniing over here is Sharon¡¯s car¡­¡±


    He had not even finished speaking yet when Dn vanished. Larissa was so stunned by the speed of


    Dn¡¯s escape¨Che literally melted into the night in a second.


    Her mouth was hanging open even as she stared at where Dn had been.


    ¡°Time to head inside.¡± Kevan pulled her hand, and Larissa got out of the car. She turned to look at the


    white Lamborghini with curiosity.


    In a few seconds, the white car zoomed into the wide parking area, the sound of its engine growing


    louder the closer it got. With an amazing drift, followed by the sudden shriek of the brakes, the car


    came to a steady stop at the parking space next to theirs. Larissa had only seen such masterful driving


    skills on television.


    arissa nearly apuded the driver¡¯s performance.


    The Lamborghini¡¯s door opened, and a tall woman gracefully emerged from the car. Her long, curly


    chestnut hair was left unbound, and she wore a cream¨Ccolored jumpsuit. She wore just the right


    amount of makeup, and her beautiful features were clear¨Cprominent eyebrows,rge eyes, a tall nose,


    and a somewhat aggressive


    temperament.


    ¡°Mr. Rogers.¡± She had a hand in her pocket, and the smile she had on her face added to her overall


    handsomeness.


    Larissa suddenly understood why more and more female celebrities liked creating dominant images for


    themselves. Just one nce and she was close to falling in love with this handsome woman who was


    more dashing than the average man.


    ¡°Ms. Davis.¡± Kevan smiled at her. ¡°If you¡¯re looking for Dn¡­he just left.¡±


    Sharon Davis¡® expression did not change.


    ¡°You overthink, Mr. Rogers. I just happened to meet you here, so I came to say hello,¡± Sensing


    Larissa¡¯s gaze, Sharon nced over to her. When she saw her and Kevan holding hands, she asked


    with great interest, ¡°Has your long¨Ctime germaphobia been finally fixed?¡±


    Kevan avoided the question. ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else, Ms. Davis, we¡¯ll be heading inside.¡± He helped


    Larissa walk toward the vi, and Sharon followed.


    ¡°Why not together?¡°.


    She went over to Larissa¡¯s other side.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t introduced me, Mr. Rogers. Who is this youngdy? Why have I never met her before?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s mypanion tonight.¡± Kevan¡¯s introduction was brief and to the point.


    ¡°I thought you never broughtpanions to banquets? Why did you make an exception tonight?¡±


    Sharon studied Larissa carefully, then her eyes sparkled. ¡°But she¡¯s quite pretty, eh? Has she signed


    with any managementpanies? Is she interested in debuting as an actress?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Kevan answered tly for Larissa.


    Sharon, however, forcibly pressed a business card into Larissa¡¯s hand. ¡°If you have any thoughts on


    having a career change, you can find me at any time.¡± She fluttered er eyshes at Larissa, whose


    heart melted at once. She even started to wonder low sessful she would be as an actress.


    ¡°Mr. Rogers is here!¡± someone shouted loudly, and the lively vi fell silent in an instant. The three


    standing at the entrance became the center of attention. Sharon immediately pulled away from the


    other two and melted into the crowd.


    ¡°Mr. Rogers!¡±

 Chapter 59

    Chapter 59


    Chapter 59


    ¡°Kevan!¡±


    A group


    of people got close and surrounded Kevan. There were both men and women in the crowd, young and


    old. Various perfumes mixed together causing Larissa to sneeze loudly.


    Two youngdies who were crowded near her let out expressions of disgust.


    ¡°Ew¡­! So gross¡­¡± They muttered.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± Larissa apologized quickly.


    Kevan, who had been responding to some seniors, suddenly turned over and said to those twodies


    with extreme courteousness, ¡°Could you please stand farther away? I am unused to the perfumes that


    you¡¯re wearing.¡±


    Thedies¡® faces flushed with anger and embarrassment before they walked away sullenly.


    The smell of the perfume became lighter, but it was still quite pungent. Larissa used her mouth to


    breathe as much as possible to prevent herself from sneezing again.


    Kevan took note of her difort, but as he could not ignore his friends and seniors, he whispered to


    Larissa instead, ¡°Find a ce to sit down, and I¡¯lle to youter.¡±


    Larissa was more than happy to do so.


    Everyone stared as she let go of Kevan¡¯s hand and left, but no one cared to know the reason why, and


    they definitely did not care where she went.


    Larissa found a quiet corner and sat down, gazing disinterestedly at the night scene from the floor¨Cto¨C


    ceiling window.


    ¡°Hey, isn¡¯t this Mr. Rogers¡®panion?¡± The twodies from earlier showed up.


    ¡°Yeah, why are you sitting here all by yourself? Did Mr. Rogers chase you away too?¡± Their gleeful


    smirks were rather annoying.


    ¡°I told you. How could she have caught Mr. Rogers¡® eye by being so in? See? It¡¯s only been a while


    and he¡¯s already tired of her.¡±


    ¡°Tsk, she really thought she could turn a sow¡¯s ear into a silk purse? Once a pauper, always a pauper!¡±


    Their words were terrible, but it was not yet to the point where Larissa could not take


    Chapter 59


    1. it. After all, she was not really Kevan¡¯spanion, and so their mockery had been misced. It


    was just that their voices were too shrill, and they were being rather loud, which caused Larissa¡¯s


    ears to hurt.


    Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!


    She stood up and forced a smile. ¡°Excuse me, I need to go to the bathroom.¡±


    She had just taken one step forward when one of them deliberately collided with her, the red wine she


    had in hand spilling all over Larissa.


    The white flower petals were stained a deep red, and the wet chiffon fabric was


    stuck to her bosom.


    ¡°Goodness me, I¡¯m so sorry!¡± thedy who knocked into her eximed with horror as she covered her


    mouth even though the triumphant gleam in her eyes could not be concealed.


    Larissa had no energy to be angry with her nor figure out if she did it on purpose. The only thing she


    cared about right now was how much she had to pay Vivian for ruining this gown.


    She asked one of the vi¡¯s staff for the exact location of the bathroom before rushing up to the second


    floor.


    It just so happened that someone was also emerging from the bathroom, so when Larissa brushed past


    him, she heard him say, ¡°Ms. Seymour?¡±


    The voice was familiar, so Larissa stopped and nced back. It was Lucas Hermes!


    Lucas gazed at her with a hurt expression like he had just been kicked to the curb.


    ¡°Ms. Seymour, I had been waiting for you to call me.¡±


    Only then did Larissa remember this matter. Sheughed sheepishly. ¡°Sorry. After that day, I was


    recovering at home. I didn¡¯t even see Mr. Rogers, so I didn¡¯t think of calling you either¡­¡±


    Just like that, Lucas¡® attention was diverted. ¡°Then, have you fully recovered?¡± He eyed her right


    shoulder.


    ¡°Yes, I have.¡± Larissa rolled her right shoulder for emphasis and her smile grew. ¡°All thanks to you.¡±


    Lucas rubbed his nose, his face a little red.

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    Chapter 60


    His gaze moved down and caught sight of the wine stains on her bosom.


    ¡°What happened?¡± he asked.


    Larissa had no intention of starting anything, so she said calmly, ¡°I identally spilled wine on myself.¡±


    ¡°Oh dear,¡± Lucas frowned and opened the bathroom door for her. ¡°It¡¯s best if you cleaned that up at


    once then!¡±


    Wine stains were difficult to get rid of. Larissa wet the stains with water and rubbed hard at the fabric,


    but her bosom remained stained a dark red.


    She copsed onto the toilet bowl with exhaustion, rubbing ruefully at her aching arms while her feet


    hurt from standing for too long.


    If she were not worried about other people needing the bathroom, she would have stayed there until


    the banquet ended.


    The sound of her phone ringing shattered the peace and quiet she had just managed to gain.


    Thinking it was Kevan calling her, Larissa rushed to get out her phone. The screen showed an


    unknown localndline number.


    Her first thought was that this was a marketing call, but no marketers would make calls at a time when


    most people were off work.


    Larissa hesitated before answering the call. A woman¡¯s gentle voice came through. * Is this Larissa


    Seymour?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Having gotten an affirmative, the woman continued. ¡°I am a nurse from the spinal surgery department


    of Victory General Hospital. I¡¯m calling you because I¡¯d like to inform you that your husband¡¯s medical


    fees have not been paid for some time, and you have to pay it for him. Otherwise, he¡¯ll have to leave


    the hospital.¡±


    Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    Larissa had never given her number to the hospital. Needless to say, it was definitely Travis¡® parents


    who made the nurse call her.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, miss. I¡¯m in the midst of divorcing Travis Hardy. Regarding the medical fees, it¡¯s better if you


    find his parents instead!¡±


    She would never let her conniving ex¨Cinws have their way. It was not as if they


    Chapter 60


    were broke anyway.


    Even if they had no savings left, selling the house that Travis bought for them would get them several


    million at least, which was more than enough to cover Travis¡® medical fees. But they just could not bear


    to part with anything of their own, so they kept trying to squeeze her dry.


    ¡°But¡­¡± The nurse was in a dilemma. ¡°We can¡¯t find his parents. You¡¯re the only one


    we can turn to now.


    Larissa had just been about to hang up when she froze.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± she asked in confusion. ¡°I thought his parents were staying at the hospital?¡±


    ¡°They were, but they disappeared this morning. They told me they would pay today,


    but when I went to check their room, Travis was the only one there. His parents and their belongings


    were gone. I called the numbers they had given us but their phones were turned off. I asked Travis if


    there was anyone else we could contact, and he said no. While cleaning the room earlier, the janitor


    found a piece of paper on Travis¡® bedside table with your number written on it. From the handwriting, it


    looks like Travis¡® parents were the ones who wrote it. So, I tried calling it and was surprised that it


    worked,¡± the nurse exined.


    Larissa had it figured out. This was a trap that Travis¡® parents set for her.


    ¡°I can understand your position.¡± The nurse sighed. ¡°But Travis¡® medical fees can¡¯t be dyed any


    longer. My supervisor has been asking me about it. If it¡¯s not paid in full today, I¡¯ll be held responsible


    too¡­ Unless¡­you could contact any other rtives that Travis may have? Get them toe to the


    hospital before 12 am and pay up.¡±


    Other rtives that Travis may have?


    Well, there was only Andrew Hardy left, and she was cklisted on his phone.

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    Suddenly, Larissa remembered that Amber was still avable!


    Although she did not know what had happened between Travis and Amber, their rtionship was still


    much more intimate than hers and Travis¡®. Amber should obviously be in charge of paying for his


    medical fees.


    *Please wait a moment, okay? I¡¯ll check if Travis has any other rtives or friends that you can contact.


    If I find their numbers, I¡¯ll let you know. Is that okay?¡± Larissa asked for the nurse¡¯s opinion.


    The nurse replied rather reluctantly, ¡°Well, okay. But you must hurry!¡±


    Larissa did not actually have Amber¡¯s number, but she did have a bunch of Travis¡® colleagues¡® contact


    numbers. Texting them in their shared group chat, she asked, ¡± Do you guys have Amber¡¯s number?


    Can you send it to me?¡±


    Several of them replied, ¡°Isn¡¯t Amber in jail? Why do you want her number?¡±


    Larissa was surprised. She picked a more familiar colleague and asked in private, When did Amber


    end up in jail? What did she do?¡±


    That person was typing for quite a while before a text wall popped up in the chat. ¡°It happened just


    recently! You didn¡¯t know? Amber supposedly developed depression or bipr disorder after losing her


    baby and fought with the department head every day. Then somehow it got worse, and she actually


    knocked him down with her car! Someone called the police, and Amber was arrested soon after. The


    head was hurt pretty bad. Two days ago, we went to see him once, and we heard that he¡¯s now


    paralyzed from the waist down. He¡¯ll never be able to walk again!¡±


    Larissa did not expect this to be the truth of what happened.


    *To be honest, some of us were pretty sorry for you! All of us mostly knew about the head¡¯s affair with


    Amber, but we were afraid of losing our jobs, so no one told you. Later¡­we didn¡¯t have the nerve to tell


    you anymore. Now that you¡¯ve actively reached out to me, I¡¯ll take the opportunity to apologize. I hope


    you¡¯ll forgive me.¡±


    Reading through that paragraph, Larissa figured that they were sincere at least, if not outright genuine.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± she replied, ¡°It¡¯s over now, anyway.¡±


    Besides, those two who made life hard for her did not get a good ending either. It was useless to hold


    these people responsible for anything now. What she needed to


    Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!


    Chapter 61


    figure out was if she had to go to the hospital to pay for Travis¡® medical fees.


    His parents ran off somewhere, she could not reach his brother, and Amber was now in jail. She could


    not possibly get his friends and colleagues to pay for him. The nurse had given her an ultimatum¨Cpay


    tonight or Travis would get discharged.


    With his current condition, getting discharged would be a death sentence for him.. Although she hated


    him, she could not bear to watch him die. Besides, Dn told her that if Travis died, there would be a


    bigger conflict with regard to the asset division, and thewsuit would be dragged out longer.


    After struggling for a while, Larissa decided to go to the hospital and make sure he did not die. She


    called the nurse back and told her she would be heading over shortly.


    The nurse was delighted. ¡°That¡¯s great! I¡¯ll wait for you at the nurse¡¯s station! Come find me once you


    get there!¡±


    With her sore and achy feet, Larissa dragged herself out of the bathroom and was startled by the man


    who was standing in the corridor

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    Lucas was like a statue, his back against the wall and his phone in hand.


    ¡°How are you still here?¡± Larissa asked. She thought that he had left long ago.


    Lucas stowed his phone back into his pocket and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. ¡°I thought


    that your gown would not be cleaned so easily¡­¡± His eyes nced over to Larissa¡¯s bosom as he


    spoke, and when he saw the unchanged red stain, his expression shifted.


    ¡°I¡¯m familiar with the owner of this vi. I can help you borrow a fresh set of clothes¡­¡±


    ¡°I appreciate your kind offer, but that won¡¯t be necessary,¡± Larissa refused him with a smile. ¡°Something


    came up, and I¡¯ll be leaving now.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Lucas¡® eyes widened. ¡°Are you leaving on your own? Or leaving with Mr. Rogers?¡±


    When Kevan came in, he was present too. It was difficult to not notice them with such a huge


    commotion, but considering the crowd that surrounded them earlier, he did not bother to join in.


    His purpose in waiting for Larissa was not only to just get her a fresh change of clothes but also to use


    this as a chance to greet Kevan. But he did not expect Larissa to leave the moment she came out, so


    he did not even have the chance to do what


    he wanted to.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be leaving on my own.


    Strictly speaking, Larissa was not even Kevan¡¯spanion, and Dn¨Cwho was the one who invited


    her to this banquet¨Chad vanished long ago. She naturally had no right to ask Kevan to send her back.


    Besides, from what she had seen, Kevan was likely the star of tonight¡¯s banquet instead of the owner


    of the vi. If he were to leave in the middle of it all, he would disappoint everyone.


    ¡°Did you drive over?¡± Lucas asked with concern. ¡°This is a pretty secluded ce, and cabs won¡¯te


    up here. How about I send you to wherever you want to go? Just tell me where. There¡¯s no point for me


    to stay behind anyway.¡±


    He came because of Kevan, but the man was always tied up with all those elders. If Larissa could not


    help him out, it was pointless for him to reach out on his own because he would never be able to get a


    few words in with Kevan. It was better to trade a favor for Larissa instead of wasting time here.


    Lucas was a good¨Chearted person¨CLarissa had already seen it for herself at the


    hospital. But as she was not close to him, she did not really want to trouble him.


    ¡°I¡¯ll just call for a cab.¡±


    She opened up the e¨Chailing taxi app and had just sessfully input her location when Lucas


    snatched away her phone.


    He looked righteous and firm even as he lectured her. ¡°Didn¡¯t you see the news? There was an incident


    just two days ago with the e¨Chailing app! A young woman in her twenties was taken into the mountains


    by a cab driver and sexually assaulted. After that, he even killed her and left her body there because he


    was afraid that the incident would be brought to light!¡±


    N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.


    This had been a big deal, and almost all the apps on Larissa¡¯s phone talked about news of the incident.


    It was impossible for her to not know about this,


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s settled then. I¡¯ll send you to your destination.¡± Lucas took the lead and walked in front of her.


    As her phone was still in his hand, Larissa could only hurry after him with small steps.


    Once they got back down to the first floor, Lucas paused to ask, ¡°Would you like to inform Mr. Rogers


    that you¡¯ll be leaving in advance?¡±


    Larissa nodded. ¡°Of course.¡±


    The crowd in the lounge had mostly scattered, and people had gotten into small groups to drink and


    chat. Larissa searched the whole room but did not see Kevan at


    all.


    ¡°Looking for Mr. Rogers?¡± Sharon had somehow gotten behind her and tapped on her shoulder.


    Startled, Larissa thought that her heart was going to jump out of her chest. But thankfully she managed


    to cover her mouth before she could let out any


    embarrassing screams.


    ¡°Yes. Have you seen him?¡±


    ¡°Yup.¡± Sharon pointed toward the back. ¡°Two minutes before you came down, he went to the


    backyard.¡± Her eyes shed with something as she let out a knowing smile. ¡°With a woman.¡±


    Larissa silently drew back her leg. Kevan likely¡­did not want anyone to bother him.


    ¡°Thank you for your reminder, Ms. Davis.¡± Larissa forced a smile onto her face.


    Sharon raised an eyebrow out of surprise. ¡°You¡¯re just going to let it go?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Larissa did not understand what she meant as Lucas ran over from the other


    Chapter 62


    side, panting a little as he did. ¡°Nope, didn¡¯t find him.¡± Larissa said, ¡°There¡¯s no need. Let¡¯s go.¡°

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    This time it was Sharon¡¯s turn to be confused.


    ¡°You¡¯re leaving? Where are you going?¡±


    ¡°Something came up.¡± Larissa had no intention to tell her more. She simply dipped her head in farewell


    and said, ¡°Let¡¯s meet again in the future, Ms. Davis.¡±


    Kevan went back to the lounge with a stony face. The scattered crowd began to gather again.


    However, this time, he no longer had the mood to deal with them and blocked them off without saying


    anything.


    ¡°Mr. Rogers!¡± Sharon, who was sitting before the floor¨Cto¨Cceiling window, waved at


    him.


    Out of everyone in the vi, he was the closest to Sharon, and she was likely the only woman apart


    from Larissa who did not try to tter him in any way. Hence, he went over to her and asked in a low


    voice, ¡°Is there something you needed, Ms. Davis?¡±


    Sharon did not hasten to answer his question, but she handed him the other ss of


    red wine from the table instead.


    ¡°I wonder if you¡¯d be willing to drink with me.¡± She smiled, but Kevan¡¯s eyes narrowed as his guard


    went up. She had never been this warm to him from the day they met until now. There was definitely


    something fishy going on with this.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think too much of it, Mr. Rogers.¡± Seeing that he had not moved, Sharon simplyy her cards on


    the table. ¡°I just want to make a deal with you about Ms. Seymour.¡±


    Hearing Larissa¡¯sst name, Kevan stopped hesitating. He sat down and epted the wine and said,


    ¡°Go ahead, Ms. Davis.¡±


    Knowing she had guessed right, Sharon¡¯s smile grew bigger.


    ¡°Give me Dn¡¯s current personal phone number, and I¡¯ll tell you where Ms. Seymour has gone.¡±


    Many people knew about Dn¡¯s personal phone number. If Sharon really wanted it, she would be able


    to find it easily¨Cbut most certainly not from him. Kevan put his ss down. ¡°My apologies.¡±


    Pulling out his phone, Kevan said pointedly, ¡°I don¡¯t need to go through others to find Larissa.¡±


    Sharonughed lightly. ¡°Very well, then.¡± She waved at him to carry on. ¡°You may call her right here. I


    don¡¯t mind.¡±


    The calmer she was, the more Kevan found it suspicious. He went through his contacts and selected


    the first one on the list. However, the call never made it through. The robotic message started out as


    ¡°The number you have dialed is currently busy¡± and ended with ¡°The number you have dialed cannot


    be reached temporarily.¡±


    Sharon took a sip of wine, her gaze fixed on the scenery outside while a confident smile yed at the


    corner of her lips.


    Kevan called two more times but got the same results. Gripping his phone, he asked, ¡°Do you really


    know where she went?¡±


    He had been conned by some weird woman to go to the backyard for this exact reason. Not only was


    there no one in the backyard, but that woman had even pounced on him like some rabid dog, kissing


    him while having her arms wrapped all around him. It was so disgusting that his stomach was still


    churning.


    But Sharon¡­was unlikely to be the same as that woman.


    If she wanted to make a deal with him, she would not lie. After all, she knew exactly what happened to


    people who lied to him.


    ¡°More than that.¡± Sharon batted her eyshes at him. ¡°I even know who she¡¯s with.¡°N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.

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    Lucas was still driving the same silver Mercedes from before, and he drove rather fast with the top


    down.


    The temperature uphill was colder than downhill. As Larissa¡¯s arms were bare, she was shivering from


    the cold wind brushing against her.


    ¡°Could¡­ Could you¡­drive slower? Or¡­ Or¡­close the hood?¡±


    She could barely open her eyes. Thankfully Vivian had tied her hair securely, otherwise, she had no


    idea what kind of mess it would be in.


    Only then did Lucas pull up the top and turn up the heat. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m used to speeding like this on my


    own,¡± he apologized to Larissa, whose body was gradually warming back up. Her teeth had also


    stopped chattering too.


    ¡°Why are you going to Victory General at this time of the night?¡± Lucas asked her c¨²riously.


    ¡°Just¡­ Well, something came up,¡± Larissa replied vaguely.


    Knowing that she did not want to talk about it, Lucas stopped asking. About an hourter, the car


    stopped at the main entrance of the Victory General Hospital.


    C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Thanks for today.¡± Larissa was about to get out of the car when Lucas stopped her.¡± Hang on.¡± He


    removed his jacket and handed it to her. ¡°It¡¯s cold at night, and you¡¯re


    not dressed for the cold.¡±


    Larissa did not refuse him this time. Her gown was too thin, and the chiffon did nothing against the


    cold. Although Lucas¡® jacket could only shield her torso, it was still better than nothing.


    She rushed up to the spinal surgery department.


    Thankfully, there was no one in the department at night. Otherwise, her strange outfit would have


    attracted the attention of many. There were a few nurses doing


    their jobs quietly in the nurse station.


    Larissa went over and asked, ¡°May I know who is in charge of Travis Hardy?¡±


    A nurse looked up and stared at her for quite a while before tearing her eyes away from her outfit.


    ¡°That¡¯s me,¡± She said, ¡°Are you Travis Hardy¡¯s¡­ex¨Cwife?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Larissa nodded and went straight to the point. ¡°Where do I pay?¡±


    Chapter 64


    you


    make an


    ¡°The payment counter downstairs is closed at this time. Why don¡¯t ount with our mobile app, and


    pay online through it? It will be linked to Travis¡® patient records, and it¡¯s quite convenient. Besides, you


    won¡¯t have toe herete at night ever again.¡± The nurse withdrew a piece of paper from a drawer


    and slid it before her. ¡°Follow the instructions here to make your payment.¡±


    Larissa did not really want to do all that.


    She felt that after making that ount, it wouldn¡¯t be linked to Travis¡® patient records, but hers instead.


    ¡°How about this?¡± She started to negotiate with the nurse. ¡°I will transfer the money Travis owes to you.


    You will write me a receipt as proof. Then, I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll have to trouble you to go to the payment


    counter next morning to help pay the fees. Do you think that¡¯s okay?¡±


    The nurse waved her off at once. ¡°Our hospital has rules that forbid medical personnel to take the


    money of patients and their kin this way. Should we be found out, the milder punishment would be a


    fine, while the heavier one would be termination.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll pay it tomorrow? Look, I¡¯vee all this way at this time of the night. I will not bail on you


    tomorrow.¡± Larissa continued to plead for leniency.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a question of trust.¡± The nurse looked frustrated too. ¡°It¡¯s that my superiors have given the


    order. If the money isn¡¯t here by 12 am, Travis¡® medication and treatment will be stopped.¡±


    Having no other choice, Larissa could only do as the nurse said, creating that ount on the hospital¡¯s


    mobile app and paying for Travis¡® medical fees which amounted to nearly ten thousand dors.


    Having spent ten thousand in a week¡­ no wonder his parents would run away.


    If she were in their shoes, she would probably be unable to bear the burden either.


    After paying, the nurse looked noticeably brighter, and she said, ¡°If anything happens with Travis again,


    I¡¯ll contact you.¡±


    Larissa really wanted to tell her not to but was unable to, so she just smiled and left.


    She went back the way she came from and nned to call a cab to take her home, but she was not


    expecting that silver Mercedes to still be there.

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    Seeing her, Lucas got out of the car immediately.


    ¡°Ms. Seymour!¡± He waved at her excitedly, his smile brighter than before. It was as if something good


    had happened to him,


    ¡°Was there something else you needed?¡± Larissa asked him.


    Lucas kept grinning like a fool for a while before he managed to speak. ¡°Mr. Rogers called me just now!


    Mr. Rogers! Called! Me! He called me in person!¡±


    Larissa patiently listened to his boasting, and only asked him once he finished, ¡°Why did he call you?¡±


    ¡°Well, he asked if I was with you, and he also asked where we went.¡± Lucas told her everything about


    the conversation he had with Kevan. ¡°I told him I brought you to the hospital, and he told me not to


    leave and to g you down when youe out so that he cane pick you up.¡±


    ¡°When did Mr. Rogers call you?¡± Larissa asked with a frown.


    ¡°The moment you entered the hospital. It was probably like half an hour ago,¡± Lucas


    N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.


    said.


    Larissa checked the time on her phone. It was after 9 pm now. It would take Kevan at least an hour to


    get here from that hillside vi. To send her home after¡­ It would be far toote. Not to mention that


    the banquet probably would not end so early.


    She quickly called Kevan, who picked up after two rings. ¡°Where are you?¡± Kevan¡¯s deep voice came


    through the phone. Even if it was a little distorted, Larissa could tell that he was unhappy.


    ¡°I¡¯m at the entrance of Victory General with Lucas Hermes,¡± she replied honestly, ¡°I heard from Lucas


    that you¡¯reing over¡­


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m on the way.¡± Kevan¡¯s voice was apanied by the sound of the wind howling in the


    background.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have toe!¡± Larissa said quickly, ¡°Lucas can take me home.¡±


    The line remained silent for a few seconds before the sound of the wind got stronger.


    Larissa hunched in on herself and wrapped Lucas¡® jacket tighter around her.


    ¡°I¡¯m on the way,¡± Kevan repeated with emphasis. ¡°Wait for me at the hospital entrance. Don¡¯t go


    anywhere.¡± He then hung up.


    Chapter ob


    Staring at the dimming screen, Larissa did not know what to do. Lucas inched over and asked, ¡°So? Is


    he stilling?¡± His eyes were filled with anticipation.


    Larissa said dejectedly, ¡°Yeah, he¡¯sing.¡±


    Lucas whooped in delight, and he actually jumped up with joy. They sat together in the car, and less


    than half an hourter, a Maserati arrived with a roar. It attracted a lot of attention from pedestrians.


    Larissa recognized Kevan¡¯s car immediately. It was the same car that brought her to the hillside vi,


    but she had never seen him drive so fast.


    The Maserati parked in front of the Mercedes, and Kevan soon emerged from his car. Larissa


    consciously got out of Lucas¡® car too. Kevan took two steps forward and stopped, his eyes locked firmly


    on her. His lips were pressed tightly together, and he definitely looked upset.


    ?

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    Larissa was a little confused by his stare. She could tell that he was angry, but she did not know what


    he was angry about.


    Lucas waspletely unaware of what was going on between the two, and he excitedly rushed to


    Kevan and stuck out his hand.


    ¡°Mr. Rogers! We meet again.¡±


    Kevan had to give him half of his attention, and he made a non¨Cverbal sound of acknowledgment.


    However, he did not shake Lucas¡® hand, which caused his smile to freeze on his face and the light in


    his eyes to grow dull.


    Larissa quickly went over and exined to him. ¡°Mr. Rogers is a germaphobe and doesn¡¯t like bodily


    contact with others.¡±


    Lucas was enlightened, and he withdrew his hand in embarrassment. ¡°My apologies, Mr. Rogers. I


    have been too forward.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Kevan was surprisingly easy to talk to. ¡°Thank you for today.¡±


    ttered, Lucas¡® excitement was written all over his face. He was about to express his adoration and


    admiration for Kevan to him when thetter said, ¡°Return the jacket to Mr. Hermes. We¡¯re leaving now.¡±


    This was clearly meant for Larissa.


    ¡°Oh, right.¡± Larissa had just removed Lucas¡® jacket when another was draped over her exposed


    shoulders.N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Kevan held her wrist, which was cold as usual. But Larissa surprisingly did not feel


    ufortable with it as she used to. Maybe it was because his jacket was


    rather warm.


    Even after they had gotten into the car, Lucas stood nkly in the same spot while holding on to his


    jacket.


    Suddenly, he smacked his forehead and eximed with delight, ¡°I finally know what¡¯s off about it!¡±


    Mr. Rogers, supposedly a germaphobe who disliked bodily contact, had voluntarily touched Larissa! He


    knew that their rtionship was more than it seemed!


    The ck Maserati sped on the road so fast that it almost blended in with the night.


    Chapter 66


    Larissa subconsciously gripped the seat belt a little tighter and she asked softly, ¡°Are we going to


    Vivian¡¯s now?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Kevan said, and Larissa sighed a little. She nned to go back and try washing the gown. If she


    could clean it somehow, she could pay less inpensation.


    ¡°Is it okay that you came out halfway from the banquet?¡± she suddenly remembered


    to ask.


    ¡°No.¡± Kevan kept his gaze ahead, though his jaw was really right.


    Larissa¡¯s heart skipped a beat. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Although she apologized, she felt upset as well. It was not


    as if she made hime. She even called him to stop him from


    Kevan nced at her to see her lowered head and hands wrung with uncertainty, and suddenly felt


    annoyed.


    ¡°Other than that, don¡¯t you have anything else to say to me?¡± he asked tly.


    ¡°What else am I supposed to say?¡± Larissa looked at him nkly.


    Kevan nearly choked on his anger, but he could not get mad at her. Struggling to contain his


    displeasure, he said calmly, ¡°For example, the reason why you went to the hospital at this time of the


    night, and why you did not inform me when you left the vi?¡±


    The first question was easy to answer. ¡°A nurse called me and asked me to pay for my former


    husband¡¯s medical fees. She said that today was the deadline.¡±

 Chapter 67

    Chapter 67


    Chapter 67


    As for the second question¡­


    N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.


    ¡°I was going to tell you, but Ms. Davis said you went to the backyard¡­¡± Larissa


    thought about it before deciding not to tell him what else Sharon had told her. ¡°I did not want to disturb


    you.¡±


    Hearing this, Kevan frowned so deeply that the creases in his forehead could probably kill a fly.


    ¡°Why do you need to pay for your former husband¡¯s medical fees? Where is his family?¡±


    The moment this was brought up, Larissa got angry. ¡°His parents ran off without him. The nurse could


    only contact me.¡±


    ¡°They only dared run off precisely because they knew you woulde.¡± Kevanughed coldly.


    ¡°Larissa, tell me, is your brain waterlogged?¡±


    Larissa reacted very quickly. This was Kevan insulting her for being an idiot!


    Although she was mad, she knew that he was right.


    ¡°If you didn¡¯t pay for it, see if they¡¯d really leave their son behind.¡±


    It was not as if Larissa had never thought ofpeting with Travis¡® parents on who could be more


    ruthless, but considering their characters¡­ She was afraid of that off- chance that they might really


    leave their son behind. If something really happened to Travis because of his treatment being halted,


    she would be subject to public criticism -after all, she was not divorced from Travis yet.


    ¡°Or¡­is it because you can¡¯t bear to leave your former husband behind?¡± Kevan¡¯s eyes narrowed, a


    dangerous, wintry glint in them. ¡°Even if he had hurt you, betrayed you, and stolen the only asset you


    had as well as nearly leaving you homeless, you are stillmitted to him?¡±


    His usation was rather unwarranted and a little outrageous.


    arissa denied it at once. ¡°I¡¯m not that cheap!¡±


    hace was flushed with anger, and her bright eyes were filled with discontent aimed at him.


    Kevan slowly rxed as the tension in his body melted away.


    ¡°It¡¯s best if you aren¡¯t.¡± His voice sounded calmer. ¡°Stop bothering with any matters


    1/3


    Chap 47


    regarding your former husband,¡± he ordered.


    The moment they entered the elevator, the cold seemed to be automatically blocked off from the


    outside. Larissa removed the jacket and returned it to Kevan. ¡°Thank you, Mr. Rogers.¡±


    Seeing the wine stain on her bosom, Kevan recalled the incident that Sharon told him about-


    ¡°How did that happen?¡± he asked.


    Shit!


    Larissa started and automatically covered her chest, but eventually let her hands fall in dejection after


    Kevan¡¯s cool nce.


    ¡°I identally spilled some wine,¡± she said, ¡°When it¡¯s time to return the gown, ask Vivian how much


    this costs. I¡¯ll pay for it myself.¡±


    She had never bought haute couture before, but it did not prevent her from trying to understand the


    industry. The gown she was wearing right now probably cost a few hundred thousand dors. Silently


    calcting the amount she had in her savings¡­it was likely sufficient.


    It was just that¡­ After paying for it, she would have to live off bread and water.


    ¡°I¡¯ve already paid for the dress. Or I should say, everything you¡¯re wearing right now is mine,¡± Kevan


    said.


    Although Larissa knew that Kevan was rich, his generosity still exceeded her expectations. If nothing


    else¨Cit was pointless for him to buy the gown since he could not wear it. But even then, he would never


    give her the gown for no reason. If he wanted to let someone else wear it¡­ Well, Larissa was sure


    Kevan was not that


    stingy.


    Of course, she had to pay for the gown regardless of whether or not he bought it.


    ¡°Leave me your bank ount details. Once the bank opens tomorrow, I¡¯ll transfer the money to you.¡±


    ¡°Nor


    m


    I¡¯m not missing that paltry amount of money.¡± Kevan¡¯s voice was rather arissa felt like an explosion had


    gone off within her.


    Larissa deeply felt the disparity between herself and Kevan in terms of wealth.


    ¡°However-¡± Kevan changed the subject, ¡°The gown can never be worn again, considering the state


    you¡¯ve left it in.¡±


    His sharp gaze stopped on Larissa¡¯s face, as a faint smile appeared on his. ¡°If you


    really mind it so much, why don¡¯t you fulfill a request of mine?¡±

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    Chapter 68


    Chapter 68


    Phrases like ¡°fulfill a request of mine¡± oftentimes contained a huge trap.


    Although Kevan was not a bad person, he was definitely no angel either. She would never dare delude


    herself into thinking of taking advantage of him, because she knew that this was impossible. So, she


    said, ¡°It¡¯s better if I transfer the money to you.¡±


    However, Kevan¡¯s attitude was not as aggressive as she thought. He even changed his mind after her


    words, saying, ¡°Sure then. Transfer 1.5 million to me tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± Larissa thought she might have misheard. ¡°1.5 million?¡± She felt like an inexperienced and


    naive person at this moment,ining loudly. ¡°Isn¡¯t it just a dress? Why is it so expensive?¡±


    But deep down, she knew that the gown really was that expensive.


    ¡°If you suspect that I¡¯m lying to you, I¡¯ll have Vivian send you a picture of the receiptter.¡± Kevan


    looked at Larissa. He was as cool as a cucumber.


    Well, since he said so, Larissa could no longer question him like this.


    However-


    ¡°I don¡¯t have that much money at the moment,¡± she said with some embarrassment. Could I pay you


    back in installments? Or wait until mywsuit with Travis is finished? Once I get the house, I¡¯ll sell it and


    pay you back all at once.¡±


    ¡°Installments?¡± Kevan raised an eyebrow with some disdain. ¡°What¡¯s your monthly sry? Twenty


    thousand? Even if you don¡¯t eat, you still have to wait a few years before it is all cleared, right? As for


    thewsuit between you and Travis¨Cwith his current condition, how long do you think it¡¯ll take before he


    can ept any inquiries


    from the court?¡±


    Larissa was struck speechless by his questions,


    ¡°My apologies, Ms. Seymour. Even if you can wait for that long, I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t.¡± Kevan rejected her


    installment payment n suggestion at once.


    bl


    Larissa felt that she was standing at a fork in the road, but one of the paths had been off entirely.


    Before she knew it, the elevator had reached the 19th floor, and sopened with a ding. Larissa looked


    out, but she could not step out of the


    11


    elevators.


    They remained in a deadlock, and Kevan clearly had no intention of backing off.


    Larissa hesitated and struggled before asking, ¡°What do you mean by fulfilling a


    request¡® of yours?¡±


    If he broached the topic now, she may consider it. If he insisted on getting a promise from her first, she


    would do whatever it takes to gather 1.5 million dors for him.


    Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    Seeing that she had relented, Kevan¡¯s smile became a little obvious.


    ¡°It¡¯s simple,¡± he said. ¡°Pretend that you¡¯re my girlfriend.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± This was even more shocking than the 1.5 million dors earlier. ¡°Why?¡± She really could not


    understand.


    A man like Kevan could have any woman he liked. If he wanted, he could have a real girlfriend as well!


    Why would he need her to pretend? It was so unnecessary.


    Kevan tugged on his tie, his face contorted with disgust.


    ¡°Too many women are trying to sleep with me. It¡¯s annoying,¡± he said. ¡°You¡¯re the only woman I know


    who isn¡¯t interested in me. So, I hope to fend off the annoying ones with your help.¡±


    Larissa had witnessed the terrible state he was in after Karin had drugged him, so she knew he was


    not lying.


    But-

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    Chapter 69


    ¡°I feel like it doesn¡¯t make a difference even if I pretend to be your girlfriend,¡± she said seriously.


    Those who would willingly try to get in his pants would likely have low to no morals. Kevan having a


    girlfriend would not stop them from trying, and they may even delude themselves into thinking they


    could fight for the chance to be with him.


    ¡°How would you know that there would be no difference if you haven¡¯t even tried it yet?¡± Kevan was


    more optimistic than her, however. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t ask you to do everything a proper girlfriend


    should. You just need to do what you did today and show up to events with me. That should deter the


    women who have ideas about me.¡±


    The banquet today was not that hard to get through¨Cit would have been even better if those twodies


    did note looking for trouble.


    If it really were all like today¡­


    ¡°Fine.¡± Larissa decided that she would be a quiet wallflower at Kevan¡¯s side to pay off the 1.5¨Cmillion¨C


    dor debt. ¡°But let¡¯s iron out the details; how long will thisst?¡±


    She could never let her guard down when making deals with Kevan.


    ¡°Last?¡± Kevan was quiet for a moment. ¡°Six months?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that too long?¡± Larissa found it hard to even imagine herself by Kevan¡¯s side for


    six months.


    Kevan¡¯s eyes became cold, as if he was dissatisfied at her bargaining.


    ¡°It¡¯s only a fraction of the time you intended to pay off the dress via monthly installments. Besides, I


    won¡¯t have events like these every month.¡± He paused as a mocking smile appeared on his face. ¡°But


    of course, I don¡¯t mean to force you to agree. If you¡¯re not willing, you may feel free to pay me back


    tomorrow.¡±


    He was clearly forcing her to agree! But she just did not have the ability to resist. Gritting her teeth,


    Larissa snapped, ¡°Fine then; six months it is!¡±


    Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    V


    on¡¯s fist slowly loosened in his pocket. ¡°Then I¡¯ll have Dn prepare the contract


    row.¡±


    Kevan did exactly what he said he would. The next night, Dn delivered the contract that the former


    had already signed.


    The contract was a simple one¨Cpage affair. The contents were simple too. It


    stipted the duties that Larissa should do (pretend to be Kevan¡¯s girlfriend while attending public


    events with him), and listed out the benefits that she would gain ( exemption from having to pay for the


    1.5¨Cmillion¨Cdor debt) as well as the validity period of the contract (six months).


    Everything was written down clearly without any subterfuge, and so Larissa signed it.


    Dn gave her a copy of the contract while he carefully put away the one that belonged to Kevan. After


    having some water, he said, ¡°I¡¯ve prepared all the necessary legal documents for yourwsuit against


    your former husband. Just let me know when you¡¯d like to have them sent over to the court.


    Larissa was quite worried. ¡°But he can¡¯t even leave the hospital right now. If I sue him, will the trial still


    proceed smoothly?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine as long as his attorney is there,¡± Dn said.


    ¡°But I don¡¯t think he has the money to hire one now¡­¡± Larissa was frustrated whenever she thought of


    thewsuit. Sometimes, she even wished she could have just taken the losses as they were and gotten


    that divorce certificate in return. Then she could stop being involved with the Hardys.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. If he¡¯s really broke, he can still apply for legal aid. At any rate, the trial will proceed smoothly.¡±


    Dn was confident from the get¨Cgo.


    ¡°Well, now that your affairs are settled.¡± He suddenly sat up with a serious expression on his face,


    which made Larissa nervous.


    ¡°What do you want?¡± She shrank back from him.


    ¡°Tell me,¡± Dn pushed up his sses, and the cold glint in his eyes was terrifying.¡± Were you the one


    who gave Sharon Davis my phone number?¡°

 Chapter 70

    Chapter 70


    Chapter 70


    Larissa spent half the night convincing Dn that she was not familiar with Sharon, and would never do


    anything like leaking his private phone number to another


    When Dn left, she heard him snarl angrily, ¡°Kevan, that fucking son of a bitchr


    For almost half a month, life was peaceful.


    Dn delivered the petition and other documents to the court, who, after reviewing the case, had it filed


    for record and sent a copy of the petition to Travis.


    Now that definitely stirred up the homet¡¯s nest, and Travis¡® parents made an appearance again after


    having gone off the grid for a long time. Except, they did not appear in person, but rather got the


    production crew of ¡®The Mediators Room¡± of the Covenford Local TV Station to find Larissa at the


    Regal Dynasty.


    The crew wore work ID cards of the TV station and did not identify themselves at first. They only said


    that due to the requirements of the show, they wanted the housekeeping manager to cooperate with


    them.


    Coincidentally, the lobby manager was not present today. Only two inexperienced young girls were


    avable.


    These girls had never seen this sort of thing before and only got super excited at the fact that people


    from the TV station hade. Not only did they allow the crew to go upstairs, but they even happily


    detailed the exact location of Larissa¡¯s office.


    Larissa had been working on a report when she heard someone knock on her door. She thought that it


    was strange as rarely did peoplee to her office. Usually, she would just be here alone working on


    documents and such.


    Confused, she said, ¡°Come in.¡±


    The door opened to admit a man and two women, and Larissa knew none of them. She stood up


    anxiously and asked, ¡°Is there something you need?¡±


    who could get in here were normally hotel guests. The fact that they found ice meant that whatever


    issue they had was rather serious.


    Larissa was just trying to figure out their motives when the spectacled, short¨Chaired woman who


    entered first disyed her work ID tag to her and said, ¡°Good day, Ms. Seymour. We¡¯re the editors of


    Covenford Local TV Station¡¯s program, The Mediators


    Room¡®.¡±


    Chapter 20


    ¡°The Mediators Room¡± was one of Covenford¡¯s most highly viewed programs with nearly ten years of


    history. The show mainly helped mediate the troubles of themon folk, and sometimes promote


    national policies and regtions. Many middle¨Caged and elderly people loved its down¨Cto¨Cearth


    content.


    Many of the janitors in the Regal Dynasty were middle¨Caged women in their 40s. Larissa frequently


    heard them talking about the show¡¯s contents from the day before when she took her meals with them,


    so she knew a little about the program even if she had never seen a single episode.


    She just did not understand why the program¡¯s editors would find her. She kept quiet and waited for


    boration on their side.


    ¡°We are here on behalf of your mother¨Cinw, Ms. Janine Levange, to invite you to join our program


    and address the misunderstanding between the both of you.¡±


    Larissa had dreamed of being on TV when she was a kid too, but she never thought that this would be


    how it went. She only felt that it was utterly ridiculous as to how her ex¨Cmother¨Cinw could easily turn


    such a huge conflict into a mere ¡± misunderstanding¡°-and she certainly admired her for it.


    ¡°Forgive me, I refuse.¡± Larissa denied their request.


    ¡°Ms. Seymour, please consider it. Our show and your mother¨Cinw are sincere.¡± The short¨Chaired


    editor tried to persuade her.


    ¡°My apologies.¡± Larissa had no intention of giving them the room to discuss it, and she opened her


    office door to get them to leave.


    The other female editor, a long¨Chaired woman, suddenly asked her, ¡°Ms. Seymour, are you refusing to


    join the show because of your guilt? After your husband was paralyzed from the car crash, you never


    took care of him at the hospital, and never even bothered to visit. Now that you¡¯re trying to get rid of


    this burden, you sued him and wanted a divorce. You should know that this isn¡¯t a humane thing to do,


    right?¡±


    N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.


    ¨C words were harsh, and her eyes were filled with scornful disdain toward Larissa.


    ssa was able to contain her rage in time due to having developed strong mental fortitude after having


    worked in the hospitality industry for five to six years.

 Chapter 71

    Chapter 71


    Chapter 71


    She clenched her fists, her nails digging into the flesh of her palms, and she used the pain to remind


    herself to remain clear-headed at all times. It would not do for her to lose herposure.


    ¡°I have always had a clear conscience in anything that I do,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m sorry; I am working now. If


    there¡¯s nothing else, please leave.¡±


    The long-haired editor was about to say something when Larissa shut the door.


    After her shift was over at night, the girls excitedly came over to her to ask for details when she passed


    by the reception. ¡°Ms. Seymour, why were the TV people looking for you? Did they ask you to go on a


    show?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but I rejected it,¡± Larissa replied with a faint smile.


    ¡°Why?¡± The girls were so disappointed. ¡°You¡¯re so beautiful, Ms. Seymour. Who knows, you might go


    viral overnight! By then we¡¯d be able to go out and say


    N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.


    that we know a famous star!¡±


    Larissa could not help butugh. ¡°When there¡¯s another chance, I¡¯ll make sure to go for it, alright?¡±


    After that time, Larissa received several more calls from the editors of ¡°The Mediators Room¡±. All of


    them were trying to convince her toe to the show,


    but she rejected them all.


    Soon, she could not bear the constant disturbing and finally dropped a harsh response. ¡°If your people


    keep calling me and harassing me at work, I will call the police!¡±


    Only then did they stop calling her.


    On a Saturday morning, Larissa was woken up by her phone¡¯s incessant vibrating.


    She blearily felt for her phone and looked at the screen, which was filled with several unread WhatsApp


    notifications, and even then, there were more


    1/2


    iing messages every second.


    Opening WhatsApp, the notifications all came from her department¡¯s group chat. There were at least


    ten messages that tagged her.


    Her first reaction to this was that something big had happened to the hotel. That thought woke her up at


    once and she went to the beginning of the new


    messages.


    It seemed that one of the janitors started everything.


    ¡°Have any of you watchedst night¡¯s episode of ¡°The Mediators Room¡±?¡±


    Soon, a few other janitors said, ¡°I did!¡±


    ¡°Me too!¡±


    Larissa frowned. She created this group chat for the sake of texting


    announcements. Sometimes, people would chat here, but they were usually work-rted. It was the


    first time that discussions about a TV show had ever


    urred.


    Larissa was not a strict leader, so she was not against this sort of thing. But¡­


    She honestly was not fond of ¡°The Mediators Room¡±.


    If it were not for the fact that she was tagged, she probably would have muted the group¡¯s notifications


    and closed the app.


    Larissa tried to be patient as she scrolled down.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think that the old woman¡¯s daughter-inw resembles our


    manager? @Larissa¡±


    ¡°Yeah! Totally! I think she does! Besides, that daughter-inw works in a hotel


    too, and the uniform is exactly the same as Mr. Seymour¡¯s!¡±


    ¡°I thought it was just me! My husband even said that I was thinking too much!¡±


    ¡°@Larissa Ms. Seymour! Hurry up and check if that person¡¯s you!¡±

 Chapter 72

    Chapter 72


    Chapter 72


    Any sense of drowsiness vanished entirely, and Larissa was very much awake.


    She no longer had the mood to read the rest of the messages and retrieved her tablet from the bedside


    table drawer. She then foundst night¡¯s episode of ¡± The Mediators Room¡±.


    Travis¡¯ parents arrived at the set as the ¡°mediation representatives¡±. They had mournful looks on their


    faces, and they looked fragile too. Janine¡¯s eyes were also red from crying, and she could only squint


    through the swelling.


    The host asked, ¡°What would you like me to mediate for you?¡± Before he had even finished, Janine had


    already begun to wipe at her tears.


    ¡°I¡­ I just want¡­¡± she sniffled. ¡°I just want to apologize¡­to apologize to my daughter-inw.¡±


    Dick sighed and gently patted her back, his face filled with mncholy.


    The host retrieved some tissues and passed them over. ¡°Try to calm down, and then tell us in detail


    what misunderstanding there is between you and your daughter-inw.¡±


    Janine wiped at the tear tracks on her face and sat nkly for a few minutes. before she continued,


    ¡°Actually, this is all my fault. My son is the head of the technical department of a brokerage firm. By a


    stroke of luck, he met my daughter-inw during work. She is a manager of a big hotel in Covenford


    and is very beautiful. My son fell for her at first sight, but my husband and I didn¡¯t even know that they


    were dating. Then when my boy brought her home, he said that they were going to get married. I


    couldn¡¯t ept this at that time. Mothers would know. You know how that feels like when your boy


    suddenly decides to run off with someone else without even telling you. I didn¡¯t even know what my


    daughter-inw¡¯s background was. Anyway, I was really sad and a little angry. So, I was not kind to my


    daughter-inw, and I supposed I gave her the impression of a ¡°wicked mother-inw¡±, and she did not


    treat me well.


    ¡°At first, my husband and I were against this marriage. The first reason was the one I mentioned, that


    our boy didn¡¯t tell us about it. The other one was that I did not like my daughter-inw¡¯s job. Maybe it¡¯s


    because we¡¯re from a more conservative generation, but I think a pretty woman working in a hotel gives


    12


    off the impression that she¡¯s not a decent person, but my son insisted on marrying her. My husband


    and I have always respected his opinions, so we agreed.


    ¡°I thought that my rtionship with my daughter-inw would get better after the marriage, but who


    knew that it would get worse?¡± When Janine got to this point, she choked up and wiped her eyes again.


    ¡°My daughter-inw never got pregnant, and I was worried if she had some kind of health condition.


    So, during the new year celebrations, I thought of taking her to the hospital for a checkup, but she


    refused me in a very drastic way, and even called me a ¡®psycho¡¯. After they went back to Covenford, I


    tried calling my daughter-inw again, but she refused to answer. My son told me in secret that she


    was what they call a childfree person, you know, the type that


    doesn¡¯t want kids.


    ¡°My husband and I are not getting any younger, and our sons are now sessful. What we really hope


    for now is to see our grandchildren. The moment my son told me that he and his wife didn¡¯t want kids, I


    lost my mind. Honestly, if it was because my daughter-inw refused children due to having some kind


    of medical issue, I might not have been so mad. But she¡¯s actually afraid that she¡¯ll lose her figure after


    getting pregnant as well as the pain thates with giving birth that she refuses to have kids! I reallyText ? owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    thought that she was too selfish, and I originally wanted toe to Covenford to talk to her about it, but


    my son stopped me.¡±

 Chapter 73

    Chapter 73


    Chapter 73


    ¡°My son always amodates my daughter-inw like this and is frequently trapped between us. I


    honestly feel sorry for him, and I try to bear with my daughter-inw even if I¡¯m unhappy with her. But


    who can me my son for being fond of her? I don¡¯t want to destroy their marriage either.


    ¡°Although this was pretty much the end of it, I figured that my previous actions had upset my daughter-


    inw because my son kept telling me inter calls that his wife is colder to him than before!!


    N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.


    Unable to help herself, Larissa snarled at the tablet. ¡°Bullshit!¡±


    Her ex-mother-inw¡¯s skills in truth distortion were honestly getting better and better. It was actually


    Travis who became colder to her after the new year celebrations.


    At that time, she even thought he was mad at her for rejecting his mother¡¯s¡± kindness¡±, but he told her


    that it was because he had to be online to work on a major project, and that his subordinates had


    created problems for him, so he was in a bad mood and was more irritable. Somehow, she chose to


    believe all that nonsense that he spouted!


    ¡°But they didn¡¯t have any fights or anything, just lived life as usual. But¡­¡± Janine suddenly covered her


    face and started wailing. ¡°My poor boy! Why are you suffering so much? What have you done to


    deserve all this in life?¡±


    Dick was very cooperative in his act as heforted her. ¡°Don¡¯t cry now. We¡¯re on the show! If you


    keep crying like this, we won¡¯t be able to continue shooting it.¡±


    The host did not say anything but just looked a little awkward on the side.


    Janine continued wailing for a while before she stopped.


    ¡°My son was involved in a car crashst month. It¡¯s very severe as he has hurt his spine. The doctor


    says that he will be bed bound for the rest of his life. After the ident, from undergoing surgery and


    being transferred to the intensive care unit to being moved to a regr ward, my daughter-inw never


    visited him once, let alone take care of him. She refused to answer any calls from us. I even waited for


    her outside the hotel where she works for a week, during that


    period of heavy rain. I ended up getting sick from being soaked, but she never showed up. I heard the


    hotel security saying that she would always leave through the back door to avoid me.


    ¡°I came on to this show because my son received my daughter-inw¡¯s divorce petition. That¡¯s right,


    she wants to divorce my boy and get him to sell the house he bought for us, so she can get half the


    money! My boy, being an adult now, did not even cry during the surgery, but when he got the court


    papers, he cried and kept saying he did not want a divorce! We tried to call our daughter-inw, but she


    still didn¡¯t answer, and we knew that we¡¯d never find her at the hotel, so we thought of getting the


    production team here to help us.


    ¡°Lari, dear.¡± Janine looked straight at the camera, her eyes sparkling with tears. ¡°I know I treated you


    horribly in the past, and I know you don¡¯t like me. But Travis is innocent in all this! He really loves you,


    and has always protected you from us¡­¡± Her voice began to shake. ¡°Yes, Travis is now paralyzed and


    can no longer do anything. You think him a burden, and we don¡¯t want to do any moral.


    kidnapping and keep you together with our boy. But we just want you to visit Travis at the hospital,


    please! He really misses you.¡±

 Chapter 74

    Chapter 74


    Chapter 74


    Janine lowered her head to sob again, and Dick continued ying his role offorting his ¡°grieving¡±


    wife. The scene panned over to the host.


    ¡°Based on the rules of our show, we would have invited the other party, that is, Ms. Levange¡¯s


    daughter-inw to be present to talk about her anguish and grievances and mediate the


    misunderstandings between both parties from there. But when our editors went to Ms. Levange¡¯s


    daughter-inw¡¯s workce and exined the situation to her to invite her on to the show, we received


    the following response as shown-¡±


    N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.


    They showed a video clip that disyed a familiar background that Larissa knew. It was her office at


    the hotel, and she was shown in the clip too- however, it was just her body from the neck down. From


    the angle, it was clear that this was covertly taken, and there was a caption acknowledging that the


    video clip was taken through unusual means on the bottom left corner of the clip.


    The video showed pretty much everything that had happened in her office that, day, except for the


    interrogatory question from that long-haired female editor as well as Larissa¡¯s response of how she


    always had a clear conscience in anything she did. This kind of editing only put emphasis on how ¡°cold¡±


    she was, and regr viewers would only think that she was refusing to appear on the show out of guilt


    as she did not dare face her mother-inw.


    They had altered Larissa¡¯s voice in the video, likely to prevent her identity from being leaked. But it was


    useless as those who knew her would recognize her at once-like her colleagues.


    The host concluded, ¡°As Ms. Levange¡¯s daughter-inw is not here, we are unable to mediate this


    misunderstanding. I hope, when Ms. Levange¡¯s daughter -inw has seen our show, and heard Ms.


    Levange¡¯s thoughts, you will voluntarily contact our production crew-or contact Ms. Levange yourself.


    We hope that you will reconcile, and fulfill your husband¡¯s wish. Our show will follow up on this matter.¡±


    The episode ended there.


    Larissa was so angry that she wanted to smash her tablet. If she knew that this


    123


    was going to happen, she would have torn Travis¡¯ parents a new one on TV, even if that meant risking


    being ridiculed by the whole country.


    The discussion was still ongoing in the WhatsApp group. Scanning through them, Larissa saw that they


    were all supporting her.


    ¡°There¡¯s no way that Ms. Seymour is the kind of person her MIL said she is! I don¡¯t believe it!¡±


    ¡°Her mother-inw is the one who¡¯s trash! Didn¡¯t she and her husband cause a scene at our hotel


    previously? I heard reception say that their characters are¡­ Anyway, they¡¯re like nasty as heck, guys.¡±


    ¡°Man, what did Ms. Seymour do to gain inws like that!¡±


    Larissa stared at the messages for a while, and her mood improved just a tad.


    Larissa thought that the show¡¯s episode would not cause too much trouble as The Mediators Room¡±


    had new stories every day. This meant that the audience would have new topics of interest to discuss.


    But she did not expect that a great deal of people online had unanimously clipped out sections of the


    show¡¯s episode and criticized her mercilessly, even saying what an ¡°ungrateful¡± bitch she was. Some


    even exposed her personal information.


    Some busybody even called the hotel andined about her ¡°bad character ¡°, demanding that she


    be fired or they would boycott all the Regal Dynasty hotels. Because of this, the general manager


    sought her out once again.


    ¡°Why is your family matter still not sorted out?¡± Mr. Compton was very dissatisfied with her efficiency.


    ¡°Do you know how many ridiculous people are calling our customer service number toin about


    you?¡±


    Larissa¡¯s head was as down as she could lower it.


    ¡°This is still okay!¡± Mr. Compton smacked the table twice. ¡°Our internalints always end up with


    me as I¡¯m the one to deal with them. I know the kind of person you are, so I will not fire you. But I heard


    that there were people who called our main branch and even Soaring Corporation! If the brass believes


    the nonsense that¡¯s being spread around right now, or if they want to fire you for the sake of the


    company and hotel¡¯s reputation, I can¡¯t help you in that


    regard!¡±


    ¡°Nevertheless¡­¡± Larissa closed her eyes, feeling exhausted. ¡°Thank you. I will defer to any decisions


    made by thepany and the hotel.¡±


    Mr. Compton was silent for a while before he let out a heavy sigh. ¡°Larissa, you¡¯ve really disappointed


    me. I thought that you would at least try to break out of this predicament, and not just let them nder


    you like this. Think about it. Do you really want to carry this usation with you for the rest of your


    life?¡±

 Chapter 75

    Chapter 75


    Chapter 75


    Break out of this predicament?


    She did think about it and did intend to do it. But before that-


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to drag the hotel or you into this.¡±


    At Covenford¡¯s branch office of Microworks Corporation, Dn was scrolling through his phone in the


    president¡¯s office. He swiftly scanned through the article posted by a gossip Twitter ount about that


    specific episode of ¡°The Mediators Room¡±.


    ¡°Tsk, it holds the same opinion as the previous articles. They didn¡¯t even bother changing up the


    form.¡± He fixed his sses and nced at a certain someone who was buried in documents. ¡°These


    social media ounts ndering Larissa are from the samepany. Either thepany is doing this


    on purpose to incite views, or someone has deliberately spent money to screw with Larissa.¡±


    Kevan gave him a cold stare. ¡°You seem to care about her a lot.¡±


    Dn sneered right back. ¡°Not as much as you care about Sharon.¡±


    The frigid aura surrounding Kevan faded a great deal.


    ¡°I heard that a lot ofizens haveined about Larissa to the Regal Dynasty as well as to


    Soaring Corporation. So, what are you going to do? Will you help her settle things?¡± Dn asked.


    Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.


    Kevan recalled a report that he had just received.


    ¡°No, I won¡¯t need to.¡± He smiled faintly, a hint of pride in his eyes. ¡°She can handle it. But-¡± His


    expression changed drastically, and a cold gleam appeared in his eyes. ¡°Those social media ounts


    must be investigated. If there really is someone pulling the strings in the dark-¡±


    Larissa spent a week preparing. During that time, more and moreizens ndered and insulted her


    online, as if this was how their ¡°justice¡± could be


    shown.


    The main branch of the Regal Dynasty had given Mr. Compton a lot of pressure, but he held on as best


    as he could and only temporarily suspended Larissa for the time being.


    Janine and Dick epted several interviews from various news outlets, and they proceeded to y the


    victim while condemning Larissa.


    ¡°Our boy¡¯s money has been taken by our daughter-inw, and we can¡¯t even pay for his medical fees!¡±


    ¡°The payment reminder from the hospital has already increased so much that there¡¯s a stack of them.


    The nurse said that if we don¡¯t pay up, our son¡¯s medication and treatment will be stopped, and he will


    be kicked out of the hospital!¡±


    ¡°We really don¡¯t know what else we can do¡­¡±


    Therefore, a huge wave ofizens started a donation campaign for them. Larissa even saw someone


    she knew forwarding the donation link on Instagram. She was not sure if that person was truly unaware


    that Travis was her ex-husband, or if they were doing it on purpose to make her feel bad.


    She took the initiative to call the editors of ¡°The Mediators Room¡±, and they seemed to know that she


    would call and were waiting for this day.

 Chapter 76

    Chapter 76


    Chapter 76


    ¡°Apologies, Ms. Seymour.¡± Despite the supposed apology, the person¡¯s tone was haughty. ¡°After the


    episode in


    which your inws appeared went viral, our production team has been getting more than ten calls per


    day.


    Our schedules are now fully packed till the end of the year. If you don¡¯t mind being airedte, I can


    make a


    registration for you. Someone will inform you of your shooting date by then.¡±


    Larissa knew all too well that she had offended the whole production crew with her harsh words then,


    so their deliberately difficult attitude was to be expected.


    ¡°No need for the trouble,¡± she said. She only meant to try her luck by making this call. If it did work,


    then it would be for the best; but if it didn¡¯t, she still had an alternative.


    Working in hotel management may be difficult, but the best part about it was umting awork of


    connections she could reach out to¨Cespecially at a seven¨Cstar hotel like the Regal Dynasty where most


    of its guests were boss¨Clevel yers.


    N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.


    Larissa made another call. ¡°You have a livestream tomorrow, right? Can I borrow around an hour of


    your time after that?¡±


    Zero used to be a member of the famous national e¨Csports team, Quickstrike Archangels, and she was


    one of the earliest professional female e¨Csports yers to get into the business. During the peak of her


    career, she once led the Quickstrike Archangels to several international championship victories and


    was a role model for


    the active yers now.


    After she retired from the e¨Csports scene, she signed with StreamWave Studios and became a


    streamer, gaining tens of millions of fans with her great gaming skills and humor. She was always top in


    all


    leaderboards and was the undoubted A¨CQueen on Twitch.


    Larissa met Zero three years ago when the Quickstrike Archangels came to Covenford to participate in


    a tournament. The organizers of the tournament had arranged for them to stay in the Regal Dynasty.


    But the


    reason for their closeness was aplete ident-


    Zero had lost her lucky ear stud in her room, and the janitor who cleaned the room swore that she had


    never seen it. The tournament was around the corner, and this girl, who fans jokingly called ¡°Bro Zero¡±


    due to her tomboyish attitude, actually hid and cried till her eyes were swollen. She even thought of


    quitting the tournament, turning a blind ear to anyone¡¯s advice.


    In the end, it was Larissa who crawled on the floor on all fours and searched her room for a day before


    finding that tiny obsidian ear stud between the seams of the carpet.


    With that lucky ear stud empowering Zero, the Quickstrike Archangels sessfully defeated the


    neighboring country¡¯s team and won the tournament. After that, Larissa became Zero¡¯s Lady Luck.


    But Zero was too busy training, so even though they had each other¡¯s contact numbers, they rarely


    called each other. Last year, Zero moved to Covenford due to work purposes, only then did they


    communicate much more frequently online. Larissa even gifted her a 100 Tier 2 Gift Sub for her Twitch


    the first time she streamed, which cost around a thousand dors.


    1/2


    Chapter 76


    Travis nagged her for almost a month over this.


    This time, Zero was actually the one who reached out to her first.


    The online viewership of that episode of ¡°The Mediators Room¡± continued to increase on a daily basis,


    reaching millions of views, and the discussion and engagement surrounding it remained high. Hence,


    Zero naturally heard about it.


    When she found out that the person getting reviled was her Lady Luck, she immediately contacted


    Larissa and asked, ¡°Do you need me to set the record straight for you?¡±


    There were millions of people watching whenever Zero streamed, so the influence she had online


    should not be underestimated.


    Larissa¡¯s response then was, ¡°You don¡¯t have to do it for me, I¡¯ll do it myself.¡±


    Zero texted an address to Larissa and told her to get there before 7 pm.


    ¡°4507, Block B, Microworks Building?¡± Larissa was very perplexed. Zero said that the location was her


    livestream studio, but Microworks Building was just built early this year and was just recently


    operational. As


    a branch office in Covenford, the building was not meant for sale or rental to outsiders.


    In other words, the only people who could enter the building were employees of Microworks


    Corporation.

 Chapter 77

    Chapter 77


    Chapter 77


    ¡°Because this is the studio supplied to me by mypany. StreamWave Studios is under Microworks


    Corporation,¡± Zero exined.


    The Microworks Building had a total of seventy floors, and it was Covenford¡¯s tallest office building to


    date. Because of its extremely modern appearance as well as the transparent observation deck at its


    peak, it became one of thendmarks of the city and attracted a great deal of tourists to visit.


    However, this was Larissa¡¯s first time here.


    Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.


    6:30 pm was way past the business hours of mostpanies. A few banks nearby had already turned


    off their lights, merging with the darkness of the night. However, the Microworks Building was still lit up


    like the brightest star in the sky. Not a single floor was dark.


    This was probably normal for an ITpany.


    Having seen Travis working overtime before, Larissa was nonchnt even as she faced this brightly lit


    skyscraper. Her twopanions were likewise unbothered¨Cafter all, they¡¯d had significant life


    experiences.


    Larissa texted Zero. ¡°I¡¯m downstairs.¡±


    Zero responded instantly, ¡°I¡¯ll be right down!¡±


    The security of Microworks Building was very strict. Only those with work IDs and visitor passes could


    enter.


    Zero¡¯s trip down was to deliver the visitor passes to her. But after ten minutes, Larissa did not see her.


    Just as she was about to call Zero sent her a WhatsApp text. I¡¯m sorry, Larissa! There are a lot of


    people


    headed down to the cafeteria to have their dinner at this time. The elevator¡¯s a little slow T.T¡±


    Larissa bit her lip but replied, ¡°No rush.¡±


    The night winds grew colder, and the three of them stood outside the building awkwardly as passers¨C


    by and patrolling security gave them looks.


    As Starbucks was still open, Larissa suggested, ¡°Do you want to go grab a coffee to warm up?¡±


    The other two agreed when a cheerful voice sounded from a distance. ¡®Get me one too!¡±


    Larissa turned to see that it was Dn of all people standing at the door. Next to him was Kevan, who


    had a


    hand in his pocket while the other had his phone up.


    ¡°Mr. Shields, Mr. Rogers.¡± Larissa quickly greeted them.


    Dn smiled in return while Kevan said nothing due to being on a call. He did, however, nod lightly in


    response.


    ¡°Why are you here?¡± Dn asked while shooting curious looks at her twopanions.


    Larissa replied, ¡°To see a friend. She¡¯s a streamer with StreamWave Studios.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Dn did not ask for details. StreamWave Studios is on the 45th floor, do you need me to take


    you up?¡±


    1/2


    Chapter 77


    He reminded her. ¡°You probably can¡¯t get in on your own.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, my friend will be here soon.¡±


    Dn and Kevan would nevere out on a whim. Larissa did not want to dy them with a little thing


    like that. But the moment she finished speaking. Zero texted her again. ¡°Larissa¡ªI¡¯m still waiting for the


    elevator. I think¡ªI might have to wait for a while. Maybe you should go to Starbucks for a bit¡ª?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Larissa texted back and stowed her phone away. ¡°What would you like to drink, Mr. Shields?¡±


    she


    asked Dn.

 Chapter 78

    Chapter 78


    Chapter 78


    Dn did not respond to her question, however.


    ¡°Your friend hasn¡¯t made it, right?¡± He grinned like he knew everything.


    A little stunned, Larissa shot back instinctively, ¡°How did you know?¡±


    ¡°At this time, the elevators are packed with people. For Floor 45. I suppose even if the elevator¡¯s


    coming down from the top, it wouldn¡¯t stop there.¡±


    Other than that, it was her reaction after receiving her friend¡¯s text¨Cshe did not go inside but decided to


    buy coffee. That meant that she would still be waiting for quite a long time.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you tell your friend to stay where she is? We¡¯ll send you guys up. You can try our


    company¡¯s coffee too. It¡¯s way better than any coffee you could buy out there!¡± Dn looked proud.


    This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    Larissa was notfortable enough to say yes. ¡°We¡¯ll just park ourselves at Starbucks for a while. You


    and Mr. Rogers can go about your business!¡±


    ¡°We just came down here for a walk. There¡¯s no business to be had.¡± Dn was very sincere, but


    Larissa was doubtful of his sincerity. After all, this did not look like a ce where one would take a walk


    at. However, before she could think too deeply about it, Dn turned and entered the building, waving


    at them from the automatic doors. ¡°Come on!¡±


    Larissa nced at the other two, and they could only follow.


    The ess gate downstairs can only be opened by card ess. Kevan and Dn never wore ID tags


    to work


    as they always used the special passage controlled by security.


    Dn nodded at Larissa and told the security guard, ¡°Remember Ms. Seymour here. The next time she


    comes


    to our office, she will use this passage too.¡±


    The guard nodded and agreed at once.


    Larissa wanted to say that there was no need for such trouble, but she could not brush off Dn¡¯s


    kindness, so she only smiled wryly at the guard before quickly walking past him with her head lowered.


    The elevators were right after the ess gate, but Kevan and Dn walked right past them without


    even looking. Confused, Larissa wanted to know why, but she held back and did not ask.


    They kept walking forward until they stopped before a single elevator. It was stuck on the first floor, and


    the


    number never changed.


    *This is Mr. Rogers¡® private elevator,¡± Dn exined. ¡°It can only be unlocked with his fingerprint.¡±


    Kevan ced his right pointer finger on the fingerprint reader near the elevator doors, and they opened


    with a


    ding. The group entered the elevator at once, and Kevan pressed the button for the 45th floor before


    retreating


    to the corner of the car.


    Larissa was going to upy the other corner when Dn pushed her, so she ended up falling against


    Kevan,


    who pretended to observe the indicator panel but had kept an eye on Larissa the whole time. So, when


    she fell


    1/2


    over, he immediately shifted and caught her. Her warm body exuded a sweet and captivating fragrance


    as it leaned against him, causing his heart to race involuntarily.


    He wanted to pull her into his arms and hold her close, but when he saw her panicked expression, he


    restrained himself.


    ¡°Be careful,¡± Kevan said coldly and let go of her the moment she had found her footing.


    Larissa only felt aggrieved as she turned to re at the culprit who made her fall.


    Dn just gave her an apologetic smile, but it was clear that he was not all that sincere.


    ¡°Sorry, Ms. Seymour. I didn¡¯t mean to.¡±


    The elevator they were in was a sightseeing elevator. The back of it was made of transparent ss,


    and one could see the scenery outside clearly.


    ¡°There are many skyscrapers around here, so there¡¯s not much to see at the bottom as everything is


    blocked off. You can only see the whole of Covenford by going up to the observation deck at the top.


    The night scenery is absolutely wonderful. I¡¯ll take you up there when there¡¯s a chance.¡± Dn said to


    Larissa, who only took his words as a titude, so she responded, ¡°Sure.¡± without feeling any form of


    stress.

 Chapter 79

    Chapter 79


    Chapter 79


    As the elevator did not stop during the journey, it was fast. It did not even take two minutes to get to


    Floor 45.


    Larissa told Zero that they were going up by themselves, and she was waiting at the elevators on that


    floor. So, they circled around to meet up with her.


    Zero did not know Kevan or Dn, so when she saw the group, she was a little startled.


    She asked Larissa, ¡°I thought you were just bringing two people with you?¡±


    Larissaughed nervously as she pointed at the two extra people. ¡°These two are my friends who work


    at Microworks. We happened to meet downstairs, and they brought us up.¡±


    When he heard her say ¡°friends¡°. Kevan frowned a little.


    ¡°Ohh! I see.¡± Zero did not suspect anything and looked down at her phone before saying in a panic. ¡°It¡¯s


    past 7 pm. Let¡¯s go to my studio! My stream is going to bete!¡±


    Dn asked, ¡°May we join you? I¡¯ve never seen a livestream on set in person!¡±


    He disyed a great deal of interest, so Zero agreed for Larissa¡¯s sake. ¡°Of course!¡±


    Floor 45 of the building belonged to StreamWave Studios, Block A was the office of the internal staff,


    while Block B had been remodeled to contain several studios. Every studio had been split into an


    internal and external space. The internal space was the fully equipped live streaming space, while the


    external space was a mini meeting room, which gave the streamers a ce to have meetings with their


    management tear or take breaks there.


    Zero only had one assistant in her studio.


    ¡°Come on,e on!¡± The assistant pushed Zero quickly into the live streaming room, urging her,


    ¡°You¡¯re already five minuteste! The fans are losing it!¡±


    Zero turned back to pull on Larissa¡¯s hand. ¡°Come with me. Larissa.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Larissa was a bit puzzled. ¡°Why do I need to go in so soon?¡±


    They agreed to do it after Zero had finished her own work.


    Zero blinked. ¡°To apany me, of course! You¡¯ve finally made it here, so you¡¯re going to cheer me on


    by my side!¡±


    Zero¡¯s live streaming room only had aputer table and two chairs. But the table wasden with all


    sorts of things¨Ctworge monitors, a keyboard, a mouse, figurines, and some snacks.


    Red¨Cfaced, Zero tossed the snacks onto the floor. She pushed Larissa down onto the gaming chair she


    usually sat on, and went live, aiming the camera at Larissa.


    ¡°Who is that?¡±


    ¡°Did Bro Zero have a facelift?¡±


    1/2


    Content held by N?velDrama.Org.


    Chapter 79


    ¡°Are you kidding? Bro Zero clearly went under the knife for apletely new look! Can¡¯t you see that


    it¡¯s a


    woman?¡±


    ¡°I left the stream and came back, this 15 Bro Zero¡¯s stream for sure!¡±


    ¡°Soooo, where did Bro Zero go?¡±


    ¡°Show me my Bro Zero!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to see pretty women, only Bro Zero!¡±


    The fans¡®ments started rolling in, causing Larissa to want to get up and give Zero her seat back.


    But Zero only forced her back down. ¡°Sit!¡±


    ¡°Woahhh! Bro Zero¡¯s masculine power is at MAX y¡¯all!¡±


    ¡°Bro Zero, what are you streaming today?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s exciting!¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t wait to see what happens next!¡±

 Chapter 80

    Chapter 80


    Chapter 80


    Larissa locked up frantically at Zero, who gave her a reassuring look in return. Bracing herself against


    the


    table with one hand, Zero bent down to look at the camera.


    ¡°I won¡¯t be streaming games today,¡± she said seriously. ¡°I just want to take up a little bit of your time, to


    borrow a bit of your power to seek justice for my Lady Luck.¡±


    The phrase ¡°Lady Luck¡± was always something Zero said whenever she yed tournaments back


    then.


    ¡°I called my Lady Luckst night; we will definitely win this tournament!¡±


    ¡°If my Lady Luck said we can get the championship, we WILL get the championship!¡±


    The fans who had followed Zero from the beginning knew that this Lady Luck was someone she saw


    as someone more important than her own teammates, and Larissa made quite a deep impression on


    them when


    she spent a thousand dors on 100 Tier 2 Gift Subs on Zero¡¯s first stream.


    Thements went a little wild.


    ¡°Woah man! We finally get to meet Lady Luck today!¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s Lady Luck indeed!¡±


    ¡°Bro Zero¡¯s Lady Luck is mine too!¡±


    ¡°Where Lady Luck says we go, we will go!¡±


    Surprisingly, there were noiningments at all.


    Zero had been prepared to have abuse hurled at her, but her fans¡® reaction was really unexpected.


    ¡°Thank you for your understanding and support.¡± She actually felt like crying. ¡°Next, I¡¯ll leave the stream


    to my Lady Luck.¡±


    Content held by N?velDrama.Org.


    Larissa figured things out pretty quickly, and sheposed herself while Zero was speaking.


    ¡°Hi, everyone.¡± She looked into the camera naturally. ¡°I¡¯m Larissa Seymour. If anyone has seenst


    Thursday¡¯s episode of ¡®The Mediators Room¡®, then you should know my other identity¨Cyes, I am the


    one Ms. Levange calls her traitorous and selfish daughter¨Cinw.¡±


    A wave of ¡°Holy shit!¡® immediately flooded thements section.


    ¡°My refusal to go on to the show was not because of guilt, as many may think. I just didn¡¯t want to be


    treated as a joke by others. But I didn¡¯t think that Ms. Levange would team up with the production crew


    and nder


    1. me.


    ¡°As for the things Ms. Levange has said, I will rity each and every one of them. But first, I¡¯d like to


    make it clear that I have prepared to take legal action and sue Ms. Levange and the production crew of


    ¡®The Mediators Room for defamation. The attorney¡¯s letter has already been drafted-¡± Larissa removed


    said document from her bag and showed it to the camera. ¡°It will be sent out tomorrow.¡± Outside, Dn


    puffed up angrily. ¡°When did she find awyer?! Why didn¡¯t shee to me?! Is she looking


    down on me?! Doesn¡¯t she know that I handle more than just divorce cases?!¡±

 Chapter 81

    Chapter 81


    Chapter 81


    ncing at him, Zero¡¯s assistant silently moved aside.


    Kevan, on the other hand, ignored him, his gaze lixed on theputer screen.


    After Larissa showed the document, she put it away.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get down to business.


    ¡°What Ms. Levange said about me being childfree is true, but I will not be exining why due to


    personal reasons. I can only say that it¡¯s definitely not what Ms. Levange and her son, Mr. Travis Hardy,


    think.


    ¡°Mr. Hardy knew from the start that I did not want children. He also said that he did not mind, and that


    was only when I decided to be with him. He also promised me that he will try to convince his parents,


    but he never fulfilled it. When we went back for the new year celebrations, I was still pushed by his


    parents to get pregnant. Ms. Levange¡¯s supposed ¡®take me to the hospital for a checkup¡® was actually a


    visit to a folk healer in their town. As for the word ¡®psycho¡®, I have never said such a thing.


    ¡°After the celebrations, we returned to Covenford, and Ms. Levange never called me¨Cor rather, she had


    never called me before Mr. Hardy¡¯s ident. If there was anything, she always called her son first, and


    Mr. Hardy never told me what she had said on the phone.


    ¡°It¡¯s true that Mr. Hardy had gotten into an ident the month before, but Ms. Levange seems afraid of


    sharing the truth behind the ident.¡±


    Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.


    Larissa smiled coldly.


    ¡°Mr. Hardy had already started cheating on mest year by having an affair with a female subordinate


    of his. She even got pregnant with his child. Their affairsted for more than half a year, and I¡¯ve only


    found out about it since.


    ¡°To prove that I¡¯m not lying. I¡¯ve brought another subordinate of Mr. Hardy¡¯s-¡± She nced out of the


    window of the livestream room, which was connected to the meeting room. Travis and Amber¡¯s


    colleague¨Calso the same person who apologized to her sincerely on WhatsApp, Daniel Bailey, got the


    hint and entered the


    livestream room.


    Zero gave Daniel the other chair. As he was unused to this sort of environment, Daniel¡¯s smile was a bit


    awkward.


    ¡°Hi, I¡¯m Daniel Bailey from Aero Finance¡¯s technological department.¡± He took out the work ID tag he


    had kept in his pocket and showed it to the camera. ¡°Travis Hardy is our department head and is also


    my direct supervisor. Amber Fox is my former colleague. I promise that what I¡¯m saying next is the


    truth.


    ¡°The head and Amber did get together at the end ofst year. Almost everyone in our department knew


    about it. After Amber got pregnant, we witnessed the head¡¯s care and love for her, and when Larissa


    found out about their affair, Amber quit her job to take care of the baby. We lost contact with her after


    that.


    ¡°When we heard of her again, it was alter the head¡¯s car ident. And that wasn¡¯t an ident but a


    deliberate act. The person who ran the head over was Amber. The Covenford Police Department¡¯s


    Twitter should still have the report about that car ident. If you don¡¯t believe me, you can check and


    see for yourself.¡±


    Daniel¡¯s statement ended here.


    Larissa picked up after him and said, ¡°The truth is, I already prepared to divorce Mr. Hardy before this


    ident. It¡¯s just that the terms had not been settled, so the divorce was dragged out and we never


    went through the procedure. We¡¯re currently living separately from each other, and other than speaking


    about the divorce, we have had no contact. I was never notified about Travis¡® ident either, so


    naturally I would not have visited or taken care of him.


    ¡°Of course, I¡¯m not afraid of people criticizing me. So, I¡¯ll put it out here¨Ceven if I knew about it, I would


    never visit him at the hospital. When Mr. Hardy was still in the ICU, Ms. Levange came to seek me out


    once. She only said that Mr. Hardy was seriously hurt and in critical condition, and that a hefty medical


    fee must be paid for. She forced me to pay the money for Mr. Hardy. Here is the credit note written by


    her hand, a total of thirty thousand dors.¡±


    Larissa showed the credit note to the camera. ¡°Please take a good look at the signature and date. If


    Ms. Levange has any objections, feel free to confront me.


    ¡°This is only the first time that Ms. Levange hase to me for money¨CWhy she did that, I¡¯ll tell


    everyone at the end.


    ¡°After that, Ms. Levange waited for me at the hotel because she wanted money from me too. As she


    said, I¡¯ve been slipping out the back door to avoid her. But when she had a fever from the rain and


    copsed at the hotel, I was the one who sent her to the hospital.¡±

 Chapter 82

    Chapter 82


    Chapter 82


    ¡°I stayed at the hospital until Ms. Levange woke up. But the moment she did, she dragged me to Mr.


    Hardy¡¯s ward and wanted me to take care of him. It was only then did I know that Mr. Hardy was now


    paralyzed from the waist down and would be bed bound for the rest of his life. So, Ms. Levange wanted


    to get rid of her¡± burden¡± as soon as possible.


    ¡°Compared to his parents. Mr. Hardy had more of a sense of shame. He asked me to leave and said


    that he would never let his parents disturb me any longer. But not long after that, I got a call from the


    nurse, who said she could not find Mr. Hardy¡¯s parents. She could only call me from the number left


    behind by Ms. Levange so that I could pay for Mr. Hardy¡¯s overdue medical fees amounting to ten


    thousand dors.¡±


    The nurse who called Larissa entered the livestream room. After she stated her identity, she began to


    detail what happened that night.


    ¡°Finally, let me tell you why Ms. Levange and Mr. Hardy could not pay for the medical fees and insisted


    on having me pay for it.


    ¡°As I said, I temporarily wasn¡¯t able to divorce Mr. Hardy yet because the terms of divorce had not been


    settled. Why was it not settled? Because Mr. Hardy made me sign an agreement for gifting of property


    while I was not cognizant several months ago, and went through illegal means to have a house, that I


    bought, transferred to his own name. He even used all of his money to buy a new house for his parents


    in his hometown. In other words, Mr. Hardy does not have any savings now, and his parents can¡¯t bear


    to sell the house for his medical treatment.


    ¡°I sued Mr. Hardy because I wanted to get back the house that belongs to me, apart from divorcing him.


    The house for his parents was bought using marital assets, and he never discussed it with me. I


    suspect that he is guilty of deliberately transferring assets, so requesting him to sell the house and give


    me half the money is reasonable. However, if the money from the sold property is used to treat Mr.


    Hardy, I am willing to give up my half of it.


    ¡°I heard that there are many people donating money for Mr. Hardy¡¯s treatment, and I¡¯d like to say that


    they are not yet in dire straits. Please don¡¯t be fooled by them and have your kindness be consumed by


    them.¡±


    Having said all that she wanted to say, Larissa inclined her head respectfully at the camera.


    ¡°Thank you for listening to me.¡± ncing at the time at the bottom right corner of theputer screen,


    Larissa chuckled as she said, ¡°Zero¡¯s streams alwaysst two hours, right? It¡¯s only been less than an


    hour so far, so I guess you will still have a chance to see her game.¡±


    Zero refuted her words at once. ¡°Nope, I¡¯ve already spoken to my manager. Today¡¯s stream ends here.


    Topensate everyone, I¡¯ll stream two hours of Battlegrounds of Champions for you guys tomorrow.


    Same time as today.¡±


    When she said the first part of her sentence, thements disyed a wave of disappointment, but


    soon they changed into cheers.


    Zero then turned off the stream.


    Kevan stood up and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± His expression was mild, so Dn could not figure out what he


    was


    Chapter 62


    thinking.


    ¡°We¡¯re just going to leave? We won¡¯t be waiting for Larissa?¡± Dn asked.


    Kevan nced at the woman who was speaking to Zero in the livestream room. ¡°She probably won¡¯t be


    leaving so soon. Besides, I still have some things to deal with.¡±


    Content held by N?velDrama.Org.


    Dn followed him out of the studio.


    ¡°It¡¯s alreadyte. What else do you still need to deal with? I thought we agreed to have dinner with


    Larissa


    together to celebrate her sell¨Cvindication?¡±


    They knew early on about Larissaing over to stream as StreamWave Studios managed their


    streamers rather strictly, in which they had to stream the stipted content during working hours.


    In order to use her working hours to stream something unrted to games, Zero had to put in an


    application through her manager to request for that from thepany.

 Chapter 83

    Chapter 83


    Chapter 83


    Coincidentally, Kevan had been with the representative for StreamWave Studios in the morning. When


    he heard about this, he immediately requested the approval of Zero¡¯s request..


    Together, Kevan and Dn quickly finished their work before 7 pm so that they could wait for Larissa


    on the first floor of thepany building.


    So, in theory, Kevan would not have had anything else left to do.


    ¡°I need to find someone to edit the video, secure the top headlines, and get it all trending.¡± Kevan said.


    It had not


    online.


    even been half an hour since Zero¡¯s stream ended, and the video of her stream had made its rounds


    Various big social media ounts began posting articles with regard to the livestream.


    Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.


    ¡°The Daughter¨CIn¨CLaw Has Responded Live! ¡®The Mediators Room¡® Debunked!¡±


    ¡°Get ¡°The Mediators Room¡® to Apologize!¡±


    ¡°Is The Mediators Room¡® Good at Truth Distortion?¡±


    ¡°Was This All a Setup? The Sins of The Mediators Room¡®!¡±


    ¡°Who Is Consuming Netizens¡® Kindness?¡±


    ¡°Stop Donating! They Might Be Richer Than You!¡±


    Those were simply a handful of the trending articles released.


    The trending hashtags on Twitter were #ZerosStream, #MediatorsRoomDebunked, and #MILnders


    DIL which racked up hundreds of thousands of clicks.


    As Larissa¡¯s speech was justifiable and coherent, not to mention having two witnesses to support her


    words. many people believed her.


    Public opinion online began to change. Those who once hurled abuse at Larissa tweeted at Zero and


    asked her to pass on their apologies to Larissa.


    As for the Twitter ount of ¡°The Mediators Room¡°, it was a different story. There were those who


    called the production crew shameless for doing what they did for the sake of views, and those who


    expressed disappointment. But the mostments they got were demands to apologize to Larissa


    Seymour.


    Under such pressure, the production crew could only make an apology post that night. Apart from


    apologizing. they also made sure to absolve themselves of me, stating that the show had no stance


    and that they would only broadcast what they had shot.


    ¡°We will seek out Ms. Levange as soon as possible to ascertain the uracy of the things she said on


    the show. If there are any false ims, we will also hold Ms. Levange responsible.¡±


    Seeing this twist, Larissa was not happy. She only felt as if she had shed an extremely heavy burden


    as well


    1/2


    Chapter 63


    as a terrible sense of exhaustion. Most people could not have imagined what she had gone through


    this week. If her mental fortitude had just been just a little weaker, she would have broken down a long


    time ago. There would have been no chance for her to make aeback.


    Zero was happier than she was, however. The smile on her face was so big that she could not hide it at


    all.


    ¡°If you ask me, those guys totally deserved what came for them!¡± She was scrolling through Twitter as


    she drank the beer bought by her assistant. ¡°A shitty show like ¡®The Mediators Room¡® should have


    been canceled a long time ago! It¡¯s justplete horseshit on that show. How on earth can those


    middle¨Caged people keep watching it? I have no idea!¡±


    Larissa sipped on some beer, and rejected yet another call from the editors of ¡°The Mediators Room¡°.


    ¡°Yeah. Should¡¯ve been canceled long ago,¡± she echoed Zero.


    Her phone had been ringing without stopping. Apart from calls, there were messages and WhatsApp


    texts. Senders ranged from various people from the production crew of ¡°The Mediators Room¡± and her


    own


    colleagues.


    Larissa ignored all of them. What she wanted most right now was peace and quiet.

 Chapter 84

    Chapter 84


    Chapter 84


    Declining Zero¡¯s invitation for supper, Larissa left by herself.


    Now that it was past dinner time, the elevators at Microworks were mostly empty. She was able to


    reach the


    first floor very quickly. The security guard recognized her and leaped out of his chair at once.


    ¡°Ms. Seymour!¡± he greeted her, all smiles as he voluntarily opened the special ess gate for her


    before she


    could speak.


    Larissa thanked him immediately, and he dipped his head as a sign of respect. ¡°Goodbye, Ms.


    Seymour! Pleasee again!¡±


    Larissa suddenly had the sensation of mistakenly entering some high¨Cend restaurant.


    After walking out of the Microworks Building, she turned back to look, and it was still lit up. At this point,


    it was already 10 pm.


    There were already fewer cars on the roadpared to when she just came. Only a couple or so cars


    could be seen driving past. She waited for a while before an empty cab came her way. She had just


    given the driver the address when Zero¡¯s phone call came.


    Confused, she asked, ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±


    The moment she finished speaking. Zero said frantically, ¡°Someone¡¯s trying to jump off the Victory


    General Hospital! It looks like that shitty mother¨Cinw of yours!¡±


    After some calction, she figured that the crew of ¡°The Mediators Room¡± must have found Janine by


    now.


    Larissa originally wanted to let them tear each other apart to the extent that there may be more behind¨C


    the- scenes things exposed. But she did not anticipate that Janine would pull the suicide card now that


    she was cornered.


    She was certain that Janine was only pretending. She would not actually jump.


    Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.


    ¡°The police and the firefighters have gone there. There is some local press too. Do you want to go


    check it out? ¡°Zero asked.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Larissa told the driver to change destinations.


    With how quiet the roads were, it only took less than ten minutes for her to get to the hospital from the


    Microworks Building.


    There was already a crowd gathered below the surgery building. Police cars and a firetruck were


    already parked nearby. A few policemen were trying to disperse the crowd and maintain order while the


    firemen were trying to quickly fill up the air cushion.


    Looking up, Larissa could vaguely see a figure on the top of the building. She could not tell who it was.


    however.


    ¡°Get me Larissa Seymour! Bring her here!¡± A piercing scream came from the top. Larissa heard


    everything due to the silence of the night.


    1/2


    Chapter 84


    Well, it seemed that it really was her ex¨Cmother¨Cinw, Ms. Janine Levange.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± a new onlooker asked.


    The person nearby exined, ¡°Have you seenst week¡¯s episode of ¡°The Mediators Room? The one


    where the woman was bitching about her daughter¨Cinw? Well, her daughter¨Cinw set the record


    straight today. and even said she was going to sue her, and this idiot wants to jump now because of


    that.¡±


    ¡°Ohhhhhh! That Janine Levange, was it? I watched that episode. I even donated money to them. What,


    was


    she lying about it?¡±


    ¡°Yeah! She owns several houses, you know! She just didn¡¯t want to sell any of them to treat her son,


    and wanted to take advantage ofizens¡® kindness without paying for anything herself!¡±


    ¡°What the hell? That¡¯s too much! I donated two hundred, man. Can I get a refund?¡±


    ¡°I doubt it, mate, sorry. I mean just look at her right now. If she actually jumps¡ªwell, you might end up


    carrying the me for forcing someone to their death!¡±


    The onlookers murmured among themselves, and the figure on the building moved.


    ¡°Stay away! Stay away from me or I¡¯ll jump!¡±


    The police had likely reached the top.


    ¡°I told you! I want to see Larissa Seymour! If she¡¯s not here by 12 am, I¡¯ll jump at once!¡±


    Larissa reached into her bag and turned off her phone. She only pulled her hand out after she felt the


    tell¨Ctale vibration that signified that the phone had been switched off.


    There were only thirty minutes until 12 am. Even if the air cushion was filled up rather slowly now, it


    would be fully inted by that time.


    ¡°Who¡¯s that Larissa Seymour she keeps calling out for?¡±

 Chapter 85

    Chapter 85


    Chapter 85


    ¡°Her daughter¨Cinw! I bet she¡¯s trying to force her to change her mind. It¡¯s totally disgusting!¡±


    ¡°Yeah! If I was Larissa, I would nevere! See what she does!¡±


    ¡°Come on, guys, let¡¯s go! I daresay that someone like her won¡¯t jump! The more people watch, the


    more she¡¯ll act up! If no one bothers to entertain her, she¡¯ll just slip away quietly on her own!¡±


    The voice of the speaker was a little familiar. Larissa had just turned back when she smacked right into


    a firm chest. Huffing as she held her sore nose, she looked up to see-¡°Mr. Rogers?¡± Her eyes widened.


    As for the other guy near him chatting with the others, who else could it be but Dn Shields?


    ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    Kevan did not answer, but he gripped her wrist and said tly, ¡°Come.¡±


    As his pace was faster than hers, Larissa had to jog a little to keep up with him as he dragged her.


    Kevan¡¯s car was parked near the surgery building. Once he pushed Larissa into the back seat, he sat


    on the other side of it as well.


    A few minutester, Dn got into the car as well.


    ¡°Did youe by yourself or did the police call you?¡± he asked Larissa.


    ¡°Zero told me that my mother¨Cinw intended to jump off the hospital building, and I came over to see


    if it was really her,¡± Larissa replied.


    Kevan frowned. ¡°After that, you didn¡¯t leave? What were you waiting for, for her to ckmail you


    again?¡±


    He sounded like a parent scolding their child. Even if his tone was unkind, Larissa could hear the


    concern he


    had for her.


    She bit her lip. ¡°I turned off my phone. The police wouldn¡¯t be able to call me.¡±


    ¡°What if someone recognized you? Have you forgotten that millions of people have seen your


    livestream tonight?¡± Kevan was still nagging her.


    Larissa softened her tone immediately.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± She smiled in an attempt to appease him. ¡°I did not think this through.¡±


    Kevan harrumphed coldly and turned to look out of the window. He rolled it down, and the cool wind of


    the night soothed some of his anger.


    However, Larissa¡¯s soft pleading incited a sudden urge in him to push her down in the car and roughly


    have


    his way with her.


    Once he had calmed down, Kevan said, ¡°Dn.¡±


    N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.


    Dn, who was busy keeping an eye on what was going on at the surgery building, responded.


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    Chapter 85


    ¡°Head up there.¡± Janine¡¯s incessant wailing made Kevan¡¯s eyes narrow. ¡°Tell her that you¡¯re thewyer


    representing Larissa. Ask her if she has any demands.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Dn got out of the car. He had taken two steps before turning back again. Leaning against the


    window, he gazed at Larissa.


    ¡°By the way, Ms. Seymour.¡± He smiled coolly, which scared Larissa so much that she shuddered.


    ¡°When I get back, we¡¯ll have a good chat about that attorney¡¯s letter in your bag.¡±


    Larissa instinctively hugged her bag.


    To be honest, she had not thought too deeply into it¨CDn specialized in handling divorce cases and


    might


    not excel in other cases.


    She did her research online. Defamationwsuits were not difficult to go through, especially when there


    was sufficient evidence. So, she did not trouble him for it and found a reputablew firm instead.


    She did not think he would mind it so much.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Larissa forced out a smile with great difficulty.

 Chapter 86

    Chapter 86


    Chapter 86


    The police did not restrict ess to the surgery building, so Dn reached the rooftop pretty easily.


    There


    was a policeman guarding the entrance. When he saw Dning over, he blocked him off.


    ¡°The rooftop is still off limits.¡±


    Dn got out his business card and handed it over calmly. ¡°Hello, sir. I¡¯m awyer representing Ms.


    Larissa Seymour, specifically here to negotiate with Ms. Levange.¡±


    Everyone present knew about how Janine wanted to meet Larissa through her wailing.


    The policeman went out to the rooftop briefly beforeing back. He said to Dn, ¡°Go on up.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Dn made thest few steps to reach his destination.


    The rooftop of the surgery building was quiterge. It usually served as a resting area for doctors and


    nurses. with several long tables ced there.


    As people frequently came up here, the doors to the rooftop were not locked, which gave Janine the


    chance to jump¡°.


    Turning a corner, Dn saw two uniformed policemen and Janine, who had gone over the railing to


    stick herself to one of the letters that spelled out ¡°Surgery Building¡°.


    The policemen were trying to persuade her. ¡°Your daughter¨Cinw¡¯swyer will be here soon. You


    have to


    Janine kept shaking her head. ¡°I don¡¯t want to meet herwyer! I want to meet HER! If Larissa doesn¡¯t


    come. I


    won¡¯t go back over!¡±


    Dn adjusted his cor and walked out while carrying his empty briefcase.


    ¡°Hello sirs, hello Ms. Levange. I am Ms. Seymour¡¯s representative attorney, Mr. Shields.¡±


    The policemen nodded at him, while Janine red. ¡°Where¡¯s Larissa? Where is she?!¡±


    ¡°It is not convenient for Ms. Seymour to appear now, so she sent me.¡± Dn kept a smile on his face,


    and his tone was friendly. ¡°I am able to fully represent Ms. Seymour, so it¡¯s the same if you raise any


    requests to me.¡±


    Janine hesitated a little upon hearing his second sentence.


    ¡°Can you truly represent her?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Dn nodded twice with emphasis.


    ¡°Good, then.¡± Janine stepped forward to hold the railing. She stood there, eyes staring straight at


    Dn. ¡°I


    want Larissa to take back everything she said tonight!¡±


    Owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°This¡­¡± Dn frowned. As he was hesitating, he noticed the looks given to him by the police.


    He then said, ¡°Of course.¡±

 Chapter 87

    Chapter 87


    Chapter 87


    Mrs. Hardy did not fall for it.


    ¡°Call her now! Make her tell everyone in the whole wide world! Tell them everything she said tonight


    was false! Tell them only what I said is true!¡±


    ¡°But is what you said true?¡± Dn asked.


    Content held by N?velDrama.Org.


    Mrs. Hardy choked on her own spit. ¡®Of course, it¡¯s true!¡± she shouted, her head held high in defiance.


    ¡°Stop talking nonsense! Call Larissa right now!¡±


    ¡°Of course, I could call Ms. Seymour, and I could certainly have her take back everything she said


    tonight.¡± Dn said, closing the distance between them by half a step and meeting her eyes, his gaze


    unwavering. ¡°But think about everyone you¡¯ve deceived for a moment. Do you think they¡¯ll ever be able


    to trust you again?¡±


    Mrs. Hardy was stumped by his question. Her eyes darted around surreptitiously, as if she were trying


    to think of an answer to his questions.


    ¡°Actually, this whole incident has never been Larissa¡¯s fault. The only party you should be cing the


    me on is the production team of ¡®The Mediators Room¡°, and the person who convinced you to


    appear on the show. ¡°Dn advised her earnestly. ¡°Think about it, if you hadn¡¯t been on that show, and


    if you hadn¡¯t been misled and influenced by someone else to speak such untruths on a public television


    program, would things have


    gotten to this point?¡±


    Mrs. Hardy was rendered speechless by his twisted logic, but she thought about it carefully all the


    same.


    Dn shifted forward half a step more. ¡°If you can tell me who got you onto that show, I can help you


    lodge aint against them. And if we do that, we can push all of the responsibility to that person.


    You wouldn¡¯t be affected in the slightest.¡±


    Mrs. Hardy¡¯s heart began to waver.


    ¡°It¡¯s Ms. Holleran from ¡°The Mediators Room¡®! She was the one who found me and had me go on their


    show! She told me¨Coh, she told me that she would help me regain justice. Everything I said on that


    show was exactly what she told me to! It has nothing to do with me at all!¡± She immediately absolved


    herself of every responsibility and pushed the me onto someone else entirely.


    ¡°Alright, I got it.¡± Dn nodded and moved forward once again. ¡°I¡¯ll draft awsuit for you when I get


    backter to sue the production team of ¡®The Mediators Room¡®.¡±


    ¡°And!¡± Mrs. Hardy shouted suddenly, shocking Dn so much that he froze on the spot. ¡°I want Larissa


    to withdraw thatwsuit she filed against my son! I want her toe back and be with my son like how


    it¡¯s


    supposed to be!¡±


    Her unreasonable demands made Dn¡¯s expression sink.


    ¡°Withdrawing thewsuit is possible, but under one condition. Have your son sign the divorce


    agreement immediately.¡±


    ¡°My son is already in such a state, and Larissa still wants to divorce him? Does that woman have any


    conscience at all?¡± Mrs. Hardy pounded the brick fence encircling the roof with all her might, howling in


    Chapter 87.


    anguish. ¡°Oh, my poor, poor son! If you don¡¯t have a wife anymore, what¡¯s the point of me living? I¡¯ll just


    die! It¡¯s better if I don¡¯t see this with my own eyes! You can file for divorce, or do whatever you want and


    it wouldn¡¯t have anything to do with me anymore!¡±


    The police frantically made eye contact with Dn again.


    This time, Dn ignored them directly.


    ¡°Mrs. Levange, I¡¯m sure you know deep down who the real person with no conscience here is. Your


    son has brought this onto himself, and it isn¡¯t unrted to how you and your husband brought him up


    all those decades ago either. Your soncks a wife, that¡¯s true, but you could always withdraw your


    lawsuit against Amber and reconcile with her. When that happens, the court will definitely lessen her


    sentence ording to the way you treat her, and when she¡¯s out of jail in one or two years, she¡¯ll be


    able to reunite with your son.


    Don¡¯t you see how this is the best possible oue that would benefit everyone involved?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you start talking to me about Amber!¡± Mrs. Hardy pped the fence so hard that her hands


    became


    numb. ¡°My son would never marry that evil, maniptive, heartless bitch!¡±


    Her words were firm, the resentment in her eyes ring.


    ¡°Unfortunately, Larissa, too, would not force herself to stay in a marriage with a lying bastard who


    cheated on her, and she would never continue letting herself get bullied without standing up for herself


    in your bizarre and dysfunctional household either.¡± Dn¡¯s expression was calm, but his words were


    cutting. ¡°If you want to


    jump off this building, by all means, jump. No one can stop you anyway. But just so you know, even if


    you jump, Larissa would still divorce your son, and your son would still be bed¨Cbound for the rest of his


    life with no one to take care of him. As for your husband-¡± He smiled mockingly. ¡°Maybe he¡¯ll happily


    remarry another woman. I¡¯ve heard


    that he often harasses the young nurses in the hospital behind your back. After your death,


    he could easily take full control over you and your son¡¯s assets, abandon his injured son, and live


    happily ever


    after with his young, newly¨Cwed wife-¡±


    Before he could finish, Mrs. Hardy scrambled over the railing with both arms.


    ¡°He wouldn¡¯t dare! I¡¯ll chop him into pieces right now before he could do something like this to me!¡±

 Chapter 88

    Chapter 88


    Chapter 88


    Kevan and Larissa sat in the car quietly.


    They were just looking at one another without exchanging words. It seemed to be the mostmon


    urrence when they were alone.


    Kevan stared out of the window.


    His expression was calm, but his body tensed inch by inch.


    He wanted to talk to Larissa, but he didn¡¯t know what he should talk to her about.


    Numerous conversation topics shed through his mind, but they were rejected by him one by one.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± sounded too stupid.


    ¡°Have you eaten?¡± sounded like he was trying too hard to fill the silence.


    ¡°You did well today¡± was just weird. She wasn¡¯t his subordinate.


    ¡°Do you remember how, as a child, you used to-¡± That was probably a scar she wished to never


    uncover in this lifetime if she could help it.


    Forget it, he thought dejectedly.


    Perhaps he really was just as Dn described¨Che had no talent for pursuing girls.


    Larissa¡¯s phone was turned off. She had no ns of turning it on again


    in for n


    now.


    Without her phone to kill time, she felt the awkwardness in the car even more acutely.


    So, she asked the question she hadn¡¯t gotten an answer to earlier once again. ¡°Why are you and Dn


    here?¡±


    Kevan took a deep breath and turned to her.


    ¡°Dn saw the news of Janine Levange attempting to take her life from the roof of Victory General


    Hospital online. He couldn¡¯t reach your phone, so he came to see if you were here by any chance.¡±


    The subject he used in his sentence was ¡°Dn¡°, as if everything had purely been Dn¡¯s idea.


    ¡°How thoughtful of him,¡± Larissa said gratefully.


    Kevan¡¯s fingers tightened in hisp. His chest felt tight, as if there was something preventing him from


    catching his breath.


    After a few minutes, he spoke again. ¡°Are you free this weekend? Apany me to Starville Hotel.¡±


    Content held by N?velDrama.Org.


    Starville Hotel was another institution under Microworks Corporation. It was set at the heart of Starry


    Mountain, on the outskirts of Covenford. It was also rumored to be the best ce on Starry Mountain to


    stargaze and watch the sunrise.


    Yet, the price of staying in Starville for just one night was exorbitant. Thest few times Larissa had


    visited Starry Mountain, she could only opt for the other more affordable hotels around the summit.


    Chapter 88


    ¡°What for?¡± she asked him now.


    ¡°An event.¡± Kevan replied. ¡°A lot of people there might bring their daughters along-¡±


    So, he needed her to go with him as his ¡°fake girlfriend¡± to fend off those unwanted advances, Larissa


    added.


    silently in her heart, voicing his unspoken words.


    Since they¡¯d already signed a contract, she naturally had no room to refuse.


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    The tense lines along his jaw softened slightly, and the edges of his lips curved upward.


    ¡°We¡¯ll leave on Saturday morning. I¡¯ll call you then.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Larissa nodded. ¡°Are there any dress code requirements I should follow?¡± she asked once


    more.


    This time, she would rather jump off a cliff than wear anything that expensive ever again!


    Kevan replied, ¡°I¡¯ve prepared your outfit for you already. You can change when we get there.¡±


    Larissa twisted her fingers and hesitated for a long moment before deciding to discuss the matter with


    him.


    Can you just give me a general idea of the dress code, and I¡¯ll prepare my outfit myself?¡±


    Kevan saw right through her immediately.


    He found it amusing, but he fought to prevent his lips from twitching regardless.

 Chapter 89

    Chapter 89


    Chapter 89


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, even if the clothes get damaged this time, I won¡¯t hold you responsible for it.¡±


    Larissa released a sigh of relief.


    Still, after a long while, she suddenly wondered: if he truly was so generous, why did he insist that she


    compensate him thest time?


    Mrs. Hardy was taken into custody by the police, and Dn was able to leave after sessfully


    completing


    his mission.


    The crowd gathered outside the surgery building had already dispersed when he left, and the


    firefighters were in the process of deting the air mattress. A few bystanders muttered, ¡°How boring!


    She failed to jump even


    after making all that fuss.¡±


    When he returned to the car, Kevan asked him. ¡°How did it go?¡±


    Dn fastened his seat belt and replied while he started the car. ¡°She said she¡¯d been asked to go on


    the


    Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.


    show by an editor, Ms. Holleran, from the show.¡±


    ¡°An editor from ¡°The Mediators Room¡°?¡± Kevan felt that something was not right. ¡°How did an editor


    from a television program know all about her family situation?¡±


    ¡°Maybe one of the editor¡¯s friends just so happened to know the Hardy family and thought the entire


    matter had the potential to go viral and bring more attention to the program, so they introduced them to


    each other? Or, that editor could have been constantly on the lookout for inspiration and happened to


    meet Janine Levange one day. The two must¡¯ve hit it off, but Janine, in order to absolve herself of all


    responsibility. immediately pushed the me onto the editor and told me that she¡¯d been influenced


    and misled onto the show. Regardless, I don¡¯t believe a single word thates out of her mouth.¡±


    Dn listed the multiple possibilities as he drove. ¡°Also, didn¡¯t we also discover that the production


    team had been the ones to purchase all those marketing ounts involved? Even the donation for the


    Hardys was arranged by them. It makes sense if you think about it.¡±


    Kevan¡¯s brows remained knitted. ¡°I¡¯ll have someone investigate Ms. Holleran and her role in this.¡±


    Ms. Holleran from ¡°The Mediators Room¡°-Larissa indeed knew an editor on the show with the exact


    same


    name.


    ¡°She¡¯s one of the three people who came to see me in the hotel,¡± she told them.


    Larissa remembered her clearly¨Cshe was the long¨Chaired editor who had no qualms about calling her


    out rudely based on the exaggerated untruths she¡¯d been fed.


    Later, when she called Larissa, she¡¯d told her her name.


    If she really was the one who orchestrated everything, then Larissa supposed her attitude toward her at


    that


    time was rather understandable.


    And yet, she wanted to know the reason behind all this.


    Chapter 89


    Before this, she had never met Ms. Holleran. It should be impossible for them to have any past


    grievances


    with each other.


    ¡°Perhaps they were looking to promote the show,¡± Dn said. ¡°And she took the opportunity to stand


    on the


    moral high ground to look down on you.¡±


    His exnation satisfied her for now, but she knew she would not let this go so easily.


    She turned to address Kevan. ¡°Mr. Rogers, please inform me as soon as you receive any updates


    regarding the investigation.¡±


    Kevan and Larissa¡¯s guess was correct after all. Ms. Holleran had not simply found Mrs. Hardy by


    chance, and


    she definitely hadn¡¯t been targeting Larissa for no reason.


    Still, the reason behind her motives was beyond their wildest expectations¨Cshe was Kara¡¯s cousin.


    During the time the Hardys had ¡°disappeared¡°, they¡¯d been in Bartham and had told both Andrew and


    Kara everything about Travis¡® fate, albeit an exaggerated and falsified version of it.


    Later, Kara told her cousin about the incident, which then led to¡ªeverything Larissa already knew.


    When Dn finally met with the production team of ¡°The Mediators Room¡± as Larissa¡¯swyer, the


    team expressed that they¡¯d already fired Ms. Holleran and that they wished to reconcile with Larissa.


    Dn did not agree to their request.


    Instead, he went directly to the station manager¡¯s office.


    The production quality of various shows broadcasted by the Covenford Local TV Station was, by far,


    superior to the other television stations in the nation. Therefore, Microworks Corporation was happy to


    be one of the title sponsors of quite a number of its championed, top¨Crated programs.


    Since the corporation had invested so much in the TV station, naturally, they were highly regarded.


    Dn, as the secondrgest shareholder of Microworks Corporation, was warmly received by the


    station manager.


    He sat down with the station manager over coffee and took the opportunity to subtly express his


    dissatisfaction toward the production team of ¡°The Mediators Room¡°. Then, almost as if he¡¯d


    inadvertently disclosed something he wasn¡¯t nning to, he revealed, ¡°Ms. Seymour, the woman who


    had been defamed by the show, is a good friend of mine and Mr. Rogers.¡±


    The station manager broke into a cold sweat. Immediately, he indicated that he would terminate the


    show at once and hold the responsible individuals ountable once he¡¯d investigated the entire


    situation through a


    formal meeting.


    Dn smiled, his lips pressed tightly together. ¡°I¡¯ll be waiting for the good news, then.¡±

 Chapter 90

    Chapter 90


    Chapter 90


    Larissa received many congrattions for her sessful attempt at defending her honor and


    vindicating herself.


    The general manager called her as well and informed her that he was appealing directly to his


    superiors for her reinstatement and that she would most probably be able to return to work at the Regal


    Dynasty the week after.


    Larissa thanked him.


    On Saturday morning, Larissa received a call from Kevan.


    He was already waiting for her downstairs.


    Larissa didn¡¯t want to make him wait for too long, so she merely changed into a set of new clothes


    without tidying herself up or putting on makeup. She left the house after that.


    Kevan was the only one in the car, so Larissa naturally sat in the passenger¡¯s seat.


    ¡°Is Dn noting with us?¡± she asked.


    Kevan¡¯s fingers tightened around the steering wheel.


    The first thing she asked about was Dn¨Chow maddening.


    ¡°He¡¯s noting.¡± he replied coldly.


    Larissa hummed in acknowledgment. ¡°Did you have breakfast yet?¡± she continued.


    ¡°Nope.¡± He stared straight ahead.Owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Do you want to eat?¡± Larissa retrieved a thermos from the paper bag by her feet. ¡°I made oatmeal with


    cardamom, sunflower seeds, and milk.¡±


    She knew that Kevan disliked eating out, so she made breakfast for him.


    ¡°If you want it sweeter, I brought along honey, raisins, and dried cranberries as well.¡±


    Kevan pressed the brakes upon hearing her words and stopped the car by the roadside.


    ¡°Just the oatmeal will do,¡± he told her.


    Larissa immediately handed him the thermos.


    ¡°Can you please remove the lid yourself? I¡¯ll get you the spoon at once.¡± She bent down again as she


    spoke and took out a brand¨Cnew spoon from the paper bag.


    ¡°I unpacked this only yesterday and washed it right before I came down. You can rest assured that it¡¯s


    clean.¡±


    She looked unusually docile as she smiled sweetly at him.


    Kevan pressed his tongue against the roof of his mouth in restraint.


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    Chapter 90


    He ced the thermos on his thigh.


    As soon as he removed the lid, the fragrance of the oatmeal wafted through his nostrils along with the


    warmth


    emanating from within. He couldn¡¯t resist the urge to dig in immediately.


    Kevan epted the spoon she handed him and scooped up a spoonful of oatmeal before sending it


    into his


    mouth.


    The oatmeal was cooked to perfection¨Cit was not too thick, nor too watery. The proportions of its


    contents blended together beautifully as well, and he could taste the aromatic fragrance of the


    cardamom, the creaminess of the milk, and the distinct vor of the roasted sunflower seeds along with


    the slight sweetness of the whole thing in every bite he took.


    Kevan considered himself to have particrly picky tastes. Even though he had no problem forcing


    himself to stomach even the most unappetizing food, the ones he wholeheartedly regarded as


    ¡°delicious¡± were truly rare. Larissa¡¯s oatmeal happened to be one of those rare instances.


    It made him think of the past-


    Of that stubborn, lively girl sitting by his bed, spooning oatmeal into his mouth.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have you know that I made this oatmeal myself using my own recipe! Isn¡¯t it much better than the


    stuff


    they sell outside?¡±


    The way she¡¯d raised her brows and lifted her chin in pride was still emzoned within his mind.


    Kevan finished thest of her oatmeal and looked at the woman beside him.


    Her appearance was vastly different from the young woman in his memories, but the differences in her


    personality were even more striking.


    For instance, now, she could only look at him surreptitiously, her gaze nervous yet hopeful.


    ¡°It¡¯s way better than the ones you can find outside.¡± His icy voice carried hints of warmth and a touch of


    tenderness in his eyes.


    Larissa hardly believed her own eyes. She blinked, catching sight of the faint smile on his lips. He was


    evidently in a good mood.


    Kevan screwed the lid back on and handed the thermos back to her.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± he told her.


    Still, despite this, Larissa couldn¡¯t help but fix her gaze on his face, her expression one of inexplicable


    puzzlement.

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    Chapter 91


    ¡°What?¡± Kevan asked in confusion.


    ¡°Your face-¡± Larissa¡¯sugh was a little forced.


    Kevan immediately understood her meaning and raised his hand to wipe his face.


    But when he removed his hand and looked at it, there was nothing there.


    ¡°Not there- Larissa leaned forward and brushed away the smudge on his face with two fingers.


    Her fingertips were warm against his skin. Even though the interactionsted less than two seconds, it


    still. made his body temperature skyrocket.


    His blood seemed to have all rushed to his brain, staining the skin above his neck red.


    Kevan thanked her again, but his voice was hoarser than it was the first time.


    He pulled out two pieces of tissue and handed them to Larissa. ¡°Here, wipe your hands.¡±


    Having said that, he straightened his posture and started the car once more.


    Because they¡¯d left so early, they did not encounter any traffic. The journey from the city center to


    Starry Mountain had only taken them approximately two hours.


    Starry Mountain was a highly¨Crated scenic area in Covenford. In order to preserve its natural


    surroundings, the area hadn¡¯t been extensively developed. There were no ready¨Cmade tar roads, so to


    reach the summit, they could only hike or take the cable car.


    Larissa had initially thought that Kevan would pick thetter. His goal was to attend an event in Starville


    Hotel, not hike. Plus, the cable car was a more time¨Cefficient way to reach the peak. Yet, he headed


    straight for the winding trails by the cable car, surprising herpletely.


    Larissa mustered enough courage to tug at his jacket. ¡°Are we not taking the cable car?¡± she asked


    after garnering his attention.


    Kevan emptied his pockets. There was nothing inside other than his phone.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t bring any money,¡± he told her truthfully.


    Unfortunately, neither did Larissa.


    The staff manning the ticket booth for the cable car expressed apologetically. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, we only ept


    payments in cash.¡±


    Larissa could only ept her fate and began hiking upward with Kevan.


    She supposed she should be grateful that she¡¯d worn a pair of sneakers when she left the house today.


    As Larissa was almost always busy with her work and hardly left her house even during her days off,


    she rarely exercised, and her stamina was extremely weak. Hall an hour had barely passed when she


    was already


    Chapter 91


    gasping for breath, her arms braced on her knees as she stood by the hiking trail, too tired to move


    another


    muscle.


    Kevan had been hiking with the same speed as her, carefully maintaining a two to three¨Cstep distance


    between the two of them. When she stopped, he turned around immediately.


    Content held by N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Do you need a break?¡± he asked, his voice steady, as if he didn¡¯t even need to catch his breath at all.


    Larissa nodded.


    Her throat was so parched that she found it difficult to speak.


    The sides of the hiking trail were steep, and there was no ce for them to sit and rest.


    Fortunately, there was no one else on the trail with them, so Larissa sat directly on the steps with


    Kevan


    standing beside her.


    Just then, a man carrying a few boxes of mineral water passed by them. He kept on ncing at them


    curiously


    as he ascended.


    ¡®Tired already, missy?¡±


    Larissa was so exhausted that she didn¡¯t even have the energy to retaliate. She could only grumble


    inwardly.


    Kevan stopped the man and asked, ¡°How much are you selling these for?¡±


    ¡°These are not for sale! I have to bring them up to the store on the mountain!¡± the man replied


    immediately.


    ¡°How much further until we reach the closest store?¡± Kevan asked instead.


    The man raised a brow as he attempted to estimate the distance. ¡°About the distance from the foot of


    the


    mountain to where you are now.¡±


    Despair filled her heart upon hearing the man¡¯s words.


    ¡°I¡¯ll just buy one.¡± Kevan took out a ten¨Cdor bill from God knows where and slid it into the man¡¯s


    palm. ¡°You can keep the change and give it to the store aspensation.¡±


    The man eventually gave them two bottles of water.


    ¡°No, I do not want to take that much money from you. When you reach the top, go ask the store


    manager for


    your change, alright?¡±


    The man soon left with his boxes. Kevan twisted open a bottle of water and handed it to Larissa. She


    gulped


    down half of it without pausing.


    When the scorching feeling in her throat had mostly subsided, she raised her head and red at


    Kevan as she demanded, ¡°You clearly have money, so why did you lie to me at the foot of the mountain


    earlier?¡±

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    Chapter 92


    Larissa was so tired that her exhaustion and anger gradually overpowered her rationality, so much that


    she no


    longer cared about the disparities between her and Kevan¡¯s social status, which consequently made


    her lose


    her fear of him.


    ¡°I just have ten dors,¡± Kevan told her without a hint of guilt on his face.


    The price of one cable car ticket was twelve dors.


    Larissa was rendered speechless.


    Eyeing the endless mountainous terrain, she carefully reced the cap of the mineral water before


    supporting herself up by holding onto the metal railings on both sides of the trail.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± she said weakly.


    Kevan stood unmoving.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± He raised his brows, the doubt in his voice apparent.


    ¡°We have to get to the top before we get hungry anyway.¡± Larissa squeezed the bottle with one hand


    and


    grabbed the metal railings with another, plowing ahead with her head down.


    Owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    Kevan jogged in front of her and blocked her path.


    ¡°What?¡± Larissa looked at him, puzzled.


    Kevan switched his bottle from his right arm to his left.


    ¡°That¡¯s dirty.¡± He angled his chin toward the railings she had been clutching onto and stretched out his


    right


    arm. ¡°Hold onto this.¡±


    His palms were paler than most, and as clean as the rest of him.


    As for hers-


    Hers were flushed a dark shade of red. There were also specks of fallen paint stuck to the parts of her


    hands where she¡¯d gripped the railing earlier.


    She withdrew her hand in shame. ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s already dirty anyway.¡±


    Kevan bent forward slightly and grabbed her hand without another word.


    Her palm was burning hot, but his was still cold.


    The scalding heat within her body was momentarily relieved, and she instinctively gripped his hand


    tighter.


    Her initiative shocked him to no end.


    The heat from her body flowed into his bones continuously through their joined palms, warming his


    heart.


    This kind of limited physical contact was hardly enough for him.


    His head throbbed, as if there were an imaginary voice shouting in his ear, ¡°Not enough¨Cnot nearly


    enough-¡±


    1/2


    Chapter 92


    But given their current situation-


    Kevan turned and faced the front again.


    Then, he banished every other distraction from his mind as he ced his foot onto the next step.


    Larissa had been somewhat reserved at first as she tried her hardest to match his pace. And yet,


    toward the end, she allowed herself to be dragged along by him like a lifeless puppet.


    Along the way, they stopped to rest multiple times. She ended up draining what was left in her own


    bottle and Kevan¡¯s unopened bottle of water.


    Starry Mountain was very tall. The closer they got to the peak, the lower the surrounding temperature.


    Although the skies were clear when they were at the foot of the mountain, it started drizzling as they


    neared the halfway point.


    Kevan pulled her up and removed his jacket, covering her head and buttoning it up for her. Only her


    face was left exposed.


    In just that short moment, the rain had soaked through the back of his shirt, rendering his originally


    white shirt translucent as it stered against his skin tightly.


    Larissa tried to take off the jacket and return it to him but he stopped her at once.


    ¡°Don¡¯t.¡± He pressed down lightly on her head, his tone authoritative and leaving no room for defiance.


    Larissa followed him closely, no words exchanged between the two of them. All she thought about was


    how tall and imposing his silhouette was in that instance.


    Then, about a centuryter, she became so tired that her head spun, and her vision flickered. An


    incessant buzzing had permanently taken residence in her ears as she lifted her feet mechanically, only


    to stumble forward into his back as she stepped onto nothing but air.


    Kevan¡¯s arm shot out and caught her securely at once.


    He turned around, looking at the woman semi¨Ccopsed on his back, her eyes half¨Cclosed, and


    sighed. ¡°We¡¯re here.¡± he told her.

 Chapter 93

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    Chapter 93


    That simple sentence felt like it had saved her life. Immediately, Larissa forced her eyes open.


    The summit stretched ahead of her, and there were no longer any tormenting stairs in sight.


    ¡°Mr. Rogers!¡± A man dressed in Starville¡¯s uniform rushed over and held arge, ck umbre above


    Kevan¡¯s


    head.


    ¡°Are you alright? Do we need to send a car over for you?¡±


    The summit had rather spacious roads. Some of the hotels on the mountain would send over their own


    electric cars the size of golf carts to the cable car station to transport their guests withrge items and


    luggage.


    Kevan was fine with walking there himself, but Larissa-


    She¡¯d long stood back up on her feet, and was pulled under the umbre by him.


    She still looked tired, but she no longer looked as sluggish as she was before. She seemed to have


    regained


    some energy since their arrival.


    ¡°Do you want to take a car?¡± he asked her.


    Larissa nodded.


    It wasn¡¯t that she couldn¡¯t walk. It was just that Kevan waspletely soaked, and if he didn¡¯t shower


    and


    change out of his wet clothes as soon as possible, she was afraid that he would get sick.


    It took them almost ten minutes to drive from the entrance of the mountain to the Starville Hotel.


    There was already someone waiting for them when they arrived at the hotel lobby. As soon as Kevan


    stepped out of the car, they immediately led him to his room.


    ¡°Your luggage has already been sent over yesterday and we¡¯ve ced them all in your room.¡±


    After giving him his room card, they nodded and left.


    Kevan unlocked the door with a quick scan and stepped into the room. Larissa, however, stood


    unmoving.


    ¡°What?¡± He raised a brow as he looked at her, his eyes questioning.


    Larissa licked her lower lip. ¡°Are we sharing the same room?¡± she asked hesitatingly.


    ¡°What do you think?¡± Kevan shot back. ¡°Don¡¯t forget that you¡¯re my girlfriend now.¡±


    He emphasized the word girlfriend, his arms crossed in front of his chest, his gaze collected despite his


    inner


    turmoil.


    ¡°But it¡¯s fake- Larissa lowered her voice.


    ¡°The organizers don¡¯t know that.¡± Kevan spoke in a matter¨Cof¨Cfact tone.


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    Chapter 93


    ¡°Then-¡± Larissa hesitated again before crossing her heart and making up her mind. ¡°I¡¯ll go down and


    book a


    room for myself.¡±


    She would rather pay a few thousand dors for a room.


    Kevan scoffed. ¡°Juste in.¡± Then, he walked into the room without sparing her another nce, his


    voice colder than the rain in the mountains. ¡°This is arge suite with a few bedrooms. All the doors


    can be locked


    from the inside. You don¡¯t have to worry about me doing anything to you.¡±


    Larissa realized this btedly and blushed in embarrassment.


    She hurried over and was about to exin to Kevan that she hadn¡¯t been worried about that in the


    slightest


    when he¡¯d already walked into the bedroom located in the innermost part of the room and closed the


    door.


    Larissa picked the bedroom furthest to his.


    N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.


    As they were both properties owned by Microworks Corporation, the interior design and general decor


    of the rooms in Starville were simr to that of the Regal Dynasty. The only difference was the addition


    of nebe-


    like decorations on the ceiling that corresponded to the hotel¡¯s name.


    It looked rather astounding.


    Someone knocked on her door.


    ¡°It¡¯s me.¡± His words were sinct.


    Even if Kevan hadn¡¯t said anything, Larissa wouldn¡¯t have thought it would be anyone else.


    She pulled open the door as he pushed a box into her room.


    ¡°Your clothes.¡± Once again, he spoke in monosybic, two¨Cword sentences before turning to leave.


    Larissa opened the box in bewilderment. Inside, there were a few sets of clothes with different styles¨C


    there was formal wear, casual wear, and even a pastel pink silk nightgown.


    Of course, it was also filled withcy, girly underwear.


    She was almost entirely certain that whoever prepared this box of clothes now was the same person


    who¡¯d picked her clothes thest time as well.

 Chapter 94

    Chapter 94


    Chapter 94


    Larissa went straight into the bathroom to take a shower.


    After hiking up this mountain, her clothes had been soaked by her sweat, her disheveled appearance


    on par


    with Kevan¡¯s.


    She changed into a dry, casual outfit before going over and knocking on Kevan¡¯s door.


    Because of her, it was way past lunchtime when they arrived, and the little bit of breakfast she¡¯d had


    that morning had already been depleted by the intense physical activities she¡¯d been forced to perform.


    Larissa¡¯s stomach grumbled, and she guessed that Kevan felt the same, so she decided to invite him


    downstairs to get lunch together.


    Kevan did not open the door. Instead, he asked through the door separating them, ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Do you want to go get lunch?¡® Larissa asked him.


    ¡°You go. I¡¯m not hungry,¡± he replied.


    ¡°Oh, okay-¡°Larissa was a little disappointed, although she couldn¡¯t exactly tell why.


    Larissa ordered two servings of food. She ate one of them and brought the other back to their room.


    Even though Kevan had said that he wasn¡¯t hungry, he still needed to eat something.


    She knocked on his door again. This time, he didn¡¯t even reply.


    ¡°Mr. Rogers? Are you inside?¡± she asked, raising her voice in case he hadn¡¯t heard her.


    The room was unusually quiet. Larissa paused and tried again. ¡°Can Ie in then?¡±


    There was still no answer.


    A bad premonition overwhelmed her. Hurriedly, she twisted the doorknob and pushed the door open.


    Kevan had shut the curtains in his room, and he hadn¡¯t turned on the lights, so the room was pitch¨C


    ck.


    After her eyes had gotten used to her surroundings, she caught sight of the lump in the middle of the


    bed.


    He was asleep.


    She hurriedly tiptoed out of the room again.


    Larissa hade here just for Kevan. Now that he was asleep, she had nothing else to do.


    After cing the food on the coffee table, she watched TV for a while before dozing off without realizing


    it.


    When she woke up again, it was almost 6 pm, and the TV was still on the same channel. However, it


    was now showing a different program.


    Kevan¡¯s door was still tightly shut. She didn¡¯t know if he was already up or not.


    Chapter 94


    Owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    Thinking about how he¡¯d practically eaten nothing that day, Larissa scrambled up from the couch and


    rushed over to his door.


    ¡°Mr. Rogers, are you up?¡±


    There was still no response.


    She also wasn¡¯t sure if he was still sleeping or if he¡¯d gone out.


    She waited until 8 pm.


    The food she had earlier had long been digested. Rubbing her deted stomach, she went over to call


    him again.


    Even if he was a heavy sleeper, he should¡¯ve been awakened by hunger by now, shouldn¡¯t he?


    The results were beyond her expectations.


    Larissa felt as though something was wrong, so she pushed open his door again. The lump on his bed


    wast still there, but she didn¡¯t leave immediately like she didst time.


    Instead, she switched on the lights in the bedroom, walked over to the bed, and pulled away the


    covers.


    Kevan, a towering man of nearly 6¡¯2¡°, was tightly curled up in his bed.


    Beads of sweat dotted his forehead, and his pale face appeared bloodless. He shivered in his bed, his


    body convulsing as if he¡¯d been electrocuted.


    Larissa raised her hand and touched his forehead. The abnormally high temperature under her palm


    made her chest clench.


    She picked up the phone by his bed swiftly and dialed the number of the front desk.


    ¡°Hi, excuse me, do you have any fever medication?¡±


    The sweet voice of the receptionist replied on the other end, ¡°Has someone got a fever? Is it serious?¡±


    Larissa lowered her head and nced at Kevan. His features were contorted in agony. ¡°It¡¯s pretty


    serious,¡± she


    said.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll contact the doctor for you. Please wait in your room patiently.¡±


    Larissa was still marveling at the fact that they had doctors on top of the mountain when she saw his


    lips


    moving.


    He seemed to be trying to say something, but his voice was too soft for her to catch the words he was


    trying


    to form.


    Larissa bent down and ced her ears close to his parched lips.


    ¡°Lari¨CLari-¡±

 Chapter 95

    Chapter 95


    Chapter 95


    He seemed to be calling out for someone, and that name was exactly the same as her nickname.


    Larissa¡¯s heart rate elerated.


    She clutched her chest and straightened her body. ¡°Don¡¯t overthink. Do not overthink-¡±


    There were so many people in this world that shared the same name as her. Who knew which one of


    those


    people he was calling out for?


    As if he were trapped in a nightmare, Kevan¡¯s brows knitted even tighter, his expression bing


    increasingly panicked.


    ¡°Lari, don¡¯t go!¡± He almost shouted this with all of his remaining strength, his voice pitiful and


    desperate.


    Larissa had never seen him look so fragile before. Suddenly, she felt a little sad for him as well, her


    heart


    wringing with pain.


    Kevan¡¯s arms emerged from below the covers and iled about the bed. His fingers clenched and


    unclenched,


    as if he were trying to search for something around him.


    Instinctively, Larissa reached out.


    As soon as Kevan¡¯s hands touched hers, he caught her arm and squeezed it, the mere force of it so


    strong that


    she thought he was about to break her fingers.


    Larissa sucked in a breath, stifling the cry of pain that threatened to rise within her.


    Kevan, however, had quietened. His brows rxed gradually and his breathing changed from his initial


    shallow pants to long, drawn¨Cout breaths.


    Larissa sat against the headboard and wiped away the sweat on his face with a tissue.


    Her emotions were all over the ce, a mixture of fear and unease from the unknown dream he was


    having. but there was also that unmistakable satisfaction that filled her chest as he gradually became


    pacified.


    The doorbell rang.


    It must have been the doctor called in by the front desk.


    Larissa attempted to remove her hands from his grip, but every time she shifted in the slightest,


    Kevan¡¯s grip


    tightened.


    ¡°Don¡¯t go-¡± he murmured.


    She tried a few more times, and she even forcefully tried to pull her arms away, but Kevan only fought


    harder.


    The doorbell continued ringing¨Cagain and again, its frequency more and more impatient.


    Larissa was aggravated, but she could think of no way to handle the situation.


    Suddenly, an idea shed past her mind. She leaned closer and whispered in his ear, ¡°I¡¯m not leaving,¡±


    Chapter 95


    ¡°Liar-¡± Even if he was sleeping, he could still answer her.


    Kevan scrunched his nose, his appearance downcast.


    Larissa¡¯s heart melted into a puddle.


    She even found herself resenting the Lari he¡¯d been calling for all this while.


    Based on his actions, she must have hurt him very deeply.


    ¡°I¡¯m not lying.¡± Larissa¡¯s voice softened. ¡°Really, I¡¯ll just go get the door. I¡¯ll be right back.¡±


    Kevany unmoving, not saying a word.


    ¡°Kevan-¡± she called out gently, the tone of her voice lifting at the end, like a girl coquettishly seeking his


    attention. ¡°Be good, will you?¡± At some point, she even felt like she was coaxing a stubborn child to do


    as he


    was told.


    Kevan pursed his lips before letting her go slowly.


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    Larissa was afraid that he would change his mind, so she sprinted out of the room immediately.


    At the door, a doctor in a white coat stood.


    During the long wait, he¡¯d exhausted all of his patience, so when he was finally standing face¨Cto¨Cface


    with


    Larissa, his attitude was brittle.


    ¡°Where¡¯s the patient?¡± His voice was tense as he walked into the room without waiting for her to speak.


    Larissa led him into Kevan¡¯s bedroom.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, doctor. He¡¯d been causing such a fuss just now and I wasn¡¯t able toe and open the


    door for you.¡± She smiled apologetically as she spoke.


    The doctor retrieved a thermometer from his first aid kit and instructed Larissa, ¡°ce this below his


    armpit.¡±


    After Kevan had showered, he¡¯d changed into a set of pajamas that were buttoned all the way up to his


    cor.


    Larissa grumbled to herself, ¡°He doesn¡¯t even button up his shirt that tightly when he¡¯s at work¨Cwhy try


    to be


    so formal in his sleep?¡±


    He really was a weirdo.


    To take his temperature, she would have to unbutton his pajamas.


    And yet, the minute Larissa¡¯s fingers touched the first button, they were ferociously grabbed by Kevan.


    He opened his eyes suddenly, frigidness filling their depths.


    ¡°Go away!¡± he bellowed.

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    Chapter 96


    Larissa wasn¡¯t the only one who was shocked. The doctor who¡¯d been standing on one side dropped


    the


    needle he had been holding upon Kevan¡¯s sudden bellow.


    Larissa froze, her heart stopping for two seconds and her mind goingpletely nk.


    When he¡¯d finally identified the person standing in front of him, Kevan¡¯s rationality returned, and the ice


    in his eyes slowly dissipated.


    The tautness in his mind earlier rxed as well, followed by a wave of sluggish drowsiness that hit him


    almost at once. He forced his eyes to stay open as he asked, his voice hoarse and weak. ¡°Why are you


    here?¡±


    She snapped out of her daze as well.


    She pointed to the doctor as she replied, ¡°You have a fever. The doctor is here to see you.¡±


    It was then that he noticed the unfamiliar, middle¨Caged man standing behind her.


    ¡°Do you still have the strength to unbutton your own shirt?¡± Larissa waved the thermometer in her


    hand. ¡°I


    need to take your temperature.¡±


    Kevan removed her hands from his own and answered truthfully, ¡°I can¡¯t. I don¡¯t have the strength.¡±


    It almost seemed as if the strength he¡¯d used to grab her that could¡¯ve almost killed her earlier was


    nothing but a figment of her own imagination.


    Larissa decided to not argue with him since he was sick and needed their help.


    It was just-


    Dealing with him when he was asleep was one thing. When he was awake, her mindset shifted


    drastically.


    When he was asleep, she didn¡¯t think about it too much. The action of undoing his buttons seemed


    merely mechanical. Now that he¡¯d awakened, the pressure she felt increased, and her hands started


    trembling.


    Time seemed to have slowed down, the happenings around her moving in slow motion, like scenes in a


    film.


    Larissa swallowed instinctively, her thundering heartbeat loud in her ears.


    Finally, after much difficulty, she managed to unbutton the first three buttons on his shirt.


    Kevan moved his arm cooperatively, allowing his cor to widen and slip down his shoulders.


    His body was flushed from his fever, his skin a faint pinkish shade. The visuals in her head were much


    more suggestive than they usually were.


    She ced the thermometer under his armpit and turned her face away.


    ¡°I¡¯ll set a timer for you.¡± She pretended to fish out her phone and set an rm for five minutes.


    The doctor switched positions with her and stood at the head of the bed.


    ¡®Does your throat hurt?¡±


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    Chapter 96


    ¡°Any diarrhea?¡±


    ¡°Is there anywhere else that hurts?¡±


    He asked a series of questions, all of which Kevan denied.


    Five minutes was up.


    The doctor attempted to retrieve the thermometer when Kevan dodged, a hint of disgust in his eyes.


    The doctor had most probably never encountered such abative patient in his career. For a


    moment, he


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    looked like he was at a loss.


    Larissa naturally knew what Kevan was concerned about. Hurriedly, she stepped behind the doctor


    with an


    apologetic smile. ¡°Let me do it!¡±


    This time, Kevan held still and let Larissa handle him however she wanted.


    The doctor raised the thermometer and nced at its reading. ¡°He¡¯s at 102 degrees now, what were


    you two doing? Why didn¡¯t you call the front desk earlier? Are you out of your minds?¡± He scolded the


    two of them


    sternly.


    Larissa apologized immediately out of habit. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s all my fault.¡±


    Kevan opened his mouth to defend her when the doctor continued. ¡°Such an irresponsible girlfriend!


    Nowe here and button up his shirt and wipe away the sweat on his forehead.¡±


    Kevan shut his mouth at once.


    Larissa scrambled to follow the doctor¡¯s instructions.


    When the doctor had finished preparing the solution in the IV bag, he pointed to the wall above the bed


    and told Larissa, ¡°Hang the IV bag on thatmp.¡±


    As for himself, he took the needle and inserted it into Kevan¡¯s vein.


    ¡°This IV canst for approximately two hours. Keep an eye on the time, and call me ten to fifteen


    minutes before it finishes. You can call me if you need anything in between too.¡± He gave his number to


    Larissa and retrieved two boxes of medication from his bag. ¡°These two medications have to be taken


    twice a day. You can let him take these once before he sleeps at night and once more tomorrow


    afternoon after lunch.¡±


    Larissa nodded dutifully.


    Then, after the doctor left, she set another rm on her phone.


    Kevan did not go back to sleep. Instead, he stared at her as she worked.


    Feeling a little uneasy under his watchful gaze, Larissa averted her eyes and searched around for a


    topic of conversation. ¡°Are you hungry? Do you want some food?¡±

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    Chapter 97


    ¡°I have no appetite,¡± Kevan replied.


    ¡°What about a little water?¡± She eyed his parched lips.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    There was an unopened bottle of mineral water in the room. Larissa twisted the cap off and handed the


    bottle to him, but Kevan did not take it.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have the strength to take it.¡± He stared at her unblinkingly.


    Defeated, Larissa sat at the head of his bed, ¡°I¡¯ll help you sit up then?¡±


    Kevan¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Sure.¡±


    Her arms slung around the back of his neck, holding onto it carefully as she supported his upper body.


    Kevan sipped the water she¡¯d brought him, finding an unexpected hint of sweetness lingering on the tip


    of his tongue.


    When she helped him lie down after he was done, Larissa asked, ¡°Do you still want to sleep?¡±


    Kevan was exhausted, and his eyelids were so heavy that he knew he wouldn¡¯t be able to open them


    again. once he closed them.


    And yet, he didn¡¯t want to waste the precious time he got to spend with her alone, especially when he


    could y the patient card and have her do all sorts of things for him. It was nice to have her usual


    defenses down for once¨Cthe way she treated him now was a lot gentler than before.


    It was almost like they were in the past again.


    It had been such a long time ago.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to sleep anymore,¡± he told her. ¡°Talk to me.¡±


    His request caught Larissa off guard.


    She was rather nervous. ¡°What should I talk about?¡±


    ¡°Anything.¡± Anything she said, he would listen to willingly.


    Larissa had never chatted casually with Kevan before.


    She felt around her pockets for her phone, wondering if she should contact Dn for help.


    Kevan sensed her hesitation and fought to keep the wave of disappointment in his heart at bay. ¡°What


    time is it now?¡± he asked.


    Larissa nced at the time. ¡°8.43 pm.¡±


    It was already sote.


    Kevan felt like he¡¯dpletely lost track of time since hest closed his eyes.


    Chapter 97


    ¡®Have you eaten?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± she lied instinctively.


    ¡°What did you eat?¡±


    ¡°Fried rice.¡±


    ¡°Was it good?¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t bad.¡±


    For a while, it was all mindless chit¨Cchat, though surprisingly, the two of them managed to keep the


    conversation going without feeling awkward.


    After that, Larissa covered her mouth as she yawned. ¡°Tired?¡± Kevan asked.


    ¡°No.¡± She pped her arms for emphasis.


    Kevan was unusually considerate. ¡°If you¡¯re tired, you should go to sleep. There¡¯s still more than one


    hour left


    anyway.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Larissa forced her eyes open. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that if I go to sleep, I won¡¯t be able to wake up in


    time.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Kevan patted the empty space beside him with his left hand. ¡°This bed is spacious


    enough.


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    You can sleep here. I¡¯ll wake you upter.¡±


    Larissa¡¯s sleepiness evaporated at once.


    It wasn¡¯t like she¡¯d never slept with him in the same bed before. Still, thest two times had been under


    special circumstances, and she had beenpletely unaware.


    Unlike what they were doing now¨Cshe was still wide awake enough to differentiate between what was


    appropriate and what wasn¡¯t, and this very evidently wasn¡¯t.


    ¡°I really am not tired.¡± She straightened her back.


    ¡°Sure.¡± Kevan didn¡¯t press her any further. ¡°I¡¯m a little tired though. I¡¯ll sleep first then.¡±


    He shut his eyes. Instantly, the room fell into silence.


    Not long after, he felt the bed sink right next to him.


    When he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was a head, resting by his arm.

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    Chapter 98


    Larissa¡¯s eyes were tightly shut, her breaths equal and steady. She was obviously already in a deep


    sleep.


    Kevan smiled.


    Barely a few minutes ago, she¡¯d been the one adamantly insisting that she wasn¡¯t tired at all.


    What a liar.


    She had promised¨Cshe¡¯d said that she would never forget him. All those years ago-


    He lifted his right hand after much struggle, the urge to caress her head fiercely rising within him, and


    yet, his arms halted before they could approach her.


    His fingers curled into a fist.


    Forget it. He should just let her sleep peacefully.


    The ringing of a phone shattered the rare harmony between the two.


    Larissa startled, bolting up immediately.


    In her daze, she groggily picked up her phone and was about to stop the rm when she noticed the


    string of


    unknown numbers on her screen.


    She answered the call instinctively.


    The anxious voice from the other end was that of the nurse who¡¯d been in charge of Travis¡® care. ¡®Ms.


    Seymour, can youe to the hospital now?¡±


    Recalling her past experiences, she refused resolutely. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m in the middle of something right


    now.¡±


    The nurse¡¯s next words shocked her to the bone, a sudden chill snaking down her body. ¡°Travis is


    dead!¡±


    Something shattered within her.


    Larissa froze for a few seconds before asking incredulously. ¡°W¨CWhat?¡±


    ¡°Travis passed away about half an hour ago,¡± the nurse repeated.


    ¡°But how?¡±


    She remembered the nurse telling her that Travis was simply paralyzed and that his life wasn¡¯t in any


    imminent danger.


    His sudden death was very unusual.


    The nurse lowered the volume of her voice, but Larissa could still hear her voice trembling as she


    spoke. ¡°He took his own life¨Che jumped off from the window in his room¨Chis parents and brother had


    left that afternoon, and we didn¡¯t have their contact numbers, so we could only call you-¡±


    Larissa was shocked. ¡°Isn¡¯t he paralyzed? How could he have jumped?¡±


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    Chapter 98


    ¡°He¡¯s just paralyzed from the waist down. The police inferred that he most probably used his arms to


    support his body weight and climbed over to the window. There was also a chair next to the window¨C


    they think he used that to climb onto the windowsill and-


    Jumped.


    Larissa¡¯s breathing quickened, her vision blurring.


    Once, she¡¯d wished for his death when she hated him with everything she had.


    Yet, this hatred had been gradually dissipating ever since she knew that he¡¯d been in an ident and


    was now paralyzed.


    Since him and Amber had already gotten the punishments they deserved, she no longer felt the need


    to harbor any negative feelings within her.


    So, now that Travis was dead, she did not feel happy in the slightest. In fact, a small part of her still


    grieved for his death.


    ¡°What¡¯s the reason behind his death?¡± Larissa could think of many, but she couldn¡¯t be entirely certain.


    ¡°The police are still investigating. It seems like he didn¡¯t leave any kind of note behind,¡± the nurse


    replied.


    Larissa fell silent.


    ¡°Are you really unable toe right now?¡± the nurse asked again.


    Owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    Larissa¡¯s grip tightened around her phone. ¡°I¡¯m on Starry Mountain.¡±


    The cable car had already stopped operating at this hour of the night. Even if she had wanted to go,


    she couldn¡¯t possibly have been able to.


    Besides, Larissa didn¡¯t want to be involved in this affair anymore.


    She was certain that if she showed up, the Hardy family would never let her go.


    ¡°Okay then.¡± The nurse was evidently disappointed. ¡°Oh, by the way, the police asked me for your


    number just now. They might be in touch with you soon.¡±


    This, she could understand.


    A life had been lost, and as the wife of the deceased, she naturally had to be interrogated.


    ¡°Alright, thank you so much,¡± she said, ending the call once and for all.

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    Chapter 99


    After hanging up, Larissa realized that Kevan was staring at her.


    The two of them had been very close. Her conversation with the nurse earlier had been overheard by


    him


    entirely.


    ¡°Do you want to go?¡± he asked her.


    ¡°No.¡± Her reply was swift with no trace of hesitation in her voice.


    Kevan sighed in relief.


    Still, he couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Because there¡¯s no cable car?¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t go even if there was.¡± Larissa wiped away the few drops of tears leaking through the corner


    of her eyes as she spoke, her expression nk.


    She most probably wouldn¡¯t be attending his funeral either¨Cif only to avoid encountering his family


    members.


    Seeing her tears, Kevan¡¯s heart sank.


    ¡°Are you sad that he¡¯s no longer alive?¡±


    ¡°A bit.¡± Larissa¡¯s answer was frank. ¡°We were once husband and wife after all.¡±


    Kevan sneered. ¡°What do you mean you were once husband and wife? Don¡¯t forget that good husband


    of yours was the one who¡¯d gotten another woman pregnant while he cheated on you behind your


    back.¡±


    His sarcasm disgusted her. ¡°Can we not talk about this?¡±


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    Kevan¡¯s face darkened further, his tone bing even more unpleasant. ¡°You¡¯re still devoted to him!


    You always will be.¡±


    This entire thing with Travis had always been a sore spot of hers. Moreover, he¡¯d just passed away¨C


    she didn¡¯t like to speak ill of the dead.


    Larissa was just about to turn away and leave when she spotted the needle on the back of his palm


    and resisted the urge.


    After that, she turned her back on him and scrolled through her phone, her head down. She did not say


    another


    word to him afterward.


    Kevan felt very ufortable.


    This difort he felt was even worse than that of his fever.


    He knew that she was hurting and angry at him, but he couldn¡¯t bring himself to set aside his pride and


    make amends with her.


    th


    The two of them found themselves at a stalemate until her rm rang.


    Larissa nced at the IV bag above him¨Cthe solution within had reached the neck of the bag.


    Chapter 99


    Then, she called the doctor. ¡°The IV¡¯s almost finished.¡±


    This time, the doctor arrived very quickly and removed the needle from his arm.


    ¡°Press onto his wound for me.¡± He handed a cotton ball to Larissa.


    A drop of blood had already surfaced on the back of his hand, and Larissa hurriedly pressed the cotton


    ball onto the entrance wound of the needle. Kevan took the opportunity to hold her hand.


    Larissa was shocked by his actions and struggled to break free instinctively.


    Kevan hadn¡¯t been lying earlier when he said that the fever had rendered his body weak. He could


    barely muster the strength to exert enough force, and his previous grip on her had been nothing but an


    instinctual reaction. Now, he hadn¡¯t been able to properly hold her hand, to begin with.


    Larissa¡¯s grip loosened and the cotton ball fell onto the bed. Blood trickled out from his wound once


    again.


    ¡°What the hell was that?¡± The doctor red at Larissa. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you to press it onto his arm


    properly? Do you want him to bleed to death?¡±


    The word death made Larissa inexplicably panicked and, to some degree, fearful.


    She picked up the cotton ball again and pressed it tightly onto the back of his arm where the needle


    had pierced his skin.


    This time, when Kevan tried to hold her hand again, she did not move.


    The doctor gave Larissa a thermometer and instructed her, ¡°Take his temperature periodically. If his


    fever spikes in the middle of the night, you must call me.¡±


    Larissa could already sense that this was going to be a long, sleepless night.


    Kevan¡¯s bleeding had stopped, but he showed no signs of letting go of her arm.


    Larissa, on the other hand, had no qualms and took her arm away from him.


    Kevan¡¯s eyes dimmed.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± He finally voiced the words after an immense internal struggle.


    Larissa¡¯s eyes widened in surprise.


    She¡¯d never imagined that she would ever live to hear those words from Kevan.


    All of her anger dissipated at once. Instead, what was left behind was that endless guilt, and¨Cfear.


    Kevan almost never apologized, so now that he did, he felt unusually ufortable.


    He lowered his head, his voice barely audible when he spoke. ¡°I had no intention of mocking you. I


    just¨CI just think that you shouldn¡¯t feel the need to be sorry for someone like him.¡±

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    Chapter 100


    Kevan had been ustomed to the filthiness of humanity since he was very young.


    He¡¯d never trusted anyone¨Cnot even his own parents.


    The education he¡¯d received told him that there were only two kinds of people in this world¨Cthose who


    were


    useful to him, and those who weren¡¯t.


    He¡¯d never had deep interactions with people either, let alone go on to develop feelings for them.


    Joy, sorrow, anger, despair¨Call those emotions were nothing but distractions¨Cluxuries he couldn¡¯t


    afford.


    A man like him. He supposed he was more of a perfect robot than a human. After all, what was he


    other than


    the machine created single¨Chandedly by his family in order to inherit the family business?


    He could perfect a great many things, and none of those would be remotely wed.


    Everyone he knew, and everyone else who knew him, had nothing but praise for him.


    And he¡¯d never really questioned how wrong his upbringing or his life had been.


    That was until he met Larissa.


    Larissa was an unexpected presence in his life.


    He enjoyed the feeling of controlling everything, but Larissa¡¯s presence was not within his calctions.


    And yet. he didn¡¯t hate it. Quite the contrary, he rather liked having her in his life.


    Because of Larissa, he grew to feel what joy, sorrow, and anger were.


    Or, rather, all the joy, sorrow, and anger in his life were solely because of her.


    So, he could not understand why Larissa would even grieve over Travis¡® death.


    Especially when, in his mind, betrayal was a serious offense.


    Everyone who¡¯d betrayed him in the past had ended up with fates crueler than death.


    Still, he had to admit that his jealousy had yed a considerable role in his outburst earlier as well.


    But of course, Larissa had no idea about any of this.


    Content held by N?velDrama.Org.


    It didn¡¯t stop her from easily forgiving him right there, however.


    ¡°I ept your apology,¡± she¡¯d said.


    Larissa supposed those who were good¨Clooking had their advantages after all.


    Faced with his forlorn expression riddled with guilt, she was immediately rendered speechless.


    Moreover, he¡¯d never had any ill will toward her. He was just trying to stand up for her, albeit his words


    were rather harsh.


    Kevan observed her facial expressions carefully.


    Chapter 190


    Only when he was certain that she hadn¡¯t just forgiven him because she felt pressured to, did he finally


    feel at


    ease.


    ¡°Are you still sad?¡± he asked.


    Larissa didn¡¯t know how to respond to that so she pressed her lips together and remained silent.


    Kevan patted the empty space beside him. ¡°Lie down. I want to show you something.¡±


    Fuck¨Cwhat a terrible line.


    A few inappropriate images shed through her mind, especially when Kevanter added, ¡°I promise


    you¡¯ll like it.¡±


    ¡°I refuse.¡± Larissa wanted to say.


    And yet, what came out of her mouth was, ¡°What is it?¡±


    Kevan didn¡¯t answer her question directly. ¡°Just lie down and you¡¯ll see.¡±


    Larissa hesitated before climbing onto the bed and lying as far away from him as possible.


    The space between the two of them was sorge that they could still fit another person. Kevan nced


    at her, but she showed no visible reaction.


    Heid t on his back, his right arm extended to the back. Finding the star¨Cshaped button on the wall


    behind his bed, he pressed it, and the initially dull stars glowed a soft shade of gold.


    At the same time, the other lights in the room were extinguished, the nebe patterns on the ceiling on


    top of them gradually fading until they finally disappeared and revealed the vast, never¨Cending night


    sky along with countless stars sparkling in its depths.


    Larissa couldn¡¯t help but gape at the disy.


    Never before had she seen such a magnificent and magical view before, and so her first reaction was.


    ¡°Is this some kind of projection?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Kevan pressed another star¨Cshaped button, and the ceiling¨Cor, rather, the two transparent ss


    panels separated and moved to both sides until theypletely disappeared from sight.


    The view remained the same, apart from theck of a roof that separated them from the outside. The


    chilly mountain breeze suffused the air, the cold so intense that Larissa couldn¡¯t help but shiver.

 Chapter 101

    Chapter 101


    Chapter 101


    ¡°Hurry up and close it? she told Kevan. His lever hadn¡¯t subsided, and if he caught another cold, the


    doctor would give her an earful the


    next day.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Kevan said and pulled the nket lighter around himsell. ¡°This will do. The stars look better


    without anything blocking the view.


    Starry Mountain was very high, so high that Larissa lelt as if she were close enough to touch the stars.


    She reached out.


    ¡°It¡¯s so beautiful¡± she said. Although she couldn¡¯t touch them, her heart swelled with happiness. The


    negative emotions from Travis death were long since cast to the back of her mind.


    Kevan turned to look at her. Her eyes were wide open, and she was smiling from ear to ear. The look of


    awe on herce was unmistakable.


    ¡°I need to take a picture of this.¡± Larissa said and raised her phone to snap a few pictures swillly. Every


    picture she took was so beautiful.


    that it didn¡¯t need to be edited to be used as a screen wallpaper.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been to Starry Mountain a few times, but I¡¯ve never seen so many stars,¡± she said.


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    *It rains here most of the time and even snows sometimes. Clear weather like this is one in a million,¡±


    said Kevan mildly. That was why Larissa didn¡¯t know how long he had nned and waited for a one¨C


    in¨Ca¨Cmillion chance like this.


    The high fever made Kevan very weak, Although he was covered with a nket, he still started


    sneezing after ten minutes of being exposed to the cold wind. He sneezed non¨Cstop. Larissa leaned


    over him and closed the trapdoor by force. When she leaned over, her chest was night above his head.


    If he just raised his head a little, he would touch her. In the end, he still suppressed the urge. He had


    plenty of time, he told himself.


    Larissa made him take his medicine and checked his temperature again. It was above 38 degrees,


    which was still quite high, However, it was slowly going down after the medication. Therefore, she did


    not stay in his room. Listening to the doctor¡¯s advice, she set a lew rms that rang every two hours.


    The first rm was at 1 am. She fought against the weight of her eyelids and felt her way into Kevan¡¯s


    room in the dark. The moment she pushed the door open, she heard him shout, ¡°Lari! Lari? He


    sounded anxious and panicked. Her sleepiness vanished immediately as she switched on the bedside


    lamp and rushed to his side.


    Kevan was burning up again, and his forehead was covered in sweat. His nket had been kicked to


    the side. He kept tossing and tuming while shouting, ¡°Lari Lari, with a pained expression.


    ¨C


    ¡°Mr. Rogers! Mr. Rogers! Larissa shook him lightly on the shoulder, trying to wake him up from his


    nightmare.


    ¡°Lari!¡± Hearing her voice, he became even more worked¨Cup. He failed his arms blindly, and when he


    touched her, he wrapped his arms around her tightly and pulled her into an embrace. Larissa fell onto


    the bed, taken by surprise,


    Fortunately, the mattress was very soft and it didn¡¯t hurt at all. Kevan tightened his embrace and


    rubbed his chin against her forehead. With his eyes tightly shut he muttered subconsciously, ¡°Larl don¡¯t


    go


    Larissa reached out to touch his waist and patted his back softly in confusion. ¡°I stay with you. I¡¯m not


    going anywhere,¡± she said.

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    Chapter 102


    Feeling as if she was sleeping right next to a raging firece, Larissa couldn¡¯t sleep well the entire


    night. Kevan stopped having nightmares, but he breathed a little heavily¨Cmaybe he had a stully nose. It


    rained on the mountain that night but it wasn¡¯t heavy. The raindrops pattered against the transparent


    ss ceiling, and Larissa couldn¡¯t sleep from the noise.


    She stared up at the sky absent¨Cmindedly. The stars were obscured by the rain and she could only see


    their faint light Later on, the rain tumed to snow. The ss slowly became covered up with a sheet of


    white until not a single glint of light could shine through. Enveloped in darkness, Larissa lost track of


    time. By the time Kevan woke up and she was finally freed, it was already 9 am


    Kevan was slightly confused when the first thing he saw when he opened his eyes was Larissa¡¯s face.


    He stared at her nkly. However, Larissa acted as if nothing had happened and pushed his arms


    away calmly. She took the thermometer from the headboard and said, Let¡¯s check your temperature.¡±


    Content held by N?velDrama.Org.


    After sweating through the night Kevan was dehydrated. His throat was very hoarse and his voice


    sounded much deeper than usual. ¡°You slept here the entire night?¡± he asked.


    Larissa nodded and put the thermometer under his armpit. She exined mildly. ¡°You were having a


    nightmare and mistook me for someone else. You hugged me without letting go.¡±


    Kevan said nothing. He always had the same dream and could even narrate the storyline perfectly from


    the start till the end. He had mistaken her for someone else? Perhaps so.


    ¡°Are you hungry? Do you feel like eating?¡± asked Larissa.


    Kevan was feeling a lot better than he had the previous night and hunger gnawed at his stomach. ¡°I¡¯m


    hungry,¡± he said.


    Larissa called the kitchen and said, ¡°Bring two bowls of porridge up here.¡±


    Confused. Kevan asked. ¡°Two bowls?¡±


    ¡°Yup. I¡¯m hungry too.¡±


    ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t like porridge?¡± Kevan said abruptly.


    Larissa asked with surprise, ¡®How do you know that I don¡¯t like porridge? She had always preferred


    savory food and disliked nd food like porridge. Even so, she wasn¡¯t a picky eater, so not many


    people knew her favorites. Including Travis. She had only eaten with Kevan a few times and nobody


    had ordered porridge before.


    Kevan realized that he had made a slip of the tongue. He was annoyed with himself, but he did not let it


    show. ¡°It was just a guess. So. was I right?¡± he said with raised eyebrows.


    ¡°No,¡± said Larissa intentionally. She had ordered porridge for his sake because she felt awkward eating


    something tastier in front of him because he would feel left out. However, she couldn¡¯t tell him the truth.


    Kevan¡¯s good mood plummeted. He still remembered the time she had scrunched up her nose and


    pushed the bowl of porridge far away. saying with displeasure. ¡°I hate porridge! If it weren¡¯t for you. I


    wouldn¡¯t have spent the whole morning preparing it!¡± Had ¡ª her preferences changed? It seemed like


    she had slipped further away from him again.


    Larissa sensed his sudden low spirits, but she thought he was just upset because he had guessed her


    preferences wrongly. She retrieved the thermometer and said. ¡°37.2 degrees. Your lever will be gone


    soon.¡±


    Kevan said with a frown, ¡°I¡¯m going to take a shower.¡±


    Larissa didn¡¯t stop him. He had already pushed himself to the limit by going without a shower till then


    when he was such a clean freak Besides, there was floor heating in the room, so she wasn¡¯t worried


    about him catching another cold.

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    Chapter 103


    Chapter 103


    While Kevan was showering, she went back to her own room. She found her phone that she had


    neglected throughout the night and was surprised to find a few missed calls. Other than crecall that


    was from the hospita, the others were from an unknown number. She was certain that the hospital had


    called regarding Trays, but she also felt that the other cals had something to do with this. She did not


    call back and went to take a shower instead to freshen herself up


    After that she took her phone with her and went to look for Kewan, He was still in the bathroom, and


    Larissa could hear thend sound of nunning water, She started reflecting on hersell, asking herself if


    she was loo shabby. Even a man put more time into showering than she did, Kevan only came out of


    the bathroom after a long time. His pajamas were dirty, so he only had a towel wrapped around his


    wast


    Larissa was already eating her porridge in the living room. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to blow dry your hair? She


    put down her spoon and looked at him disapprovingy. Kevan had washed his hair but did not wipe it


    dry. Druplets of water were dilpping down onto his chest, his back, and the floor. It usually didn¡¯t matter,


    but he was sics now.


    ¡°Give me a moment, said Larissa. She locked for the hair dryer and plugged it in, then beckoned Kevan


    to sit down on the couch. She crouched beside him with one hand holding the hair dryer and another


    combing through his hair. Her fingertips brushed his scalo and the hot air tickled his ears, making him


    blush. His hands hurg by his sides out of her sight, and he clenched them into lists. He had to put a


    lot of strength into suppressing his desire of pushing her down onto the couch,


    The smooth, thin strands of his hair weaved through Larissa¡¯s fingers, making her want the moment to


    last longer, When she switched off the hardryes, she actually tell reluctant ¡°It¡¯s done¡± she said, Kevan


    came back to his senses abruptly when the loud noise from the hair dryer stopped. Even so, the me


    burning inside him did not diminish in the least.


    Larissa¡¯s phone rang and the call was from an unknown number. Remembering the little


    misunderstanding between her and Kevan the previous day. she subconsciously felt like avoiding him.


    Tm going to answer the phone,¡± she said and went into the bedroom. Kevan stared at the shut door as


    the fire in him extinguished. The surrounding lemperature also seemed to drop to zero.


    ¡°Miss Larissa Seymour?¡± said a male voice that sounded like someone in his ma¨Cthi¨Cties.


    ¡°That¡¯s me,¡± answered Larissa.


    ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to talk to you. I¡¯m Sanders, a police officer from the north precinct¡±


    The moment she heard that he was a police officer, she could guess why he had called. ¡°Good day.


    Officer Sanders. Are you caling about Traws Hardy¡¯s case?


    ¡°Yes.¡± Officer Sanders confirmed and asked. ¡°The nurses at the hospital told me that you¡¯re at Starry


    Mountain, Could you hurry back to the city? We need your assistance on the investigation.¡± Larissa


    couldn¡¯t turn the police cown, so she estimated the time it would take and said, ¡°I might only reach the


    city in the afternoon.¡±


    ¡°it¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll wall for you at the police station. Just tell my colleagues you¡¯re looking for me when you


    arrive.¡±


    Larissa did not pack her luggage. She prepared to leave right after changing her clothes. Kevan was


    still sitting in the living room and his bowl of porridge was untouched. ¡°Are you going now?¡± he asked


    and stood up. ¡°Give me a second to change my clothes, and II. send you


    there.¡±Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.


    Larissa turned him down. ¡°I¡¯ll go by mysell. Don¡¯t you still have to participate in the ever 17¡å She still


    remembered why he had brought her


    to Starry Mountain.


    ¡°The event wasst night. We already missed it,¡± said Kevan inly, as if he didn¡¯t care at all

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    Chapter 104


    Kevan ended up going with her. During the cable car ride down the mountain, Larissa was not in the


    mood to think about how Kewan had conjured up the money for the ticket, nor was she in the mood to


    appreciate the majestic and magnificent scenery surrounding her. All she cared about was


    ¡°You haven¡¯t eaten anything for a whole day. Can you take it? It¡¯s so windy on the mountain, but you¡¯re


    wearing very fewyers. What if your feveres back? You haven¡¯t fully recovered, so you¡¯re still


    weak. How are you going to driveter? How about you take the cable car back up againter? Go


    back to the hotel and eat, then take the whole day to res! ¨C


    ¡°That¡¯s enough!¡± Kevan couldn¡¯t take it any longer and cut her ofl. ¡°I know my own body.¡± He liked her


    nagging and muttering, as well as her care and sweet voice, but not when she was trying to chase him


    away. He crossed his arms and leaned against the corner of the cable car. He shut his eyes as if he


    didn¡¯t want to listen to her.


    Larissa shut her mouth tactfully.


    Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.


    The cold shower he had taken at the hotel seemed to be taking effect. Kevan¡¯s head felt heavy again


    and a chill spread through his body. The cable car was an enclosed space, but gusts of wind still blew


    in from the gap in the window, making him shiver. His thin coat almost didn¡¯t help at all, and he hugged


    himself tighter, His teeth chattered so violently that the sound assaulted his eardrums.


    Larissa had been keeping watch on him the whole time, and she noticed his condition at once. ¡°What¡¯s


    the matter? Are you cold?¡± She sat closer to him, took off her jacket, and wrapped it around him.


    A faint scent of lemons filled Kevan¡¯s nose and he suddenly felt warm. He opened his eyes to find


    Larissa looking anxious and concerned.


    ¡°Yes,¡± he said with a nod. A cable car ridested about forty minutes, and they had just boarded not too


    long ago.


    ¡°We need another thirty minutes to reach the bottom. Hang on.¡± Larissa couldn¡¯t do anything other than


    console him that way. She adjusted her position and tried her best to shield him from the gusts of wind


    that blew in from all directions.


    Larissa was only wearing a thin sweater which obviously wasn¡¯t enough to fight the cold. Kevan


    returned her jacket and said, ¡°Put it on.¡± His tone brooked no argument.


    ¡°I¡¯m not cold.¡± said Larissa and immediately sneezed loudly. Kevan suddenly regretted it. If he had


    known that she would leave so soon, he wouldn¡¯t have gotten himself into trouble and dragged her


    down with him.


    He cast her a sideways nce. ¡°You¡¯re not cold?¡± he teased.


    Larissa wiped her nose with a tissue with an awkward expression. She forced a smile and said, ¡°My


    immune system is strong. Some cold wind won¡¯t do me any harm, but you mustn¡¯t catch a cold.¡± She


    wrapped her jacket around him again while speaking and pulled his cor up to his chin, leaving only


    his pale face exposed.


    Kevan tried to reluse, but she held him down.


    ¡°Can you just listen to me for once?¡± she said helplessly.


    Kevan went nk and nodded. A momentter, he looked at his feet sulkily, but some color had


    returned to his face.


    He had stopped acting up, but Larissa did not dare to rx at all Earlier, she had been too caught up


    with leaving and forgot to put the thermometer and his medicine into her handbag. Hence, she could do


    nothing at the moment except feel anxious.


    ¡°Are you burning up?¡± she asked.

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    Chapter 105


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Besides feeling cold, Kevan felt nothing else.


    Larissa touched his forehead and said. ¡°You¡¯re warmer than this morning.¡± She frowned and fell


    worried again. As expected, she shouldn¡¯t


    have let him follow her..


    Seeing her expression of self¨Cme, Kevan felt worse about himself. ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± He took her hand


    away and said. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine after I take my


    medicine and sleep it off.¡±


    However, Larissa wasn¡¯t as optimistic as him.


    Half an hourter, the cable car finally reached the foot of the mountain. Kevan¡¯s legs felt extremely


    sore, and he walked with a limp. When getting out of the cable car, he lost his footing, but Larissa


    pulled him from behind to stop him from falling down. She worried even more and dared not let go of


    him for even a second after that. She helped him into the car carefully.


    There was no way Kevan could drive when he was so ill, Larissa took his car keys and got into the


    driver¡¯s seat. It was her first time driving a luxury car of that ss like a Maserati, and she couldn¡¯t help


    but feel nervous. She drove slowly and steadily the whole way back to the


    city for fear that she would scratch the car.


    She stopped by the hospital first and sent Kevan to the emergency ward. The doctor checked his


    temperature, which was 38 degrees Celsius. Larissa couldn¡¯t stay with him at the hospital, so she


    called Dn. Once Dn got wind that Kevan was sick, he rushed over anxiously and even brought


    along a tub of porridge as a favor for Larissa.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to the police station?¡± he asked her. He had undoubtedly also heard about Travis¡®


    passing.


    ¡°Yup, the police need my cooperation on the investigation,¡± said Larissa.


    ¡°Ill go with you,¡± said Dn. ¡°I¡¯ve asked my friend at the public security bureau about this case and I


    heard it¡¯s quite messy. Although it¡¯s a direct suicide case, the deceased did not leave a note and the


    reason for his suicide is a mystery. Also, his family is too pushy. They keep


    causing a fuss at the police station demanding an exnation. If you go there now, you¡¯re most


    probably going to run into them. I¡¯m


    worried you won¡¯t be able to face them alone.¡±


    It was great that Dn was willing to apany her, but¡ª


    ¡°What about Mr. Rogers if we both go? Larissa asked in a low voice while ncing at Kevan, who had


    fallen asleep on the hospital bed after eating half of the porridge.


    ¡°This is a hospital. There are so many nurses. You don¡¯t have to worry that no one will take care of


    him,¡± said Dn. Then, he beckoned to a nurse and said. ¡°We need to leave on some business. Please


    lake good care of this patient and don¡¯t forget to remove his drip on time. If he wakes up and wants to


    leave, you must stop him at all costs.¡±


    The nurse¡¯s face was flushed and she couldn¡¯t suppress her smile. She nodded repeatedly and said,


    ¡°Sure, no problem! Don¡¯t worry!¡±


    Larissa tutted and teased Dn, saying ¡°Being handsome is such a big win.¡±


    Dn pushed up his sses and tilted his chin arrogantly. ¡°If that ain¡¯t true.¡±


    Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.


    The police station was a very close distance from Victory General Hospital, located just one street


    behind it, Larissa felt anxious the whole way there for fear that she would really bump into the Hardy


    family. If it really happened, they would most likely tum the police station upside down. Fortunately, she


    saw no sign of them when she went into the station and asked for Officer Sanders


    Officer Sanders cleared her doubts. ¡°They went to the hospital to discuss thepensation at around


    1 pm. They most likely won¡¯t be


    back today.¡±


    Travis had taken his own life at Victory General Hospital, so the hospital was held responsible for


    neglect although most people thought


    they were just very unlucky.


    Larissa nodded and asked, ¡°Why did you ask me toe here?¡±

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    Chapter 106


    Chapter 106


    Wiping the smile off hisce, Officer Sanders lipped through the les in front of him.


    Content held by N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°It¡¯s like this.¡± he cleared his throat and began. ¡°We are Investigating the reason behre Trads suicide.


    We know that you are his wife, and we are quite aware of the situation between you two, so you don¡¯t


    have to exinc much. However, since you would know him better than anybody else. I wanted to


    ask it Travis ever mentioned having any suicidal thoughts to you. Did hein about anything to


    you? Did you notice any changes in his mood?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Larissa couldn¡¯t answer any of his questions. We have been separated for quite some time


    now. I only saw him once when he had an ident and was admitted to the hospital. There has been


    no contact between us since.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Officer Sanders raised an eyebrow and made a note of it. ¡°His family believes that the content


    of your livestreams provoked him and drove him to take his own life, Do you have anything to say


    about that? He lifted his head and stared at Larissa with a steely gaze.


    This was the first time Larissa had been interrogated by the police as a suspect. She couldn¡¯t help


    feeling nervous


    Licking her dry lips, she opened her mouth to defend herself when Dn cut in. ¡°First cl al, Travis had


    been staying at the victory General Hospital at this while. Less than five channels are avable on


    television in their wards. This could only mean that he didn¡¯t have any means to ess Larissa¡¯s


    livestreams. Thus, it¡¯s impossible for him to be provoked by her content. Secondly, someone might


    have been talking about it which allowed Travis to overhear it, but that has nothing to do with Larissa,


    Thirdly, even if he did watch Larissa¡¯s Ivestreams and subsequentlymitted suicide Larissa¡¯s


    actions would not constitule a crime. Her intention in doing that livestream was to rily facts and not to


    provoke him to kill himself. If you insist on her being gully because of this, Travis¡® parents would be the


    real culprits, Larissa wouldn¡¯t have done that livestream they didn¡¯t appear on that episode of The


    Mediators Room.¡±


    Larissa had not introduced Dn to Officer Sanders narier, so he assumed On was just a regr


    friend apanying her.


    Surprised by Dn¡¯s meticulous analysis, Office Sanders couldn¡¯t help but view him in a new light.


    ¡°Who is this?¡± he asked Larissa.


    Oyian introduced himself. I¡¯m Dn Shields, and I am Ms. Seymour¡¯s legal representative¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Officer Sanders responded with a smile. ¡°It¡¯s no wonder.¡±


    ¡°Since it has been determined that Travis¡® death was a suicide and Ms. Seymour has nothing to do with


    it, can we stoping to the police station in the future? Dn asked.


    ¡°Unless there are any new updates to the case, we won¡¯t bother you anymore. However, Travis¡® family


    probably won¡¯t give up.¡± Officer Sanders lett a migraineing on whenever the topic was brought up.


    ¡°Actually, I¡¯m more inclined to believe that they drove Travis to his death. If I had family members who


    were such lunatics, Id probably end upmitting suicide too.¡±


    Dn chuckled. ¡°Who knows, maybe you hit the nai, on the head.¡±


    Oncer Sanders said with a wry smile. ¡°Well I advise you to spend some money and get rid of them. Of


    course, I¡¯m just giving you a suggestion. Il you don¡¯t mind them showing up at your doorstep every day


    and causing trouble, then forget I said anything.¡±


    ¡°In this matter, we definitely won¡¯t back down. Otherwise, they¡¯ll think Larissa is gully and will hound her


    for the rest of her life.¡± Dn replied firmly. ¡°By the way, you police officers shouldn¡¯t always try to


    smooth things over. It¡¯s pointless. If they resort extreme actions. we will report it to the police. At that


    point, we hope you will handle it impartially instesc of asking us to settle it privately.¡±


    Officer Sanders seemed a little embarrassed by Dn¡¯s sarcastic remarks.


    ¡°I¡¯m just trying to help you. If you don¡¯t want to take my advice, then forget it,¡± he crumbled.


    Alter leaving the police station, Larissa asked Dn, ¡®Don¡¯t you think you were too harsh on Officer


    Sanders?¡±

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    Chapter 107


    Just now. Officer Sanders seemed visibly displeased.


    Larissa couldn¡¯t help feeling uneasy at his expression. Her perceptiveness was probably a workce


    hazard developed from being in the service industry for far too long


    However, Dn didn¡¯t think much of it.


    ¡°The people I despise most are those ¡°peacemakers¡® who can¡¯t distinguish right from wrong, especially


    regarding important matters.¡± Dn said with a cold expression. ¡°Many of my previous clients were


    victims of domestic violence. These women were beaten up by their husbands to the point that they


    needed to be hospitalized. Finally, when they gathered the courage to report it to the police, most of the


    time, the police would just try to smooth things over. They would give them excuses, such as they can¡¯t


    interfere in private ormiy matters. Worse, they would advise those women to give their husbands


    another chance. For the sake of their work performance and wanting to protect themselves, the police


    gloss over the vitions of thew and focus on evoking the victim¡¯s sympathy for their abuser. In the


    end, the police¡¯s task isplete and they can sweep this matter under the rug. On the other hand,


    those women who were convinced to forgive their husbands return to their homes only to face more


    abuse¨Csometimes severe enough to cost them their lives. I have often wondered, it all stakeholders


    were more responsible and strictly adhered to thew, perhaps there would be far fewer tragedies In


    this world.¡±


    His words deeply moved Larissa.


    She used to believe that most people chose their vocation primarily based on future prospects, or


    simply but for the money.Content held by N?velDrama.Org.


    She thought that Dn was like that as well Being a reputableyer, he would be able to earn more


    money from one majorwsuit than what an ordinary worker could make over several years.


    Through Dn¡¯s example, this was the first time Larissa personally witnessed the weight of social


    responsibility.


    ¡°Don¡¯t put me on a pedestal Dn continued, pressured by Larissa¡¯s obvious admiration. ¡°I want to


    make a change in society, not because of how selfless I am by nature. I only did this because of some


    unpleasant incidents that happened in my childhood.¡±


    When Dn finished there was a glimmer of sadness in his eyes.


    Larissa felt even more ashamed.


    Although they had simrly traumatic experiences in their childhoods, she reacted negatively by


    choosing to protect herself and never have any children, while Dn was inspired to help people out of


    their predicaments.


    Inparison, Larissa was humbled after seeing the difference between them.


    ¡°Anyway.¡°Dn changed the subject, bringing the conversation back to Travis¡® case. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid of


    the Hardy family. They won¡¯t be able to bother you for long.¡±


    Hepleted the sentence in his mind. ¡°Mr. Rogers will take care of everything for you.¡±


    Just as they arrived at the entrance of the emergency ward, a nurse called Dn as he had left his


    phone number with her before leaving.


    ¡°I just went to the ward, and no one was on the bed! The patient must have removed the IV by himself


    when the IV drip was still half full¡± the nurse said anxiously. ¡°Lasked the other nurses, but none of them


    had seen him. Is he with you?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Dn quickened his pace and gestured for Larissa to follow. ¡°When did he disappear?¡±


    ¡°I have no idea.¡± The nurse was on the verge of tears. ¡°The emergency ward is always busy. I only got


    some free Ume to check on him now. When I came to see if he had woken up, he was nowhere to be


    found!¡±

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    Chapter 108


    Chapter 108


    Dn immediately called Kevan. The call went through, but no one answered the phone.


    In a state of panic. Dn didn¡¯t have time to wait for Larissa, who was following behind him. He ran to


    the nurses¡® station in a hurry.


    A missing patient was a big deal in any hospital. In addition, everyone was still reeling from the recent


    suicide case. All the nurses had left to search for Kevan, leaving only one nurse on duty at the nurses


    station.


    At Dn¡¯s request, the nurse made an announcement over the loudspeaker, ¡°Mr. Rogers, your friend is


    walling for you in the ward. Please return as soon as possible when you hear this announcement!


    In a daze, Larissa realized the gravity of the situation.


    ¡°Should we check the surveince lootage?¡± she asked Dn.


    ¡°Let¡¯s wait a bit¡± Dn replied without looking up as he fiddled with something on his phone.


    ¡°Go to the ward and wait for Kevan,¡± he added. ¡°So that if hees back, someone is there waiting for


    him,¡±


    Content held by N?velDrama.Org.


    Larissa followed Dn¡¯s instructions and went to the ward as she knew she couldn¡¯t be of much help.


    The announcement was broadcasted throughout the hospital every two minutes.


    As time passed, Larissa became increasingly anxious as negative thoughts filled her mind.


    After nearly half an hour, Dn returned with Kevan leaning on his shoulder. Larissa quickly went up to


    them,


    ¡°Where did you go? Her tone was reproachful because she was nervous and worried sick for him.


    Kevan didn¡¯t look any better from when they left, inct, he seemed even paler. There was a disturbing


    patch of dried blood on his right hand from pulling out the IV needle midway through the drip. In


    addition, he did not put any pressure on the wound to stop the bleeding.


    ¡°I met an acquaintance, that¡¯s why I went out to chat with him for a bit.¡± Kevan hid his right hand behind


    his back discreetly, hisce devoid of any expression.


    ¡°Is taking to an acquaintance more important than your own health?¡± Dn shoved Kevan onto the bed


    and red at him ¡°Lie down and stay still! I¡¯ll get the nurse to reinsert your IV drip.¡±


    Dn had taken the words out of her mouth so Larissa said nothing. Hands hanging by her side, she


    stood aside in silence.


    ¡°When are you going back to work at the Regal Dynasty Hotel?¡± Kevan asked her suddenly.


    Startled. Larissa replied honestly, ¡°Tomorrow,¡±


    Kevan furrowed his brows slightly. ¡°So soon? Can¡¯t you postpone it for a few more days?¡±


    ¡°Tve been on leave for over a week already,¡± Larissa answered.


    The amount of leave she had taken during this period was more than what she took for the previous


    year entirely. Her year¨Cend bonus was going to go down the drain.


    ¡°Take a few more days off,¡± Kevan suggested. ¡°Travis¡® family might cause trouble at the Regal Dynasty


    Hotel


    However, Larissa had already considered these factors. ¡°I will call the police.¡±


    Since the messy affairs between her and Travis were now public knowledge, she no longer had to hide


    this issue from her colleagues. Instead, she could take a tougher approach to dealing with the Hardy


    family.


    Kevan pursed his lips. ¡°You must be exhausted from the events of the past two days.¡±


    *I¡¯m fine.¡± Except for nearly passing out when she had climbed up the mountain yesterday, Larissa


    didn¡¯t feel particrly tired.


    ¡°When I used to work day and night shifts consecutively, I was much more exhausted than I am now,¡±


    she continued.


    Unable to think of any other reason for Larissa to extend her leave, Kevan ordered with a stern face,


    ¡°Anyway, you can¡¯t go to work next week. Il notify your general manager in a moment.¡±


    Larissa found his insistence absurd. ¡°Why?¡±


    Chapter TUN


    She had a feeling that Kevan was hiding something from her, but she couldn¡¯t figure out what I was.


    ¡°There¡¯s no specific reason.¡± Kevan had just finished speaking when a nurse came in with another IV


    drip.


    ¡°This time, don¡¯t disappear midway before the IV drip is fully administered. You really scared everyone


    in the department just now.¡± she admonished.


    With an indifferent expression, Kevan appeared unapologetic. On the other hand, there was a hint of


    impatience on his face at getting reprimanded.


    It was Dn who apologized on his behalf, ¡°Sorry for the trouble you went through. We will take good


    care of him.¡±


    After the nurse finished setting up the IV drip. Larissa resumed the previous topic. ¡°Regardless, I¡¯m


    going back to the hotel to work tomorrow.


    Kevan looked up and fixed his eyes on her coldly.


    However, his weak state made his gaze less intimidating than before.


    Larissa met his eyes fearlessly, staring back at him,

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    After a moment of silence, Kevan conceded. ¡°Sull yourself.¡±


    He settled down andyt on the bed, pulling the nket up to his chin and closing his eyes lightly.


    By the time Kevan was done with his IV drip, it was already dark outside.


    Dn drove on the way back with Kevan sitting in the back seat.


    Due to their unpleasant interaction just now, Larissa chose to sit in the passenger seal.


    Closing his eyes to rest, Kevan remained silent throughout the drive.


    While driving, Dn invited Larissa to have dinner at his house. ¡°Dinner is already prepared,¡± he said.


    Larissa yawned and declined his offer. I just want to go home and sleep now.¡±


    She couldn¡¯t stay awake any longer.


    ¡°Alright Dn didn¡¯t insist


    Larissa got out of the car first, while Dn and Kevan remained inside.


    ¡°Which acquaintance did you meet? Dn turned to Kevan with a serious expression. ¡°Is it someone


    from your family?¡±


    Kevan was not the type of person who would chat with acquaintances outside of work. Besides his


    family members. Dn couldn¡¯t think of anyone else who would make Kevan voluntarily leave the ward


    However, Kevan gave him a negative answer. ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Then who was it? Dn was quite puzzled, ¡°Did you lie to Larissa about seeing someone you know?


    He thought thetter was more likely.


    Kevan wrapped his coat tightly around himself and opened the car door, evading the question, ¡°Let¡¯s go


    back and have dinner. I¡¯m hungry.¡±


    Larissa slept for a long time.


    It wasn¡¯t until the rm clock rang in the morning that she woke up from her dream.


    This vi


    Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.


    was her first day back to work after taking a leave of absence. In addition, it was also the first time she


    was going to meet her colleagues after the scandal was exposed,


    On the way to the hotel she mentally prepared herself for the condemning looks, but to her surprise, no


    one treated her any differently. than before.


    Everyone she encountered expressed sympathy for her and condemned the despicable behavior of the


    Hardy family, offering words offort.


    ¡°Ms. Seymour, wee back


    ¡°You¡¯ve been through a lot these past few days!¡±


    ¡°We knew you couldn¡¯t be as what that awful woman described?


    ¡°That old woman is deplorable! Her own son did so many terrible things, and yet she dared to ce all


    the me on you!¡±


    ¡®Fortunately, the truth prevailed in the end. Ms. Seymour, it must feel great to prove them wrong!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, people like that deserve to be condemned by everyone!¡±


    That morning, Larissa¡¯s office was filled with presents and snacks brought by well¨Cwishing colleagues.


    They even prepared a fresh bouquet of lies in a vase to wee her.


    Larissa was fully convinced that her decision toe back to work was the right one.


    However, her rellel was short¨Clived, ending before the morning was even over.


    The office door was suddenly pushed open, startling Larissa.


    1/2


    Chic 109


    She looked up, ready to reprimand whoever it was for their impudence, but when she saw who it was,


    her body froze.

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    Chapter 110


    An elegant middle¨Cagedds walked in.


    The instant the deer was closed, her face twisted inte a ferocious expression of anger and hatred.


    Long¨Cforgotten memories flooded Larissa¡¯s mind like a tidal wave, causing lier eyes in willen in fear.


    Aheavy shended on Larissa¡¯s face, making a loud cracking sound.


    Although the force of the p wasn¡¯t as strong as she remembered IL Larissa could stil lest the burning


    pain on her cheek.


    ¡°Are you proud of bringing shame upon your whole family? After all these years, you are still being a


    troublemaker and robbing me of my peacel Can¡¯t you leam from your sister?¡±


    Larissa was reminded of the familiar barrage of criticism that bombarded her. There were barely any


    changes in the script.


    Out of reflex. Larissa was about to apologize, but she managed to stop herself in time.


    She was no longer the helpless young girl who had to depend on the charity of others and constantly


    needed to cater to their wishes.


    Now that she was an adult, she could be independent and stand up for hersel


    Most importantly, she had nothing to do with these people anymore.


    Larissa tried to smink, but her twitching cheek muscles and the burning pain made her wince


    involuntarily, resulting in a strange grimace.


    ¡°Do you remember thest thing you said to me?¡± Larissa asked.


    Thest time they met Yvelle Xander had forced Larissa to kneel on the ground, pping her


    mercilessly.


    ¡°Get lost! The farther you go, the better! Don¡¯t appear in front of me ever again! You are no daughter of


    mine!¡±


    Yvette¡¯s cruel words were like knives that pierced Larissa¡¯s heart. The emotional wounds that her


    mother inflicted on her were but deep,


    a memory that she would never forget.


    Naturally, Yvette remembered that incident as well,


    Sneering, she said. ¡°if it weren¡¯t for the big fuss you kicked up and made me the target ofridicule from


    your father¡¯s rtives do you think! woulde to lind you willingly? Back then, it seemed like you had


    such confidence to run away from home and cut off ties with the family. I must have overestimated you,


    thinking that you could start a good life on your own! You even said that you wanted the right to choose


    a spouse! What a joke! Now that you have the ability to choose, what¡¯s the result? You married a leech


    and got involved with a bunch of troublesome lunatics


    Since her youth. Larissa had been the target of Yveltes anger and harsh words, so much so that she


    was numb to her mother¡¯s mockery


    Emotionlessly, Larissa replied. ¡°Whether I¡¯m Iving a good life or who I marry, that has nothing to do with


    you.¡±


    For so many years. Yvette hadn¡¯t cared about her at all. The non¨Cexistent mother¨Cdaughter bond


    between them had long been erased by the passage of time.


    Pointing at Larissa, Yvette screamed. ¡°If you want to cut all all lies with me, go and change your name!


    Don¡¯t let anyone know that you¡¯re


    my daughter!


    ¡°Alright,¡± Larissa agreed calmly. Til go to the police station tomorrow,¡±


    Yvette tumed scarlet with anger.


    Her ips trembling, Yvette swung her hand at Larissa¡¯s face and gave her another p.


    Larissa held her stinging cheek, tears welling up in lier eyes uncontrobly.


    Yvette hit her so hard that her ears were ringing from the shock and her teeth felt cose.


    ¡°You ingrate!¡± Yvette gritted her teeth and cursed. ¡®You¡¯re just an ungrateful wretch! I shouldn¡¯t have


    brought you along when I married into the Seymour family! I should have abandoned you and let you


    lend for yoursell!¡±


    For once, Larissa shared the same thought as Yvette.


    If Yvette hadn¡¯t brought her along when she married into the Seymour family, she probably wouldn¡¯t


    have survived. On the bright side, she probably wouldn¡¯t have to endure such hardships either.


    Yvette took three deep breaths to calm herself down.


    ¡°I¡¯ve paid one million dors to those troublemakers on your mother¨Cinw¡¯s side to settle things for


    now.¡±


    When she mentioned the one million dors, her tone was dripping with disdain.Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need you to pay me back¨CI know you can¡¯t afford it. Just make sure you don¡¯t cause any trouble


    for me in the future.¡± Yvette continued with an air of superiority, as if she¡¯d bestowed a huge favor upon


    Larissa

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    After Larissa regained herposure, she demanded angrily. ¡°Who told you to use money to appease


    them?


    Those greedy snakes from the Hardy family were insable. After taking the one million dors, they


    wouldn¡¯t just stop there. On the other hand, they would think of more ways to squeeze more money


    from her. Even if she wanted to get rid of them, she wouldn¡¯t be able to.


    ¡°How dare you show me attitude when I tried to solve this issue for you? Yvetle sald Incredulously.


    ¡°Larissa, don¡¯t you know how to be grateful?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not helping me solve it; you¡¯re just creating more trouble for me,¡± Larissa relorted.


    Besides, Yvette did this out of her own interests.


    The Hardy family was trying to pin Travis¡® death on Larissa. If they went to the media again, Larissa


    wasn¡¯t the one who would suffer the most but Yvetle herself.


    In the first ce, the Seymour family wasn¡¯t too fond of Yvette either. Just thinking of their mockery and


    judgemental looks was enough to rile Yvette up.


    ¡°After all these years, you haven¡¯t learned anything useful apart from bing more adept at talking


    back, huh?¡± Yvelle¡¯s voice grew louder. ¡°As your mother. I need to teach you a lesson today! You¡¯d


    better remember to respect your elders!¡±


    She grabbed Larissa¡¯s cor and pulled her up from the chair.


    Using her pointed eather heels. Yvette kicked her behind the knees.


    Tears spilled from her eyes as Larissa winced in pain.


    She quickly grabbed the edge of the desk to prevent herself from falling to her knees.


    Yvette often used this move to subdue her in the past.


    Whenever Larissa didn¡¯t obey Yvette¡¯s wishes, she would make Larissa kneel down before her. Then,


    she would abuse her physically or


    beat her up with a wooden stick,


    One time, she even broke one of Larissa¡¯s ribs. It took three months of staying in the hospital to


    recover, which resulted in Larissa missing her high school entrance examination and having to repeat a


    year.


    ¡°Get down on your knees! Yvette demanded.


    Still standes


    Seeing that Larissa was s


    standing on her feet. Yvelte kicked her on the knees again.


    Larissa¡¯s knees buckled under her.


    At the critical moment. Larissa reached out and grabbed Yvette¡¯s clothes.


    Both of them tumbled onto the ground in a heap,


    Before her body hit the ground, Larissa rolled to one side andnded on top of Yvelte.


    Taken by surprise, Yvette gave an ear¨Csplitting screech of pain.


    Seizing the opportunity, Larissa quickly got up from the ground and ran out of the office.


    She made several turns to make sure Yvette couldn¡¯t catch up to her. Gasping for breath, she leaned


    against the wall to rest.


    In that instant, Larissa¡¯s heart was filled with fear, but also a sense of relief.


    This was the second time in her life that she had made a stand against Yvelle. Furthermore, she


    protected hersell from Yvelle¡¯s physical


    abuse for the first time.


    It wasn¡¯t as difficult as she had imagined.


    Larissa didn¡¯t dare return to her office, nor did she dare go downstairs.


    She sat in the stairwell until the end of the day before slipping away through the hotel¡¯s back door.


    The back door of the Regal Dynasty Hotel was a sale passage used for fire emergencies or major


    idents. Usually, parking was not


    1/2


    allowed near the entrance.


    But today. a Maserall was parked there in r sight.


    At first nce, Larissa thought Yvette was lying in wall for her. Taking a closer look, she recognized the


    familiar car and license te number, Larissa breathed a sigh of relief.


    Kevan honked and rolled down the car window.Content held by N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Get in the car,¡± he said calmly, his face devoid of any emotion.


    Normally, Larissa might have hesitated, but at this moment, sheplied.


    She opened the car door got inside quickly, andstered her seatbelt


    Kevan immediately started the car engine.

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    Chapter 112


    Larissa loaked back from the rear window of the car. She couldn¡¯t see Yvette or anyone else.


    Then, she leaned back in her seal. Slowly her pounding heart rate returned to normal. Then, she


    asked, ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    ¡°I was passing by,¡± Kevan replied indifferently.


    Larissacient be. eve him. ¡°You were waiting for me. Why? How did you know I woulde out from the


    back?¡±


    SUL Kevan insisted, ¡°I just happened to pass by.¡±


    Larissa pursed her lips and stared at him as if trying to lind an answer. However, Kevan didn¡¯t seem to


    care about her gaze and looked at the front steadily.


    Soon, they drove into Foxtail Garden. Once again, Larissa leaned against the car window, I was as


    quiet as it usually was, and there wasn¡¯t a single soul on the street. When the car drove through the


    leaves, it made a crisp sound.


    Then, she saw a strange car parked below their building. The end of the car faced the road, and it was


    hard to figure out if somecre was in the car, making Larissa nervous.


    Kevan stopped their car beside the strange car and tumed off the engine. Larissa didn¡¯t move and


    stared out of the window, trying to hear anymotion from the car next to theirs.


    He followed her gaze and looked over. He raised a brow and asked, ¡°That¡¯s a new car I brought. Do


    you like it?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Larissa quickly bumed to look at him with shock T¨CThis is your car?¡±


    Kevan took out a set of car keys from the glovepartment and pressed a button on them. The other


    car¡¯s lights birked, and there was a beeping sound.


    At that moment. Larissa felt as if all her energy was drained away, and her shoulders dropped. She sat


    weakly and wiped away the cold sweat on her forehead. It turned out to be a false rm.


    ¡°I thought Larissa quickly realized something wrong and chuckled.


    She changed her mind and said. ¡°This car looks good.¡±


    It must be expensive.


    ¡°Do you like it?¡± Kevan asked again. It was a five¨Cmillion¨Cdor Rolls¨CRoyce. It was hard to find


    someone who would dislike IL


    Larissa nodded, ¡°Yes.¡±


    Then, Kevan gave her the car keys. ¡°It¡¯s yours.¡±


    Larissa thought she had misheard or that Kevan must be crazy. After a few seconds of shock, she


    quickly retumed the keys to him.


    ¡°This is Ico expensive. I can¡¯t ept it.¡±


    Kevan didn¡¯t take the keys and said. ¡°It¡¯s just a car,¡±


    Owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    His tone made Larissa think they were simply talking about buying groceries.


    ¡°I will never take back what I¡¯ve gifted.¡± Kevan nced at her before continuing. ¡°Il you don¡¯t want it you


    can throw it away or gift it to


    someone else.¡±


    After that, he got out of the car, and Larissa quickly followed. She held the car keys lightly in her hands.


    ¡°Mr. Rogers


    His attitude was firm which made her helpless. However, Kevan ignored her and walked into the


    elevator, Larissa quickly followed him and extended her hand to stop the elevator door from closing.


    Then, she rubbed her hard that had been squeezed by the doors..


    When she loored up again, she saw Kevan¡¯s dark expression.

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    Chapter 113


    He forcefully pressed the button to open the doors, and the panic in his eyes was obvious.


    Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    ¡°Are you crazy? Do you know how dangerous it is to block the elevator door?¡± he chaslised.


    Larissa had somemon sense, so she knew. However, her first reaction during an emergency


    wasn¡¯t something she could control. So, she hid her hand behind her back.


    Kevan quickly grabbed it and saw an obvious red mark across her hand. He narrowed his eyes, and


    Larissa could feel the danger in his gaze. She quickly pulled away, but he held her hand tighter,


    ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡± His voice was gentle, and Larissa did as told. Then, she fell annoyed. Even though she


    did something wrong, she was the one who was hurl. She didn¡¯t understand why she fell guilty.


    Then, Kevan pressed the button to take them to the twentieth floor. Since Larissa stood further away


    from the button and her hand was held by Kevar, she couldn¡¯t touch it. So, she whispered. ¡®Please help


    me press the button to loor 18. Thank you.¡±


    Kevan didn¡¯t move. Instead, he asked with a frown, ¡°Floor 187 Why do you need to look for Dn?¡±


    In fact, she was just afraid of going home, Kevan didnt give her a chance to answer and said


    domineeringly, ¡°He¡¯s not home yet. Come to my ce first.¡±


    It didn¡¯t sound like there was room for discussion.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Larissa didn¡¯t n to refuse him either.


    This was the first time that Larissa had visited Keyan¡¯s ce after she had moved to Foxtall Garden,


    Although it was separated by a


    ceiling, theyouts of their ces werepletely different.


    Kevan had removed all the partitions, and one could see the whole apartment from the entrance. It


    made the whole ce look extremely spacious. Moreover, it was decorated only with ck, white, and


    gray. There weren¡¯t any other colors.


    The style of his room was cold, just like Kevan¡¯s personality.


    Suddenly, Larissa thought of the passionate night they had, and her ears became red.


    ¡°Do you feel warm? Kevan noticed her face was llushed.


    Larissa cried out in surprise and denied it. Then she used her hand to fan herself to rx


    Kevan walked to the thermostat and lowered the room temperature. After that, he took out a pair of


    new slippers that were fuzzy, pink, and locked like rabbits. They were extremely adorable. Larissa


    locked at them and felt that they looked out of ce.


    ¡°The slippers are new. I¡¯ve kept them in the cab, and no one has wom them before.¡± Kevan noticed


    she hadn¡¯t moved and thought she


    disliked it.


    ¡°Oh, thank you.¡± Larissa nodded. Then, she took off her high heels and wore the slippers. It was just as


    she expected, warm and soft.


    ¡°Where did you buy these? she asked Kevan in surprise. However, she regretted it the moment she


    said that and felt that she was a fool. It was obvious Kevan didn¡¯t buy this himself. He wouldn¡¯t know


    the answer.


    Surprisingly. Kevan gave out the name and address of a store.


    ¡°If you like them, you can take it with you.¡±


    He had already gifled her a car, so what was the big deal of giving her a pair of slippers? His generosity


    shocked Larissa, and she was also


    scared.


    Therefore she waved her hand and said, ¡°No, It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll buy a pair mysell.¡±


    She was scared Kevan would force her to take them. Fortunately, he didn¡¯t insist this time. Then, he


    changed into a pair of slippers himself. They were probably from the same brand. They were fuzzy, but


    they weren¡¯t rabbills. Instead, they were cats.

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    The words ¡°matching set for couples¡± popped into Larissa¡¯s mind, and she quickly rejected the klea.


    The most reasonable answer to this was that he bought all the slippers in the store for convenience. If


    she looked in his shoe cab, she would find What? Nothing inside?


    This discovery was unexpected, and she suddenly found the slippers ufortable.


    All rights ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Then, Kevan put their shoes back into the cab. When he turned back, he saw Larissa staring at the


    shoe cab with aplicated gaze. He wasn¡¯t sure what she was thinking about.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± he asked.


    Only then did Larissa return to her senses and force a smile. ¡°Nothing.¡±


    ¡°Come in.¡± Kaven ignored her. He took off his jacket and simply threw it on the s.


    Larissa followed his order and sat on the edge of the s while Kaven entered the kitchen.


    His kitchen was open, so she could clearly see him opening the freezer door and fumbling through it.


    When he came back, he¡¯d golfen her an ice pack.


    ¡°Put it on your cheek.¡± He put the ice pack on her swollen face. The sudden coldness made her


    shudder, and she shrank back.


    Kevan sat beside her and stared at her face.


    ¡°How did this happen?¡± he asked deliberately.


    Larissa locked down and said, ¡°I met a difficult guest¡±


    Then, she chuckled, ¡°I should¡¯ve listened to you and waited a few more days before returning to work.¡±


    Kaven pursed his lips and saw the sadness in her eyes.


    ¡°Do you need my help? His voice was still cold, but there was also some gentleness to it.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± sheughed. The ice made her face go numb, and she stuck the ice pack lighter to her face.


    ¡°What about you ¨C She tumed to look at him closely and asked. ¡°Are you feeling better?¡±


    When they returned from the hospital yesterday, he couldn¡¯t even stand. Right now, it seemed like his


    complexion was redder. He was


    speaking and walking normally.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Kevan said while leaning his head toward her.


    ¡°You can touch it if you don¡¯t believe me.¡±


    Larissa touched his forehead and felt the temperature was colder than her palms. Only then did


    the


    rx.


    Suddenly, her stomach grumbled as she had not eaten the whole day. Instantly, she blushed while


    Kevan smiled.


    ¡°Hungry?¡± Kevan asked her.


    Larissa touched her stomach and gave a faint response.


    Then, Kevan turned on the TV before taking his jacket and standing up. ¡°Wait for me here. I¡¯m going to


    get some ingredients from the Supermarket. What do you want to eat?¡±


    She stood up and said, ¡°I go too!¡±


    She wasn¡¯t as shameless yet to just sit here and enjoy his treatment. She had already disturbed his


    peace.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Kevan didn¡¯t reject her offer.

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    Outside the apartment building was a supermarket. Most families ying at Foxtail Garden had their


    own nanny, and they rarely cooked. These nannies usually came here early to buy the ingredients they


    needed that day.


    Therefore, when Larissa and Kevan amived, there weren¡¯t a lot of customers, and most ingredients


    were gone, leaving a lew vegetables on the shelves.


    Kevan brought a lobster, steak and some seasonings to save time. When they arrived at the cashier, a


    woman came in from outside and saw Kevan. She asked in surprise. ¡°Mr. Rogers? Why are you here?¡±


    Larissa looked over to see a woman around her fillies. She had a grocery bag on her shoulder, so she


    had to be someone¡¯s nanny.


    ¡°I¡¯m buying some ingredients.¡± Kevan took his credit card back from the cashier before putting


    everything in the bag.


    The woman looked at him and then at Larissa. ¡°Do you need me to prepare dinner tonight?¡±


    Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    Kevan replied, ¡°No.¡±


    Thedy nodded repeatedly and said, ¡°Okay!¡±


    Then, she looked at Larissa again.


    When they left the supermarket, Kevan told her about the woman. ¡°Dn hired her to cook.¡±


    Larissa had guessed it, so she wasn¡¯t surprised.


    ¡°Is Mr. Shieldsing back soon? Should we wait for him for dinner? Although Larissa suggested this


    casualy, the atmosphere suddenly became cold.


    ¡°He won¡¯t be back early. Don¡¯t think about him,¡± Kevan didn¡¯t stop and walked forward quickly.


    In the kitchen, Kevan simply bolled the seafood with some cooking wine and ginger. Then, he took out


    a pan from the kitchen cab and prepared to cook the steak.


    Actually, Larissa wasn¡¯t confident in his cooking skills. He had several positions and managed all kinds


    of activities daily. So, he must not have cooked a lot. She could see how hard it was for him to chop up


    ginger.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t I do it? Larissa apanied him into the kitchen, and Kevan failed to make her leave.


    ¡°It¡¯s line.¡± He unbuttoned his sleeves and rolled them up to show his muscr arms. Then, he stood


    behind her and guarded her head.


    ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡± He opened the cab above her to get an apron. In just a few seconds, from the


    moment he touched her. Larissa felt her


    body stiffen, and her heart pound.


    Even after he left, she was still in a daze.


    ¡°Help me tie this,¡± she heard Kevan say and quickly turned back.


    At this moment, Kevan had his back against her. When she turned to look at him, she found an apron


    around his neck, and two strings


    were hanging on his waist.


    ¡°Oh!¡± Larissa extended her hand to grab the two strings and seriously gave him a beautiful bow.


    ¡°It¡¯s done.¡± Just as Larissa finished, she heard a sneer.


    ¡°You two look like a married couple.¡± It was Dn. Both of them were clueless as to when he returned.


    At this moment, he was leaning against the shoe cab at the door, looking at them with a smile.


    Larissa was surprised by his appearance and shuddered.


    ¡°Why were you so quiet when you came in?¡± sheined.


    ¡°The scene was beautiful and I didn¡¯t want to disturb it.¡± Dn smiled meaningfully.


    Kevan red at him. ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    ¡°Of course, I¡¯m here to eat.¡± Dn walked to the dining room table and sat down.


    Chapter 115


    ¡°Didn¡¯t Julia cock dinner?¡± Kevan nanowed his eyes.


    ¡°She just made me pasta. How could that bepared to lobster and steak?¡± Dn supported his chin


    and smiled Innocently.


    ¡°However, I wanted to see who was the pretty criend that Ju mentioned.¡±

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    Chapter 116


    hapter 116


    Dn deliberately emphasized the word ¡°girlfriend¡® and dragged out the end syble of the word.


    Larissa¡¯s face tumed red, and she immediately exined, ¡°Julia misunderstood the situation.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a misunderstanding. Aren¡¯t you Kevan¡¯s girlfriend?¡± Dn showed a sincere


    expression.


    Just as Larissa was about to retort, he added, ¡°Your contract wasn¡¯t signed for nothing.


    All rights ? N?velDrama.Org.


    That made Larissa shut up. Then, Dn rapped on the table and addressed Kevan, who had been


    standing in ce after he entered the house. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to pan¨Cfry the steak?¡±


    Kevan shot him a warning re and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t prepare anything for you.¡±


    ¡°Well I don¡¯t like steak anyway.¡± Dn acted as if he didn¡¯t understand the meaning of his words as he


    looked at the steaming pot. T have some sealood instead.¡±


    Kevan couldn¡¯t scold him in front of Larissa, so he temporarily suppressed his anger and scooped a


    spoonful of butter into the pan. Dn had no intention of stopping and said, ¡°I need to use the


    washroom. Take off your slippers, and let me wear them.¡± ¡°No!¡± Kevan didn¡¯t turn to look at him.


    ¡°Why are you so stingy? Dn red at him and muttered in dissatisfaction. ¡°We¡¯ve been friends for so


    many years. Now that you¡¯ve moved, you didn¡¯t even prepare a pair of slippers for me. Both of you


    have slippers, and I¡¯m the only one barnt. Don¡¯t you feel ashamed?¡±


    Kevan didn¡¯t care, but Larissa was anxious.


    ¡°Mr. Shields, why don¡¯t you wear mine?¡±


    ¡°No way!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t let him!¡±


    Kevan and Dn spoke simultaneously, their gazes locked on each other. After an intense exchange of


    nces. Dn was the first to avert his eyes.


    ¡°Your slippers are too small and pink. They¡¯re not suitable for me.¡± hemented to Larissa


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to the washroom? What if there¡¯s water on the floor, and you get your socks wet?


    Larissa asked, removing her slippers as she spoke. Her genuine concem made Dn feel


    embarrassed.


    ¡°I was joking. There are disposable sippers in the shor cab. I just don¡¯t like wearing those.¡± Then, he


    walked over to the entrance and retrieved a pair of disposable slippers.


    ¡°Disposable slippers? Larissa was shocked. She had only seen them in hotels, and it was umon


    for people to have them at home.


    ¡°You¡¯re clueless, huh?¡± Dnughed. ¡°The things Kevan prepares for his quests are cisposable.¡±


    Larissa nced down at her feet, feeling helpless.


    ¡°Don¡¯t t you need to use the washroom? Why are you being so talkative? Kevan linally couldn¡¯t tolerate


    him anymore.


    Dn chortled gleefully and said, ¡°Okay, okay. Fine. I¡¯ll stop talking.¡±


    Scon, dinner was served, with two bowls containing lobster and seafood, along with individual servings


    of steak lor Larissa and Kevan.


    Then, he gave Larissa a set of silver cutlery and Dn a pair of disposable cullery and a te.


    ¡°Hey, this special treatment is too obvious, don¡¯t you think? Dnined.


    Kevan didn¡¯t even spare a nce as he said. ¡°If you want to eat, then don¡¯tin.¡±


    Kevan left his sentence unfinished, but Dnpleted it in his mind, ¡°Otherwise, just leave.¡±


    ¡°I think this is convenient to use and saves time on cleaning.¡± Dn lound a justificat on for himsel

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    When they argued, Larissa lell extremely uneasy. Dn was using disposable items like a guest while


    she was


    Lost in her thoughts, Larissa absentmindedly cut into the steak, resulting in a jarring sound as the knife


    grated against the te. Both Kevan and Dn¡¯s gazes snapped to her.


    For a moment, even Larissa was shocked.


    ¡°Finding it difficult to sink your teeth into?¡± Dn jested, a teasing tone in his voice.


    ¡°Not Larissa quickly denied, her gaze shifting towards Kevan. Then, she lowered her head and added,


    ¡°The sleak is delicious.¡±


    Kevan¡¯s culinary skills exceeded her expectations. The steak was cooked to perfection, and he had


    even made the ck pepper sauce himself from scratch. Remarkably, the sauce had an impable


    taste,parable to that of high¨Cend restaurants.


    Kevan seemed to have read her mind and exined, ¡°I bought the slippers because I found them


    adorable. Since no other woman has visited my ce, I thought you could wear them. If you prefer


    disposable slippers, you can wear those too. As for the cutlery, you can also use disposable ones, but it


    will be difficult to cut the steak,¡±


    Then, a yful smile spread across his face as he teasingly Inquired. ¡°Larissa, don¡¯t tell me you


    actually think that I have feelings for you?¡±


    Larissa¡¯s face grew even redder as her thoughts were exposed. His mocking demeanor made her feel


    ashamed of hersell for overthinking.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I will simply y my part and not let it go beyond that,¡± he reassured, and in the same


    breath, said, ¡°I hope you¡¯ll do the same.


    Larissa tightened her grip on the cutlery and forced out an answer. ¡°Okay.¡±


    However, Kevan¡¯s expression grew even more unpleasant upon hearing her response. As for Larissa,


    she lowered her head and focused on devouring the steak. She wanted to finish the meal as quickly as


    possible and escape from the house.


    The atmosphere was extremely awkward. Dn slowed down his pace of eating the lobster. He


    cleared his throat and changed the topic. saying. ¡°By the way, I visited the Juvenson District police


    station today.¡±


    ¡°Why did you go there? Larissa asked after forcefully swallowing the remaining meat.


    ¡°It¡¯s for another domestic violence case. However, while I was there, I also inquired about the progress


    of Travis Hardy¡¯s case. Ollicer Sanders told me that the Hardy family suddenly changed their


    statement. They imed that Travis couldn¡¯t be cured and didn¡¯t have enough money, so he took his


    own life. As a result, the case was closed. But something doesn¡¯t sit right with me. Even if that was why


    he jumped off a building, the Hardy family would have med you and soughtpensation. Yet, they


    just forgave you There must be a reason behind it. Anyway, I just can¡¯t shake this uneasy feeling I


    have,¡± Dn exined, his lips pursed with concern.


    Larissa remained silent. She could do a lot with one million dors, but who knew how long the money


    wouldst? However, the Hardy family wasn¡¯t her biggest problem now. Instead, it was her mother. She


    couldn¡¯t imagine what Yvette would do when she was furious.


    In just ten minutes. Larissa finished her steak. As she set down her cutlery, she couldn¡¯t help but notice


    that Kevan still had half of his


    steak remaining on his te.


    ¡°I¡¯m done.¡± Larissa announced, wiping her mouth with a napkin. ¡°Thank you for the dinner, Mr. Rogers.


    It¡¯s gellingte, and I should head


    back.¡±


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    Although she was talking to Kevan, she dared not look at him.


    On the side, Dn was engrossed in the lobster. When he heard what she said, he widened his eyes in


    shock. ¡°You ate so little?¡±


    Larissa touched her half¨Cfull stomach and smiled. ¡°I try not to eat too much at night. I¡¯ll gett.¡±


    Kevan knew she was lying but didn¡¯t expose her,


    ¡°Pay attention to your safety and call me if there¡¯s anything.¡± he reminded her.


    ¡°Okay,¡± Larissa nodded. Then, as she changed into her shoes, an unexpected pang of bitterness


    washed over her heart. Before she left. she put the car key on the shoe cab.

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    When the door closed, Kevan set his cutlery down on the table.


    ¡°Aren¡®¡± Before Dn could finish his sentence, Kevan discarded all the remaining lood into the trash


    can, including the lobster he had


    peeled.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Cn eximed, but it was toote for him to step Kevan.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to eat it, you can give it to me,¡± Dnined.


    However, Kevan ignored him and cleaned the table with a cold expression. Once he was done, he put


    all the tes into the sink. Then, he


    turned on thep and washed away the dirt on his hands.


    He pointed at the sink and told Dn, ¡°You¡¯re responsible for washing the dishes.¡±


    After saying that. Kevan went to take a shower. Dn was still there when he came out, silting on the


    s and watching TV. Kevan noticed that the sink was new empty.


    Kevan draped the lowel around his neck and asked impatiently, ¡°Why are you still here?


    Dn crossed his legs and adopted a serious expression. ¡°I need to teach you a lesson,¡± he dered.


    ¡°What lesson?¡±


    ¡°A lesson on how to pursue a woman.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that.¡± Kevan turned to leave.


    Dn quickly grabbed at his clothes to stop him from leaving as he asked. ¡°Do you want to be single


    forever?


    Kevan regarded him with a teasingly ambiguous expression and replied. ¡°I have you.¡±


    Thatment made Dn shudder in fear, and he promptly covered his chest in a protective gesture.


    Kevanughed and proceeded to walk ahead. ¡°Tel me how to pursue a woman when you get a wile


    yourself.¡±


    Dn almasi choked but swiftly found a reason to provoke him, ¡°Although I¡¯m not experienced in love,


    I¡¯m far more capable than you. At least I¡¯m not stubborn and unwilling to express my true feelings. You


    can never pursue a girl like that!¡±


    All rights ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Instantly, Kevan came to a hall and his gaze turned cold


    ¡°How do you know I never expressed my feelings?¡±


    His hands clenched into fists inside his pockets. It was because he had been disappointed before and


    lost the confidence to take the next step. Until he was certain of Larissa¡¯s feelings, he wouldn¡¯t take the


    initiative to express his feelings for her.


    Dn was aware of their shared history from when they were younger but he never truly understood


    what Kevan had been through, Perhaps, he had underestimated theplexities of rtionships. With


    a resigned sigh, he conceded, ¡°Alright then. No lesson from me.


    I¡¯m going back.¡±


    As he was changing into his shoes, he nced at the shoe cab and noticed the car key. He turned


    to Kevan and asked. ¡°Did you drive the new car today?


    Kevan didn¡¯t understand what he meant. Dn twired the car key and asked, ¡°How¡¯s the new car?¡±


    When Kevan caught sight of the car logo on the key, he narrowed his eyes and walked over. ¡°Where


    did you find it?¡±


    Dn was taken aback. ¡°On the shoe cab. Didn¡¯t you put it here?¡±


    Kevan¡¯s gaze darkened, feeling forlorn. Then, he tumed back and said, ¡°Take it. It¡¯s yours now.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Dn was stunned.


    No matter how afraid Larissa was of Yvette, she still had to go to work. The next day, she discreetly


    entered the hotel through the back door. She quickly found an excuse to have someone check her


    office. Once she was sure Yvette wasn¡¯t there, she went up.

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    hapter 119


    When Larissa reached her office, she locked the door behind her, feeling a sense of unease settling in.


    Unable to fully concentrate on her work, she found herself constantly on edge, listening intently to any


    sounds or mavemeals outside her office.


    When someone passed by her door, she would freeze and be on high alert. Even after the person had


    moved on, she still felt tense. By the morning¡¯s end, her state of tiredness was no different from when


    she got off work.


    Close to noon, Larissa saved the report she had done halfway and was about to grab lunch. Suddenly,


    she heard lootsteps outside her door again. This time, the footsteps came to a halt right outside her


    door.


    Subconsciously, she held her breath, her senses on high alert as she tried to discem the sounds. Her


    heart was racing.


    Suddenly, there came three knocks on her door, causing her to involuntarily swallow nervously. Then,


    she asked, ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s me.¡± came the voice of a young man, sounding oddly familiar. As Larissa strained her memory to


    ce the voice, he added. ¡°It¡¯s Lucas Hermes.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re alone?¡± she asked warily.


    Her strange question puzzled Lucas for a moment, and he responded, ¡°Yes, I¡¯m alone. Is there


    someone else I should be with?¡±


    Finally, she felt at ease and opened the door. ¡®Why are you here?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m here to talk about business. Lucas smiled.


    Larissa was in doubl ¡°Talk about business?


    In her opinion, Lucas was a trust fund baby with too much free time. They had met twice, but he had


    never mentioned his work


    Lucas pulled out a chair and sat down. He ced his hands on the table, looking as he was ready to


    tak business. Larissa dared not waste time and promptly poured him a cup of water.


    ¡°I only have water in my office.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s line,¡± Lucas said, taking the cup and sipping from it.


    ¡°My girlfriend¡¯s birthday ising soon, and I want to host a birthday party for her at the Regal Cynasty


    Hotel¡±


    ¡°On¡± Larissa immediately understood.


    ¡°You want to book a venue, right? I¡¯m not in charge of that. Sheughed apologetically


    ¡°You should go to the lobby and lind the general manager. She will take you on a tour of the banquet


    halls in our hotel. If you have any questions, feel free to ask her. She can provide you with a detailed


    exnation. Or


    As she spoke. She picked up thendline and said. ¡°I can call her and ask her to meet you at the


    elevator on the second or. All our banquet hals are located on the second and third fleer.¡±


    ¡°Alright


    Lucas put down the cup. a look of disappointment crossing hisce as he touched his nose.


    ¡°I was hoping I could help you out and make your work performance even better,¡± he said, with a hint of


    disappointment in his voice.


    Larissa chuckled and reassured him, ¡°You are actually boosting my work performance by bringing more


    business to the hotel.


    Lucas pursed his lips and nodded in agreement with what she said.


    Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.


    Soon, Larissa contacted Rachel and wrote down her number for him. ¡°This is Ms. Moss¡® phone number.


    If you don¡¯t see her on the second floor, please give her a cal


    Lucas kept it but didn¡¯t leave immediately. ¡°Are you avable on the 23rd? It¡¯s my girlfriend¡¯s birthday


    party, Come and join the fun! You Can bring Mr. Rogers too!¡±


    Larissa grassed that the essence of his statement was encapsted in itsst few words.


    ¡°The work schedule hasn¡¯t been arranged yet, so I can¡¯t promise you.¡± Then, she searched her emall


    for any messages from her secretary regarding that but did not find any.


    However, Lucas had been incredibly helpful, and his personal invitation meant a lot to her. So, she


    responded, ¡°If I have the time. I definitely go. But I cannot guarantee that Mr. Rogers wil be there. I


    can¡¯t make any promises.¡±


    Lucas disappointment was palpable as he soltly replied. ¡°Okay!

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    Alter a few days of bring on high alert Larissa never encountered Yvette again. She surmised that


    Yvette must have returned to Dartham. Larissa thought that Yvetle had probably leamed from the


    Hardy family that her disobedient daughter had finally received a deserving punishment. Although she


    was slightly hurt by the whole ordeal al the very least, her reputation wouldn¡¯t be affected. Hence, she


    didn¡¯t need to stay in Covenlord anymore..


    While Travis fur erat was taking ce, Larissa seized the opportunity to apany Dn to the


    courthouse. With Travis no longer alive, the need for a divorce dissipated. Nevertheless, Larissa had to


    address matters conceiring the house. Substantial evidence emerged, prompting the housing


    authorities to acknowledge their errors and dere the transfer procedures for Travis¡® property as


    invalid. As a result, the ownership transfer was revised. designating Larissa as the rightful owner.


    The entire process was not without its challenges. Fortunately, Dn was there to help her. Hence, the


    court expedited the trial proceedings, allowing for a swith resolution of this intri matter before the Hardy


    family could ask to divide the inheritance.


    As for the matrimonial assets. Larissa didn¡¯t care for them. She knew well that she could never get


    those back and saw no point in expending her time and energy pursuing them.


    After returning to the house, she enlisted the services of a cleaningpany to thoroughly clean the


    premises. She discarded everything that belonged to Travis, as well as a significant portion of her own


    possessions. Alterward, she gathered the remaining items and brought them back to Foxtai. Garden


    When she was done. She put the house up for rent with the help of a real estate agent. She hoped to


    generate some ie through the


    rental.


    Soon, the 22nd of the month arrived, Lucas swung by the hotel to inspect the decorat ons for his


    girlfriend¡¯s birthday banquet. Alter that he went to Larissa¡¯s office and invited her again to join the


    banquet tomorrow right.


    Thetest work schedule was pasted on her office table. Larissa took a quick look and saw that it was


    her day off. So, she agreed to attend the bancurt. Like a child. Lucas couldn¡¯t contain his excitement


    and reminded her before he left, ¡°Don¡¯t forget you have toe tomorrow!


    On the attemoon of the 23rd, he even made a few calls to remind her about the time.


    Finally, on the night of October 23rd. Larissa wore the limited edition dress, a purchase she had made


    bymilling to be Kevan¡¯s girlfriend for six months in exchange. The persistent wine stain was


    eventually eradicated after trying numerous methods.


    Not many people could afford to host a banquet at the Regal Dynasty Hotel. Furthermore, since it


    wasn¡¯t a special holiday, this was the only hall used among the two levels of banquet halls in the hotel.


    Larissa approached the receptionist in the lobby and inquired about the location of the birthday


    banquet. Upon arrival she was greeted by a vibrant disy of colorful balloons adorning the venue, and


    ced in the most conspicucus spot was a banner on the wall that read Happy Birthday.¡± Yet, this was


    just the beginning, as even more wonderful surprises were in store.


    The banquet door swung open, and a steady stream of people began to enter. With each new arrival


    Larissa caught the sound of gasps.


    intensifying her curiosity even further.


    Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    Just as she was about to enter, the waiter stopped her at the entrance. ¡°May I please have your name?


    Lucas didn¡¯t give out invitations but made a quest ist instead. Attendance was meticulously recorded,


    and only those whose names


    appeared on the list were granted entry. Anyone whose name wasn¡¯t on the list was not allowed to


    enter.


    Since the hotel employed numerous waiters, it was understandable that some of them didn¡¯t know who


    she was. Therefore, she


    introduced hersell by stating her name, Larissa Seymour.¡±

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    Chapter 121


    The water soon found Larissa¡¯s name and said, ¡°Okay. Please follow me.¡±


    Larissa stepped inside and was taken aback by the sight of the hall brimming with pink roses. The


    walls, ceiling, tables, and even the chandelier, were adorned with artful arrangements of pink roses. As


    a result, the warm yellow lights reflected a soft pink hue, enhancing the ambiance with a gentle and


    dreamy atmosphere.


    While still in the hobby, she overheard the roses being flown in from abroad. There were about sixrge


    crates of it and it took a team of dozen people to meticulously decorate the venue. It was evident that


    Lucas had spared no expense or effort in organizing this banquet.


    Lucas had reserved a small ballroom with approximately thirty tables. The quests¡¯ names were ced


    on each chair to ensure everyone was in the right ce. Larissa was seated at a table positioned in the


    center of the hall To her surprise, there was an empty seat opposite her, and as she looked closer, she


    noticed that the name written on the ce card was none other than Kevan¡¯s.


    She stared at his name for a while, feeling a mix of emotions, After leaving his house that day, they


    hadn¡¯t crossed paths again. She had heard from Dn that Kevan had gone to Bartham the following


    day. He needed to take the lead on the merger and acquisition at the mainpany, so he wouldn¡¯t be


    back for at least a month or two.


    Larissa was happy for a few days after learning the news. Two months would amount to one-third of


    hall a year. Furthermore, with the realization that she had alreadypleted half a month, the


    remaining time required to fulfill the contract had significantly reduced.


    Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    However, her happiness was short-lived as she suddenly began to feel down. She wasn¡¯t sure if Lucas


    really invited Kevan or if he had some expectations and reserved a ce for him, if Kevan did attend,


    she had to think of how she shouldce him.


    Larissa amived ratherte: by then, the hall was nearly filled. Lucas wasn¡¯t too old, so Larissa assumed


    his girlfriend would be around his ape. The majority of the attendees were young people, and they were


    all dressed in vibrant attire and had cheerful smiles as they engaged in lively conversations about the<ptest inte trends.


    They all exuded vibrant energy, while Larissa felt left out of the lively atmosphere. She scanned the


    room but couldn¡¯t find anyone she knew. Suddenly, she regretteding.


    In the end, she look her seat and yed with her phone. She hoped the banquet could start soon so


    she could leave early.


    At seven o¡¯clock all the lights in the hall were dimmed, and there was amotion amid the crowd.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s a power outage?¡±


    ¡°Regal Dynasty Hotel is such a big hotel, I don¡¯t think so¡­¡±


    Just as the crowd began to pank, music suddenly started ying, and the lights focused on the hall¡¯s


    front door. The crowd quieted


    down as all eyes turned toward the entrance.


    The side door swung open, revealing Lucas in a handsome suit. He held ady adorned in a tiara and


    stunning white dress.


    There was a sweet smile on Lucasce as he looked at thedy beside him. His tall stature shielded


    her from view, preventing anyone


    from catching a glimpse of her face.


    As soon as the host arrived, the guests erupted in excitement, shouting ¡°Lucas Hermes! Lucas


    Hermes!¡±


    To the clueless observers, it might have seemed like a concert was about to take ce. Without dy,


    the couple made their way to the


    center of the stage, turning to face the crowd.


    Finally, Larissa¡¯s gaze fell upon the true identity of Lucas girlfriend. In an instant, her eyes widened in


    shock, and she felt the blood in her


    body freeze.

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    Chapter 122


    The girlfriend tumed out to be Lana Larissa wandered how she forgot that October 23rd was Lana¡¯s


    birthday.


    As she recalled the past, she clenched her handbag so lightly that she began trembling. Before she left


    the Seymours, she had spent every October 23rd hiding under the covers ef her nket in her room.


    She relused to watch the joyful asion happening outside her room or listen to theughter that


    echoed outsice. They were nothing but a reminder of how unwee she was in that family.


    As old memories and negative emotions arose, her breathing turned shallow. Despite the warm


    temperature of the venue, she began to shiver.


    Just then, Lucas cleared his throat in the microphone, which silenced the audience immediately. The


    abrupt silence brought Larissa back to her senses. She got to her feet, deciding to slip away quietly


    before Lana noticed her. However, before she went far, she ran into someone. Aint familiar, manly


    scent lilled her nostrils.


    She froze in her tracks, Raising her gaze, her eyes met Kevan¡¯s gleaming ones in the darkness


    Holding her hand, he asked, ¡°Where are you going?¡±


    His voice was ceep, to begin with. Since he deliberately lowered it, it was even more secuctive and


    alluring. Strangely, it camed her down. Suddenly, Larissa had an urge to hold him, to draw warmth from


    him.


    She extended her arm toward him, but her senses were restored at thest second, causing her to


    withdraw her hand.


    Larissa forced herself to smile at him.


    ¡°Well I just remembered that I need to leave.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not good to leave at the start of an event, isn¡¯t it?¡± Kevan noticed that something was off, and he


    knew why.


    He didn¡¯t let her go. Instead, he held her hard and walked her back to her seat holding her shoulder to


    make sure she sat down. Then, he took the seat next to her, which belonged to him, Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°At least wait until the cake is cut he insisted, brushing his lips against her ear. His hot breath caused


    her to blush and the chill she had been expenencing moments ago vanished.


    Larissa¡¯s mind went nk-Lana, past birthdays, and bad memories suddenly faded. In their ce,


    there was only Kevan upying her thoughts.


    Amotion Jarred her from losing hersell to the rhythm of her thundering heartbeat, and Larissa and


    Kevan tumed to look at the stage.


    At some point, a cake in the form of a castle had been ced beside Lucas and Lana. There was a


    crown-shaped candle on the cake, and its tickering me added a touch of enchantment to the scene.


    When the ns began ying ¡°Happy Birthday,¡± Lucas motioned for the crowd to stop, and the


    cheering died. Holding Lana¡¯s hand, he looked at her affectionately.


    ¡°Today marks the third birthday I¡¯ve celebrated with my little princess.¡±


    The cheesy nickname ¡°ittle princess¡± sent goosebumps all over Larissa. However, when she thought


    about she found it quite litting for Lana. After all, Lana had always been the ¡°tle princess¡± doted on by


    all the Seymours, and like a princess, she lived in luxury ever since she was born.

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    With everyone¡¯s attention on her, Lana, the little princess, smiled proudly during Lucas¡± speech.


    ¡°Two years ago, we were both in Bartham, celebrating her birthday with her family. However, due to my


    job translerst year, we were separated by distance, spending more time apart than together. It


    caused my sittle princess a great deal of hardship. She left her family behind and flew to Covenford to


    spend her 24th birthday with me today.¡±


    Lucas¡¯ hand gradually moved upward, wrapping around Lana¡¯s waist. Affection lilled his gaze, and his


    tone grew gentler as he said. ¡°I hope


    you like everything I¡¯ve prepared for you.¡±


    As his words fell Lana burned her head to look at him.


    ¡°I really like it¡± she said softly.


    All rights ? N?velDrama.Org.


    The audience began to cheer, shouting. ¡°Kiss her! Kiss her!¡±


    They seemed more excited than Lucas himself, Blushing, Lucasughed along with the crowd. He


    looked at Lana but made no moves.


    After a while, he shook his head and said. Tm shy. Let¡¯s skip that¡±


    Immediately, a chorus of boos erupted from the audience, and someone even shouted, ¡°Lucas! What


    kind of man are you?¡±


    It caused a wave ofughter. Even Lucas himsellughed along.


    ¡°There are too many people here, it wouldn¡¯t be appropriate,¡± he said, scratching his nose. Handing the


    microphone to Lana, he asked. ¡°Is there anything else you¡¯d like to say?¡±


    Lana took the microphone and curtsied to the crowd.


    ¡°Thank you foring, everyone.¡± she said, her voice soft and sweet, perfectlyplementing her


    cute doll-like face.


    ¡°And of course¡­¡± She turned to Lucas. ¡°The person I want to thank the most is my boyfriend.¡±


    Lucas¡¯ grin grew wider, and heughed even louder. Without warning, Lana cupped Lucas¡¯ face with


    both hands and tiptoed to ce a light kiss on his lips.


    Lucas froze, staring at her. Meanwhile, screams, whistles, and table-pounding noises erupted in the


    venue due to Lana¡¯s bold actions. Larissa, on the other hand, was shocked.


    She still remembered Lana as a ten-year-old girl in middle school constantly receiving warmings from


    her parents and teachers about not engaging in early rtionships, despite receiving confessions from


    male ssmates every day.


    Larissa thought that, given Lana¡¯s strict upbringing, she would never have a romantic rtionship in her


    entire life-she would end up in an arranged marriage just like she had when the time came.


    But clearly, Lana liked Lucas. So much so that she publicly kissed him, disregarding the strict family


    rules.


    Larissa was surprised to find hersell envious of Lana. She couldn¡¯t help but feel jealous that Lana had


    gained approval from the Seymours. A wave of sadness washed over her as she was reminded of the


    stark contrast between herself and Lana. They were destined to walk different paths from the moment


    they were born.


    It took quite a while for themotion to die down.


    Blushing, Lucas finally said. ¡°Make a wish, Lana.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Lana sped her hands together and closed her eyes. Meanwhile, Lucas watched her intently


    as if she was all that he could see.


    About 30 secondster, Lana opened her eyes and blew out the candles. Then, the lights in the venue


    were turned back on,


    Larissa closed her eyes as they adjusted to the dazzling light. With his hand, Kevan shielded Larissa


    from the light. Through his fingers. Larissa saw Lana and Lucas on stage, holding the cake knife


    together to cut the beautiful cake.


    Lucas wore a happy, silly smile on his face. But Lana¡¯s smile was different. It didn¡¯t quite reach her


    eyes.

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    Chapter 124


    Thinking her eyes were ying a trick on her. Larissa pushed Kevan¡¯s hand away from her face, but


    Lana had already turned around. Soon, the waiters served the dishes, and everyone¡¯s attention


    immediately shifted to the food.


    Lucas and Lana were seated opposite Kevan and Larissa, as those were the only two vacant seats in


    the venue.


    As soon as they stepped down from the stage. Lucas rushed towards Kevan.


    ¡°Mr. Rogers


    Lucas¡® face was flushed, but one could hardly tel. It was due to the warm temperature of the venue or


    his overwhelming excilement from


    sering Krvan.


    Lana, whom he had left behind, was a lew steps behind him. Although she furrowed her brows in


    anger. Lucas was too happy to see his idol that he did not notice.


    Larissa sighed Internally, thinking that men were really clueless.


    Kevan stood up and nodded at Lucas. Smiling at Lana, he said gently. ¡°Happy birthday, Ms. Seymour,¡±


    Having been addressed specifically by him, Lana immediately put on a perfunctory sm le. However,


    when she saw Kevan¡¯sce clearly, her eyes widened in astonishment just like many other women


    before her


    It was at that moment that Lucas turned his attention back to her.


    ¡°Lana!¡± He pulled her to stand in front of Kevan and introduced her enthusiastically. ¡°This man is my


    idol, Mr. Rogers.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Rogers.¡± Lana greeted him. ¡°Thank you foring.¡±


    Her face tumed bright red, and her eyes shone with anticipation as she stole a shy nce at Kevan,


    disying a bashfulness that was nowhere to be seen when she was on stage with Lucas. Larissa¡¯s


    suspicions grew.


    ¡°I thought you wouldn¡¯te today! Lucas was wholly locused on Kevan, utterly oblivious to Lana, ¡°I


    heard earlier that you were on a business trip to Bartham and wouldn¡¯t be back until next month. I was


    disappointed over it for a while. Fortunately, I still held on to a faint hope that you woulde and have


    reserved a seat lur you.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Kevan said softly, ¡°I did go on a business trip le Banham, and I just returned this afternoon. After


    attending Ms. Seymour¡¯s birthday banquet. I¡¯ll be lying back to Bartham tomorrow mairing.¡±


    Well ¨C ¡°It was evident that Lucas was happy, but at the same time, he seemed a bit flustered. ¡°If you¡¯re


    busy, there¡¯s no need to rush


    back here.


    Meanwhile, Lana lowered her head, but she was grinning from ear to ear.


    ¡°Mr. Rogers¡­ you didn¡¯t have to.¡±


    Although she said that she sounded very proud and happy about it.


    ¡°I had no choice,¡± Kevan dered helplessly. ¡°My girfriend insisted Ie back.¡±


    With that he turned to look at Larissa, who was stil sealed. Since he was standing, he could only see


    the crown of her head. However, he didn¡¯t need to see her face to know the expression she had on¨Cit


    had to be an ugly one


    He was right. Larissa had been avoiding Lana, purposelycing away when Lana approached them


    and hiding herce behind her hair. She had gone to such great lengths to y unnoticed but Kevan


    had turned Lucas and Lana¡¯s attention to her, and I made Larissa want to punch him.


    Turning to the direction Kevan was looking, Lucas finally noticed Larissa. Meanwhile, Lana¡¯s smile


    stiffened when she heard Kevan


    Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.


    mention ¡°infriend.¡±

 Chapter 125

    Chapter 125


    Chapter 125


    ¡®Ms. Seymour!¡® Lucas eximed excitedly. ¡°I know it! It was you who got Mr. Rogers here!¡±


    With her back still facing them. Larissa politely replied has nothing to do with me, Mr. Hemmes, He


    came because of you.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be modest Mr. Rogers just said that he came because of you,¡± Lucas insisted, grinning from ear


    to ear.


    ¡°Oh, wait¡± Lucas suddenly eximed, smacking his forehead. ¡°I almost forgot.¡±


    Holding Lana¡¯s hand, he led her over to Larissa and Kevan and made himself some space between


    them.


    ¡°Let me introduce you to them, Lana. This is Larissa Seymour, the manager of the housexeeping


    department at Regal Dynasty Hotel, and she¡¯s also Mr. Rogers¡¯s girlfriend I always thought you twn


    looked alike, and interestingly, you even share the samest name-*


    He was interrupted by Lana before he could frish his sentence.


    ¡°Larissa? My sister? Her voice trembled, and her eyes widened in disbelief.


    Sister. Larissa hadn¡¯t heard that word for many years and she didn¡¯t miss it at all


    Lana was the child of Larisa¡¯s stepfather, Xavier Seymour. She received all the love from both Xavier


    and Yvette Xander, Larissa¡¯s mother. Larissa, on the other hand, had apletely different experience,


    although Lana hadn¡¯t done anything to harm her.


    Due to their five¨Cyear age gap, they had never attended the same school. At home, they lived on


    different floors and had their meals separately. Like water and oil, they never mixed or mingled with


    each other, nor did they meddle in each other¡¯s business,


    Yvette would always tell Larissa to ¡°learn from your sister¡± when punishing her, which caused her to


    dislike Lana from a young age. During her teenage years, Larissa even harbored resentment towards


    Lana.


    Larissa olten thought that her parents would love her if Lana had never existec. However, as she


    matured, she realized that Yvette and Xavier would never treat her as their own daughter, even il Lana


    had never existed. She was the living proof of Yvelle¡¯s dark past¨Ca bastard daughter.


    Hence, her haired for Lana disappeared over Lime. s, despite being reunited with her, there was a


    thom in her heart that stopped her from summoning even the slightest sliver of joy.


    Since her identity had been revealed. Larissa had no reason to hide anymore, Rising to her feet she


    shut a perfunctory, distant smile.¡± Long time no see.¡±


    The sentence let her mouth when Lana rushed forward without warning, wrapping her in a big hug. The


    sudden movement almost caused Larissa to lose her bnce.


    Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Larissa!¡± Lana buried her face in Larissa¡¯s neck, hot tears streaming down her corbone and soaking


    the edge of her dress.


    Meanwhile, Larissa was bewildered by her behavior. After all their sisterly bond didn¡¯t warrant such a


    reaction. Larissa always lell repulsed by the sight of Lana


    However, Lana began to cry harder. ¡°I finally found you! Where have you been all these years?¡±


    As all eyes turned to them. Larissa felt like an animal in a zoo. They were basically free entertainment


    for the onlookers, and that caused her great difort.


    Carefully pushing Lana away, Larissaforted her, saying. ¡°Today is your birthday. Cheer up!¡±


    She exercised all of her sell¨Ccontrol to speak to Lana in a gentle lone.


    Lana immediately smiled, but her tears continued to tricke down her face.


    ¡°I am happy! The wish I made just came true! She embraced Larissa lightly again, crying, ¡°I missed


    you so much!¡±

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    Chapter 126


    Lucas finaly came to the realization that something had happened.


    ¡°Are you really sisters?¡± He was shocked and overjoyed at the same time. ¡°I said¡­¡±


    However, Larissa and Lana didn¡¯t bother to entertain him. Lucas suked brielly before stepping forward


    tofort Lana, who was sobbing uncontrobly. ¡°Alright. You can talk to Larissa privatelyter. Let¡¯s


    eat first.¡±


    Lana let go of Larissa, but in the next instant, she had a change of heart. She swiftly turned around and


    hooked her arm around Larissa¡¯s.


    ¡°I want to sit with Larissa Lana leaned on her shoulders and said coquettishly.


    ¡°But Larissa threw a pleading look at Kevan, but before she could say anything. Lana asked sweetly.


    ¡°Mr. Rogers, can I switch ces


    with you?¡±


    Lana blinked her round eyes at him and puckered her lips beseechingly.


    Kevan replied without any hesitation, ¡°Alright.¡±


    Larissa watched as he left and shifted her hope to Lucas. She thought he might be upset about


    switching seats, but unexpectedly, he was happy to follow Kevan and sat across from her. He even


    eagerly pulled out Kevan¡¯s chair and helped him with the napkins. He seemedpletely unconcerned


    about being separated from his girlfriend. Larissa¡¯sst glimmer of hope was utterly destroyed.


    Lana¡¯s excitement had yet to subside, and she kept talking to Larissa non¨Cstop, babbling on about her


    life for the past few years, which gave Larissa a headache. To make matters worse, the person on her


    right was aplete stranger that had turned around to speak with their other friends. Larissa couldn¡¯t


    find any excuse to escape Lana¡¯s clutches.


    is Mr. Rogers really your boyfriend?¡± Lana suddenly asked, her eyes ncing toward Kevan.


    Larissa hadn¡¯t been paying attention to what Lana was saying earlier, so she had no idea how she got


    to this topic. Her gaze shifted to Kevan, who was sitting across the table. He was cutting his leak


    elegantly, and his eyes were lowered and focused on his te. Lucas was chattering on about


    something, and Kevan had his brows furrowed in annoyance.


    Larissa couldn¡¯t help but smile, Lana and Lucas were Indeed a match made in heaven.


    ¡°Larissa!¡± Lana waved her hands at her to catch her attention.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    is Mr. Rogers really your boyfriend?¡± Lana asked again persistently. She seemed to be really curious


    about this matter..


    Larissa wanted to deny it, but Kevan had publicly announced their rtionship earlier. Besides, they


    had signed a contract. This banquet would most likely be considered as her fulfilling her obligation to


    apany him to events, as stated in their contract.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± she said, nodding.


    Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    Lana¡¯s smile froze momentarily before she urged on with curiosity. ¡°Quick! Tell me, how did you guys


    meet?¡±


    Kevan had yet to provide a script to this question, so it was beyond her knowledge.


    Larissa pondered for a moment before deciding to evade answering by asking her the same question,


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you tell me first? How did you and Lucas meet? I remember our parents were pretty strict in


    terms of dating. It must have been difficult to get their approval for your rtionship¡±

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    Chapter 127


    Chapter 127


    Lanssa had sessfully diverted her attention.


    ¡°We met while studying abroad. He was my senior al the same university, but we were pursuing


    dillerent courses, Cesp te having our own clique for international students, we were the only students


    from Caldor. Although he had another senior, she already had a boyfriend, so she rarely hung out with


    us, leaving us alone most of the time. He really looks out for me too. However, it was only an attraction


    we had for each other back then. It wasn¡¯t until I returned to Calcor atter graduating that we ran into


    each other again at a party. That¡¯s when we discovered that cur parents were good friends. Both sides


    had the intention of bringing us together, and we also enjoyed each other¡¯spany. So I happily


    agreed to be Lucas¡® grfriend once he popped the question.¡±


    It was a pretty sweet love story, but Lana did not serm the slightest bit excited when talking about it.


    Even her expression remained the same throughout. Her smile seemed more like a performance.


    Larissa suddenly recalled the scene when she was cutting the cake with Lucas and wondered if she


    had not been mistaken aller all


    1517


    Seeing that Larssa was lost in thought, Lana cuickly changed the topic back.


    ¡°It¡¯s your tum to tell me your story.¡±


    Larissa guloed; she couldn¡¯t escape it after all


    She lowered her head and snuck a nce at Kevan. He was still focused on his meal. Theble was


    very wide, so he probably couldn¡¯t


    hear their conversation


    Larissa breathed a sigh of relief and began to make up a story. ¡°Mr. Rogers and I met through work. He


    came to our hotel for an inspection, and I happened to be the one serving him. I had just gotten out of a


    marriage, and I fell in ove with him at first sight, so I pursued him


    relentlessly. People say time and effort could move any woman, and this was the case for him. He


    probably felt my sincerity and agreed to


    be with me not long after.¡±


    She didn¡¯t want to portray herself in such a lowly ght, but Kevan was a renowned executive, after all.


    She felt the need to preserve him


    some dignity, even if it was just a story.


    ¡°Is that it?¡± Lana seemed doubtful of the story and took another look at Kevan before adding ¡°I thought


    Mr. Rogers was quite reserved, it


    wouldn¡¯t be easy to win him over.¡±


    Larissa fell her intuition was so sharp that she leared being exposed.


    ¡°He was indeed hard to win over,¡± she admitted helplessly. ¡°I faced numerous hardships when pursuing


    him. I almost gave up, but fortunately, I persevered. Larissa put on an embarrassed yet contented


    smile.


    Lana pursed her lips momentarily before breaking into a wide smile that reached her eyes.


    ¡°You¡¯re indeed so lucky.¡±


    The guests were beginning to leave after dinner. Lar ssa wiped her mouth with a napsin and grabbed


    her purse.


    ¡°I¡¯m done eating¡± she said.


    Kevan got up in response and walked to her side, wrapping his arms around her waist.


    Larissa was taken aback by the sudden intimacy between them, and her body froze, Kevant seemed to


    have noticed it too. He smiled, his eyes twinkling in the dim light


    Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    Then, he brushed away a strand of hair that had falen, tucking it behind her ear, and leaned in toward


    her in front of everyone. His Ups brushed against her earlobe as he whispered, ¡°Shall we go home?


    Larissa fell her cheeks burn, and she tried to put some distance between them, but his hands were


    firmly on her waist.

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    Chapter 128


    Kevan and Larissa¡¯s intimate actions made Lucas avert his gaze. Hisce was as red as Lanas.


    Lana wrapped her arm around Larissa¡¯s other arm, batted her eyshes, and looked at Larissa


    expectantly.


    ¡°Stay with me tonight, okay? I¡¯m staying in this hotel.¡±


    Larissa waspletely distracted by the hand Kevar had ced on her waist and had no intention of


    dealing with Lana. Just then, Lucas happened to turn around and give her a cue.


    Larissa immediately caught on to what he meant and politely declined Lana¡¯s invitation, ¡°No, thank


    you.¡±


    ¡°You came all the way to see your boyfriend, so you should spend more time with him.¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Lana not only ignored her advice but also started to throw a tit. ¡°It¡¯s my birthday, and I¡¯m in


    charge. You have to listen to me!¡±


    She pouted sulkily, her bright eyes wide open, her cheeks streaked with disapporiment, looking like a


    spoiled child. But Larissa wasn¡¯t buying it.


    ¡°Be good,¡± she said.


    Seeing that she was adamant Lana softened her tore and begged while gently nudging her arm.


    Please, prelly, pretty please.¡±


    Larissa didn¡¯t taller, but Lucas was the first to give in.


    ¡°I will have plenty of time with Lanater. If you¡¯re free tonight, why don¡¯t you stay and apany her?


    She has a lot to share with you


    after all these years.¡±


    Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Why would she be free? Revan¡¯s displeased voice boomed, drawing everyone¡¯s attention.


    ¡°Sorry, Ms. Seymour,¡± he apologized with a tight smile and said, ¡°Your sister¡¯s evenings belong to me.¡±


    Larissa felt his crip tighten a bit Lana looked at Lucas, then back at Larissa. Although she was


    unhappy, she didn¡¯t object any further.


    ¡°Well then,¡± she pouted, her expression filled with dejection.


    Larissa pulled her arm out of her grasp and bid them goodbye. ¡°We¡¯ll be leaving now. Goodbye.¡±


    Lana reluctanty watched her leave and said unwillingly, ¡®Goodbye. Larissa.¡±


    The air outside the banquet hall was unusualy fresh. Perhaps it was because the space was no longer


    crowded, or maybe it was due to


    her good mood.


    Larissa raised her head slightly and thanked Kevan sincerely, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°What are you thanking me for?¡± Kevan raised a brow with a mysterious glint in his eyes. ¡°It¡¯s the least I


    could do. After all, you fell in love with me at first sight and put so much effort into winning my heart. I


    should repay you for your ellorts.¡±


    Larissa fell Ike she was struck by lightning. It turned out he had overheard her conversation with Lana.


    She was so embarrassed, and her face immediately flushed red.


    ¡­She asked, and I didn¡¯t know how to respond, so I made up a story on the spot,¡± she exined softly.


    At this moment, she wished she could bury herself in a hole to escape this awkward situation.


    Kevan¡¯s smirk deepened, and his eyes twinkled with amusement. He turned hisce away, softly


    humming, indicating he belleved her


    exnation.


    To spare her further embarrassment, he abruptly changed the topic. ¡°But it¡¯s quite a concllence that


    Lucas¡® girikiend happens to be your


    sister.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is,¡± she hastily agreed.


    She dly hopped on any conversation as long as he stopped talking about what had happened just


    now.


    ¡°I heard from Lucas that your sister is from artern. What about you? Are you from Baithan too? Kevan


    asked casually,


    Chapter


    His question once again stimed up some unpleasant memories from Larissa¡¯s past.

 Chapter 129

    Chapter 129


    Chapter 129


    ¡°Yes.¡± Larissa forced a smile on her face, her voice sounding more airy than before. ¡°I was born and


    raised in Bartham. Later I got into a university in Covenford, and after graduating. I found a decent job,


    so I settled down here.¡±


    She skimmed over the past casually, as if those were nothing more than fleeting memories, including


    her memories with him,


    Kevan instantly felt downcast.


    ¡°Have you not been in contact with your family all these years? Your sister cald she has been looking


    for you.¡± he asked.


    Larissa pursed her lips, took a moment to think, and then shook her head.


    All rights ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Why?¡± Kevan tell his heart tighten suddenly. Although he somewhat knew the reasons, he still wanted


    to hear her express them in her own words. However, Larissa remained silent. The two of them fell into


    a moment of silence, each lost in their own thoughts, creating a strange sense of understanding


    between them.


    They remained silent until they left the hotel. As the cold wind blew, Larissa shivered, finally fully


    awake.


    She suddenly recalled and asked. ¡°Weren¡¯t you on a business trip to Bartham? Howe you¡¯re


    back?¡±


    She didn¡¯t believe his excuse earlier about it being for her, and it couldn¡¯t possibly be for this birthday


    banquet¨Cneither Lucas nor Lana had that much influence.


    Kevan nced at her the light in his eyes dimmed down until it waspletely extinguished.


    ¡°I came back to take care of some matters,¡± he finally answered reluctantly.


    It was just as Larissa had expected. While she breathed a sigh of relief, she couldn¡¯t help but feel a


    slight tinge of disappointment.


    Kevan offered to drop Larissa off on his way home. He was still driving the same Maserati as before


    while his newly bought Rolls¨CRoyce remained parked below their house, not having moved from its


    spot even once.


    Larissa always felt guilt¨Cridden whenever she passed by, especially tonight. Kevan parked the car next


    to the Rolls¨CRoyce, and she made an effort to avert her gaze when she got out of the car.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to feel ufortable,¡± Kevan leaned against the car root, his expression indifferent as


    he looked at her. ¡°Ive already given


    that car to Dn.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t force you to ept gifts you don¡¯t want in the future,¡± he said, leaving unsaid that it also


    epassed his feelings for her,


    The next day, while inspecting one of the quest rooms, Larissa happened to run into Lana.


    Lana immediately grabbed Larissa¡¯s arm and hugged it tightly, calling out, ¡°Larissa!¡±


    She seemed to enjoy expressing her affection physically, which made Larissa feel very ufortable.


    All she wanted to was keep her


    distance from her.


    Lana rested her chin on her shoulder and batted her eyshes, asking. ¡°Are you free? Can you bring


    me around Bartham?¡±


    This was undeniably a big inconvenience. Larissa didn¡¯t want to establish any rtionship with Lana. It


    would be best if she and the Seymour family never came in contact again.


    So she passed the task to Lucas without any hesitation.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you ask Lucas to take you out? I¡¯m quite busy with work, rotating between day and night


    shills. Sometimes, I don¡¯t even get a day off for a whole week. And even if I have a day oft, I just want


    to lie down and sleep at home. I don¡¯t feel like going anywhere.¡±


    ¡°Ah?¡± Lana¡¯s face fell with disappointment.

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    Chapter 130


    In the afternoon. Larissa was called into the office by her general manager. To her surprise, Lana was


    also there.


    Lana didn¡¯t greet her warmly or approach her affectionately this time. Instead, she sat on the sofa,


    wearing a polite smile and exuding an air of elegance. The general manager, still unaware of their


    rtionship, said to Larissa, ¡°I¡¯d like to introduce you to the daughter of Mr. Seymour, the president of


    Cosmic Entertainment. She¡¯s an esteemed guest at our hotel.¡±


    Larissa nodded and followed Lana¡¯s suit of pretending not to know each other. She greeted politely.


    ¡°Nice to meet you. Ms. Seymour.¡±


    Lana mimicked her and replied. ¡°Nice to meet you too.¡±


    ¡°Ms. Seymour is from Bartham, and this is her first time in Covenford. She wants to spend a few days


    here, so please make arrangements to show her around and explore Covenford¡¯s charm for the next


    two days.¡± The general manager finally revealed the purpose of calling


    Larissa


    Larissa had previously thought that Lana was an inexperienced and naive youngdy. She hadn¡¯t


    anticipated Lana using her own status to exert pressure on her through the general manager. It


    seemed that she needed to reassess Lana as a person.


    Since it was a personal request from the general manager. Larissa had no choice but to reluctantly


    ept the task, saying. ¡°Okay.¡±


    Lana quickly took the opportunity and handed her phone to Larissa. ¡°Let¡¯s exchange phone numbers


    so it will be easier to keep in touch.¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± Larissa reluctantly took out her phone and exchanged contacts with Lana


    As soon as Larissa lett, she received a message from Lana.


    ¡°Are you mad at me?¡± Lana asked, followed by a sad emoji,


    Larissa nced at it but didn¡¯t respond.


    Not only did Lana fail to read the room, but she also continued to bombard her with a series of


    messages.


    Tm sorry, sis! I just wanted to spend more time with you. I didn¡¯t mean to pressure you!


    if you¡¯re unhappy, I can tell Mr. Compton right now that I don¡¯t need you to bring me around Covenlord!


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry!¡±


    ¡°Please forgive me!


    The string of notifications from her phone only made Larissa more annoyed.


    She unlocked her phone and replied insincerely. ¡°Im not angry.¡±


    Lana instantly replied. ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the best?


    ¡°I like you the most! Numerous cute emojis apanied this message.


    Larissa didn¡¯t even bother to read the messages Lana sent. She immediately replied, ¡°Where do you


    want to go?¡±Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.


    After a short pause, her phone vibrated again, and Lana¡¯s message popped up. Tm line with any


    arrangements you make.¡±


    It made Larissa¡¯s job easier since Lana had no specific requests.


    Larissa searched the inte, found a travel guide for a two¨Cday¨Cone¨Cnight itinerary in Covenlord, and


    sent the link to Lana,


    After a few minutes. Lana replied, ¡°Alright. We can follow this itinerary.¡±


    Larissa was about to turn off her phone when she realized Lana was still typing in the chatbox.


    Alter a while, she received another message. It read, ¡°Lucas said he wants to treat you to dinner


    tomorrow night. He asks you to bring Mr. Rogers along.¡±


    Larissa fell silent. Lucas¡® persistent pursuit of Kevan was truly remarkable, if it weren¡¯t for the fact that


    he had been dating Lana for the


    Chapter 130


    past three years, she might have suspected his sexual orientation. However, he was bound to be


    disappointed this time.


    ¡°Mr. Rogers is at Bartham right now,¡± she replied.

 Chapter 131

    Chapter 131


    Chapter 131


    Lana remembered Kevan telling Lucas at the banquet the previous night that he needed to fly to


    Bartham early that morning, ¡°Oh, okay¡­ If that¡¯s the case. Three of us having a meal together sounds


    great too!¡± Lana sent her a cute emoji.


    On the first day, Larissa and Lana agreed to meet outside the Regal Dynasty Hotel at eight in the


    morning. Worried that Lana would be early, Larissa arrived at 7.50 am and texted Lana upon her


    arrival, but she didn¡¯t receive a reply. She waited in her car until 8.10 am, but Lana was nowhere to be


    seen, so she called her.


    ¡°Hello?¡± Lana said in a voice that was thick with sleep. She obviously hadn¡¯t gotten out of bed. Larissa


    felt a little angry, but she reminded her mildly. ¡°It¡¯s already 8.10 am.¡±


    ¡°Huh? What!¡± Lana shrieked and exined hastily, ¡°Sorry, sorry! I set an rm for 7 am, but I turned it


    off when it rang. I told myself I¡¯d sleep for just ten more minutes, and I didn¡¯t realize how much time had


    passed


    ¡°Just hurry up and get ready. I¡¯ll buy you breakfast. What would you like to eat? Larissa unbuckled her


    seatbelt and got out of the car.¡± Bread and a cup of coffee. Thanks, sis! Lana said and made a kissing


    sound. If Larissa put everything aside, she could probably be lond of a cute sister like her. s, a


    family like that had made it impossible for her and Lana to be loving sisters. Besides, she wasn¡¯t sure if


    Lana was really as cute and naive as she appeared to be.


    The Regal Dynasty Hotel offered breakfast to its guests every day, leaturing a wide variety of food from


    different cuisines. Additionally, any employee holding a position higher than a manager was entitled to


    special privileges at the hotel¡¯s restaurant. Alter Larissa took bread and a cup of coffee for Lana and


    returned to her car, nearly twenty minutes had psed. However, Lana was still nowhere to be seen,


    ¡°Have you left your room?¡± asked Larissa. A long time passed, but she got no reply. Worried that Lana


    had fallen asleep again, she called her. ¡°I¡¯m still doing my makeup. I¡¯ll be ready in about ten more


    minutes!¡± said Lana. Larissa suppressed her impatience and said calmly,¡± Hurry up before the bread


    and coffee get cold.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± Lana replied, but she made her appearance fashionablyte¨Cafter a dy of thirty minutes. It


    was alreadyte October, and the weather had turned bitterly cold. The temperature could drop below


    ten degrees in the morning. Lana was dressed in a fuzzy pink sweater on top, but she had only paired


    it with denim shorts and white sneakers at the bottom, leaving her thighspletely exposed.


    All rights ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Although Larissa was sitting in the car with the heater on, she couldn¡¯t help but shiver for Lana¡¯s sake.


    She pulled her shirt cor higher before winding down the passenger side window and shouting. ¡°Hey,


    over here!¡± Lana had been scanning the hotel entrance, seemingly searching for her. Hearing her


    voice, Lana finally looked in the direction of the humble¨Clooking car by the roadside.


    Larissa caught a brief glimpse of shock and disdain on Lana¡¯s face before she climbed into the car,


    immediately recing it with a winning smile. ¡°Sorry, sis, I overestimated how fast I could do my


    makeup.¡±


    Larissa couldn¡¯t help but notice her wlessly applied makeup, with lipstick eyeshadow eyeliner,


    blusher, and highlight, leaving no detail overlooked. As Larissa briefly nced at her own bare face in


    the rearview mirror, the contrast to Lana¡¯s appearance was stark. If she had known Lana would bete,


    she would have taken the time to put on makeup too.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Larissa responded, acting forgiving. She reminded herself at that moment that Lana wasn¡¯t


    her stepsister but an esteemed guest of the hotel. As a dedicated hotelier, Larissa understood the


    importance of maintaining herposure and not losing her temper. regardless of any lines that guests


    might cross.

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    ¡°Here¡¯s your breakfast Larissa said as she turned around and reached for the takeaway bag from the


    backseat. She pressed her palm against it to check the temperature and added. ¡°The car healer has


    been on the whole time, so it should still be warm.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, sis!¡± Lana¡¯s smile stretched until her eyes nearly disappeared, but she did not immediately


    open the bag after taking it. Instead. she assessed the car¡¯s interior. ¡°Larissa, why do you drive such a


    cheap car? Lana asked casually, but Larissa still saw the scorn and disdain in her eyes. Atst, Lana


    rested her gaze on Larissa and said, ¡°I heard from Mom that she gave you a credit card with one


    million dors when you left home. Didn¡¯t you use it?¡±


    Larissa recalled the credit card incident. It was back when she had just graduated from university and


    started working at the Regal Dynasty Hotel. One day. Yvette phoned her, showering her with warm


    regards and concern for her, causing Larissa to feel uneasy. Yvette had then uttered, ¡°Your father,


    sister, and I miss you, Come home for a visit.¡±


    Larissa had been skeptical of Yvette¡¯s words, but at that time, her rtionship with her family wasn¡¯t


    completely broken yet. Therefore, she had gone home for a visit upon Yvette¡¯s insistence. During the


    initial two days of her return, Yvette had showered her with more smiles than she had ever received in


    the past 22 years. She had taken Larissa shopping and bought her clothes, makeup, and whatever


    else she desired. To top it off. Yvette even gave her a credit card loaded with one million dors. ¡°The


    PIN number is your birthday.¡± Yvette had informed her.


    Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.


    At that moment, Larissa nearly wept. She had always thought that Yvette had forgotten her birthday.


    Yvelle hugged her and consoled her gently, ¡°You¡¯re my daughter. How could I forget your birthday?¡±


    After that, Larissa took to Facebook and shared a status that read. ¡°The most blessed moment of my


    life.¡± However, such bliss did notst very long.


    On the third day, Yvette dropped a bombshell on Larissa, revealing that they had arranged a marriage


    for her with a director of Soaring Corporation, ¡°I¡¯ve looked into that guy. His family is rich and influential,


    although he¡¯s a bit older. But most men with sessful careers aren¡¯t young anymore. Once you marry


    him, you won¡¯t even have to lift a finger anymore and can just live life like a princess,¡± exined Yvette.


    Then she added proudly. ¡°Don¡¯t you think mommy always gives you the best?¡±


    Larissa had gone cold all over, and she felt as though she had plummeted from the gates of heaven


    back into the depths of hell For the first time in here, she went all out and argued with Yvette fiercely.


    Since they had already exposed their true selves. Yvette could no longer be bothered to put on an act.


    After scolding Larissa, Yvette locked her in her room, leaving her feeling like a prisoner.


    Larissa threatened her by starving herself, but Yvette remained unmoved. One time, Larissa even


    heard her telling the housekeeper in charge of sending her meals. ¡°Let her starve if she won¡¯t eat!


    She¡¯ll marry that man as long as she¡¯s still breathing!¡±


    In those few days, Larissa had cried all her tears out. Eventually, the housekeeper could no longer bear


    to witness her suffering and ndestinely let her go in the middle of the night. The housekeeper had


    said through tears. ¡°Lyssa never return to this ce once you leave! Remember, this is no longer your


    home. Don¡¯t ever look back!¡±


    Only after she had gotten back to Covenford did she realize that the credit card was in apartment


    in her suitcase. The housekeeper had helped her pack her suitcase at thest minute, and she must


    have stuffed everything on Larissa¡¯s desk inside, Just as Larissa was about to throw the card into the


    trash, she suddenly fell the urge to check if there really was a million dors inside. However, the


    biggest joke was when she inserted it into the ATM and keyed in the six¨Cdigit PIN number, the screen


    showed the words. ¡°Incorrect PIN¡°!

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    ChChapter 133


    There was no way she could forget her own birthday, so the only valid exnation was that Yvelle had


    never set the PIN number to her birthday at all! However, she couldn¡¯t be sure if Yvette had


    remembered her birthday wrongly or just lied to her. When she got home, she cut the credit card in half


    with a pair of scissors.


    Larissa took her sunsses from the glovepartment and put them on to hide her icy gaze. ¡°No,¡±


    she answered inly.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you use it?¡± asked Lana in confusion. Then, she seemed to have thought of something, and


    tears welled up in her eyes.¡± Larissa, do you still hate Mom and Dad?¡± Her voice quivered, growing


    softer with each word.


    ¡ª


    Larissa pursed her lips, using her silence as a confirmation. Lana blinked, and her tears streaked down


    her face. ¡°Actually, Mom and Dad were doing it for your good Back then, the man they wanted you to


    marry was the director of Soaring Corporation Although he¡¯s much older, you could have lived the life of


    a queen if you had married him!¡± She echoed the exact words Yvette had spoken in the past.


    Larissa contemted saying, ¡°Then why don¡¯t you marry him?¡± but she restrained hersell, preventing


    her bitterness from spilling out. Instead, she opted for a less confrontational response. ¡°I¡¯m just not into


    older men.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Lana sniffled and retrieved a tissue, delicately wiping her tears away. ¡°But reality proves that


    She started smiling again and continued, ¡°You made the right choice that time. Otherwise, how could


    you have met someone as fine as Mr. Rogers?¡±


    Larissa smiled and replied. ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± However, behind her sunsses, her gaze remained icy.


    Larissa dedicated the entire day to showing Lana all the renowned attractions in Covenlord. However,


    Lana received a call in the evening and expressed her regret, saying, ¡°Lucas has to work overtime


    tonight and won¡¯t be able to join us for dinner.¡± Larissa had been nning to get away with some


    random excuse after meeting with Lucas, but her n fell apart before she knew it.


    Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    When it was almost time for dinner, she asked Lana, ¡°What would you like to eat? The culinary


    offerings in Covenford differed greatly from those in Bartham, creating a stark contrast. Lana struggled


    to adapt to the local vors, barely consuming a few bites of each dish during the afternoon meal


    before setting her spoon aside. Larissa had ended up finishing the remaining food. Lana frowned and


    said, ¡°I don¡¯t really feel like eating.¡±


    ¡°Then what do you want to do?¡± Larissa nced at the itinerary she had printed out, but there were no


    activities she could move up from the next day¡¯s n. Suddenly. Lana rolled down the window and


    pointed at a signboard outside. She asked excitedly but tentatively. ¡°How about you bring me to a bar?¡±


    Larissa tilled her head and saw that the signboard read ¡°Bar Avenue.¡± It dawned on her, albeit


    btedly, that they had inadvertently arrived at Lido Street, infamous for being Covenford¡¯s prime spot


    for the city¡¯s most attractive and charming individuals. Despite its name, Lido Street was actually a


    narrow alley impassable for cars. Along the alley, vibrant neon signs adorned the surroundings,


    creating a captivating and dazzling disy of lights.


    ¡°Why would you go to a bar?¡± Larissa asked. She had naturally taken on the role of the elder sister, and


    her tone was stern. Lana pouted miserably.

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    Chapter 134


    ¡°I¡¯ve never been to a bar- Lanained meekly. ¡°You know how strict Mom and Dad are with me.


    As long as they think that something¡¯s bad, then they won¡¯t let me do it. I¡¯m already 24, but they still


    treat me like a kid, worrying about this and that. I thought they would be less controlling once I had a


    boyfriend, but they didn¡¯t change at all. I only had someone new bossing me around, and that¡¯s Lucas!


    I¡¯ve wanted to go to bars and see more of the world since I came of age, but I¡¯ve never even set foot in


    one until now.¡± Lana leaned against Larissa and rubbed her cheek against Larissa¡¯s arm like a kitten.


    ¡°Lyssa, I¡¯m begging you. Just take me once please?¡±


    Though Larissa had never approved of Yvette and Xavier¡¯s parenting methods, she found hersell


    agreeing with them for once. ¡°Bars are messy and dangerous. It¡¯s no ce for a girl to visit.¡± Especially


    more so for girls like Lana, who looked cute and innocent. They would easily be prey to men with


    bad intentions. Perhaps, Lana thought Larissa was much more understanding than her parents and


    Lucas, so she continued pestering her. Til go just this once!¡± She raised her hand as ifking an oath


    and implored, ¡°Take me inside to have a look. If you don¡¯t feel good about it, we¡¯ll leave immediately.


    Please?¡±


    Larissa remained resolute and still did not give in. Firstly, bars weren¡¯t a suitable ce for Lana.


    Secondly, if Yvette found out that she had taken Lana to a bar, Yvette would make Larissa¡¯s life hell


    again. She stepped on the gas, and the car shot past Lido Street Lana leaned against the window


    staring at the Bar Avenue signboard fading into the distance. A mncholic silence enveloped Lana as


    she lowered her head and fiddled with her phone expressionlessly..


    Larissa stole a nce at Lana and couldn¡¯t help but feel a little sorry for her. ¡°If you truly want to


    experience a bar¨Clike setting, we could visit the restaurant bar at Regal Dynasty. The environment is


    good, and the clientele tends to be more refined. Besides, the live band there is famous,¡± she


    proposed, trying to find a middle ground with Lana


    Lana couldn¡¯t be persuaded. ¡°Restaurant bars don¡¯t have the same exciting atmosphere.¡± Lana retorted


    coldly. She seemed like apletely different person than she was earlier.


    Larissa dropped the topic since Lana rejected her. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to have dinner. I just drop you


    back at the hotel¡± said Larissa. She turned the steering wheel and drove up the slope to the hotel¡¯s


    entrance.


    Lana was pressing her phone screen at a furious speed, and her phone was vibrating non¨Cstop. She


    was probably texting someone. ¡°A


    friend of mine is also in Covenford, and we agreed to have dinner, Drive me to Parker Mall¡± she


    instructed.


    Parker Mall was a massive shoppingplex in Covenford near the Regal Dynasty Hotel. It would be


    convenient for Lana to return to the hotel after dinner. ¡°Okay,¡± said Larissa and drove Lana there. She


    only drove off after seeing that Lana had met her friend.


    At 2 am, Larissa got woken up by her phone ringing. With her eyes closed, she felt for her phone and


    immediately answered the call


    without seeing the caller ID. She put it to her ear and said, ¡°Hello?¡±


    Lana¡¯s voice was choked with sobs over the phone. ¡°Lyssae and save me, quick I¡¯m at Quinn Bar


    on Lido Street, and a gang of people is blocking my way out of the toilet-


    203 not to go


    Larissa immediately grew wide awake and asked hoarsely, ¡°Why did you go there? Earlier, she had


    specifically warned Lana not to anywhere and return to the hotel right after dinner!


    ¡°¡ª¡°Lana stuttered for a long time, but she couldn¡¯t finish her sentence.


    ¡°Okay. It¡¯s okay,¡± Larissa interrupted while scratching her head in frustration. ¡°I¡¯m calling Lucas right


    away.¡±


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    ¡°Don¡¯t!¡± Lana shouted, ¡°You can¡¯t let him find out about this! He¡¯ll definitely tell Mom and Dad!¡±


    Larissa paused as she was about to hang up. ¡°Then wait for me.¡± she said. She crawled out of bed


    helplessly and put on a thickyer of clothing as fast as she could.


    Larissa recalled her own experiences of going to a bar twice with her colleagues, which they had


    visited as arge group each time. There was a mix of male and femalepanions on both


    asions, and nothing overly dramatic urred. However, she also vividly


    remembered witnessing a bar fight once. A few drunk men had relentlessly hit each other with beer


    bottles and didn¡¯t stop even when the


    other person was already bleeding on the floor.

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    That was why Larissa was very worried about Lana, fearing that she would face the same predicament.


    She knew better than to venture into such ces alone, as not only would she be unable to protect


    Lana effectively, but she might also be entangled in trouble herself. However, she couldn¡¯t tell


    Lucas, so she had no choice but to ask for Dn¡¯s help.


    Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.


    Dn stopped his car outside the building and rolled down the window. ¡°Sit in the back¡± he instructed.


    Larissa, puzzled by the request. nodded and opened the rear door nheless. To her surprise,


    someone was already inside. The dim lighting cast a soft glow, lending a warm aura to Kevan¡¯s face.


    The cor of his brown jacket was pulled up to his chin, obscuring a quarter of his face, and his eyes


    looked. brighter than usual in the dark.


    Larissa paused, and her heart inexplicably skipped a beat. However, the moment she remembered that


    Lana was still in danger, she cast all her other thoughts aside and quickly climbed into the car. ¡°Sorry


    for disturbing your sleep and dragging you out in the middle of the night guys,¡± she said.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. We weren¡¯t in bed yet anyway,¡± Dn responded, stifling a yawn. He offered an awkward


    smile before changing the subject.¡± But, since when did you have a little sister?¡±


    Larissa found it challenging to exin herplex family background within the limited time avable.


    Thus, she opted for a simplified rification. ¡°She lives in Bartham and is here to visit her boyfriend.


    She arrived two days ago.¡±


    ¡°Why would your sister ask you to rescue her when she has a boyfriend? There was a note of


    disapproval towards Lana in Dn¡¯s tone.¡± Isn¡¯t she worried that you¡¯ll get in danger too? Larissa


    sighed and said, ¡°Her boyfriend doesn¡¯t allow her to go to bars


    Dn snorted and said, ¡°So she¡¯s taking advantage of you?¡± Larissa spread her hands helplessly and


    said, ¡°I¡¯m her sister, after all¡® Dn drove at top speed and arrived at Lido Street in less than thirty


    minutes. The whole time, Larissa texted Lana to make sure that she was safe. They could only stop the


    car at the mouth of the alley and walk inside.


    They saw quite a number of drunkards on the way. Groups of men and women were loudly


    congregating, their revelry filling the air. Unfortunate scenes of people vomiting against the walls, with


    their disgusting vomit sttering onto the ground, became an all¨Ctoo-mon sight. Larissa nced


    at Kevan, fully expecting to see a grimace of disgust on his face. ¡°Sorry,¡± she said softly. A look of


    confusion appeared in Kevan¡¯s eyes as he responded. ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t be in a ce like this if it weren¡¯t for me,¡± Larissa¡¯s voice got softer as she hung her head


    low.


    ¡°That¡¯s why you should think about how you¡¯ll make it up to me once this is over,¡± Kevan said


    arrogantly, walking past her, his shoulder


    brushing against hers.


    Quinn Bar was the biggest and most famous bar on Lido Street. Rumor had it that many celebrities and


    scions came to party here, making


    it the perfect ce for matchmaking.

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    Chapter 136


    Quinn Bar had a total of three floors. The first floor was the lobby, the second floor was a bar, and the


    VIP rooms were on the third floor.


    Several stall members stood as sentinels, stationed near the staircase between the first and second


    floors. The guests could only enter the bars after having their identification cards checked.


    Upon reaching the second floor, Larissa instinctively covered her ears, taken aback by the deafening


    electronic dance music that engulfed


    the space.


    The bar was dimly It. The multicolored lights overhead cast a purple-reddish hue on the patrons


    mingling below, masking everyone¡¯s faces with the same color.


    A group of stylish youngsters was dancing on the dance floor, swaying their bodies to the music freely.


    The booths nearby were filled with groups of people drinking.


    Lana mentioned that she was trapped in the women¡¯s restroom on the second floor.


    Larissa stopped a passing waiter to ask for directions. Although she shouted at the top of her voice and


    gestured with her hands, it took several tries before the water understood.


    ¡°The women¡¯s restroom? Go to the end and turn lell,¡± the walter replied in a loud voice as well,


    Navigating through the dense crowd proved to be a challenge for the trio. As they pushed their way


    forward, they encountered several girlsing from the opposite direction. They seemed to be leaving


    the women¡¯s restroom in haste, with annoyed and fearful expressions.


    Larissa couldn¡¯t help but quicken her pace.


    A group of young men with colorful dyed hair and tattoos on their arms were hanging around the


    entrance of the women¡¯s restroom. Each of them held a lit cigarette in their hands.


    Smoke filled the air, and the irritating smell made Larissa¡¯s nose itch. She turned around and gave a


    loud sneeze.


    Behind that group of young men, a bald man was forcefully pounding on the door of the women¡¯s


    restroom with his strong lists, sneering.¡± Hey, gorgeous! Just give up and stop resisting. Come out and


    have some fun with us!¡±


    With a frown. Kevan held Larissa¡¯s hand and brought her to the corridor next to the restroom, which led


    to the staff office in the back. Dn folowed after them.


    There were not many people passing by because it was far from the dance floor, so it was rtively


    quiet. At least they could hear each


    other talk at a normal volume.


    Kevan reached out to Dn and said. ¡°Give me the car keys.¡±


    Dn took out the keys from his pocket and threw them at him. ¡°What for?¡±


    Kevan ced the car keys in Larissa¡¯s palm. ¡°You go and wall in the car. Lock all the doors and then


    call the police. Leave this to Dn and me.¡± Looking into her eyes, he spoke slowly and clearly, word


    by word.


    Larissa hesitated. ¡°Can the two of you handle it?¡±


    Neither of them was as well-built as that bald man pounding on the door. Moreover, he was


    apanied by a group of young men.


    In the first ce, this matter had nothing to do with them. Out of loyally, they came along for moral


    support. She couldn¡¯t just abandon them and let themce the danger alone.


    Dn casually ced his arm on Larissa¡¯s shoulder, but when his eyes mel Kevan¡¯s cold gaze, he


    withdrew his arm sheepishly.


    ¡°Ms. Seymour, you see, the worst thing you could do to a man is to doubt his capabilities,¡± he said with


    a meaningful nce.


    Realizing that she might have offended them, Larissa¡¯s face turned red all of a sudden. ¡°No, I didn¡¯t


    mean that


    However, she was interrupted by the sudden ringing of her phone.


    It was Lana who called, and she was crying harder than before. ¡°Larissa, have you arrived? I¡¯m so


    scared! Those men keep banging on the door. I feel like they¡¯ll break it down soon


    1/2


    Larissa¡¯s chest tightened with worry. Unconsciously, she tumed and nced brielly In the direction of


    the restroom.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid.¡± she reassured Lana softly, ¡°I¡¯m here already. I call the police right now, so you need to


    hold on a little longer.¡±


    ¡°Call the police?¡± Lana screamed in shock, ¡°No, don¡¯t call the police! If the police arrive, they will take


    me to the police station! Dad and Mom will definitely kill me! Larissa,e and save me now! Don¡¯t call


    the police! Make sure no one knows about this!¡±


    Larissa was still thinking of how to convince Lana when the phone was suddenly snat ched out of her


    hands. She turned around and saw Kevan holding up the phone against his ear with a dark expression


    on his face.


    ¡°How do you expect your sister to save you? Do you want her to rush in alone? Ms. Seymour, are you


    being malicious or just foolishly nave?¡±


    The atmosphere around him seemed to freeze over as his


    as his narrowed eyes were filled with mockery.


    The temperature around him dropped to freezing point, and his half-closed eyes were like an icy pond,


    filled with nothing but mockery.


    Lana¡¯s crying came to an abrupt hall. ¡°Who are you? Are you Mr. Rogers?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about who I am¡± Kevan said, ¡°Gather anything that can be moved in the


    restroom and stack them behind the door. Use a mop or any sturdy object to brace the door it possible.


    Then, hide in one of the stalls, lock the door, and wait patiently for the police toe and rescue yAll rights ? N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 137

    Chapter 137


    Chapter 137


    ¡°Alright.¡± Intimidated by Kevan¡¯s domineering aura, Lana¡¯s intense emotions calmed down somewhat.


    ¡°Don¡¯t hang up so that we can hear what¡¯s happening on your end.¡± Kevan continued.


    They heard a loud noiseing from the other end of the call as soon as he finished speaking.


    Immediately after, Lana screamed in terror. ¡°They¡¯re inside the restroom!¡±


    In a panic, Larissa forgot Kevan¡¯s earlier instructions. She grabbed his sleeve and hurdledly pulled him


    towards the restroom, eximing,¡± Let¡¯s go and save her now!¡±


    The very next second, Kevan pulled her back.


    Returning the phone to Larissa, he mped his hands on her shoulders and bent down to meet her


    gaze. ¡°Listen to me. Go outside and stay in the car. I won¡¯t let anything happen to Lana.¡±


    Kevan spoke with such certainty that Larissa couldn¡¯t help but trust him. His steady gaze gradually


    calmed her pounding heart as she stared into his eyes


    ¡°Okay.¡± She nodded.


    Kevan and Dn returned to the restroom.


    The door to the restroom had been busted open, and two people stood guard at the entrance. The rest


    must have gone inside.


    Even from a distance, they could hear Lana¡¯s cries for help and the unrestrainedughter of the men.


    ¡°Larissa, save me!¡±


    ¡°Calling for help is useless! However, if you call me daddy, maybe I¡¯ll be gentler to youter!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯te near me! Go away!¡±


    Kevan and Dn exchanged a meaningful nce. Unanimously, they walked up to the women¡¯s


    restroom.


    The two men guarding outside the restroom nced over when they noticed Kevan and Dn. Seeing


    that it was just two men, they didn¡¯t pay much attention and continued minding their own business.


    However, it wasn¡¯t until Kevan and Dn approached them that they


    Looked up for a second time.


    ¡°Are you blind? Can¡¯t you see that the men¡¯s restroom is over there?¡± One of them a rechead, cursed


    impatiently while taking a drag from


    his cigarette.


    He exhaled a cloud of pungent smoke in Kevan¡¯s face. Smelling the strong smell of alcohol on his


    breath. Kevan took a step back in disgust. With one kick to the stomach, he brought the rechead to his


    knees.


    The redhead held his stomach, writhing and screaming in pain.


    The other man with green hair discarded his cigarette and swiftly snuffed it.


    ¡°You motherfucker-


    Before he could approach Kevan, Dn grabbed his cor and threw him over his shoulder in one


    smooth move.


    The green¨Chaired man sprawled on the ground, grimacing in pain.


    ¡°You


    Before he could finish, Dn kicked him in the face.


    All rights ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°If you can¡¯t speak politely, then shut up.¡±


    The men inside the restroom heard themotion outside and emerged one after aroller.


    Kevan pulled the redhead up from the ground and threw his Imp body at the first person who was


    coming towards them.


    When the first person fell over, he hit the train of men behind him, and they toppled over consecutively


    like dominces.


    Kevan er lered the women¡¯s restroom and saw the bald man dragged Lana out of the stall. She was


    helplessly pinned against the wall.

 Chapter 138

    Chapter 138


    Chapter 13 8


    ¡°Let go of me! Don¡¯t you dare touch me! Lana cried out in despair, her h oar se voice cracking.


    Her makeup was long ruined by the tears that streaked across her face.


    Her pink hoodie was torn in the struggle, exposing her bare shoulders.


    The bald man heard themotion and turned around.


    Seeing his underlings lying in a heap on the ground, he was both surprised and furious.


    ¡°Who the f uck are you? He released Lana and grabbed a mop that was leaning against the wall,


    swinging it forcefully toward Kevan.¡± Da mn it how dare you ruin my mood!¡±


    Kevan stopped his attack without hesitation by grabbing the mop handle with his bare hands. The bald


    man was caught off guard. Seizing the opportunity, he cave the mop a strong tug, causing the bald


    man to lose his fooling and fall forward.


    Just as the bald man was about to crash into him, Kevan sidestepped out of the way and kicked him


    behind the knees.


    With a thud, the bald man copsed onto the ground.


    While the fight was going on, Larissa cautiously maneuvered through the drunken crowd, trying to


    avoid eye contact with anyone to stay out of trouble.


    Getting into Dn¡¯s car, she followed Kevan¡¯s instructions and locked the car doors.


    She had called the police as soon as she left the bar. Now all she had to do was patiently wail in the


    car for the police to arrive.


    Larissa gripped her phone tightly, waiting for Kevan¡¯s call while anxiously looking out the window.


    Overwhelmed with anxiety and worry, Larissa felt as though her heart had risen to her throat,


    suffocating her with its presence.


    Aber about ten minutes, the sound of loud sirens drew closer and closer. The fashing red and blue


    police lights stood out against the


    dark sky.


    Larissa was so relieved that tears threatened to spill from her eyes. She hastily opened the door andContent is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    stepped out, frantically waving to the police. ¡°I called the police! Pleasee here quicky!¡±


    When Larissa arrived back at Quinn Bar apanied by the police, a crowd had already ama ssed in


    the lobby on the first floor. More people were running down from upstairs.


    The police stopped someone and asked. ¡°What happened here?¡±


    *There¡¯s an interse fight going on in the second-llcor restroom Many people have been injured! Officer,


    please hurry up and go take a


    look¡± the man eximed,


    The police officers quickened their pace and rushed upstairs.


    The background music at the bar had stopped, and everyone was rushing downstairs.


    Larissa and the police officers had to go against the crowd. With much difficulty, they squeezed through


    the frenzied crowd, pushing their way through to the women¡¯s restroom.


    ¡°Why are you so slow? Dnined with a frown. ¡°We¡¯ve already settled everything.¡±


    The group of young men Larissa had seen just now were unconscious. They were all pied up and


    stacked on top of each other. Dn was sitting cross-legged on top of the heap, staring down at them.


    Larissa was stunned by what she saw.


    She had thought that Dn and Kevan would surely be at a disadvantage against so many of them.


    ¡°What about Mr. Rogers and Lana?¡± she asked Dn,


    Dn pointed behind him. ¡°They¡¯re inside the restroom.¡± He stood up and said to the police, ¡°You


    should call these thugs first.¡±


    The police officers finally snapped out of their daze. They look out their handculls and restrained the


    unconscious thugs one by one.


    1/2


    Chapter 13 8


    ¡°There¡¯s one more inside,¡± Dn informed them nonchntly.


    Two men were still entangled in a fight inside the womer¡¯s restroom.


    Kevan had the bald man pinned to the ground punching him square in the face with every strike.


    The bald man¡¯s face was bruised and swollen, his nose bleeding profusely.


    The police quickly rushed forward and separated them,


    ¡°Police! Don¡¯t move!¡±


    Kevan stopped assaulting the bald man and stood up. Ciscreetly, he pulled down his shirt sleeves so


    that they covered his wrists.


    Concerned for Kevan, Larissa walked up to him. At that moment, Lana emerged from one of the stalls.


    Her disheveled hair and tattered clothes were evidence that she had been harassed and vited.


    ¨C

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    Chapter 139


    Larissa swilly turned on her toes and hurried to Lana¡¯s side. Supporting her arm, she gently draped her


    hoodie over Lana¡¯s shoulders.¡± Are you okay? Did you get hurt?¡±


    Lana shook her head, but her gaze was fixed on Kevan.


    ¡°Mr. Rogers,¡± she called out timidly, ¡°are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Kevan responded indifferently, without even ncing at her.


    Lana¡¯s eyes welled with tears as she bit her lower lip.


    ¡°What happened here?¡± a police officer spoke up sternly.


    Lana spoke up first pointing at the bald man lying motionless on the floor. ¡°This man tried to vite me.


    Luckily, Mr. Rogers arrived in time. Otherwise. I would have been


    She hung her head and sobbed, overwhelmed with sadness.


    Given that everything at the scene aligned perfectly with Lana¡¯s description, the police did not leel the


    need to ask further questions. They proceeded to coprehend all the thugs and brought them back to


    the police station lor interrogation. The only female police officer on the team even came over to


    comfort Lana after her ordeal.


    The thugs who had been overpowered by Kevan and Dn were in such a battered state that they


    required the assistance of the police officers to remain on their feet. They could barely stand on their


    own, relying on the support provided by the officers to maintain their bnce.


    As they were escorted out of the bar, the thugs couldn¡¯t contain their anger and frustration. They


    unleashed a barrage of curses and verbal abuse toward Kevan, directing their vitriol at him. The bald


    man, who appeared to be their leader, departed with a brazen threat his voiceced with menace. ¡°You


    bastard, just you wall!¡±


    Lana with drew her arm from Larissa¡¯s grip and huddled up next to Kevan trembling. She locked up at


    him and apologized shyly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for dragging you into this mess. Mr. Rogers.¡±


    Kevan distanced himself from her and said nonchntly. ¡°That¡¯s alright,¡±


    Lana blicked her eyes, and the welling wetness within them transformed into cascading tears thatAll rights ? N?velDrama.Org.


    streamed down her cheeks.


    She bit harder on her lower lip. Without lipstick on, the paeness of her lips was evidert.


    The police bundled the thugs in the police car and instructed Dn to drive behind them.


    Kevan opened the door to the backseat of the vehicle and ordered, ¡°Larissa,e here.¡±


    Larissa walked over. ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°Get in the car.¡± Kevan didn¡¯t mince words with his orders. However, this directness and brevity did not


    in any way diminish his


    unwavering authority


    ¡°Okay.¡± Lanssa responded, already ustomed to taking the back seat in Dn¡¯s car, so she didn¡¯t


    refuse.


    Kevan closed the door and went around to the other side to get in the car.


    Lana stood aside, staring at Kevan without blinking. She did not make any move to get in the car.


    Dn observed her every move with amusement. With a teasing tone, he asked. ¡°What¡¯s the matter,


    Ms. Seymour? Do you not want to sit


    beside me?¡±


    Lana snapped out of her thoughts and quickly shook her head in denial. ¡°No, of course nol!¡±


    She quickly got into the car.


    As Kevan and Dn were not at fault, they could leave aller giving their statements


    Dn started the car and asked, ¡°Shall we drop Ms. Seymour off at the hotel first?¡±


    Lana turned around and looked at Larissa ruefully, ¡°Larissa, I¡¯m scared! I don¡¯t want to y at the hotel


    alone! Her beseeching eyes were


    1/2


    filled with pleading.


    Larissa understand that Lana could be emotionally affected after experiencing such a traumatizing


    incident. She reluctantly agreed. saying, ¡°Alright, you can stay at my ce tonight.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the best! Lana immediately smiled happily.


    After Dn parked the car downstairs, Larissa, Kevan, and himself unbuckled their seal bells


    simultaneously.


    Lana locked at them in surprise, her eyes widening. ¡°Are you all getting out of the car?¡±


    Dn chuckled lightly. ¡°Of course, Mr. Rogers and I will escort you two upstairs!¡±

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    Lana blushed shyly. ¡°Sorry to trouble both of you.¡±


    Dn suppressed augh. ¡°No trouble at all. It¡¯s the least we can do.¡±


    Rolling her eyes, Larissa gave Dn a disapproving nce but ultimately didn¡¯t expose him.


    The four of them entered the elevator, and Dn pressed the buttons for floors 18, 19, and 20 in order.


    ¡°What?¡± Lana turned to look at him, her big eyes filled with confusion. ¡°Why did you press the butons


    for three floors?¡±


    Dn pursed his lips, pretending to be mysterious. ¡°You¡¯ll seeter.¡±


    The elevator quickly arrived on the 18th floor. After the doors opened, Dn stepped out and waved to


    Lana ¡°Goodbye, Ms. Seymour.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Lana¡¯s eyes widened, but before she could get an answer from Dn, the elevator doors closed


    again, Lana turned to look at Larissa


    ¡°Mr. Shields lives on the 18th floor.¡± Larissa exined. I live on the 19th floor, and Mr. Rogers is on the


    20th.¡±


    ¡°You all Ive in the same building? Lana was surprised. ¡°That¡¯s weird¡±


    She looked at Larissa and then at Kevan. ¡°Aren¡¯t you in a rtionship? Why don¡¯t you live together?¡±


    That question stumped Larissa,


    However, before she coulde up with a reasonable excuse, Kevan asked, ¡°Ms. Seymour, do you


    live with your boyfriend?¡±


    He raised his brow slightly as it he had discovered something scandalous.


    Lana immediately shook her head. ¡°Oh, no! Lucas and I have strict upbringing, so


    With a smirk, Kevan continued, ¡°So, do you mean that Larissa and I don¡¯t have a good upbringing?


    ¡°No, no!¡± Flustered, Lana was on the verge of tears again. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean that! Mr. Rogers, please don¡¯t


    misunderstand me!¡±


    With a ding, the elevator arrived on the 19th ar.


    Larissa grabbed Lana¡¯s hand. ¡°Mr. Rogers is just puling your lea. We¡¯re here. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Just as she took a step forward, Larissa stopped in her tracks and turned to Kevan with a slight smile.


    ¡°See you tomorrow.¡±


    Kevan was caught by surprise at her smile.


    Larissa had init ally arranged for Lana to sleep in the guest bedroom, but Lana vehemently refused,


    tightly holding onto her sister¡¯s arm. ¡°If I sleep alone. I have nightmares!¡± Lana pouled, her eyes


    brimming with tears,


    Larissa had no choice but toply.


    To amodate Lana¡¯s needs, Larissa gave up using therge bathtub in the master bedroom and


    instead opted to shower in the guest bathroom.


    Lana took an unusually long time in the bath, to the point where Larissa began dozing off. Just as sleep


    started to overtake her, the sound of the bathroom door opening jolted her awake.


    Larissa¡¯s eyelids were heavy with fatigue, and she made the decision to simply let hersellll asleep.


    However, Just as she was about to drift off. Lana grabbed her arm and shook her with urgency and


    vigor.


    ¡°Larissa! Where do you keep your hairdryer?¡±


    Mustering up thest ounce of her energy, Larissa replied, ¡°It¡¯s in the cab under the sink. Get it


    yoursell. I¡¯m too tired to stay awake. After you finish blow-drying your hair, remember to turn off the


    lights and go to sleep.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Lana replied obediently. Relieved, Larissa closed her eyes again.


    Not long after, she heard a loud rumbling noise that seemed to be right next to her ear. Struggling to


    open her eyes, Larissa saw Lana af her bedside, drying her long, well curls with the hairdryer,


    1/2


    Chapter 140


    ¡°Why are you drying your hair here?¡± Larissa¡¯s curl tone hinted at her annoyance. The noise from the


    hairdryer was so loud that she couldn¡¯t go back to sleep. In addition, the water dripping from Lana¡¯s


    hair was forming a puddle on the ground.


    Lana answered innocently. ¡°There¡¯s only one socket here. Where else can I do it if I can¡¯t dry my hair


    here??All rights ? N?velDrama.Org.

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    Chapter 141


    Larissa closed her eyes and suppressed her rising frustration.


    She pointed towards the bathroom. ¡°There¡¯s a socket on the wall next to the sink. Go there and dry


    your hair beforeing out.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Lana unplugged the hairdryer and entered the bathroom obediently.


    Larissa got off the bed and wiped up the puddle of water with tissue paper.


    By the time Lana had finished blow-drying her hair, Larissa was already fast asleep.


    Lana climbed into bed with Larissa and burrowed under her nket. Grabbing her arm, she shook it


    vigorously, calling her sister¡¯s name.¡±


    Larissa


    Lana persisted until she finally woke Larissa up.


    Unable to put up with her antics any longer, Larissa snapped impatiently. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    Lana was startled by her sharp tone and bit on her lower lip, tears welling up in her eyes. ¡°I can¡¯t sleep.


    I wish to talk to you for a while. However, if you¡¯re tired, it¡¯s okay. You can go back to sleep. Don¡¯t mind


    me.¡± Lana wiped away her tears with the back of her hand as she


    forced a smile. After saying that, she rolled over, facing away from Larissa.


    Larissa could clearly hear her sniffles and see her restless movements. Letting out a heavy sigh,


    Larissa chose topromise. She asked


    in a gentler tone. ¡°What do you want to talk about?¡±


    ¡°Larissa, go to sleep!¡± Lana hurriedly said. ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about me!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m not tired.¡± Larissa denied it, although her words contradicted how she truly felt. ¡°I¡¯ll chat


    with you for a while and then go to


    sleep.¡±


    Lana turned around and asked doubtfully, ¡°Really? Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°Yes, really,¡± Larissa replied.


    Immediately. Lana hugged Larissa and rubbed her face against her sister¡¯s chest, eximing. ¡°You¡¯re


    the best!¡±


    Larissa chuckled.


    ¡°By the way, why is there no trace of another person in your house? I noticed that you only have your


    toiletries in the bathroom,¡± Lana


    asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m living alone, so of course, there are only my toiletries.¡±


    ¡°Then, has Mr. Rogers never stayed overnight at your ce?¡± Lana seemed very interested in Larissa¡¯s


    rtionship with Kevan.


    ¡°No,¡± Larissa answered firmly.


    ???


    Lana¡¯s voice trailed off. Inexplicably, she sounded pleased at Larissa¡¯s reply. Then, she continued.


    ¡°Anyway, Larissa-Lana suddenly sat up and identally bumped her head into Larissa¡¯s chin.


    ¡°Ow!¡± Larissa took a sharp breath and held her throbbing chin.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry!¡± Lana apologized in a panic.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡± Larissa gently rubbed her sore jaw and continued with a grimace, ¡°What did you want to


    say?¡± Her pronunciation was unclear


    due to the pain.


    Lana¡¯s attention was instantly diverted. Since Mr. Rogers helped me out so much today, I will buy him


    something in return and go to his


    ce to thank him tomorrow!¡±


    Larissa rejected her suggestion. ¡°He doesn¡¯t like people going to his house.¡±


    ¡°Then we can go to his office!¡±


    ¡°We would only disturb him at work.¡±


    ¡°We can go during lunch break and have a meal together!¡± Lana seemed unwilling to give up until she


    achieved her goal.


    Chapter 14


    Larissa sighed in exasperation. ¡°Sut yourself¡±


    Since Lana was unwilling to listen to her advice, there was no point in continuing this fruitless


    conversation.


    Having decided to meet Kevan Lana began to think about what gift to get him. ¡°Giving flowers and fruits


    is too clich¨¦, and Mr. Rogers might not ever like them. He probably wouldn¡¯t ept an expensive gift,


    but I can¡¯t give him something too cheap either


    Suddenly, she smacked herself on the forehead. ¡°How about cooking a meal for him? Let¡¯s get up early


    to buy groceries tomorrow! It won¡¯t put too much pressure on him, and it will show my sincere


    intentions to thank him. Isn¡¯t it a great idea?¡±


    Larissa was too exhausted to fullyprehend what Lana had just said. She simply replied, ¡°Alright,


    suit yourselOriginal from N?velDrama.Org.

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    Chapter 142


    At 7 am, Ladssa was roughly awakened by Lana. They had only slept for less than two hours.


    As they walked to the supermarket, Larissa couldn¡¯t stop yawning. She had to put in much ellort to


    keep her drooping eyelids open; otherwise, she would just fall asleep at any second.


    On the other hand, Lana was full of energy. She seemed to have forgotten everything that had


    happened yesterday. ¡°Hurry up, Larissa! If we arete, we won¡¯t be able to buy fresh ingredients!


    Dragging her sister. Lana walked at a brisk pace.


    The supermarket was different from the tamers¡¯ market. It officially opened at 0.30 am.


    When they arrived, the store clerks were still moving boxes of freshly delivered vegetables into the


    supermarket. Some shelves were still empty, and no one was at the weighing station or the checkout


    counter.


    Standing at the entrance of the supermarket, Lanained, ¡°Larissa, why didn¡¯t you tell me that


    they open at 8.30 am? III had known would have pul on some makeup before leaving!¡±


    Larissa was too exhausted to even argue with her.


    Lana asked one of the store clerks to help her choose a whole chicken, two pork ribs, and some


    vegetables. She counted on her fingers as she listed cff the items she needed for her meat


    ¡°Would it be enough if I prepared a roast chicken, mushroom soup, and some barbecued pork ribs?¡±


    Larissa answered drowsily. ¡°It should be enough.¡±


    ¡°Larissa, do you know how to cook these dishes? Lara asked sheepishly.


    Ubon hearing that Larissa instantly woke up. ¡°HUN?¡±


    Somewhat embarrassed, Lana mumbled. I¡¯ve never co cked before, so I might need your h.¡±


    However, it tum rd out that Lana needed more than just some help. She hardly knew anything about


    cooking. She had no idea that pork ribs needed to be nched or how to properly marinale a chicken.


    Besides that, she didn¡¯t know the cooking time and the required oven


    temperature for roasting a chicken, Furthermore, she couldn¡¯t even cut up vegetables or operate the


    oven.


    After Lana  certally sshed hot oil on her hand and dropped the pan in fright, Larissa reached her


    breaking point and promptly chased her cut of the kitchen. ¡°Ill do the cooking, You Just tel. Mr. Rogers


    that you made the dishes yoursell¡± Larissa sald.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Lana bit her Ep in hesitation. ¡°Is that okay?¡±


    lled the meat skillfully. ¡°As long as you are sincere in showing your gratitude, it would


    Larissa ced the pork ribs on the frying pan and grilled the


    be fine,¡± she said calmly. ¡°it neither of us says anything. Mr. Rogers won¡¯t know that you didn¡¯t make


    this yourself.¡±


    Lana grinned immediately and hugged her from behind happily. ¡°Thank you so much, Larissa!


    Larissa offered to take Lana to the Microworks Building, but she refused. Tll go by mysell. You¡¯ve been


    through a lot sincest night. You should have a meal and gel a good sleep.¡± Lana sounded like a


    considerate little sister.


    Larissa didn¡¯t really want to go out either. Since Lana insisted, she agreed without any argument.


    However, right after finishing her meal, she received ad stress call from Lana.


    ¡°Larissa, pleasee to the Microworks Building right now! The security guard won¡¯t let me In without


    a visilor¡¯s pass!¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you call Mr. Rogers? Larissa asked her.


    Before leaving, Lana specifically asked her for Kevan¡¯s phone number so that she could contact him


    when she arrived at his office.


    ¡°I called, but no one answered. He¡¯s probably in a meeting.¡± Lana urged anxiously, ¡°Please bring me


    the visitor¡¯s pass before the food


    turns cold?


    Larissa was about to say that she didn¡¯t have a vis tor¡¯s pass either, but Lana had already hung up,


    Larissa sighed. It seemed like her n to take an afternoon nap was ruined once again.


    Due to her extremetique, Larissa didn¡¯t dare to drive hersell so she took a tad to the Microworks


    Building.


    Lana stood outside holding a bag while a security guard watched her intently from inside the automatic


    doors.


    As soon as Larissa appeared, Lana waved at her, ¡°Larissa! Over here!¡±Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

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    Larissa got out of the taxi and walked briskly towards Lana.


    Staring at Larissa¡¯s backpack, Lana stretched out her palm. ¡°Where is the visitor¡¯s pass?¡¯


    ¡°I don¡¯t have a visitor¡¯s pass.¡± Larissa said.


    Lana¡¯s expression immediately darkened, and she demanded harshly. ¡°Then why did youe here


    without a visitor¡¯s pass? Are you here to see me make a fool of myself?¡±


    Her brazer atillude annoyed Larissa. She had nned to ask the security guard she metst time to let


    Lana in, but she had now changed her mind.


    ¡°I made ns to meet a friend nearby, so I came here to let you know that I don¡¯t have a visitor¡¯s pass.


    I¡¯ll be on my way now. You can try calling Mr. Rogers again. Maybe his meeting is already over.¡±


    Suddenly, the automatic doors opened. ¡°Ms. Seymour


    The security guard she was acquainted with appeared and greeted her warmly, ¡°Why have youe?¡±


    Larissa quickly put on a smile. ¡°just happened to pass by.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± The security guard was taken aback for a moment and smiled awkwardly. ¡°Well I wish you a


    pleasant day!¡±


    ¡°Thank you, and you too,¡± Larissareplied.


    Lana watched their pleasant interaction and stopped Larissa as she lumed to leave.


    ¡°Larissa, do you know the security guard here?¡±


    Before Larissa could speak, the security guard answered the question in her stead. ¡°No, not It¡¯s the


    other way around. We all know Ms. Seymour


    ¡°Why?¡± Lana was puzzled.


    ¡°It¡¯s a direct order from Mr. Rogers.¡± the security guard said with a nervous smile. ¡°Mr. Rogers made it


    clear that no one should impede Ms. Seymour from entering the building; otherwise, our entire


    department would be at risk of losing their jobs.¡±


    Larissa was stunned by what she heard. Although her heart was surging with emotions, her face


    showed no trace of IL


    The security guard was probably exaggerating. She didn¡¯t remember Kevan saying such things


    previously.


    With that thought, her raging emotions calmed down slightly.


    On the other hand, Lana¡¯s spirits seemed to have dampened for unknown reasons.


    ¡°I am Ms. Seymour¡¯s younger sister. Can you let me in now?¡± she asked the security guard.


    Without a moment¡¯s hesitation, the security guard shook his head. ¡°Mr. Rogers¡¯s order applies only to


    Ms. Seymour. No one else can be


    allowed in unless she keeps youpany.¡±


    Lana pursed her lips and squeezed out a smile. She wrapped her arms alleclionately around Larissa¡¯s


    and pleaded coquettishly, ¡°Larissa, since you¡¯re already here, would you please bring me in?¡±


    Larissa pretended to look at her phone. ¡°I¡¯m going to bete for the appointment with my friend. You


    should just wait for Mr. Rogers.¡±


    ¡°Larissa!¡± Lana let go of Larissa¡¯s arm and clung tightly to her sister¡¯s waist like a sc. ¡°Please


    apany me inside the building! I won¡¯t take much of your time. You cane back down


    immediately


    Considering Lana¡¯s esteemed hotel guest status. Lanssa couldn¡¯t forcefully push her away. Amidst the


    curious gazes of people passing by, Larissa agreed reluctantly. ¡°Fine.¡±


    During her previous visit to the Microworks Building, Larissa had only been to Zern¡¯s studio. She didn¡¯t


    know which loor Kevan¡¯s office was on. However, she couldn¡¯t just openly ask the security guard for


    directions, as I would expose her as Kevan¡¯s pretend allend.


    While waiting for the elevator, she secretly sent a WhatsApp message to Dn asking about it.


    1/2


    Dn¡¯s reply came almost immediately. It read. ¡°Hs presidential office is on the 69th floor,¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Are youing to see him?¡±


    ¡°Do you have something to tell him? Or are y


    you just having a meal together?¡±


    ¡°Have you told him about this? Do you need my help to surprise him?¡±


    His messages kept popping up one after another.


    Larissa repled to thest message. ¡°Yes, Lana came to thank him for saving herst night.¡±


    Dn sent another message. He wrote. ¡°I saved herst night too. Why isn¡¯t she thanking me?Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 144

    Chapter 144


    Chapter 144


    Larissa asked Lana ¡®How many servings did you pack?¡±


    Since Larissa had prepared all the dishes, Lana rsisted on personally packing the food as a way to


    express her sincerity.


    Larissa decided to let Lana do it since packing food required no skill at all, She didn¡¯t pay close


    attention to how much Lara had packed into the lunchbox.


    Avoiding Larissa¡¯s gaze. Lana lowered her head and said in a trembling voice. ¡°I only brought enough


    for Mr. Rogers, What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Nothing. Larissa had no right to criticize Lana for not being considerate. She hersell hadn¡¯t thought of


    reminding Lara to bring an extra portion for Dn before he questioned her.


    ¡°You go upstairs first. Mr. Rogers¡® office is on the 69th floor. When you get there, ask someone for the


    exact location. I¡¯ll go out and buy something for Mr. Shields. After all, he also helped a lot yesterday.¡±


    Lana¡¯s jaw dropped when she realized her mistake. Covering her mouth, she eximed in regret ¡°Mr.


    Shields! How could I farget about him!¡±


    The elevator arrived at that moment. Lana quicklyposed herself and stepped into the elevator with


    an apologeti smile. ¡°I¡¯ll have to trouble you, Larssa!¡±


    Although Larissa didn¡¯t expect Lana to apany her. Lana¡¯s entitled request and abrupt departure


    annoyed her to no end. She was tempted to just leave Lana here, without caring whether her actions


    would attend Dn.


    Suddenly, her phone vibrated with another message from Dn. It read, ¡°Did she really forget about


    me?¡±


    Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    Just by reading the message, Larissa could sense his evident disappointment.


    In the end, she had a change of heart. She replied, ¡°No. Il bring some food up to your office


    immediately. Which floor is your office on?¡±


    Larissa bought coffee and sandwiches from the Starbucks next door and brought them up to the 69th


    floor.


    ording to Dyan, his recently establishedw firm was situated on the same floor as Microworks


    Corporation¡¯s presidential office. The two offices upied distinct spaces and were Irked by a private


    door essible only to Dn and Kevan, Furthermore, there was a single elevator that provided


    exclusive ess to thew firm, separate from the other elevators.


    Dn asked Larissa to go to Kevan¡¯s office with Lana first so that she wouldn¡¯t have to wander around.


    He would go to Kevan¡¯s office to meet up with themter.


    ¡°Go with Lana?¡± Larissa uttered those words under her breath sarcastically. However, she simply


    replied, ¡°Okay.¡±


    Aexiting off the elevator and burning a corner, Larissa arrived at the presidential office.


    As Larissa approached the door, she heard someone inside speaking. ¡°Our president is a very busy


    man. He doesnt have the time to meet


    with any random person.¡±


    siting voice sounded like it came from a young woman, Although her voice was sweet, the words were


    sharp.


    ¡°Are you calling me a ¡®random person¡®?¡± The other voice clearly belonged to Lana. ¡°Do you even know


    who I am?¡±


    Lana sounded impatient as well. It was obvious that she was going to lose her temper.


    The young woman snorted with disdain. ¡°Aren¡¯t you just a gold diggerntasizing about hooking up with


    a millionaire?¡±


    ¡°You!¡±


    The brewing lension in the room made Larissa unable to stand by and watch any longer. She entered


    the room and saw Lana confronting a woman with wavy red hair, dressed in a cream suit.


    Other spectators in the office were looking at the scene with interest.


    Lanssa¡¯s appearance diverted everyone¡¯s allertion.


    ¡°And who are you?¡± the woman with wavy hair asked. Her attitude wasn¡¯t any better than when she


    spoke to Larissa.


    ¡°I am Mr. Rogers¡®¡ª Larissa hesitated.


    She was uncertain if Kevan desired to publicly announce their ¡°rtionship¡± within thepany,


    However, she also couldn¡¯t openly state that they were merely friends in front of Lana


    ¡°I¡¯m his family.¡± Larissa finally said.


    As Kevan¡¯s girlfriend, she could be regarded as part of his family. Il Kevan preferred not to reveal their


    rtionship¡± publicly, he could Inform his employees that she was a distant cousin or some other


    rtive.

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    Chapter 145


    Everyone, including Lana, was stunned by Larissa¡¯s words.


    The woman will wavy hair was the first to regainposure. She retorted, ¡°How can you prove that


    you¡¯re Mr. Rogers¡¯ family and not some crazy woman infatuated with him? You might be making this


    up!¡±


    With that, she red at Lana with disdain.


    Switching to another approach, Lana burst into tears and threw herself into Larssa¡¯s arms. ¡°Larissa,


    they¡¯re bullying me!! just wanted to express my gratitude to Mr. Rogers, but they used me of trying


    to seduce him! As my older sister, you should stand up for me!¡±


    The woman with wavy hair was appalled when Lana revealed that Larissa was her sister. ¡°You¡¯re her


    sister? She just imed to be Mr. Rogers trend! Both of you are dishonest fraudsters! Caral call the


    security guards to kick them out!¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± A woman, presumably Carol, immediately picked up the phone on her deck.


    Larissa wasn¡¯t worried at all since the security guards at Microworks Building knew her.


    ¡°I really am a family member of Mr. Rogers. I call him right now if you don¡¯t believe me. Larissa pulled


    out her phone.


    ¡°Your sister just tried this tactic to deceive me, so don¡¯t even try.¡± the wavy-haired woman sneered, ¡°I


    suggest that you think of another way.¡±


    Larissa looked at Lana questioningly.


    Lana nodded ruefully and said defeatedly, ¡°Mr. Rogers hung up on my call twice.¡±


    Larissa thought for a moment. ¡°Could it be that Mr. Rogers is still in a meeting?¡±


    The woman with wavy hair burst into mockingughter. W. Rogers hasn¡¯t had any meetings this


    moming! Can¡¯t youe up with a more convincing excuse that won¡¯t be so easily debunked?¡±


    Larissa was surprised, Dn had told her before that Kevan had two numbers, one for work and one


    for personal use. The number she had saved on her phone and given to Lana this morning was his


    private line.


    Few people knew of this number. Kevan usually answered it whenever she called, except during


    meetings. Larissa fourd Kevan¡¯s number on her phone and made a call


    The wavy-haired woman crossed her arms and stared at Larissa smugly. ¡°Do you think Mr. Rogers will


    answer just because you used another phone-


    Before she could finish her sentence, Larissa¡¯s phone speaker emitted Kevan¡¯s monotonous voice,


    Interrupting the conversation. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?


    His opening ine was as brief as always.


    The wavy-haired woman stared in astonishment while Lana¡¯s expression darkened with resentment.


    Larissa breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°We¡¯re outside the presidential altice. Can youe cut and meet


    us?¡± she asked.


    ¡°The presidential office? Are you at the Microworks Building?¡± Kevan sounded slightly surprised.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Immediately after, they heard the sound of a chair berg dragged across the floor.


    ¡°Wait for a moment.¡± Then, the call was cut off.


    Soon, a cacophony of voices greeting Kevan was hearding closer and closer.


    The wavy-haired woman hurriedly turned around and greeled Kevan respectfully. ¡°Mr. Rogers?¡±


    Lana quickly followed suit. ¡°Mr. Hogers!¡±


    Kevan acknowledged them with a nod. Without sparing them another nce, he walked straight up to


    Larissa. Fixing his gaze on the paper bag in Larissa¡¯s hand, he raised a brow, asking, ¡°Is this for me?¡±Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.

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    Chapter 146


    ¡°What?¡± Larssa instinctively hid the paper bag behind her back and smiled awkwardly. ¡°No, It¡¯s not for


    you.¡±


    Lana stepped forward, proudly holding the bag up in her hand as if it were a precious treasure.


    Enthusiastically, she piped up. ¡°This is the one for you!


    Kevan gave her a nonchnt nce, showing little interest in Lana¡¯s gift. ¡°Let¡¯s go to my office,¡± Kevan


    said as he grabbed Larissa¡¯s hand.


    The astounding scene left everyone¡¯s jaws dropped in disbelief.


    Gritting her teeth in anger. Lama tralled after the two of them.


    Kevan¡¯s office turned out to be smaller than what Larissa had imagined. It was about the same size as


    his bedroom. It was divided into two areas, a workspace and a reception area for guests.


    The workspace had a desk, a few chairs, and arge bookshelf filed with books. The reception area


    had only a s and a colles table.


    Despite its small size, the office locked spacious due to theck of boundaries between the two areas.


    The monochrome design of the office, with predominantly ck, white, and gray colors, gave it a sleek


    and sophisticated feel. Based solely on pictures, many people would likely mistake his office for his


    study at home.


    Kevan led Larissa to sit on the sofa. He rested his arm between her back and the sofa, almost


    wrapping her in his embrace, Fixing his gaze on Larissa attentively, he asked. ¡°Why did youe?


    There was a hint of tendemess are concern in his deep voice.


    Although Larissa knew he was just acting in front of Lana, his close proximity mace her ufortable,


    so she turned herce away.


    ¡°It¡¯s Lana.¡± She looked towards Lana, who was standing stiffly beside them. ¡°She wanted to thank you


    for what happenedst night,¡±


    Forcing a smile. Lana bent over and ced the bag she was holding on the coffee table in front of


    Kevan


    She had probably gone back to the hotel to change on purpose. Lana wasn¡¯t wearing the hoodie she


    had borrowed from Larissa earlier. Now, she wore a loose¨Cfitting, baggy gray sweater. It had quite a


    wide neckline. When Lara leaned forward, Larissa could even see the ckce bra she wore


    underneath.


    ¡°Thank you so much forst night. Mr. Rogers. This is a small token of my appreciation. Please ept


    it.¡± Lana blushed with a shy smile..


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Kevan¡¯s eyes were glued to Larissa¡¯sce the whole time. He did not nce in Lana¡¯s


    direction even when speaking to her.


    Although Kevan gave her the cold shoulder, it didn¡¯t seem to faze Lana


    Leaning over the coffee table, she retrieved a thermos and a three¨Ctiered insted lunch box from the


    bag.


    Immediately, Kevan realized that she had taken al. these things from Larissa¡¯s house, Larissa had


    brought the same containers during theirst visit to Starry Mountain, Only then did he show some


    Interest and take a closer look. ¡°What did you bring?¡±


    ¡°Oh, some lunch for you.¡± Lana replied sweetly as she was pleasantly surprised by his Initive to


    engage in conversation.


    With a beaming smile, she opened the thermos, and the office was instantly filled with a rich, aromatic


    smell


    Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    *This is the mushroom soup I made, as well as some barbecued pork ribs and roasted chicken,¡± Lana


    replied as she unpacked the lunch box and arranged the liers in order,


    Kevan asked Larissa. ¡°Who made these dishes?¡±


    Lana gave Larissa a desperate look, gesturing for her to keep this a secret.


    Larissa smiled and said, ¡°Of course, Lana cooked these dishes personally. Furthermore, she went to


    the supermarket early in the morning to buy the ingredients herself.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Kevan¡¯s expression was one of displeasure, unlike what Lana had expected. He tanowed his


    brows slightly. ¡°Luckily, It¡¯s not you who made them, or else I would be angry.¡±


    Larissa and Lana were both taken aback.


    ¡°Why?¡± Larissa asked.


    Tim not fond of eating chicken, I don¡¯t like pork ribs either. Kevan tumed up his nose against the dishes


    on theble. As my girlfriend.


    12


    how can you not know my food preferences?¡±


    Larissa panicked. She really didn¡¯t know anything about that.

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    Lana was even more worked up than Larissa. ¡°Tm sorry, Mr. Rogers! I had no ideal Hurriedly, she


    packed the food back into the lunch box.


    To remedy the awkward situation, Lana blurted, ¡°Let me treat you to a meal instead! We should go to a


    restaurant you like and order your


    favorite dishes?


    Kevan declined politely. ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. I saved you yesterday because your sister was


    worried about you. If you want to thank someone, you should thank your sister properly.¡±


    Lana¡¯s smile froze on her face. After a few minutes, she regained herposure and winked at Larissa


    cheekily. ¡°Of course. I definitely have to thank my sister. However, you got involved with those thugs


    and injured yourself while trying to save me. That¡¯s why I wanted to thank you as well¡±


    Larissa thought to herself, ¡°Injured?¡± Then, she nced at Kevan instinctively.


    When she arrived at Quinn Bar with the police yesterday, Kevan and Dn had already subdued that


    group of thugs. Since she didn¡¯t witness the fight, Larissa assumed that Kevan was unharmed because


    he showed no signs of pain.


    All rights ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Was he truly injured? She couldn¡¯t help but wonder agah as she recalled the events fromst night.


    ¡°If you really want to thank me Kevan pondered for a moment, then pulled Larissa closer to him. ¡°Let


    me spend half a day with your


    sister just the both of us.¡±


    Larissa and Lana were once again astounded.


    After a while, Lana grudgingly squeezed out a strained smile. ¡°Sure, i go back to the hotel then. See


    you tonight Larissa.¡±


    Giving Larissa a withering look, Lana packed up the bag and stood up. Waving goodbye, she walked


    towards the door briskly.


    Larissa caught sight of her wiping the tears off her face. Feeling guilty, she wanted to go after Lana, but


    Kevan pulled her back by the waist


    as soon as she stood up.


    In that brief dy. Lana had mmed the door shut and left.


    ¡°Lana is crying. I have to go check on her.¡± Larissa tried to thee herself from Kevan¡¯s grasp.


    However, his grip was too strong. No matter how she tried to pry his fingers apart, he wouldn¡¯t let go.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dislike Lana? His calm tone wasced with confusion, ¡°Why do you care if she¡¯s crying or


    not?¡±


    Larissa was startled at Kevan¡¯s keen observation. Touching her face, she asked. ¡°Am I that obvious?


    She always thought that she hid her negative emotions pretty well but Kevan saw through her easily.


    ¡°No, you¡¯re not,¡± Kevan spoke honestly, but I can feel it.¡±


    Larissa slumped her shoulders in disappointment. Her acting skills weren¡¯t as good as she thought.


    She needed to make sure it was convincing enough so that Lana wouldn¡¯t suspect anything before


    leaving the Regal Dynasty Hotel


    Looking at her tightly knitted brows, Kevan fell an inexplicable urge to soothe her wonies, but he


    managed to hold himself back in the end.


    ¡°Since you¡¯re here, let¡¯s have a meal together,¡± he said casually. Kevan released his hand from her


    waist and moved away, creating some


    distance between them.


    ¡°I¡¯ve already eaten, Larissa had to refuse his invitation, although it wasn¡¯t her intention.


    Seeing Revan¡¯s cross expression, she quickly exined, ¡°I didn¡¯t sleep wellst night, so I had an early


    lunch. If it weren¡¯t for Lana calling me here. I had nned to take an afternoon nap.¡±


    The frown on Kevan¡¯s face softened at Larissa¡¯s exnation.


    ¡°I have a lounge next door. You can nap there in the allemoon and have dinner with meter.¡±


    Since he insisted on having a meal together, Larissa couldn¡¯t find any reason to refuse


    I


    ¡°Oh, I almost forgot.¡± Larissa was suddenly reminded of something important. ¡°Lana said you were


    injured. Was it a serious injury?¡±

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    Kevan proceeded to undress, deliberately unbuttoning his shirt one button at a time. His movements


    were graceful and unhurried, exuding an air of elegance.


    Inexplicably, Larissa couldn¡¯t tear her eyes away from him. Her gaze followed as his hands moved


    down the shirt gracefully, exposing his chest and abdomen.


    Larissa already knew that there was no wound on hisce or neck. Looking intently, she couldn¡¯t see


    any injury on his chest and abdomen except for the firm muscles that rippled under his wless,


    unblemished skin.


    Larissa frowned when she noticed Kevan dawdling. She urged him anxiously. ¡°Quickly, take off your


    shirt¡±


    Kevan chuckled lightly and asked in a trasing manner. ¡°Are you in such a hurry?¡±


    It was only then that Larissa realized how ambiguous her words sounded. ¡°I just wanted to inspect the


    injuries on your body.¡± Her face


    blushed crimson.


    Kevan nced briefly at her and took off his shirt in one swift move before tossing it aside.


    Holding her waist, he lowered his lips to her car and whispered. ¡°If you are interested in doing other


    things, it¡¯s not entirely impossible.¡±


    Kevan¡¯s scorching breath tickled the sensitive skin on her ear. His voice was gentle yet tinged with a


    hint ofughter. His words hinted something else that could happen between them, coaxing and


    teasing-


    Larissa¡¯sce burned with embarrassment. She wanted to push him away, but she was afraid that it


    would aggravate his injuries.¡±


    She sped her hands tightly as her body grew stiff with anxiety.


    Staring at Larissa¡¯s trembling eyshes, Kevan decided to stop teasing her. He knew that she needed


    more time to ept him.


    This wasn¡¯t the right time yet.


    ¡°What are you thinking about? Kevan let go of Larissa and smirked. ¡°I just wanted your help to apply


    some medication to my wound. Why did your face turn so red?¡±


    Realizing that he had just been teasing her. Larissa gritted her teeth and red at him in exasperation.


    Kevan¡¯s smile grew wider, and his eyes twinkled with amusement.


    ¡°Here.¡± He turned to the side and pointed to his lower back. ¡°It¡¯s a little sore.¡±


    Original from N?velDrama.Org.


    The ce where he pointed to had a purplish bruise about the size of a list. Just looking at it made


    Larissa wince.


    ¡°Have you been to the hospital?¡± she asked.


    ¡°No.¡± Kevan frowned. ¡°It¡¯s too much trouble.¡±


    Words of reproach were on the tip of her tongue, but Larissa stopped hersell when she was reminded


    of their difference in position. She finally asked, ¡°Do you have any massage ol?¡±


    Larissa didn¡¯t know who Kevan¡¯s assistant was, but they somehow produced a bottle of massage oil on


    the spot.


    Kevan was lying face down on the s. Doubllully, he raised his head and asked Larissa. ¡°Do you


    know how to do this?¡±


    With her spindly arms and legs, did she have enough strength to massage the bruise away?


    Larissa replied confidently, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m an expert.¡±


    As a child, she had endured frequent beatings, resulting in a constant array of bruises covering her


    body. Yvelle never brought her to the hospital because she feared the doctors would suspect her of


    child abuse.


    Unable to bear seeing Larissa in such a pitiable state, the nanny at home purchased massage oll


    specifically for her bruises. She kindly taught Larissa how to massage the bruises to promotester


    healing.


    Since then, ten years have passed. Her skills were as proficient as those of a professional, Larissa


    knelt beside the s and applied some


    medicinal oil to her hands


    ¡°It might be a little painful so bear with i¡± she reminded Kevan.


    Kevan pursed his lips and responded with a grunt.


    With that, Larissa ced her hands on his lower back and started massaging the bruise.

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    The massage oil had a strong pungent medicated scent that was rather repulsive.


    Kevan¡¯s first thought was to get up, but Larissa¡¯s warm touch on his back was sofort ng that he


    decided to put up with the


    unpleasant smell


    Kevan closed his eyes and bit his lower lip instinctively, restraining himself from all thoughts of trying to


    escape.


    The expression on hisce twisted into a grimace, making Larissa think that she had applied too much


    force. She carefully reduced the


    pressure on his back


    ¡°Does it hurt?¡± she asked Kevan


    Kevan shook his head, ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt at all¡±


    Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    He had survived worse injuries, such as getting shot at er stabbed with a knife. A massage from her


    was nothing more than a mosquito


    bite, let alone painful.


    ¡°If it hurts, you must tell me! Larissa reminded him. She was truly worried about his injury.


    Coincidentally, Cyan heard this sentence when he opened the door and entered Kevan¡¯s office.


    Immediately after, he saw Kevan hall- naked on the s with Larissa bent over him. Naturally, his mind


    went into the gutter.


    ¡°Sorry!¡± Dn turned around in a hurry. ¡°I didn¡¯t see anything. Just carry on.¡±


    Larissa froze for a moment before realizing Dyler¡¯s misunderstanding. She shouted after him. ¡°Dn,


    come back here¡±


    Once he grasped the situation. Dn settledfortably on the sofa, holding a sandwich in one hand


    and a cup of coffee in the other. He was at ease, as if he was in his own home.


    ¡°It¡¯s not my fault¡± Cn defended himself for being so over the top earlier. ¡°You guys were in such a


    compromising position. Anyone would have misunderstood!¡±


    Kevan was putting on his shirt leisurely after Larissa covered the bruise with some gauze. He shot a


    disapproving nce at Dn, suppressing his frustration at being interrupted during his private


    moment with Larissa. ¡°TII take you to the lounge,¡± he said to Larissa.


    Then, he turned to Dn. ¡°Have Howie order some takeout for me.¡±


    Howie was Kevan¡¯s assistant.


    ¡°Takeout?¡± Dn stared at Larissa. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that Lana came all the way here to express her


    gratitude to Kevan? Since I have coffee and sandwiches, surely he would have something for lunch?


    By the way, I haven¡¯t seen your sister. Where is she?¡±


    ¡°Lana¡¯s cooking doesn¡¯t suit Mr. Rogers¡¯s taste. That¡¯s why he asked her to go back to the hotel Larissa


    exined,


    ¡°What? Lana personally cooked lunch for him? Dn pouted with a straw between his lips. ¡°She¡¯s


    ying favorites between us!¡±


    ¡°Be content,¡± Hands in his pockets, Kevan spoke nonchntly, ¡°At least yours is still edible.¡±


    Dn took a sip of coffee and nodded in acknowledgment, and his mood instantly ifted.


    ¡°Speaking of which, I saw a bag containing a lunch box inside. It¡¯s in the trash bin pulside the


    presidential office. Could it be your sister¡¯s?¡± Dn gave Kevan a side¨Ceye. ¡°Did you say something


    nasty to her? She must have been so lulous to throw away the lood she made for


    you!¡±


    Thanks to Dn¡¯s lip, Larissa found the bag easily. Inside were the insted lunch box and thermos


    she lent to Lana.


    She resisted the urge to call Lana up and question her about the lood. Silently, Larissa discarded the


    untouched food and cleaned the


    containers.


    While Larissa did all this, Kevan was standing next to her, He leaned against the wall of the restroom


    watching her quiety.


    ¡°Are you angry? Suddenly, Kevan spoke up.


    Larissa didn¡¯t answer. Holding the containers, she brushed past him and walked oul.


    Kevan¡¯s eyes darkened, and he pressed his lips together in exasperation..


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    Chapter 149


    Larissa slept in Kevan¡¯s lounge until evening fell


    He had lent her his eye mask and earplugs. In addition, he had ced incense in the room to enhance


    rxation and promote better sleep. Larissa had never slept so soundly before in her life.


    Unexpectedly, Kevan managed to leave work on time and drove Larissa to the restaurant they had


    booked in the afternoon.


    When they were looking at the menu, Larissa received a phone call from Lucas.


    Before she could utter a word, heunched into a flurry of usations. ¡°Ms. Seymour, how could you


    bring Nana to such dangerous ces like a bar? I trusted you and entrusted Nana into your hands. Is


    this how you take care of her? You really disappoint me!¡±

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    Lucas usations left Larissa a little bewildered.


    After a moment she covered the phone¡¯s microphone and stood up. She whispered to Kevan, ¡°I need


    to go outside and take a call¡±


    Original from N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Okay,¡± Kevan nodded.


    Outside the restaurant, Larissa finally let go of the microphone and hissed into the phone, ¡°When did I


    ever bring Lana to a bar?¡±


    ¡°Lana has been with you these past few days. If it wasn¡¯t you who brought her, then who could it be?¡±


    Lucas demanded in a confrontational tone.


    His insolent attitude sessfully angered Larissa.


    ¡°I apologize, Mr. Hermes, but it wasn¡¯t me who took your girlfriend to the bar,¡± Larissa spoke calmly with


    a steely gaze. ¡°I don¡¯t know who she went with, but if you wish to know the details, why don¡¯t you ask


    her directly instead of making baseless assumptions and unjustly using the innocent? I admit that


    I¡¯m not the best caretaker, so it is best to assume responsibility for looking after your girlfriend.


    yoursel


    Lucas was at a loss for words.


    ¡°By the way, both Mr. Rogers and Mr. Shields were injuredst night while trying to save your


    girlfriend.¡± Larissa deliberately emphasized the gravity of the situation. ¡°I wonder how you n to settle


    this. Are you going to reimburse Mr. Rogers and Mr. Shields for their medical


    expenses?


    When Larissa mentioned this. Lucas was reminded of something. ¡°Since you knew that Nana was in


    danger, why didn¡¯t you call me


    instead?¡±


    His question was so matter¨Cof¨Cfact that although Larissa was imitated, she couldn¡¯t help feeling a little


    wronged.


    ¡°Lana refused to let me call you. If you¡¯re dissatisfied with this, go and question her. I¡¯ve done


    everything I could for both of you. Please


    retrain from involving me in your rtionship squabbles.¡±


    She hung up. Luckily, Lucas didn¡¯t call back.


    Larissa returned to the restaurant and saw that Kevan had already ordered some dishes.


    The waiter repeated Kevan¡¯s order so Larissa could add more food it she wanted.


    ¡°Barbecued pork ribs? Roasted chicken? Larissa asked Kevan doubtfully. ¡°Didn¡¯t you dislike these


    dishes?¡±


    ¡°I merely dislike Lana¡¯s cooking.¡± Kevan replied indifferently.


    At that moment, Larissa was tempted to tell him the truth, but she held her longue in the end. After all


    she had promised Lana.


    On the way back, Lana called Larissa¡¯s phone.


    Due to Lucas¡® outburst earlier, Larissa couldn¡¯t muster up the patience to speak kindly to Lana. ¡°What¡¯s


    the matter? She answered the call


    stiffly.


    Lana¡¯s voice took on a beseeching lone as she said, ¡°Tim sorry, Larissal It¡¯s all my fault for not


    exining things clearly to Lucas! I¡¯ve just taught him a lesson, Please don¡¯t be mad at me


    Lucas was likely in the same vicinity as Lana. Just as she finished speaking. Larissa heard Lucas¡®


    voice in the background. He was questioning her relentlessly. ¡°If it wasn¡¯t your sister, who else would


    have taken you to the bar? Answer me!¡±


    Lana snapped impatiently. ¡°Shut up! Since you think I¡¯m lying, let¡¯s break up right now!¡±


    Larissa had no interest in listening to their argument. Aller hanging up, she turned her phone cl


    ¡°Is it Lana? Kevan had heard her voice.


    ¡°Yes, she fought with Lucas.¡± Larissa paused. ¡°I hope they will make up soon.¡±


    Otherwise, there was a high chance that she would be pulled into their argument again.


    Larissa felt like she could change careers and be a fortune¨Cteller. Her predictions were usually


    spot on.


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    Lana called her again in the middle of the night as she had anticipated.


    ¡°Larissa, I¡¯m waiting at the entrance of your apartmentplex, but the security guard won¡¯t let me in.


    Can youe and pick me up?¡± Lana¡¯s words were slurred as she was crying uncontrobly.

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    Larissa could faintly hear the voice of a young manforting Lana on the other end of the call ¡°Don¡¯t


    cry. Miss,¡± he said. The man did not sound like Lucas.


    So. Larissa asked, ¡°Where¡¯s Lucas? Isn¡¯t he with you?¡±


    Original from N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mention him¡± Lana Involuntarily raised her voice the moment Larissa mentioned him as if she


    had had enough of him.


    ¡°Larissa, please,e and pick me up! It¡¯s so cold outside. I feel terrible Lana¡¯s lone solened in the


    end. She sounded pitiful with all her sniffing and sobbing.


    Larissa did not feel like picking Lana up. After all, she had just been scolded by Lucas, and taking Lana


    in right now would only create more trouble for hersell However, considering Lana¡¯s current condition, it


    was not suitable for her to go back alone. So, Larissa relented. She hurriedly rushed to the door but did


    not see anyone. She thought Lana had left on her own, but when she turned around, she saw two


    people sitting inside the security booth,


    The young security guard timidly handed a paper napkin to Lana. His mouth opened and closed as he


    said something to her. Lana wiped her tears, forced a dry smile, and seemingly said. ¡°Thank you.¡± This


    treatment was even better than what Amber had received.


    The door and windows of the security booth were shut. Larissa walked over and lightly tapped on the


    window. The two nced up and saw Larissa. Lana said something to the security guard, who looked


    visibly rxed and stood up to help her open the door. Lana immediately ran and threw herself into


    Larissa¡¯s embrace.


    ¡°Larissa! I¡¯m breaking up with Lucas! Lana dered angrily as she continued to sob.


    Yet Larissa knew that whatever girls said when they were outraged could not be taken seriously.


    Hence, she did not take Lana¡¯s words to heart but gently patted her sister¡¯s back as sheforted her,


    saying. ¡°Alright alright. Don¡¯t be mad anymore. He¡¯s not worth your tears.¡±


    The security guard then came out with tworge suitcases in his hands.


    ¡°These belong to this youngdy,¡± he said but hesitated toe closer to the two sisters


    Larissa smiled and thanked him, saying. ¡°Thank you.¡± She then turned to Lana and said, ¡°It¡¯s too cold


    outside. Let¡¯s go back first.¡±


    Only then did Lana eventually stop crying.


    Larissa told Lana to sit on the couch for a while as she went


    she went to the kitchen to get Lana a cup of hot tea


    ¡°Here, warm your hands up a little,¡± Larissa said. It had been a windy night, and Lana¡¯s hands were


    completely frozen. She didn¡¯t know how long she¡¯d been waiting for Larissa in the cold.


    Lana continued to sob. Her body trembled uncontrobly. It was only after a while that she managed to


    say, ¡°I want to stay in Covenford.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Larissa felt a growing sense of unease. ¡°But don¡¯t you have a job in Bartham? Why do you


    want to stay here?


    ¡°Well Mom and Dad were the ones who had arranged that job for me in Bartham at our family


    company. My colleagues all know who I am. and they won¡¯t let me do anything. I¡¯ve been working there


    for almost two years, but I feel like I haven¡¯t learned anything.¡± Lana exined. her emotions sinking to


    a new low. She continued, ¡°I think it¡¯s because everyone sheltered me too much. In their eyes. I¡¯m still


    a child who hasn¡¯t grown up. They don¡¯t allow me to do anything even remotely risky¨Cjust look at how


    Lucas went nuts, yelling at you like that because I went to the bar..¡±


    Lana¡¯sints struck a nerve with Larissa. Little did Lana know that what she despised and wanted


    to discard was precisely what Larissa had yearned for all these years.


    ¡°But Lucas cares about you too,¡± Larissa interrupted as she set aside her previous grievances with him.


    ¡°After all something really happened to you at the bar.¡±


    Lana lowered her head and fell silent for a while. Eventually, she said with determination, ¡°Regardless,


    I¡¯ve made up my mind to stay and find a job here. I don¡¯t want to live as a useless person anymore, I


    want to be independent, just like you.¡±

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    Chapter 152


    Lana¡¯s desire was admirable and worthy of respect, However, in Larissa¡¯s eyes, her sister¡¯s decision to


    give up everything and start anew in Covenford seemed too hasty and even impulsive. Uimately,


    Larissa believed that Lana¡¯s smooth¨Csalling life, coupled with herck of encounters with many


    setbacks, had led her to view the workce as child¡¯s y.


    ¡°Finding a job isn¡¯t easy, especially for someone like you who isn¡¯t a recent graduate andcks


    substantial work experience. It might be challenging tond a position in a bigpany.¡± Larissa


    cautioned.


    However, Lana brushed off the concem. ¡°Well I can ask my friends to introduce me to job opportunities.


    I have quite a few friends, and they are in various industries. Besides, my main goal is to gain


    experience, so I don¡¯t have high sry expectations.¡±


    Since Lana had made up her mind. Larissa saw no need to convince her otherwise. Lana would learn


    when to retreat if she faced setbacks, although she might also choose to persist. Ultimately, it was


    Lana¡¯s life, and Larissa did not feel overly concerned about it.


    ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. You should take a shower and get some rest¡± Larissa rose to her feet as she spoke,


    but Lana immediately grabbed Larissa¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Larissa,¡± Lana looked up at her sister with pitiful eyes. ¡°ILI stay in Covenford, can I move in and live


    with you?¡±


    Larissa had been waiting for Lana to ask that. Now that Lana finally did, it confirmed that Larissa truly


    understood her sister. Unfortunately. the same might not be true in reverse.


    ¡°I can amodate you for a week at most. If you haven¡¯t found a job or a ce to stay within that


    time, you¡¯ll return to Bartham, forget about being independent, and continue being the little princess¡± at


    home.¡± Larissa stated firmly.


    Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    Lana hesitated for a moment before finally nodding. ¡°Okay.¡±


    Lana moved in with Larissa. However, Larissa was busy the whole time Lana was there and did not


    have much time to care for her sister. asionally, she would cook a meal or two for Lana when she


    was home during the day, but the rest of the time. Lana had to eat out or order takeout.


    Lucas would often call Larissa. At first, he would apologize for his actions, butter he would subtly ask


    about Lana¡¯s situation. He even swallowed his pride and begged Larissa. ¡°Nana wants to break up with


    me and has blocked me on her phone and social media. Can you talk to her and try to change her


    mind?¡±


    Although Larissa had forgiven Lucas for his previous rudeness, she had decided to minimize her


    contact with him since then. She had never been fond of interfering in other people¡¯s rtionships, so


    she would straightforwardly reject his requests each time. ¡°You need to figure things out on your own, I


    can¡¯t help you with that ¡±


    As the week wasing to an end, one evening, when Larissa returned home, she found that Lana


    had prepared a table full of dishes and even opened an expensive bottle of champagne.


    Lana proudly announced, ¡°Larissal Iound a job and a ce to live!¡±


    Lana had pursued a major in ssical dance during her college years, and her role at their family


    company as ¡°Assistant Director of the Artist Department¡± was seen by Larissa as more of an idle


    position. As a result, Lana¡¯s work experiencecked apetitive edge in the professional world, and


    this made Larissa curious about what kind of job Lana had managed to secure.


    ¡°Well my friend works as a talent agent at StreamWave Studios. Recently, the studio signed a lew new


    anchors, and they are in need of agents to manage them. So, my friend rmended me for the


    position, Lana exined.


    Being a talent agent was somewhat rted to her previous job, although it was far more demanding


    than being an ¡°Assistant Director.¡± Larissa was worried that her sister might struggle with the new role.


    However, aller seeing Lana¡¯s excitement, she didn¡¯t have the heart to dampen Lana¡¯s spints. She


    simply patted Lana¡¯s shoulder and smiled, saying, ¡°You¡¯ve got this.¡±


    Lana insisted on celebrating with drinks, so Larissa joined her for a couple of drinks. Then, she


    remembered something and asked, ¡°So, where will you be living?¡±


    ¡°My friend is also living alone here in Foxtail Garden, so I n to share an apartment with her. And


    guess what? She lives in the same building as us! Isn¡¯t it a coincidence? Lana¡¯s eyes sparkled with


    excitement.


    Upon hearing that Larissa¡¯s heart skipped a beat, but sheposed hersell and smiled. ¡°That¡¯s quite a


    coincidence indeed.¡°


    ¡°From now on, I cane over often and mooch off you for meals!¡± Lana put down her ss, hugged


    Larissa¡¯s arm, and snuggled agains it. Then, she teased. ¡°Will be a third wheel with you and Rogers?¡±


    Larissa noticed that Lana seemed to enjoy mentioning Kevan,

 Chapter 153

    Chapter 153


    Chapter 153


    Lana would often ask about Kevan when she lived with Larissa,


    ¡°Larissa why haven¡¯t I seen you going on dates with Mr. Rogers?¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you invite him to join us for a meal?¡±


    ¡°Maybe I should go back to my own room, so you can ask Mr. Rogers toe and hang out for a


    while?¡±


    Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.


    The constant mention of Kevan made Larissa suspect that Lana had developed feelings for him.


    She wasn¡¯t Kevan¡¯s real girlfriend, and Lana had unterally broken up with Lucas. Neither Lana nor


    Kevan were officially in amitted rtionship, so it shouldn¡¯t be a big deal even Lana really liked


    Kevan.


    But the problem was that Lana didn¡¯t seem to care that Kevan was Larissa¡¯s ¡°boyfriend¡® and kept


    talking about him and bringing him up in conversations. That annoyed Larissa slightly.


    50. Larissa deliberately said, ¡°Yes, you will¡± And Lana¡¯s expression quickly tumed gloomy. ¡°You


    prioritize romance over sisterhood!¡± She hall¨Cused Larissa in a joking manner,


    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right,¡± Larissa replied calmly.


    It had been hall a month since the house was listed with the real estate agency, and Larissa finally


    received a call from them.


    ¡°Ms. Seymour, did you rent out the house by yourself? The real estate agent, who had previously


    assisted her, sounded angry and showed no signs of the previous warmth and politeness.


    Larissa was confused. ¡°No, I entrusted everything to you, didnt 17¡±


    She didn¡¯t even war to step foot in that house anymore. If it weren¡¯t for therge furniture Items that


    had nowhere to go and couldn¡¯t be moved. she would have sold the house long ago.


    ¡°Stop with the lies!¡® the agent sneered. ¡°I brought some people to look at the house today and lound out


    that someone was already living there! They told me that the house was rented to them by the owner!


    And you are the owner of the house, right?¡±


    Larissa became even more bewildered upon hearing that ¡°Yes, I¡¯m the owner, but I didn¡¯t rent it out.¡±


    Since the agent didn¡¯t believe her. she added, ¡°I go and check it out tomorrow, and I. delinitely give you


    an exnation.¡±


    The next day. Larissa went to the house after she linished work. She used her key, only to discover that


    it wouldn¡¯t lit into the lock. Just as she was wondering why, someone opened the door from inside, and


    a tall middle¨Caged man appeared. He looked at Larissa cautiously and asked in an unfriendly manner.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    The agent was right there was indeed someone Iving in the house. But she didn¡¯t recognize this person


    and hadn¡¯t seen him before. 50, She straightened her posture and replied confidently. ¡°I¡¯m the owner of


    this house, and who are you?¡±


    ¡°You said you¡¯re the owner, but do you have any evidence? the man asked, narrowing his eyes


    suspiciously. Larissa pulled out the prepared copy of the property deed and her own card. Then, she


    handed them to the man, ¡°Here, the evidence.¡±


    The man scrutinized the property deed and 10 card meticulously, but instead of believing her, he began


    to use her, eximing, ¡®Look at you! You¡¯re so young and well¨Cdressed, yel you¡¯re involved in


    fraudulent activities! Did you forge the property deed? Honey, call the police!¡±

 Chapter 154

    Chapter 154


    The middle¨Caged woman, who had been observing from inside the house. Immediately reached for her


    phone. Meanwhile, the man threw aside whatever he was holding and forcefully shut the anti¨Ctheft door


    in front of Larissa, Fortunately, she swiftly stepped back narrowly avoiding a potentially broken nose


    from the impact


    She didn¡¯t attempt to knock on the door again. After picking up her papers from the floor, she silently


    stood at the doorway, patiently waiting for the police to arrive. She had no fear of the man calling the


    police. In fact, she wanted them toe and investigate the situation. Finally, after about twenty


    minutes, two young police officers leisurely arrived.


    They nced at her. Even though they initially considered her the ¡°female intruder mentioned by the


    person who reported the case, their hesitation grew when they observed her calm demeanor.


    ¡°Are you the owner of this ce? the taller officer inquired.


    *This is my house, but I don¡¯t know the people inside.¡± She pressed the doorbel and continued


    speaking. ¡°Could you please help me rity who rented this ce to them?¡±


    Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°What are you saying?¡± The officers exchanged curious a


    on the phone.


    nces. Larissa¡¯s words didn¡¯t aign


    ign with the description provided by the person


    The man reopened the door, and his excitement escted upon seeing the officers.


    ¡°Officers, she¡¯s the scammer? He pointed usingly at Larissa, ¡°She deceived us by iming to be the


    homeowner and even lorged a copy of the property deed. I suspect she intended to enter and steal our


    belongingsTM


    The police officers looked back and forth between the man and Larissa, unsure of whom to believe.


    ¡°I am the homeowner, and the property deed is geruine.¡± She handed the documents over to the police.


    The officers examined the documents for a while before reluctantly stating. ¡°To be honest, based on


    this alone, we can¡¯t determine whether your property deed is real or fake.¡±


    The man grew even more self¨Crighteous upon hearing the police¡¯s response. ¡°See! She¡¯s deceiving


    people! We met the real homeowner, and they even showed us the original property deed! We signed


    the rental contract with the real homeowner. Don¡¯t try to look us?


    The moment he mentioned the ¡°original property deed.¡± Larissa already knew what had transpired. The


    original document was in Travis possession, but it couldn¡¯t be found after his passing. Thus, she had to


    go through the transfer procedures again and was issued a new property deed without collecting or


    destroying the original copy. She supposed that Travis¡® parents had discovered the original deed and


    assumed the house still belonged to him, subsequently renting it out, which led to thisplicated


    situation.


    ¡°If you want, I can go home and retrieve the deed for you to see,¡± she offered. ¡°And while you¡¯re at it,


    please call thendlord who rented the house to you so that I can confront him face¨Cto¨Cface.¡±


    Her assertiveness andposure Tipped the scales of judgment in her favor for the two cfficers.


    Coincidentally, the elevator doors opened at that moment, and the woman living opposite Larissa¡¯s


    apartment had just returned from work.


    ¡°Oh hey, Larissa! Your ce has been empty for a while, so I thought you no longer lived here!¡± she


    eximed. Only then did she notice the police officers standing beside Larissa and was caught off


    guard. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Why are the police here?¡±


    ¡°Maria¡± Larissa greeted her before exining. Someone rented out my house without my knowledge. I


    came to check, and now I¡¯m being mistaken for a scammer.¡±

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    Chapter 155


    Chapter 155


    ¡°Are you a resident here?¡± the taller officer asked Maria upon hearing her conversation with Larissa.


    ¡°Yes, I am,¡± Maria replied as she turned and pointed at her apartment. ¡°I live right across.¡±


    ¡°Then, do you know her? The officer pointed at Larissa.


    ¡°Of course I do! We¡¯ve been neighbors for over a year! I got to know her when she came over every


    day during the renovation,¡± Maria rified confidently.


    ¡°What if you two are colluding? the middle¨Caged man questioned.


    Maria walked directly to the opposite apartment without ultering a word, opened the door with her keys,


    and called. ¡°Honey.¡±


    ¡°Hey her husband cheerfully greeted. ¡°Working overtime again today? Why are you back sote?¡±


    The mle¨Caged man had nothing to say after witnessing this exchange.


    The officer then coldly instructed the middle¨Caged man, ¡°Call thendlord and have theme over for


    questioning.¡±


    on the other end. It


    Reluctantly, the man made a call in front of everyone, putting it on speaker, Larissa immediately


    recognized the voice on the was Travis mother. Janine.


    Original from N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°It¡¯s you. John. What¡¯s the matter? Janine¡¯s voice sounded friendly,


    The man nced at Larissa and exined. ¡°Well there¡¯s a woman here who ims that your deed is


    take and that she is the real owner. Can youe over now?¡±


    ¡°How can my deed beke?¡± Janine¡¯s tone changed immediately. ¡°That¡¯s my son¡¯s property, and his


    name is clearly written on il! Didn¡¯t you all see it?¡±


    The man confimed by saying, ¡°My wife and I did see it and it¡¯s genuine.¡±


    Larissa took the phone from him and spoke into the microphone located at the bottom of the phone.


    ¡°Janine, it¡¯s Larissa.¡±


    There was an instant silence on the other end, but the screen still showed ¡°call in progress, indicating


    that Janine was istening. Larissa continued, ¡°I paid for this house with all my money. Travis didn¡¯t


    contribute a single dime, and he legally transfered the properly under his name. Even before his


    ident. I had sued him, and the court ruled in myvor, returning the house to me. Sc. the derd you


    have is invalid. You have no right to rent out my house.¡±


    There wasplete silence on Janine¡¯s end as she processed the information. Soor aller, she started


    shouting at the top of her lungs. Why should I usten to you?! This is my son¡¯s house! his name is


    clearly written on the deed! You wicked woman! You¡¯ve ruined my whole family, and now you want to


    steal my son¡¯s house too! You shameless bitch!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to argue with you,¡± Larissa repled calmy. ¡®It would be best if you could return the rent and


    penally lees to the tenants and have them move cut. Otherwise, it will look bad on you if we have to go


    to court again.¡±


    ¡°Why should I do as you say? This is my son¡¯s house! I make you suffer if you dare to take it away from


    me!¡± Janine hung up the phone after finishing her outburst. She knew that this matter would remain


    unresolved far a while unless she showed up in person.


    The two policemen looked somewhat embarrassed. ¡®Since we have established that you are not a


    fraud or a thiel, our task is consideredplete. We¡¯ll leave if there is no other issue.¡±


    However, Larissa stopped them. ¡°What about the fact that my house was being rented out without my


    knowledge? Aren¡¯t you going to help me resolve this?¡±


    ¡°The other party refuses toe over. So, we cant mediate for you, can we? I suggest you try to


    negotiate privately first and see if you can reach a settlement. Besides, this is a civil dispute and


    technically not within ourrsdiction. If you can¡¯te to an agreement, you¡¯ll have to take the matter


    to court. The officer admilled their powerlessness in the situation.


    Given the officers¡® straightforward exnation, Larissa couldn¡¯tpel them to go beyond their dulles.


    Considering her character, Larissa knew Janine would never willingly return the money. Nevertheless,


    she didn¡¯t want to bear the loss silently, and it seemed like her only option was to seek legal assistance


    from awyer.

 Chapter 157

    Chapter 157


    Chapter 157


    After Larissa exchanged pleasantries with Zero¡¯s agent and assistant, she handed out snacks to each


    of them and asked cautiously. ¡°Am! interrupting something?¡±


    ¡°Well I¡¯m not starting my livestream until 7 pm, so I¡¯m not working yet. How could you be interrupting


    me?¡± Zero teasingly smiled as she opened a bag of chips.


    ¡°Well, I noticed you guys seemed to be discussing something serious earlier. That was why Larissa


    wasn¡¯t entirely sure if she had interrupted them.


    ¡°Not at all Zero¡¯s agent Raina, waved her hands repeatedly. ¡°Actually, we were gossiping.¡±


    Maggie, Zero¡¯s assistant, chimed in. ¡°Yeah, whenever we need to gossip about something, we pretend


    to be having a meeting.¡±


    Larissa was rendered speechless. She felt like she couldn¡¯t keep up with the way young people thought


    nowadays. ¡°What were you discussing, then?¡± she casually asked.


    ¡°There¡¯s a new agent, who recently joined StreamWave Studios. She seems to have a strong


    background. The two small anchors she manages only have a few tens of thousands of followers and


    aren¡¯t particrly skilled at gaming. But somehow, theynded an endorsement deal with Yenti n


    and are set to earn several million dors in annual endorsement fees.¡± Raina sounded somewhat


    resentful


    Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°What is Yenti n? Larissa wasn¡¯t familiar with the gaming industry¨Cshe had never heard of the brand


    before.


    ¡°They¡¯re the bestpany in the country for gaming peripherals,¡± Raina exined. ¡°Ever since Zero


    started live streaming, she has been using their sponsored keyboards, headphones, mouses, and even


    gaming chairs. We have been cooperating for so many years, and Zero has even helped them sell a lot


    of products. Yet, they never approached Zero for an endorsement deal it¡¯s really frustrating.¡±


    ¡°But didn¡¯t thepany say they don¡¯t need any spokespersons before?¡± Maggie asked.


    ¡°Yes! That¡¯s what I¡¯ve been saying. Lana must have connections Raina rolled her eyes.


    ¡°Lana?¡± Larissa didn¡¯t expect the three of them to be gossiping about her sister.


    ¡°Why? Do you know her? Zero asked,


    Larissa didn¡¯t want to reveal her rtionship with Lana, so she answered vaguely, ¡°Yeah, you could say


    that.¡±


    Raina and Maggie immediately showed great interest. ¡°Then, do you know who her connections are??


    Larissa shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m not sure about that.¡±


    Immediately, they looked utterly disappointed


    Suddenly, Maggie mmed the table, startling the others. ¡°I heard from my ssmate, who works in


    the presidential office, that just before Lana joined ourpany, she met with the boss, and he even


    brought her into his office! So, I¡¯m guessing her connection is the boss himsel¡±


    Maggie was probably referring to the time when Larissa took Lana to meel Kevan. However, Larissa


    simply listened quietly as she sipped her coffee without correcting Maggie.


    Raina¡¯s eyes darted around. ¡°Now that you mention it ¡ª I also remember that Ash, Faker¡¯s agent, told


    me she saw Lana talking to the boss¡¯s secretary in the cafeteria, and Lana was smiling so happily.¡±


    Raina sighed and continued, ¡°If Lana is the boss¡¯s woman, what¡¯s the point of usparing ourselves


    to her? We can¡¯tin even if she uses all the resources avable on the tform to promote her


    two small anchors, can we?¡±


    She then grabbed Zero¡¯s hand and spoke with great eamestness. ¡°Sorry that I don¡¯t have the


    connections to promote you! You have to work hard and pave your own way!¡±


    Zero calmly retorted, ¡°I never expected that from you in the first ce, anyway.¡±

 Chapter 159

    Chapter 159


    Chapter 159


    There were two skinny boys standing beside Lana, both wearing branded hoodies and jeans with


    meticulously groomed hair. However, their naturally slouched postures and carefreeughter exuded a


    familiar loser¡± vibe that Larissa was ustomed to, which contrasted with her impression of a sloppy


    homebody live streamer.


    Raina immediately pulled Zero, saying, ¡°Let¡¯s leaveter.¡± But it was already toote.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that Bro Zero?¡± One of the boys waved at Zero. His expression was killed with arrogance and was


    devoid of politeness. ¡°Sorry, Bro Zero, Dark Knight and I beat you down to third ce on the gift board


    today. I hope you¡¯re not mad at us.¡±


    Raina and Maggie were displeased with the boy¡¯s manner of speaking, and even Larissa furrowed her


    brows upon hearing his words.


    However, Zero remained indifferent. ¡°No, you deserved it.¡±


    BestM had hoped that his taunt would enrage Zero. But since nothing happened, he could only clench


    his teeth in frustration, Dark Knight.


    standing next to Best wore an unpleasant expression on his face.


    The elevator arrived just in time. Lana, who had been engrossed in her phone, Inally lifted her head but


    avoided eye contact with anyone. Instead, she impatiently urged the two boys, ¡°Let¡¯s go! Stop wasting


    timer


    The two arrogant boys instantly became obedient and followed Lana into the elevator.


    Meanwhile, Larissa was still processing what she had just witnessed even after the elevator doors had


    closed. She had never seen Lana exert such dominance. Lana had always appeared soft sweet and


    coquettish in front of her. But somehow, Larissa now had the


    impression that this dominant side of Lana was who she truly was.


    ¡°Those two used to call Zero Bro Zero¡® so sweetly when they first came here. They used to always


    come to our studio, saying they wanted to learn how to stream from you! But now, they¡¯ve forgotten


    who they were once they tasted sess! Raina said angrily,


    Zero grabbed Raina¡¯s shoulder andforted her. ¡°Calm down. Regardless. I¡¯m still in the top three,


    right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but I¡¯m just angry! They didn¡¯t reach their current heights based on their own merits. It¡¯s all


    thanks to Lana¡¯s connections. How dare they mock you? They have no sense of decency! Let¡¯s wait


    until the day Lana stops supporting them!¡± Raina crossed her arms and rolled


    her eyes as she spoke.


    Original from N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Alright, alright. That¡¯s enough. The elevator is here.¡± Another elevator arrived. Zero quickly pulled


    Raina toward it barely managing to stop


    her angry scolding.


    The two elevators arrived within minutes of each other. Therefore, as they reached the ground floor,


    they happened to see Lana leaving the building with her two anchors. Another car was parked outside,


    and the boys skillfully opened the door and got in, but Lana didn¡¯t join them, Instead, she entered the


    ck Maserati behind them.


    Larissa recognized it at a nce. It was Kevan¡¯s car. She was stunned and involuntarily stopped in her


    tracks. Could it be that there was something going on between Lana and Kevan? Suddenly, she felt a


    sharp pain in her chest. She gently pressed and rubbed her chest several times, but it provided no


    relief.


    Laris


    ¡°Larissa, are you okay? Zero noticed Larissa¡¯s peculiar behavior, turned, and walked toward Larissa to


    support her. ¡°Are you feeling


    Larissa waved her hand and forced a smile. ¡°I¡¯m line, my chest just feels a lille itchy.¡± Zero¡¯s tone was


    filled with doubt. Then, why does yourplexion look so terrible?¡±

 Chapter 160

    Chapter 160


    Chapter 160


    Larissa had a tough time convincing Zero that she was truly fine. However, her mind kept drifting off


    during supper, consumed by


    thoughts of Kevan and Lana. Finally, the seemingly endless supper came to an end, and she returned


    to Foxtail Garden, only to find two individuals standing downstairs near where Kevan usually parked.


    Once she got nearer, she found that the individuals were none other than the two people, who had


    upied her thoughts all night. They appeared to be engaged in conversation but maintained hall a


    car¡¯s length between them. This distance showed ack of an intimate vibe.


    As such, Larissa was confused about the true nature of their rtionship. However, she did not want to


    interrupt, so she made a burn, intending to park her car in the underground parking lot. The entrance to


    the underground parking lot at Foxtail Gander was a bit far from their building.


    Although Dn had mentioned reserving a parking spot for her, she found it rather bothersome.


    Generally, she wouldn¡¯t go through the trouble of taking a detour to park underground unless all the


    ground¨Clevel spaces were upied.


    However, just as Larissa¡¯s car passed by, Kevan halted her. He suddenly reached out his hand, and


    because Larissa had intentionally avoided looking in his direction, her car nearly collided with him.


    Thankfully, she hit the brakes in time. Kevan approached the driver¡¯s side window and tapped on it.


    Reluctantly, she lowered the window.


    ¡°Where are you headed?¡± he inquired. His body was slightly hunched, and his brows were slightly


    furrowed as he scrutinized her,


    ¡°To the parking lot, obviously,¡± she replied, attempting to soundposed.


    As expected, his brows furrowed even tighter, ¡°But don¡¯t you usually park above ground?¡±


    He noticed Larissa had continuously looked past him in a distracted manner and was lixated on Lana,


    who was standing behind him, and immediately understood what was on her mind. She actually


    thought¡­


    A trace of anger fickered across his eyes as he pointed to the empty space beside his car and


    commanded. ¡°Park here.¡±


    Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    Larissa¡¯s gaze icllowed the direction of his finger and immediately noticed his Maserall. It brought back


    the image of Lana getting into his car. Her chest tightened at that moment, and she coldly declined,


    ¡°No. Il park downstars.¡±


    At that moment Lana approached her. ¡°Larissa, you¡¯rete today.¡±


    She leaned on the car window, and her body naturally touched Kevan¡¯s, causing him to recoil with


    disgust. He even brushed away the imaginary dust on his clothes. Lana¡¯sce stiflered upon witnessing


    Kevan¡¯s reaction, and Larissa felt a sint sense of satisfaction as she


    observed the two.


    ¡°I went to meet a friend,¡± she replied to her sister


    ¡°Oh, I see.¡± Lana nodded, forcing a smile. ¡°Just park your car here ande upstairs with us!¡±


    Since the situation had unfolded as it had, there was no point in Larissa avoiding the two any longer.


    She parked her car next to the Maseral. As soon as she stepped out, Kevan look hold of her hand. His


    hands were always sightly cold, and after standing downstairs in the cold for some time, they had


    grown even colder. This caused her to shiver when he touched her.


    ¡°Feeling cold?¡± He raised an eyebrow, seemingly unaware that it was his own hand that made her feel


    chilly. Tve told you to dress warmer before, but you never listen.¡±


    His gentle tone sent shivers down her spine, and before she could react, he had aready draped his


    own coat around her. Instantly, the biting cold breeze ceased blowing onto her body, and al she could


    feel was his warm embrace and his broad chest pressing against her back. A refreshing lemon scent


    reminiscent of the air freshener in his car, penrealed her nosir is.

 Chapter 161

    Chapter 161


    Chapter 161


    To her surprise, she couldn¡¯t sniff a walt of Lana¡¯s perfume.


    Lana loved spraying a generous amount of perfume en herself, making it so strong that it could be


    smelled from several yards away. When she stayed at Larissa¡¯s house. Larissa¡¯s clothes had been


    infused with the scent of her pertume, and every day she would receive questions about what perfume


    she was wearing.


    II Kevan had driven Lana back, he would have been tainted with her perfume as they would have spent


    a long time together in the confined space of a car.


    ¡°You two have such a good rtionship. I¡¯m jealous! Looking at their embrace. Lana¡¯s smile stened.


    ¡°You have a good rtionship with Mr. Hermes ton, Miss Seymour.¡± Despite Kevan¡¯s polite tone, his


    answer seemed insincere.


    Lana forced herself to smile at his perfunctory response.


    ¡°Have you made up with Lucas? Larissa asked as the thought came into her mind.


    After hesitating for a moment, Lana answered, ¡°Not exactly. It¡¯s all one-sided. He¡¯s been pestering me,


    and I can¡¯t get rid of him.¡± Sounding distressed, Lana chewed on her lips.


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Kevan asked with a smile. However, his gaze was stony. ¡°I remember seeing you getting


    into Luca s¡¯s car a lew lines when he picked you up, so I thought you two had reconciled.¡±


    Lana didn¡¯t expect him to have witnessed those moments nor did she expect him to expose her be. In


    the span of a few moments, her face paled before turning a deep shade of red.


    ¡°Well¡­ it I don¡¯t get in his car, he¡¯d keep following me and it¡¯d be annoying. That was theme excuse


    she could offer.


    ¡°Alright, I see Kevan nodded. ¡°I see him looking for you again. I¡¯ll call the police for you.¡±


    Atraid to make eye contact with Kevan, she lowered her head, mumbling. ¡°Okay, then thank Mr. Rogers


    in advance.¡±


    Upon entering the elevator, Kevan pressed the button for floor 19, while Lana pressed the one for foor


    27. After Lana hac moved out of her house, Larissa never saw her in the building again. Although sheContent rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.


    knew that Lana lived in the same building as her, she¡¯d never known which floor she stayed on.


    Finally, she learned that Lana lived on the 27th floor. However, that wasn¡¯t the locus of her attention-


    she was surprised that Kevan didn¡¯t press the button for his floor, She couldn¡¯t ask him in front of Lana


    as it would give away their secret


    As soon as she separated from Kevan¡¯s embrace, Lana held her arm and clung to her.


    ¡°I am free tomorrow. Larissa. You and Mr. Rogers shoulde to my ce in the evening. My


    roommate and I will c ock for you,¡±


    While Kevan didn¡¯t know about Lana¡¯s cooking skills, Larissa knew all too well


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure when I be back tomorrow.¡± With that, she politely declined Lana¡¯s invitation.


    ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m not free,¡± said Kevan, following suil.


    Lana¡¯s face immediately fell,


    ¡°Twe been living here for so long, and you haven¡¯t asked about me at all!¡± she whined, pouting as she


    comined to Larissa. ¡°You haven¡¯t asked if I¡¯m doing well at work or if I¡¯m doing okay! Now you won¡¯t


    evene to my ce for dinner! Have you never considered me your sister?


    Her sudden outburst of tears caught Larissa off guard. She spoke the truth, so Larissa couldn¡¯t argue


    with her.


    At that moment Kevan stepped in between the two of them, pulling Lana¡¯s hand away from Larissa.


    ¡°Have you ever cared about your sister who has been alone in Covenlord for so many years? Have you


    ever asked her if her work is going well or now she¡¯s doing?¡±


    Pulling Lanssa into a hug, he stared coldly at Lana


    ¡°You should ask yourself first if you¡¯ve ever treated her as your sister,

 Chapter 162

    Chapter 162


    Chapter 162


    Like a deer caught in headlights, Lana stared at him silently, eyes wide. The tears in her eyes failed to


    all. When the elevator reached the 19th floor. Kevan led Larissa out of L not sparing a nce at Lana.


    ¡°Thank you¡± Larissa said.


    His words conveyed her true feelings. However, she could never bring hersell to say them. The


    experiences she had as a child made her understand that nobody was obligated to treat her well, not


    even family or friends. Hence, she never could condemn or throw a tantrum like Lana had just done.


    Although the thought did cross her mind from time to time, all she could do was feel sad about it.


    ¡°Even your sister is willing to cook a meal to thank me, but all you can do is say thank you?¡±


    Kevan had already let go of her. At the moment, he was leaning against her apartment door as he


    looked at her, eyebrows raised in displeasure.


    ¡°Well¡­ should I cook a meal for you?¡±


    Kevan scoffed. ¡°A meal won¡¯t be enough.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°From now on. I¡¯ll drive you to the hotel every maming. As long as you¡¯re not on duty in the evening. I¡¯ll


    pick you up. At least twice a week,


    you muste to Microworks to have lunch with me. As for dinner. it depends on the situation.¡±


    His demands weren¡¯t unreasonable. Thinking about it Larissa realized that she was the one benefiting


    more from them.


    Hence, she didn¡¯t understand what he was doing. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Cant you see? Your sister likes me.¡± Kevan deadpanned as if he were talking about something as


    casual as the weather.


    He was frowning, dissatisfied with how slow Larissa was. However, Larissa wasn¡¯t as slow as he


    thought.


    She had sensed the different attention Lana always gave him. She had even guessed that Lana had


    feelings for him, and a few hours ago. she even mistakenly thought that they had a special rtionship. Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°You said that Lucas picks her up every day for work, right? Then they probably reconciled already.¡±


    Lana must have been denying that to hide the truth, However, Larissa believed Lana did that because


    she didn¡¯t want to embarrass herself given how resolute she had been about their breakup in front of


    Larissa.


    Kevan had a different opinion. ¡°Yeah, they reconciled, but she won¡¯t let me know. Isn¡¯t that because she


    has her eye on me? She must be


    trying to keep her options open,¡±


    That made sense to Larissa.


    ¡°So- Holding her face, he slowly approached her until the tips of their noses nearly touched.


    Her eyes locked with his dark gaze, and it rendered Larissa defenseless. Her body stillened, and she


    held her breath as her heart began to


    He hovered just inches away from her, nearly touching her.


    ¡°Make sure you put on a convincing act as my girlfriend to destroy your sister¡¯s inappropriate thoughts


    about me.¡± He paused, revealing a sinister smile. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t want her to be another Karin,


    would you?¡±


    As soon as he mentioned Karin, the incident at V. Style resurfaced in Larissa¡¯s mind. After that Incident,


    negative information about Karin flooded the inte. It concluded reports of her selling her body to


    secure good roles from directors and investors, bullying less popr actors on set modifying scripts


    without authorization to give hersell mate scenes, and so on.


    As a result Karin was widely criticized online for her scandals, and her army of a million fans turned


    their backs on her. To wash their hands of all responsibility, her management filed awsuit against her


    and unterally terminated her contract. Since then, no otherpany was willing to take her under


    their wing.


    Furthermore, her scandals damaged the image of the brands she was endorsing. ording to the


    reports Larissa read online, Karin would have to pay nearly a hundred million dors for breaching their


    contracts.


    Chapter 162


    A month or two had passed since then, and Karin hadpletely disappeared. No matter how hard


    anyone looked, they couldn¡¯t find her or any news about her. Larissa didn¡¯t know how she was doing


    now, but she ligured she wasn¡¯t doing so well.

 Chapter 163

    Chapter 163


    Chapter 163


    Larissa had previously suspected that Kevan was behind what had happened to Karin, but she¡¯d never


    had the chance to confirm it. Now that he coenly admitted it, she couldn¡¯t help feeling anxious for Lana.


    She didn¡¯t I ke Lana and didn¡¯t want anything to do with her, but she couldn¡¯t let Lana get into trouble in


    Covenlord. Clherwise, Yvette would cause Larissa some trouble.


    ¡®Til de as you say,¡± Larissa said.


    ¡°Good.¡± Sat sfied, Kevan let go of her, Standing upright, he resumed an indifferent, aloof expression,


    Tuming his back to Larissa he returned to the elevator.


    ¡°Wait for me downstairs at 8 am tomorrow.¡±


    Larissa¡¯s work began at 9 am, and she usually left at 8:30 am, which gave her enough time to reach


    the hotel clock in, and have breast


    To amodate Kevan¡¯s schedule, she had to wake up half an hour earlier.


    However, when she arrived downstairs, she didn¡¯t see Keyan. Instead, she saw Lane.


    Last night, she¡¯d sent Larissa along string of voice messages apologizing after she returned home.


    Crying uncontrobly, she repeated,¡± I¡¯m sorry, Larissa. I shouldn¡¯t have been so will. Kevan was right.


    I¡¯ve never cared about you, and I haven¡¯t fulfilled my responsibilities as a sister From now on, I wil


    make an effort to change and be a responsible sister!¡¯


    As Larissa listered to her voice messages, instead of feeling touched, a migraine began to brew in her


    head. She had no idea what kind of trouble Lana would bring her next.


    When Lana saw her, she rushed over excitedly.


    ¡°Larissa!¡± She eagerly handed her a lunch box. ¡°I made breakfast for you!¡±


    Inside the lunch box were two sandwiches cut into triangles. Since they didn¡¯t require c ock ing. Larissa


    decided they should be edible.


    As she took it from her, she said. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    As Lana hugged her arm she seemed both remorseful and uneasy. I said some harsh things in the


    elevatorst night. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Smiling, Lanssa replied. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not angry with me anymore?¡± Lana asked warily.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Perhaps Kevan¡¯s response was satisfying enough for Larissa, so she didn¡¯t feel angry at Lana.


    Lana grinned in relief. ¡°Anyway, why are you leaving for work so early today? I¡¯ve never seen you


    before whenever I came downstairs at


    this time.¡±


    Just then, Kevan and Dn amwed on the floor together,


    ¡°Hey, why¡¯s everyone¡¯s up so early?¡± Dn asked, greeting them. Lana¡¯s eyes, however, were loated


    on Kevan.


    ¡°Mr. Rogers¡± she called, intending to approach him andk to him, However, Larissa, who saw through


    her thoughts, beat her to it.


    ¡°Kevan, Larissa called, linking her arm with Kevan¡¯s. With a smile, she said, ¡®Let¡¯s go.¡±Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 164

    Chapter 164


    Chapter 164


    Larissa¡¯s actions surprised everyone. Being the first to recover. Kevan smirked. ¡®ArghL¡¯


    He opened the door to the passenger seat for her, shielding her head with his hand until she was safely


    seated inside.


    Lana trailed behind them. After checking his expression, she asked timidly. ¡°Can you crop me off along


    the way Mr. Rogers?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t Lucas cffer to drive you?¡± Kevan retorted.


    Embarrassed, Lana¡¯s expression fell.


    ¡°I told him not to bother me anymore,¡± she said, forcing herself to smile. ¡°Even if hees, I won¡¯t pay


    any attention to him.¡¯


    Kevan didntment on that.


    ¡°We¡¯re going in different directions,¡± he said, changing the subject without warning.


    Original from N?velDrama.Org.


    It left Lana confused, and Kevan took advantage of that time to get into the car. The Maserati pulled


    away, leaving an angry Lana behind. gritting her teeth as she lumed,


    Just then, Dn¡¯s car pulled up beside her, tooting his horn twice. ¡°Lana, do you need a ride to the


    subway station?¡±


    Putting on an acl, Lana said, ¡°Oh, that would be too much trouble for you.¡±


    Before her hand could reach the car door, she heard Dn say. ¡°Never mind then if you don¡¯t want to.¡±


    Without warning, he floored the elerator, and the car sped away like a bullet, leaving Lana in a cloud


    of exhaust fumes. Covering her mouth and nose, she stomped her feet in anger.


    Meanwhile, Kevan was grinning widely in the Maserall appearing to be in a good mood.


    ¡°You did well he praised Larissa.


    Larissa, on the other hand, was covered in goosebumps.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± she said. forcing herself to return his smile.


    At noon, Larssa was in the cafeteria when she suddenly received a call from Kewan.


    ¡°Come to the croworks Building.¡±


    He didn¡¯t scurd very happy, and she could tell that he was trying to suppress his anger, Hs demeanor


    waspletely different from when they¡¯dst seen each other in the morning, and Larissa didn¡¯t know


    who or what had provoked him. Nheless, she had learned not to ask anything and just do as he


    said.


    ¡°Alright,¡± she answered, obediently agreeing.


    Before the call ended. Kevan added another request. ¡°Bring me lunch.¡±


    d the


    The food in the hotel caleteria was prepared by the restaurant¡¯s kitchen staff. The ingredients were


    subpar, the taste was average, and presentation wasckluster. Hence, Larissa knew that Kevan


    wouldn¡¯t be satisfied with the food.


    Therefore, she went to a restaurant to get three sets of lunch-one for Kevan, one for hersell, and one


    for Dn.


    Just like before, she entered the Microworks Building and went up to the 69th floor. She must have left


    a deep impression during herst visit because no one dared to stop her this time. Everyone sal at their


    desks, pretending to be focused on their work, but secretly stealing nces at her.


    Some of them exchanged looks, silently mouthing to each other, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    However, Larissa didn¡¯t notice any of this. She waked straight into Kewan¡¯s office without looking


    around. Kevan, like everyone else in the presidential office, was still at his desk even during the lunch


    break,


    Closing the door behind her. Larissa announced. Here¡¯s your lunch, Mr. Rogers.¡±

 Chapter 165

    Chapter 165


    1/1


    Chapter 165


    Kevan¡¯s eyebrows furrowed.


    ¡®Don¡¯t call me Mr. Rogers¡¯ hom now on.¡± he said.


    Larissa stopped in her tracks.


    ¡°What should I call you then?¡±


    ¡°Well, you called me something else this moming, didn¡¯t you? I think it sounds pretty great


    Larissa wondered what she had called him that morning when it struck her that she had called him by


    his first name-Kevan, However, she had merely been putting on an act before Lana. There was no way


    she could bring herself to call him that when they were alone. It sounded too intimate.


    Ignoring his request Larissa proceeded to ce his lunch on the table. Just as she was about to send a


    text to Dn to invite him over for lunch, he pushed the door open and walked in, as if he had read her


    mind.


    As he was looking elsewhere, he didn¡¯t notice Larissa.


    ¡°Hey, why is everyone talking about you and Lana having an affair?¡± he asked Kevan


    Larissa was about to greet him, but his words immediately made her stop. Kevan, on the other hand.


    glowered. Instinctively, he nced at Larissa, who was wearing a perplexed expression.


    Frowning, he said. ¡°I¡¯ve already sent someone to investigate the source. Once we find out ¡ª


    Although he didn¡¯t finish his sentence, they all understood what he meant.


    Larissa was suddenly taken aback, recalling what she had gossiped about with Zero the previous night.


    The timing of this rumor circting was too coincidental. If it turned out that they were the source, the


    consequences awaiting the four of them would be dire


    Larissa quickly turned around, to send a text message to Zero, asking. ¡°Did you tell anyone about Lana


    and Mr. Rogers?


    Zero usually only visited Microworks Building when there was a livestream, so she had no idea about


    what had happened in thepany today.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything. Raina and Maggie are not sure either. What¡¯s going on?¡± Zero answered soon


    after.


    ¡°You should ask them,¡± Larissa replied.


    Just as she sent the message, she heard Dn ask, ¡°Miss Seymour? What are you doing here?¡±


    Larissa immediately pocketed her phone, turned around, and stered a smile on her face.


    ¡°I brought. Mr. Rogers his lunch.¡±


    Immediately. Kevanected her with a frown. ¡°Don¡¯t call me that¡±


    Larissa promptly corrected herself, ¡°I brought lunch for, uh, Kevan.¡±


    Dn teased Kevan. ¡°Why are you doing this? Thepany has a caleteria, and yel you made Miss


    Seymoure all the way here to bring you food.¡±


    Kevan answered with a single word, ¡°Leave.¡±


    Dn didn¡¯t leave. He-as Kevan described him-shamelessly remained there, feeling no remorse in


    eating the food Larissa had delivered


    to Kevan and him.


    Larissa absentmindedly picked at her food, Kevan¡¯s words about finding the source of the rumors


    echoing in her mind.


    Her phone vibrated, and she took it out and stole a nce at the message.


    Zero¡¯s message read. ¡°Maggle told her ssmate in the presidential allice yesterday, and they


    discussed it for a long time.¡±


    That was thest thing she wanted to happen. While Larissa had a sliver of hope that perhaps Maggle


    wasn¡¯t the source of the rumors, it didn¡¯t matter how many people she had told-there was no way she


    could be uninvolved with what was going on. it implicated not only


    Chapter 165


    Zero, Raina, but Larissa hersell


    Dn continued to tease Kevan about the rumors within thepany. ¡°They say the ount with the


    username ¡°I Love Lana the Mos which presentsvish gifts to Lana on StreamWave is your secret


    ount. People find it surprising how cheesy you can be when you are usually so aloof,¡± Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.


    Kevan continued to woll down his lunch, not bothering to lift his head from his food. He only said, ¡°I get


    rid of that ountter.¡±


    While he appeared calm, the stic fork in his hand snapped, betraying his displeasure.


    After much contemtion, Larissa licked her dry lips and set her lunch down.


    ¡°Mr. Rogers.¡± She mustered her courage to meet Kevan¡¯s gaze. ¡°There¡¯s something I must tell you.¡±

 Chapter 166

    Chapter 166


    hapter 166


    ¡°Are you saying that the


    rumors going on about me and Lana in thepany were from you? Kevan narrowed his eyes, ring


    at her.


    Her head began to pound, and she began to shiver. She was even tempted to backtrack and deny


    everything. Fortunately, she managed to gather her marbles, Meeting his gaze, she nodded and said.


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    She would rather shoulder the me than let Kevan trace the source of the rumors to Maggie-as that


    would implicate Zero and Raina. Given her rtionship with Kevan-or whatever was going on between


    them-he might punish her out of anger, but he would likely not destroy herpletely.


    Kevan smiled widely, but his gaze was as cold as ice.


    ¡°Lovely,¡± he said through gritted teeth.


    Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.


    Larissa shuddered to hear that. After that. Kevan fell silent. Picking up his utensils, he silently finished


    his meal


    Despite Dn¡¯s numerous attempts to ease the tension, Kevan remained unresponsive while Larissa


    seemed very distracted. Hence, he


    eventually gave up on carrying on the conversation.


    Kevan threw the empty lunchbox into the trash can and nced at his watch.


    ¡°It¡¯s almost one-thirty. Aren¡¯t you leaving?¡± he asked Larissa.


    Larissa had been so overwhelmed that she hadn¡¯t paid attention to the time. Hearing it was almost 1.30


    pm, she quickly discarded the remaining contents of her lunch and rose to her feet, ready to leave.


    ¡°I need to get back to work! Goodbye, all!¡±


    She scurried away, her speed fueled by her worry about beingte for work and the urge to remove


    herself from the tense atmosphere.


    However, before she could get far, Kevan grabbed her wrist from behind.


    ¡°I¡¯ll walk you out he announced.


    Leaving her with no chance to refuse, Kevan took Larissa¡¯s hand and led her out of the presidential


    office.


    Most employees had returned to their desks after lunch. Their gazes and their varying expressions


    made Larissa extremely ufortable. She knew that this was what Kevan wanted-to make everyone


    assume they were in a rtionship to dispel the rumors.


    Kevan didn¡¯t take her to his dedicated elevator. Instead, they waited by themon elevator in silence.


    As the elevator approached the 69th floor, Larissa let out a sigh of relief, thinking she would soon be


    free from the suffocating silence. However, Kevan gently tugged her toward him, Caught off-guard, she


    fell into his embrace. Before she could react, her face was already in Kevan¡¯s hands.


    Larissa stared in a daze as his face approached hers, closing the distance between them. When his


    soft lips touched hers, he closed his eyes. Meanwhile, Larissa¡¯s eyes widened in astonishment.


    With a ding, the elevator doors opened to reveal a bunch of female employees inside. Seeing them,


    they covered their mouths with their hands, too afraid to make a sound.


    Averting their gaze, they all fled from the elevator. As soon as the sound of their high heels stopped.


    Kevan let go of Larissa.


    Kevan was as calm as ever. It was as if he wasn¡¯t bothered that his subordinates saw him kissing a


    woman. Larissa, on the other hand.


    blushed and trembled with anger.

 Chapter 167

    Chapter 167


    hapter 167


    ¡°Mr. Rogers. I don¡¯t think this is within my responsibilities. Larissa sald


    She was only pretending to be his girlfriend, and it didn¡¯t mean they had to do things that real couples


    did.


    Kevan put his hands in his pockets, smirking.


    ¡°Well this is the price you pay for spreading numars recklessly. And there will be more toe. Until


    the rumors about me and Lanapletely disappear, be prepared for the consequences.¡±


    Upon hearing this, Larissa deeply regretted her decision. Il she had known it would lead to that she


    wouldn¡¯t have taken the me.


    Kevan waved her away. ¡°That¡¯s it for now. See you Icright.¡±


    He turned around walking away nonchntly. At that moment, the elevator descended, departing from


    the 69th floor.


    Utterly frustratec. Larissa pounded the elevator button twice.


    From a distance, Kevan called. ¡°If you hit it till it breaks, you¡¯ll have to pay for it.¡±


    Larissa immediately hid her hands behind her back, feeling guilty. She hurriedly denied. ¡°I¡¯m not doing


    anything. You must have misheard.¡±


    When Kevan entered the office, the lively discussions screeched to a halt. Everyone who had been


    whispering to each other quickly lowered their heads and started typing on their keyboards, pretending


    to be working hard. Kevan pped his hands twice gathering everyone¡¯s attention.


    ¡°Remember, the Miss Seymour who just left is my girfriend,¡± he said. ¡°You can tell anyone you know


    about it.¡±


    When he said ¡°can.¡± he meant ¡°must¡±. His intelligert employees understood the underlying meaning


    behind his words.


    ¡°Understood?¡± Kevan asked.


    Everyone replied unanimously, ¡°Understood¡±


    Dn was still in Kevan¡¯s office, taking care of the remaining food on the table. When he heard theN?velDrama.Org owns ? this.


    door open, he turned around in surprise.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you escort Larissa back? Why did youe back so quickly?¡±


    ¡°I only escorted her to the elevator entrance.¡± Kevan sald, frowning and ring at him. ¡°Why are you


    still here?¡±


    Dn swallowed thest bite of food. ¡°T leave right away.¡±


    He carefully tidied up the trash and wiped the table with a napkin three times.


    *Please inspect the table, sir,¡± Dn said, gesturing at the coffee table.


    Kevan snorted, ¡®ll give you a pass I guess.¡±


    Scoffing, Dn changed the topic and asked. ¡°Do you really think Larissa spread that rumor? She


    knows about your rtionship with


    Lana, after all¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s so foolish that she might think there¡¯s something between me and Lana¡± Kevan thought of how


    Larissa purposely drove her car to the underground parking lot the day before to avoid him and Lana,


    which annoyed him.


    ¡°But she¡¯s not the type to gossip,¡± Dn said, defending Larissa ¡°Even if she misunderstood the


    situation, she would keep it to herself instead of telling others, right?¡±


    Kevan, who knew Larissa better than Dn, had considered that possibility.


    However


    Dn rubbed his chin, changing the direction of the conversation. ¡°Since she¡¯s willing to take the


    me. It shows that she knows who spread the rumor.¡±


    Kevan muttered, ¡°Zero¡±


    It didn¡¯t take a genius to figure that out. The rumor had spread within Microworks, and there was only


    one person Larissa knew al Microworks besides him and Dn-Zero,


    ¡°You know it¡¯s Zer, so why didn¡¯t you expose Lanssa just now? Dn asked. ¡°Are you


    are you secretly nning to do something to


    1/2


    Zero?


    ¡°No.¡± Kevan said, looking into the distance as an unreadable smile formed on his lips. ¡°I have no ns


    to do anything to Zero.¡±

 Chapter 168

    Chapter 168


    Chapter 168


    Larissa managed to hurry back to the hotel before the start of her attemoon shit. However, as soon as


    she entered the lobby, Livie frantically gestured at her, mouthing the words, ¡°Take the back door!¡±


    Many of the employees in the lobby were aware of Larissa¡¯s previous attempts to avoid Jenine by using


    the back door. Given Livie¡¯s actions, Larissa assumed that Janine hade again,


    It was usible. Thewyer¡¯s letter sent by Dn Shields had arrived at the Hardym ly the moming


    before, and Janine was the one who received it. It was about time that Janine came to her.


    Lanssa lightened her grip on her bag and tumed to leave, but it was toote. Footsteps followed closely


    behind her, but they were agile and light, not sounding like the steps of an elderly woman


    ¡®Stop!¡±


    N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.


    A figure swiltly darted before her, blocking her way with its arms. Larissa was forced to halt and, upon a


    closer look, she was surprised to see that it was Andrew Hardy, which wasn¡¯t too far from her initial


    guess.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrcre? Trying to run away out of guilt?¡± Andrew sneered.


    Composing herself, she calmly asked, ¡°What do I have to feel guilty about?¡±


    ¡°After all that chaos and destruction you brought to our family, don¡¯t you feel quilly? Andrew asked, his


    gaze filed with resentment.¡± Larissa, do you have no shame or conscience?


    ¡°Please understand this. Larissa patiently masored with him. ¡°I didn¡¯t initiate any of those incidents. I


    don¡¯t want to be entangled with your family anymore. Sc. please tell your mother to relum the received


    rent, and I will pretend this never happened. Otherwise, well take it to court and it won¡¯t look good for


    anyone.¡±


    ¡°Why should we return the rent?¡± Andrew asked indignantly. ¡°The property certificate clearly states my


    brother¡¯s name, and even if he¡¯s


    brother dead, my parents still have a share in this house. Why should you have it all to yourself?¡±


    Having exined that multiple times to different parties. Larissa was getting tired of it


    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll have mywyer exin what thew says about this property. You won¡¯t listen to me anyway.¡±


    she said, rubbing her throbbing temples, pretending to make a call to Dn.


    ¡°Hey Andrew attempted to grab her phone, but Larissa quickly stepped back, moving out of his reach.


    ¡°What are you doing? She sternly scolded him. ¡°There are surveince cameras in the lobby of the


    Regal Dynasty Hotel. If you dare touch me, il cat the police immediately!


    ring at her liercely, he reluctantly retracted his hand. Standing a few feet away from her, he did not


    dare to take another step closer,


    ¡°Even if this property was llegally obtained by my brather, you¡¯re the one who caused his death. Aren¡¯t


    you willing topensale us with this property? Unable to stand on legal grounds, he resorted to


    moral.coercion.


    But ever since the revtions of their family¡¯s dirtyundry in Zero¡¯s live stream Larissa no longer


    cared about her image. She was not afraid of him spreading these rumors about her.


    If it came to that she would send him anotherwyer¡¯s letter, using him of dmation, With Dn as


    herwyer and her friend, she was adept at handling such matters. However, in front of Andrew, she


    couldn¡¯t afford to lose. Otherwise, it would only encourage the rest of the family to be even more


    audacious.


    1/1

 Chapter 169

    Chapter 169


    Chapter 169


    ¡®First of all didn¡¯t cause your brother¡¯s death,¡± She emphatically denied, making it clear. ¡°I remember


    correctly, you fold the police that your brothermitted suicide because he would be paralyzed lore


    and didn¡¯t want to burden the family.¡±


    Andrew wanted to argue otherwise. ¡°That¡¯s because


    s, hallway through his sentence, he shut his mouth.


    ¡°That¡¯s because your family epted one million dors as hush money from my mother, Larissa


    completed his sentence, ¡°Does your brother know that he was only worth a million dors to you?¡±


    Seeing her point out the truth, Andrew stopped holding himself hack.


    ¡°If it¡¯s not your fault why would your motherpensate my family with a million dors? he asked, his


    confidence restored.


    Larissa wished she could record this scene and show it to her cun ning mother. It was because of her


    loolish move that her daughter was now in such ar embarrassing situation, but she knew she wouldn¡¯t


    care. As long as the Hardys didn¡¯t make a fuss with the Seymours. Yvette couldn¡¯t care less about


    Larissa being misunderstood or humiliated.


    ¡°Nobody knows the real reason behind your brother¡¯s suicide except himself. What makes you think


    you can me it all on me? If that¡¯ the case, I can also say that it was your parents¡¯ cerstart arguing in


    the hospital room and embarrassing him on TV that drove him to his death. Your parents should


    compensate me because I¡¯m stil legally married to your brother, and I paid for all his medical


    expenses.¡±


    Larissa refused to back down. Her years of experience in the workce taught her not only to endure


    but also to be assertive when necessary. Andrew fell silent.


    ¡°You¡­ you¡¯re being unreasonable? he red at Larissa, his eyes red, and his lips trembling with anger


    Sightly amused by his reaction, Larissa smiled faintly


    ¡°I¡¯m just behaving like your family is.¡± She paused and asked him. ¡°So, in that case, doesn¡¯t that makeOriginal from N?velDrama.Org.


    you unreasonable too?¡±


    Andrew couldn¡¯t form a reply to that. However, Larissa didn¡¯t let him off the heck so easily.


    ¡°Also, I didn¡¯t purs ur the matter of your brother transferring marital assets because he diec. If you


    provoke me again, be careful of what will happen to your parents house in their hometown, You might


    even lose the million dors my mother gave you.¡±


    Andrew¡¯s eyes were bloodshot, and his lips trembled with anger.


    ¡°Do you have anything else to say? Larissa asked him,


    ¡°You¡¯ll face the consequences Andrew spat angry and stormed out of the hotel without looking back.


    Every time she deall with the Hardys felt like a tough battle. By the time he left, Larissa¡¯s shirt was


    soaked wh


    sweat which made her feel extremely ufortable. She went to take a shower, and she found a new


    message on her phone from Andrew after that.


    He said. ¡°The rent has been returned, Con¡¯te looking for trouble again!¡±


    His quickpromise took Larissa by surprise.


    She immediately called the agent to get him to talk to the middle-aged couple who rented the house


    from Yvette. Il they didn¡¯t want to move out they could sign a new contract with the agent at the rental


    price previously effered by Yvette. A part of the rent would be the


    agent¡¯smission


    However, not long after, the agent gave her a reply. ¡°I think you should rent out the house yourself, Ms.


    Seymour I can¡¯t handle this!¡±


    Finding his reaction strange, Larissa quickly asked him, ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°What happened? The agent sounded upset. ¡°I was beaten up with a broom, and now Im bruised all


    over! That couple said they have already paid the rent and won¡¯t pay again! Could you be more


    considerate. Ms. Seymour? You sent me over there without rifying anything! I haven¡¯t camed a


    single cent, and now I have to pay for my medical expenses) God, I¡¯m so unlucky!

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    Larissa wasted no time and transferred the money for the medical expenses to the agent along with


    compensation for the hardship he had been through. She also sent several messages apologizing, but


    he ignored her.


    Then she contacted Andrew and said. ¡°The tenant ims they haven¡¯t received the refunded rent from


    you. Can you please send me the transaction records?¡±


    Andrew sent her a screenshot from a mobile banking app, showing that he had transferred over ten


    thousand dors to an ount a lew hours ago. The amount matched the rent paid by the tenant.


    Without hesitation, Larissa look the screenshot and went straight to the middle-aged couple¡¯s ce.


    When she rang the doorbell for the first time, they didn¡¯t open the door at all. Instead, they shouted at


    her through a wooden panel, saying, ¡°We¡¯ve already paid the rent, and we¡¯re not going to move out


    ¡°But Ms. Levange¡¯s son said he refunded the rent to you.¡± Larissa stood by the door, ensuring her voice


    could be heard inside. ¡°He even Sent me a screenshot of the transaction record.¡±


    ¡°What transaction record?¡± The man inside grew angrier. ¡°They haven¡¯t returned the money at all.


    Where did the transaction recorde from? Are you all trying to scam us together?¡±


    His anger seemed genuine, and considering Andrew¡¯s history, Larissa began to doubt the authenticity


    of the screenshot.


    ¡°Please open the door,¡± she softened her tone. ¡°I just want you to see if this ount belongs to you. If it


    doesn¡¯t I look for Ms. Levange.¡±


    There was silence inside the house for a while, and Larissa patiently waited until the man finally


    opened the door. He only opened a cr ack, holding onto the door panel with one hand and a broom in


    the other, fully prepared to defend himself.


    ¡°Where¡¯s the screenshot?¡± He stared at Larissa warly, his eyes as red as his face, and he reeked of


    alcohol when he spoke.


    Larissa frowned slightly, holding her breath to prevent hersell from showing an uglier expression. She


    extended her hand, holding her phone high so that he could see it. The man scrutinized it carefully,Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.<pparing each digit on the screenshot with the bank card number.


    ¡°You scammers! How dare you forge my ount The man¡¯s expression suddenly changed, and he


    began to swing at Larissa.


    Larissa had been hit on her right shoulder by Andrew with an ashtray and by Janine with a bag. And


    now she was hit by a broom. The pain made her break out in a cold sweat, draining the color from her


    face, even her lips turned pale.


    ¡°You scammer! Do you think you can fool me?¡± The man mercilessly struck her other shoulder.


    Unable to hold back, Larissa cried out in pain, covering her right shoulder and quickly stepping back


    two steps. The man chased after her,


    continuously swinging the broom at Larissa.


    ¡°How dare you scam me of my money, stu pid woman! I make you pay for scamming me! I¡¯ll make you


    pay!¡±


    ¡°Stop it! Otherwise, I call the police!¡± Larissa used her hand to block the broom swung at her while


    reaching for the elevator button.


    But both elevators had gone up to the higher floors and kept ascending. She didn¡¯t know when they


    woulde back down.


    ¡°You want to call the police?¡± The man didn¡¯t take her warning seriously at all, ¡°If you have the guts, go


    ahead and call the police! Let them


    amrest you, you fraudster


    Every strike from him was ruthless, and the hard stick hitting her body burned with pain. Tears


    streamed down Larissa¡¯s face. Giving up on waiting for the elevator, she clung to thest glimmer of


    hope and rushed to the opposite door, pounding on it with all her strength.


    ¡°Maria! Maria, open the door!¡± she shouted with a h oa rse voice.


    ¡°Larissa?¡± Maria Durham opened the door, utterly confused. When she saw the man chasing and


    hitting Larissa with a broom, she panicked and shouted, ¡°What are you doing?¡±

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    ¡°It¡¯s none of your business. The man red at her and spat, ¡°I¡¯m teaching this scammer a lesson. If you


    interfere, I won¡¯t spare you either.


    Maria turned her head and yelled. ¡°Darling, bring out the kitchen knife!¡±


    She grabbed Larissa¡¯s hand and pulled her into her house. Jacob brought out the kitchen knife


    obediently and asked. ¡°Why do you need the knife? Ch, Larssa, it¡¯s you.¡±


    Maria pushed Larissa toward Jacob and said. ¡°Take care of Larissa¡±


    She took the knife from him walked out the door, and shouted, ¡°I deal with this, Larissa! il kill anyone


    who touches me! Come get me it you have the guts!¡± she cursed and mmed the deer shut


    ¡°Phew.¡± Maria leaned against the door and took a deep breath. ¡°That was scary. By the way,¡± she


    redirected her attention back to Larissa,¡± What¡¯s the matter?


    ¡°I¡¯ll exin itter,¡± Larissa trembled uncontrobly. She needed some time before she could manage a


    proper sentence. ¡°Maria please call the police and get an ambnce for me.¡±


    ¡°Oh, oh, okay!¡± Maria humedly searched for her phone.


    After she made the phone calls, there was a banging sound as someone tried to knock down their door.


    It didn¡¯t sound like someone merely pounding on the door, but more of the rking sound of metal.


    Maria looked through the peephole and suddenly turned pale with tright ¡°That lu natic from the opposite


    door also has a kitchen knife! He¡¯s trying to break down our door!¡±


    ¡°What should we do?¡± she turned her head and asked, ¡°If he breaks our lock, we¡¯ll be trapped here!


    Jacob remained calm as opposed to her anxious manner. ¡°This door cost us hundreds of dors. It


    won¡¯t break so easy.¡±


    He propped up Larissa with one arm and said. ¡°Just to be sale, let¡¯s hide in the bedroom. Ma, call


    the police again and tell them that the luna tic has a knife. Ask them to be cautious when theye.¡±


    The three of them retreated into the bedroom, each holding a makeshift weapon just in case. The


    intense pain in Larissa¡¯s shoulder made her start to lose consciousness, and she used the apt club in


    her hand to support herse, forcing her eves to open. N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.


    Maria looked at her with concern on her face. ¡°Larissa, Il you¡¯re really in pain, just le on the bed, it¡¯s


    okay.¡±


    ¡°No¡± Belore she could finish her sentence, Larissa¡¯s vision went dark, and she passed out.


    When Larissa woke up, she was already in the hospital. She was wearing a loose hospital gown, and


    her right shoulder was bandaged firmly. Larissa managed to prop herself up with her left arm. The


    emply room had no one else aside from her, and her bag was on the bed beside hers. Larissa gritted


    her teeth and endured the excruciating pain surging through her body. She got off the bed and walked


    over to retrieve her phone from the bag. The phone screen was ck, so she attempted to turn it or,


    but the low battery Iron shed on the


    screen.


    ¡°Why did you get out of bed on your own?¡± Suddenly, a nurse shouted, startling Larissa. She twisted


    her neck, causing her shoulder to move, and immediately winced in pain. The nurse pushed her back


    onto the bed.


    ¡°You have torn open the old wound on your shoulder. Although the wound may look bad, it¡¯s not that


    serious,¡± she exred. ¡°Mr. Rogers brought you here. He had to leave as something came up and


    entrusted you in my care. Let me know if you need anything.¡±

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    Mr. Rogers? The only Mr. Rogers Larissa knew was Kevan, Bul she couldn¡¯t figure out why he was the


    one who sent her here. She clearly was at Maria¡¯s house when she tainted.


    ¡°What time is it?¡± she asked the nurse.


    I was already dark cutside, so she couldn¡¯t tell the time.


    ¡°It¡¯s almost twelve.¡± the nurse nced at her watch and answered.


    ¡°Thanks.¡±Larissa nodded,


    Kevan wouldn¡¯t cr ap by since it was sote. She turned off the lights and shut her eyes with relief. The


    nurse thoughtfully closed the door as she left. Larissa wasn¡¯t too worn out due to the two hours of sleep


    she¡¯d had when sheinted.


    After some time had passed, the door to her ward was suddenly pushed open. She stirred in her sleep


    and opened her eyes.


    A tall man stood by the door, blocking the light from theidor outside, casting a huar shadow on the


    floor, Larissa couldn¡¯t see hisce clearly in the dim light, but she recognized him either way and called


    out, ¡°Mr. Rogers?¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Kewan¡¯s cold voice carried a hint of displeasure.


    Larissa immediately corrected hersell. ¡°Kevan.¡±


    ¡°Him¡± Kevan responded with satisfaction. He shut the door behind him, but he didn¡¯t turn on the lights.


    He¡¯d probably just taken a shower


    as she could smell the refreshing scent of his shower gel off him.


    Lanssa leaned over, wanting to turn on the light on her bedside table, but he stopped her.


    ¡°Don¡¯t burn the light on.¡±


    Larissa paused. ¡°Don¡¯t you need to see?!


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t.¡±


    A faint glimmer of light came through the small window on the door, and Kevan strolled past Larissa¡¯s


    bed and headed toward the bed


    beside her. He took off his coat andy down on the bec.


    ¡°Go to sleep.¡± He pulled the nket up to his chin. ¡°Goodnight.¡±


    Larissa looked at him in the dark and licked her dry lips


    1¡ª¡°She was about to speak when he interrupted her.


    *Just tell me about it tomorrow.¡±


    His tone was tender and soft as opposed to his usual stok set.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Larissa didn¡¯t speak anymore and kept her doubts to hersell.


    As Larissa slowly drifted off, Kevan opened his eyes. He got off the bed and sal on the chair next to her


    bed, his dark eyes shining in the dim lighting. Even now, his racing heart still couldn¡¯t calm down as he


    watched her sleep peacefully. He told her to wait for him to pick her up after work. However, when he


    arrived at the hotel, the receptionist told him that she had already left.


    He went back to Foxtai Garden, wanting to teach her a lesson when they met, but no one answered the


    door when he pressed the doorbell He called her again but received no answer. He had already


    investigated her thoroughly, knowing that she had a small secial circle, and hardly had any close


    friends. Thus, it was not possible for her to have ns to go out or go shopping. Moreover, if it was a


    work activity, the hotel receptionist would¡¯ve known. He Immediately panicked and used his


    connections to obtain her call records from the telmunicationspany before he dialed them in


    order.N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.

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    The first call was from an employee of a real estate agency. He knew that she had listed her previous


    house with the agency for rent, and also about how those shameless people from the Hardy family had


    rented her house to someone else. He imed to be her boyfriend and


    expressed his concern because she had yet to return homete at night.


    The agency immediately informed him to look for her at the house, il she wasn¡¯t there, the people who


    rented out her house must be


    involved.


    The people from the Hardy family had all returned to their hometown, which was only a little over three


    hours away by car, but she wouldn¡¯t travel there for such a trivial matter. He immediately drove to her


    former residence but unexpectedly found a police car downstairs.


    His heart tightened, and he quickly rushed into the elevators as fast as he could. As soon as the


    elevator doors opened on her floor, someone pushed him back inside.


    N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.


    A man in a police uniform shouted sharply, ¡°Go to a different floor!¡±


    He saw a drunk man waving a kitchen knife behind the police officer and shouting loudly. ¡°Don¡¯te


    over!


    Several police officers with empty hands were cautious and refrained from approaching the drunk man


    with the knife. He didn¡¯t see


    Larissa among the crowd, but that didn¡¯t mean she was safe,


    He asked the police officer, ¡°Have you seen Miss Seymour?


    The police officer was confused. ¡°Miss Seymour? Who¡¯s that?¡±


    The drunk man, however, had a strong reaction to his words. ¡°That female scammer! kill her! Let¡¯s see


    if she dares trick me again!¡±


    He ignored the police officer¡¯s advice and rushed forward to kick the drunk man to the ground, picking


    up the knife and pressing it against his neck. His eyes were bloodthirsty, and he might¡¯ve driven the


    knife into the man if it weren¡¯t for the police.


    The police handcuffed the drunk man and knocked on the closed door across the hall-apparently, the


    couple who lived there had called the police. In their bedroom, he found Larissa unconscious and


    unresponsive. The couple told the police about what the man had done. and he listened attentively


    while carrying Larissa out. Her face was as pale as a sheet and regardless of the noisy surroundings,


    she showed no signs of waking up. He vowed in his heart to make the man¡¯s family pay it anything


    were to happen to her.


    Fortunately, she did not suffer any serious injuries other than a recurring injury on her right shoulder.


    But his anger soared when he saw the scars on her body as the nurse undressed her.


    He entrusted her to the care of a reliable nurse and went to the police station where the drunk man was


    being held. After obtaining the details of what happened, he pulled some strings to get some time alone


    with the perpetrator. Kevan spared no effort in beating the drunk man almost to death, leaving him lying


    on the ground in pain and groaning.


    He stomped on his face with his foot and said, ¡°Tell your wife to move out immediately, and I will


    compensate her. As for you-you¡¯ll spend


    the rest of your life in jail,*


    The drunk man¡¯s filthy blood sttered on him, so he returned home to take a shower and change his


    clothes. Then, he went back to the


    hospital,


    Upon arrival, the nurse informed him. ¡°Miss Seymour woke up, but she fell asleep again.¡±


    But it seemed she couldn¡¯t fall asleep. He didn¡¯t want to talk to her much, nor would he allow her to turn


    on the light because she would


    definitely see how fearful he was. He had never experienced fear to such an extent, even during the


    time he¡¯d narrowly escaped death.


    Kevan raised his hand and caressed Larissa¡¯s Lace lightly, savoring the soll and smooth touch of her


    skin lor a long time. It was good that she was alive and well, and that he could see and feel her. He


    bent over and nted a kiss on her forehead before walking out of the room Then, he dialed a number


    and said. ¡°I need your help.¡±

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    Chapter 174


    Larissay helplessly on the hospital bed. She had received visits from both Dn and the police who


    hade to get her lement. The police informed her that Eliot the middle-aged man who rented her


    house, had been arrested and would likely be imprisoned for three to five years before being released.


    Elliot¡¯s wife hac hastily moved out of the house overnight-presumably afraid of the lega. consequences,


    and her whereabouts remained


    unknown.


    In other words, after all the trouble Larissa went through, she finally had her house back, however, she


    was not entirely sat sted with this


    oue.


    Dn had helped her investigate Elliot¡¯s transactions, which proved that he had not led in regard to


    saying he had not received the refunds for the rent from Andrew, Sn, Lanssa entrusted Dn to


    continue assisting her in suing Janine firmly stating that she would not


    ept a settlement.


    On the other hand, the real estate agent had contacled her and informed her of an interested buyer for


    her house who wanted to purchase it along with the lumiture. They wanted to know if she had any


    intention to sell This was exactly what Larissa had hoped for but she found the circumstances odd and


    asked. ¡°The locks on the front door have been changed. How did you show them the house?¡±


    ¡°Well..¡¯ The real estate agent stammered. ¡°That client wanted to buy a house in your neighborhood. He


    was in a hurry. Se, I showed him photos of the house at first, but he was on board to buy immediately


    after seeing the pictures. He was exceptionally enthusiastic.¡±


    The exnation seemed reasonable, but it still didn¡¯t dispel Larissa¡¯s doubts. It made no sense for


    someone to buy the house without actually seeing the property even if they were in a hurry, Concerned


    that Larissa might not agree, the real estate agent added. ¡°As for the price. I quoted him 3,300 dors


    per square foot, and he agreed. Moreover, he offered to pay the full amount upfront.¡±


    The current average price in that area was 3,200 drs per square foot, which had increased by a few


    thousand dors since she bought the house. She was undoubtedly tempted by the offer, and she


    wanted to sign the contract mmediately and transfer the property to them. However, her conscience did


    not allow it


    ¡°Ask if they can wait a few more days. I¡¯m currently tied up with something, but I¡¯ll change the locks in a


    couple of days. Then you can show him the house. We¡¯ll sign the contract if he¡¯s still interested.¡±


    The real estate agent wasn¡¯t entirely put off by the idea.


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Within two minutes, he called Larissa back. ¡°The client said it¡¯s line. They¡¯lle ording to your


    schedule.¡±


    Just as Larissa put down her phone, Kevan handed her a peeled apple.


    The apple was peeled neatly, there were meticulous knile markings on the surface, and even the


    peeled skin remained in one long.


    connected strip.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Larissa took a small bite, sweetness Instantly bursting in her mouth.


    Kevan cleaned the fruit knide and his hands, carefully wiping away the remaining water dros


    with a tissue.


    Larissa asked as she enjoyed the apple, ¡°Is it fine for you to not go to thepany?¡±


    Kevan had been in her room since early morning until now, not leaving except for once to buy breakfast


    around eight. Although she assured him that she would be fine alone, with nurses taking care of her, he


    still refused to leave.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Kevan opened the bag that Dn had brought him and took out hisptop.


    Larissa thought he was going to start working, so she tried to chew softer. However, she didn¡¯t expect


    him to look up and ask her, ¡°Is there any move you want to watch?¡±


    Although she resided in one of the VIP rooms in the hospital, they had no ess to any streaming


    tform. The hospital provided Umited channels, ying only a lew programs that she wasn¡¯t


    interested in.


    Kevan¡¯s suggestion was very timely. Larissa mentioned the name of a movie, and Kevan found it and


    handed theptop to her.


    ¡°You can watch for a while. I¡¯ll go downstairs to buy lunch.¡±


    1/2


    Chapter 174


    Larissa stopped him, ¡°Can¡¯t we order takeout?¡±


    Kevan answered without hesitation, The delivery le es are too expensive.¡±


    Huh? Larissa widened her eyes in surprise.Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.

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    Did he, Kevan, the president of Microworks Corporation, Ind a few dors for delivery fees expensive?


    Were rich people this stingy?


    Kevan went downstairs to the nearby convenience store, bought a pack of cigarettes, and lit one. He


    took a pull and tried to calm himsell down as he answered his phone which had been ringing for some


    time,


    ¡°Is everything taken care of?¡± he asked coldly.


    The person on the other end replied. ¡°It¡¯s done.¡±


    ¡°Both matters are resolved?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.


    Kevan lowered his hand and flicked the ash off the cigarelle.


    ¡°I transfer the money to your ountter.¡±


    He extinguished the cigarette butt and threw the remaining hall-pack of cigarettes along with the lighter


    into the trash can.


    After nearly an hour. Kevan returned, carrying a paper bag with the logo of the Regal Dynasty Hotel He


    took out the food and ced each item on the small table set up on Larissa¡¯s hospital bed.


    Larissa widened her eyes once again.


    ¡°So¡­you went to the Regal Dynasty Hotel to buy lunch?¡±


    Although the hotel was not far from Victoria General Hospital it wasn¡¯t close either. Criving back and


    forth would definitely cost more in fuel than the delivery less for ordering takeout-perhaps even several


    times more,


    ¡°The nearby restaurants are subpar,¡± Kevan said with a disdainful expression on hisce. ¡°The lood at


    the Regal Dynasty Hotel is average. but at least its clean.¡±


    After all the majority of people whoe to public hospitals for treatment were regr folks, and the


    surrounding restaurants had the tendency to focus on offering affordable meals. Naturally, they


    wouldn¡¯t prioritize their hyalene. Most people here ale merely to 10 their stomachs, and hardly anyone


    was as picky as him. But when Larissa thought of how much of a clean freak he was, she was very


    understanding of him, and let go of her doubts.


    In the evening, Maris called Larissa, asking about the hospital and ward she was ying in. She


    nned toe to visit with Jacob anter


    work Neither of them was surprised when they saw Kevan.


    Maria even waved at him and greeted him warmly, ¡®Hello! You¡¯re Larissa¡¯s boyfriend, right?¡±


    Larissa thought that Kevan would either ignore them or respond coldly since he was usually


    unapproachable. She didn¡¯t expect him to


    sh a genuine smile, and he even stood up to greet them.


    ¡°Hello,¡± he said in his usual indifferent tone but with a sincere expression.


    Jacob extended his hand towards him, ¡°Hello, How should we address you?¡±


    Kevan looked down and shook his hand.


    Larissa had ant cipated what was about to happen next as she had witnessed this several times


    before. She quickly intervened before the situation became aweward and exined. ¡°He is a clean


    freak and isn¡¯t ustomed to physical contact with others. I¡¯m sorry!¡±


    Upon hearing this, Kevan smiled ambiguously and nced at her. Then he said to Jacob, ¡°Well I really


    can¡¯t ovee this psychological barrier, so please don¡¯t mind me. My name is Kevan Rogers, You


    can just call me Kevan.¡±


    Jacob was


    an easygoing man who couldn¡¯t bother less about such trivial matters. He casually shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s okay!


    I understand¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Kevan smiled and brought over a chair, cing it next to another one, and politely said,


    ¡°Please have a seat, both of you.¡±


    Larissa was astonished by what she was witnessing. When had Kevan be so approachable?


    However, his unusual behavior didn¡¯t stop therr

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    Chapter 176


    There weren¡¯t any extra chairs in the ward, and the s was too far away, so Kevan simply sat at the


    loot of Larissa¡¯s bed, upying a small space, cramped against the edge. Larissa was taken aback


    and quickly withdrew her legs as if she had been shocked. Kevan remained unfazed by her movements


    and said calmly. ¡°Thank you both for yesterday. Once Lari recovers and is discharged from the hospital,


    we will treat you to a meal to express our gratitude.¡±


    He was acting exactly like her boyfriend, Larissa was shocked by his use of ¡°Lari,¡± and her smile


    instantly froze, looking somewhat unnatural. ording to the terms of their contract, they didn¡¯t need to


    pretend to be a couple in this situation, She didn¡¯t know what he was scheming, but she had to


    cooperate with him.


    ¡°Yeah, if it weren¡¯t for you, I might be in the intensive care unit now!


    Maria and Jacob felt slightly embarrassed. ¡°We just did what should have been done. No one would


    just turn a blind eye in that kind of


    situation, right?¡±


    Larissa retorted. ¡°That¡¯s not necessarily true.¡±


    There were many indifferent people in this world. She was fortunate to encounter Maria¡¯s family.


    Otherwise, she would have been badly


    injured even if she didn¡¯t die in yesterday¡¯s situation.


    ¡°To be honest, we should thank you too.¡± Maria looked at Kevan with gratitude in her eyes. ¡°Early this


    morning, a few workers came and reced the security door at our home. They said it was arranged


    by Larissa, but she couldn¡¯t have had the time to think about iL considering her injuries, so it must have


    been your idea, right?¡±


    Although Kevan didn¡¯t take credit for it at first, he didn¡¯t attempt to hide it.


    ¡°Yes, we should be responsible for that door.¡± He nodded.


    Larissa indeed didn¡¯t think about this, not because she didn¡¯t have the time, as Maria said, but simply


    because the thought never crossed her mind. She had to admire Kevan¡¯s thoughtfulness and


    thoroughness.


    ¡°Oh. by the way, what happened to that lunatic? Maria remembered and asked. ¡°Aher you two left


    yesterday, I heard somemotion from the opposite side. I secretly looked through the peephole and


    saw his wife carrying severalrge bags and leaving with a man in his twenties. I guess that should be


    their son.¡±


    Larissa didn¡¯t care about where Elliot¡¯s wife went or with whom.


    ¡°The police said he¡¯ll be locked up for at least three to five years.¡± Kevan answered.


    ¡°Only three to five years? Maria sneered, obviously dissatisfied with this oue. ¡°People like him,


    who pose a threat to society, should be locked up for a lifetime!¡±


    ¡°I think so too.¡± Kevan agreed with a glint of iciness in his eyes, making his gaze much colder.


    Maria shuddered, realizing that this was a sensitive topic, and abruptly switched the topic. ¡°This VIP


    ward must be expensive to stay in for


    a day, right?¡±


    Since Larissa moved inst night, Kevan hadn¡¯t mentioned a word to her, so she had no idea how


    much her treatment cost.Original from N?velDrama.Org.

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    She turned her gaze to Kevan and asked, ¡°How much does cost?¡±


    However, Kevan avoided her question and answered. ¡°It¡¯s not expensive, don¡¯t worry.¡±


    Mania couldn¡¯t help butugh and eximed with envy. ¡°Larissa, Kevan treats you so well¡±


    Alter speaking, she gave her own husband a disdainful look, bent her elbow, and nudged his waist,


    saying. ¡°You should learn from him!¡±


    Jacob smiled sheepishly and muttered. ¡°You need money to afford that


    Maria continued toin, ¡°It¡¯s because you¡¯re clumsy and don¡¯t know how to butter up your


    superiors. You¡¯re always burying yourself in work, what¡¯s the use of that? Look at the others who joined


    thepany at the same time as you. They either became department managers or jumped to other


    companies with double sries. But you, after so many years, you¡¯re still just a team leader!


    Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.


    Jacob tugged at her sleeves, embarrassedly, and spoke in a lower voice, ¡°Darling, please don¡¯t


    embarrass me in front of others.¡±


    Maria snorted but held her tongue.


    At this time, Kevan spoke up. ¡°Forgive me for asking, but where does Jacob work?


    Jacob answered, ¡°I work at the architectural institute under Soaring Corporation. Our team designed


    the Star View Hotel on Starry


    Mountain.¡±


    He seemed very satisfied with his work and beamed with pride at the mention of Star View Hotel


    As neighbors for over a year. Larissa had never inquired about personal matters, so she was quite


    surprised to hear that he worked at Soaring Corporation


    Kevan didn¡¯t anticipate this coincidence either, but he did not look too shocked, so no one could tell


    what he was thinking.


    ¡°I just visited Star View Hotel recently!¡± Larissa eximed excitedly. ¡°The design of the celling on the


    top floor is truly amazing!¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Jacob became even more proud as he straightened his back, no longer crouching over


    timidly as when he was reprimanded by


    Maria earlier.


    ¡°What are you so proud of? Maria pped his back instantly extinguishing his arrogance. ¡°You don¡¯t


    know how foolish he is! The Star View Hotel project won a design gold award within thepany at the


    time. As the team leader, he could have been promoted. But guess what? Because of this idiot¡¯s


    clumsiness, he tumbled his speech at the ceremony, and the vice team leader had to give the


    eptance speech. As a result the vice team leader caught the attention of the superiors, got


    promoted to deputy manager, and is now skyrocketing in his career! Doesn¡¯t that make you furious?¡±


    ¡°Well Liam is also quite capable.¡± Jacob offered weakly. ¡°Actually, I¡¯m quite content with my current


    position. I can focus on designing without having to do other unrted tasks.¡±


    ¡°See! He uses this excuse to brush me off every day!¡± Ma eximed, herce turning red with anger.


    Kevan interjected at the right moment, ¡°I actually think that someone like Jacob, who wholeheartedly


    focuses on his profession, is exactly what Soaring Corporation needs the most.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the use of being needed the most? If he doesn¡¯t get promoted, how much is he going to get


    paid for merely gaining experience?¡± Maria sighed with a distressed expression. ¡°Because our ie


    has never increased, I¡¯m still childless even in my thirties. If we go on like this. I definitely won¡¯t be


    having any children in myte thirties. I would only be making it hard for mysell and risk the baby¡¯s


    health!¡±


    Larissa couldn¡¯t empathize with Maria¡¯s worries or provide any good solutions. She could only offer


    some empty words offort, ¡°When the timees, things will naturally work out. These difficulties


    will pass.¡±


    Kevan also said. ¡°That¡¯s right, these difficulties will pass quickly.¡±

 Chapter 178

    Chapter 178


    Chapter 178


    Maria and Jacob left soon as they were worried about disturbing Larissa¡¯s rest. Kevan


    apanied them all the way to the elevator before returning.


    As soon as he entered the door, he noticed Larissa looking at him with an inquisitive gaze, as if


    observing a rare jewel. Kevan touched his face embarrassedly and turned to avoid her gaze. What¡¯s


    wrong?¡±


    ¡°Hmm? Nothing.¡± Larissa realized that she had been staring at him and quickly averted her gaze. She


    was just slightly surprised Others might not care as much about seeing off a guest, but she felt it was


    impolite not to do so However, when Kevan did it, it made her feel he was humbling himself down. In


    fact, everything Kevan did after Maria and Jacob arrived went against his usual behavior


    Larissa even suspected that Kevan had a twin brother that she was unaware of. Otherwise, none of his


    actions seemed logical. Kevan nced at her a few more times, understanding what was going on in


    her mind, but he didn¡¯t say anything about it.


    He moved the chairs that Maria and Jacob had sat on to the corner of the room and asked Larissa,¡±


    Do you want to take a bath now?¡±


    Larissa nodded. She had been in bed all day, and although the bruises and wounds looked terrifying,


    they didn¡¯t hurt as much as yesterday. She got off the bed effortlessly and noticed Kevan¡¯s hand


    reaching out toward her. It seemed he was extending her help just now.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±Larissa trailed off feeling embarrassed. She didn¡¯t want to dismiss his kindness, so she ced


    her hand in his palm and held it


    Thank you


    She tilted her head, her rosy pink lips were plump, and her eyes glistened like crystal-clear water.


    Kevan was stunned: his heart raced without any warning, and he felt his mouth dry up. He wanted to


    pull her into his embrace, and fiercely press his lips against hers until she couldn¡¯t help but moan, her


    doe eyes wet with tears. But it was just a mere thought. He didn¡¯t dare force himself on her while sober.


    At this thought, he wondered if he should thank Karin. Should he ask her to drug him again? Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    Larissa noticed a change in his expression, and furrowed her brows, wondering what he was thinking.


    He was lost in thought for a moment.


    ¡°Kevan?¡± she cautiously called.


    Keyan snapped back to reality in an instant. He put on a nk face in an attempt to conceal all kinds of


    inappropriate thoughts in his heart. He swallowed hard, and his voice was h oar se as he muttered,


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    The bathroom wasrger than a regr ward¡¯s, with facilities just like a home, except for the addition of


    some handrails on the wall for patients.


    Larissa and Kevan stared at each other in the bathroom.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to get out? Larissa asked.


    Chappi 158


    ¡°I¡¯ll help you with your clothes first, then I¡¯ll leave. You can¡¯t move your right arm,¡± Kevan exined.


    He seemed very sincere and trustworthy, which made Larissa hesitate for a moment. He was right, she


    could only move her right arm from below the elbow, and it was inconvenient to undress and bathe.


    However, it wasn¡¯t impossible to do so.


    She held onto the handrail and declined his kindness, saying, ¡°I can manage to undress myself.¡±

 Chapter 179

    Chapter 179


    Chapter 179


    It might be inconvenient, but it was better than stripping naked before him.


    Kevan suddenly smirked, crossed his arms, leaned against the door frame, and watched her leisurely..


    ¡°Take off your top. I¡¯ll just watch.¡±


    He seemed quite certain that she couldn¡¯t do it on her own,


    Larissa¡¯s face turned red, and she protested, ¡°How can I undress with you here?¡±


    Kevan promptly turned around.


    ¡°This should be fine, right?¡±


    Larissa also turned around to undress when she was sure he couldn¡¯t peek She lowered her head


    and used her left hand to unbutton the buttons one by one. Fortunately, the buttons on the hospital


    gown wererge, so the whole process didn¡¯t require much effort. She was given a gown that was one


    size bigger than her usual due to her bandaged right shoulder. She pulled the left cor back, and the


    entire sleeve slipped off her arm. Then, she grabbed the right cuff and tugged.


    on it, taking off the gownpletely.


    Larissa felt quite proud. ¡°I took it off.¡±


    As she turned her head, she saw that Kevan had turned around at some point and was now staring


    at her.


    ¡°Ah!¡± Larissa screamed and quickly covered herself with the garments.


    ¡°Get out! You per vert!¡± She grabbed some shampoo bottles from the nearby shelf and threw them


    at him.


    Kevan caught them firmly and sadness shed in his dark eyes. ¡°I was just worried that it would be


    difficult for you to undress and wanted to help if you ran into any difficulties. You¡¯re so stubborn you


    wouldn¡¯t ask me yourself.¡± He turned his gaze to the window and continued to tease her, saying,


    ¡°Besides, I wouldn¡¯t need to sneak around if I really wanted to do something to you. You¡¯re far weaker


    than me, and wouldn¡¯t be able to fight back if I actually forced myself on you since you injured your


    shoulder.¡± Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.


    He remained calm, and his exnation made sense,


    Larissa¡¯s doubts gradually dissipated and she wondered if she had misunderstood him.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± she apologized. She would dly take ountability for her faults.


    Kevan was quite forgiving. ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡±


    He ced the bottles of shampoo on the sink and confidently walked out, closing the door behind him


    on the way out.


    ¡°Call me if you need anything.¡±


    His voice sounded mu ff led through the door,


    Through the door, his voice sounded mu ffled, and Larissa couldn¡¯t hear him clearly


    ¡°Okay,¡± she politely responded


    Kevan became slightly agitated as he listened to the sound of running water in the bathroom.


    He didn¡¯t expect her to manage to undress herself. He was looking forward to helping her,


    unfortunately, it all went down the drain. He threw himself onto the soft leather sofa, stroking his chin as


    he reminisced about het smooth and unblemished back. Although it wasn¡¯t his first time seeing her


    body, she still stirred his heart. He was able to quilt-trip Larissa into thinking she had misunderstood


    him Since then, he had to be extremely cautious and not let her discover any


    ws.


    Kevan let out a long sigh, suddenly wanting to smoke a cigarette. It was truly agonizing that his desires


    were out of his reach these days. But he couldn¡¯t bring himself to talk to her openly as the memories of


    his past experiences were still vivid in his mind, and he didn¡¯t want to give her another opportunity to


    reject him. He wondered when Lanssa¡¯s hardened heart would finally warm up to him. If he wanted to


    seed sooner, he might have to put in even more effort

 Chapter 180

    Chapter 180


    Chapter 180


    Larissa was discharged three dayster as she strongly insisted on it. In fact, she wouldn¡¯t have


    needed to be hospitalized if she hadn¡¯t fainted from the pain that night, considering how minor her


    injuries were.


    Larissa asked Kevan for his ount number, intending to repay him for the medical expenses that had


    been incurred over the past few days. However, he outright refuted her again and again


    He was going to leave her ce at the time, and was about to open the door, causing the door to be


    slightly ajar. Upon hearing her request, he turned his head and raised his eyebrows.


    ¡°It¡¯s just a small amount of money. He suddenly curved his lips, revealing a teasing smile.¡± Besides, I¡¯m


    supposed to be spending money on my girlfriend, aren¡¯t I?¡±


    He said that casually and walked away without looking back, leaving Larissa standing frozen in a


    daze.


    Did he call her his girlfriend? He might have merely failed to mention they weren¡¯t really dating. but her


    heart still started to pound uncontrobly, and her face flushed red


    Larissa continued to recover at home for a few more days. She resumed her work at the hotel when


    she began to regain some movement in her right arm. Kevan still picked her up and dropped her off


    every day, but he no longer had her bring him lunch at the Microworks Building. Her previous workload


    had piled up due to her absence, and after several busy days, Larissa finally found some time to have


    someone change the locks on her ce. She contacted the real estate agent, Mason rk, wanting to


    schedule a meeting to hand over the new keys for


    the main door to the buyer and have them take a look at the house. However, Mason said it would be


    better if she was present since the buyer had made up their mind, and viewing the house was just a


    formality. There was a good chance they could sign the contract on the spot. Thinking it would be more


    convenient, Larissa asked him when the buyer would be avable. He quickly arranged a time as he


    was eager to earn hismission.


    ¡°Is Friday morning okay?¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Larissa said as she happened to have the day off that day.


    It was Friday morning and they had agreed to meet at the house at nine. Larissa arrived half an hour


    early to see if anything needed to be rearranged. Although the previous tenant hadn¡¯t lived. there for


    long, they hadn¡¯t maintained the cleanliness of the house, and there were some stubborn stains on the


    bathroom and kitchen. Moreover, Elliot¡¯s wife had left in a hurry, leaving the house in a mess. Latissa


    didn¡¯t have time to clean it herself, so she had Mason arrange for a cleaningpany toe. As she


    opened the door, she was met with a sweet scent, likely the air freshener used by the cleaning


    company.


    The house was spotless, with all the furniture in its ce. She was relieved to see the bathroom and


    kitchen look brand new after the cleaning.


    ¡°Okay,¡± she politely responded


    Kevan became slightly agitated as he listened to the sound of running water in the bathroom.


    He didn¡¯t expect her to manage to undress herself. He was looking forward to helping her,


    unfortunately, it all went down the drain. He threw himself onto the soft leather sofa, stroking his chin as


    he reminisced about her smooth and unblemished back. Although it wasn¡¯t his first time seeing her


    body, she still stirred his heart He was able to quilt-trip Larissa into thinking she had misunderstood


    him. Since then, he had to be extremely cautious and not let her discover any ws.


    Kevan let out a long sigh, suddenly wanting to smoke a cigarette. It was truly agonizing that his desires


    were out of his reach these days. But he couldn¡¯t bring himself to talk to her openly as the memories of


    his past experiences were still vivid in his mind, and he didn¡¯t want to give her another opportunity to


    reject him. He wondered when Larissa¡¯s hardened heart would finally warm up to him. If he wanted to


    seed sooner, he might have to put in even more effort.


    Chart 180


    Chapter 180


    Larissa was discharged three dayster as she strongly insisted on it. In fact, she wouldn¡¯t have


    needed to be hospitalized if she hadn¡¯t fainted from the pain that night, considering how minor herN?velDrama.Org owns ? this.


    injuries were.


    Larissa asked Kevan for his ount number, intending to repay him for the medical expenses that had


    been incurred over the past few days. However, he outright refuted her again and again.


    He was going to leave her ce at the time, and was about to open the door, causing the door to be


    slightly ajar. Upon hearing her request, he turned his head and raised his eyebrows.


    ¡°It¡¯s just a small amount of money. He suddenly curved his lips, revealing a teasing smile. Besides, I¡¯m


    supposed to be spending money on my girlfriend, aren¡¯t I?¡±


    He said that casually and walked away without looking back, leaving Larissa standing frozen in a


    daze


    Did he call her his girlfriend? He might have merely failed to mention they weren¡¯t really dating. but her


    heart still started to pound uncontrobly, and her face flushed red


    Larissa continued to recover at home for a few more days. She resumed her work at the hotel when


    she began to regain some movement in her right arm. Kevan still picked her up and dropped her off


    every day, but he no longer had her bring him lunch at the Microworks Building.


    Her previous workload had piled up due to her absence, and after several busy days, Larissa finally


    found some time to have someone change the locks on her ce. She contacted the real estate agent,


    Mason rk, wanting to schedule a meeting to hand over the new keys for the main door to the buyer


    and have them take a look at the house. However, Mason said it would be better if she was present


    since the buyer had made up their mind, and viewing the house was just a formality. There was a good


    chance they could sign the contract on the spot. Thinking it would be more convenient, Larissa asked


    him when the buyer would be avable. He quickly arranged a time as he was eager to earn his


    commission


    ¡°Is Friday morning okay?¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Larissa said as she happened to have the day off that day.


    It was Friday morning and they had agreed to meet at the house at nine. Larissa arrived half an hour


    early to see if anything needed to be rearranged. Although the previous tenant hadn¡¯t lived there for


    long, they hadn¡¯t maintained the cleanliness of the house, and there were some stubborn. stains on the


    bathroom and kitchen. Moreover, Elliot¡¯s wife had left in a hurry, leaving the house in a mess. Larissa


    didn¡¯t have time to clean it herself, so she had Mason arrange for a cleaningpany toe. As she


    opened the door, she was met with a sweet scent, likely the air freshener used by the cleaning


    company


    The house was spotless, with all the furniture in its ce. She was relieved to see the bathroom and


    kitchen look brand new after the cleaning.


    At exactly nine, there was a knock on the front door. Mason entered with a smile on his face, followed


    by a thin man, dressed in a sharp suit, wearing a pair of gold-rimmed sses simr to Dn¡¯s, making


    him look very refined and elegant.


    Larissa figured that he was the buyer, and immediately went up to greet them. She shook his


    hand and said warmly, ¡°Hello¡±


    Mason had spoken to the buyer about her in advance, and he smiled politely, saying, ¡°Hello, Miss


    Seymour.


    Mason continued to introduce him, saying, ¡°This is the buyer. Noah Rodriguez.


    Larissa nodded and turned to walk inside, handing each of them a bottle of water.


    ¡°Mr. Rodriquez, let me show you around the house,¡± she said.

 Chapter 181

    Chapter 181


    Chapter 181


    ¡°Sorry for being a bother, Miss Seymour, Noah greeted her in a calm andposed manner, remaining


    in an elegant and graceful posture.


    Larissa noticed that he did not seem like someone who was in a hurry to buy a house. Thus far, he had


    not looked at anything in the room, instead, his gaze was focused on her the entire time. However, he


    maintained a distance, and his gaze was polite, so he did not make her feel


    ufortable.


    Larissa had a feeling that he must be a powerful man. However, she was confused as to why he was


    interested in her house. It wasn¡¯trge or located in a convenient area, which meant he clearly had


    better options. But she wouldn¡¯t raise her questions aloud. She was d enough that someone was


    willing to buy the house along with the furniture, and she wouldn¡¯t miss out on this opportunity no


    matter what.


    Larissa quickly led Noah through the entire house. He didn¡¯t ask any questions and directly said, I¡¯m


    satisfied with the house. Are you able to sign the contract with me now?¡±


    He seemed worried that she would change her mind. He did not even ask to see any legal documents


    such as the property certificate or household registration.


    Mason had already prepared the purchase contract and promptly took it out of their bag, saying.


    Here¡¯s the contract.¡±


    Larissa carefully read through it and, signed her name after not finding any loopholes.


    Noah, on the other hand, waspletely different. He took the pen from Mason, and confidently


    signed his name on the contract without any hesitation.


    As a trustworthy seller, Larissa couldn¡¯t help but remind him, ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to read the contract?


    What if there¡¯s a hidden use?¡±


    Noah smiled faintly at her words and asked, ¡°Is there one?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ No, there isn¡¯t.¡± Larissaughed awkwardly.


    Noah remained silent and exchanged his copy of the contract with hers, signing his name once again.


    With that, theypleted signing the contract, and each party, along with the agent,


    N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.


    retained a copy.


    Noah nced at his watch and asked Larissa, ¡°Miss Seymour, are you busy today?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Larissa truthfully replied. ¡°Why?¡±


    There is no day better than today. Since you have all the documents ready, why don¡¯t weplete the


    property transfer today?¡± Noah suggested.


    Larissa did have everything required for the property transfer on her at that moment. She had prepared


    them just in case, never expecting they would actuallye in handy.


    ¡°Sure.¡± Larissa thought it would be best to get everything done in one go.


    ording to the contract, Noah was supposed to pay a partial deposit beforepleting the property


    transfer procedures However, on their way to the bank, he transferred the full payment.


    At exactly nine, there was a knock on the front door. Mason entered with a smile on his face, followed


    by a thin man, dressed in a sharp suit, wearing a pair of gold-rimmed sses simr to Dn¡¯s, making


    him look very ret:ned and elegant,


    Larissa figured that he was the buyer, and immediately went up to greet them. She shook his hand and


    said warmly, Hello


    Mason had spoken to the buyer about her in advance, and he smiled politely, saying, ¡®Hello, Miss


    Seymour.¡±


    Mason continued to introduce him, saying, ¡°This is the buyer, Noah Rodriguez.¡±


    Larissa nodded and turned to walk inside, handing each of them a bottle of water.


    ¡°Mr. Rodriguez. let me show you around the house,¡± she said.


    Chapter 181


    ¡°Sorry for being a bother, Miss Seymour,¡± Noah greeted her in a calm andposed manner,


    remaining in an elegant and graceful pasture.


    Larissa noticed that he did not seem like someone who was in a hurry to buy a house. Thus far, he had


    not looked at anything in the room, instead, his gaze was focused on her the entire time. However, he


    maintained a distance, and his gaze was polite, so he did not make her feel. ufortable.


    Larissa had a feeling that he must be a powerful man However, she was confused as to why he was


    interested in her house. It wasn¡¯trge or located in a convenient area, which meant he clearly had


    better options. But she wouldn¡¯t raise her questions aloud. She was d enough that someone was


    willing to buy the house along with the furniture, and she wouldn¡¯t miss out on this


    opportunity no matter what


    Larissa quickly led Noah through the entire house. He didn¡¯t ask any questions and directly said, I¡¯m


    satisfied with the house. Are you able to sign the contract with me now?¡±


    He seemed worned that she would change her mind. He did not even ask to see any legal


    documents such as the property certificate of household registration


    Mason had already prepared the purchase contract and promptly took it out of their bag, saying.


    Here¡¯s the contract.¡±


    Larissa carefully read through it and, signed her name after not finding any loopholes


    Noah, on the other hand, waspletely different. He took the pen from Mason, and confidently


    signed his name on the contract without any hesitation


    As a trustworthy seller, Larissa couldn¡¯t help but remind him, ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to read the contract?


    What if there¡¯s a hidden use?¡±


    Noah smiled faintly at her words and asked, ¡°Is there one?¡±


    ¡°Well No, there isn¡¯t.¡± Larissaughed awkwardly.


    Noah remained silent and exchanged his copy of the contract with hers, signing his name once again.


    With that, theypleted signing the contract, and each party, along with the agent,


    retained a copy


    Noah nced at his watch and asked Larissa, ¡°Miss Seymour, are you busy today?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Larissa truthfully replied. ¡°Why?¡±


    There is no day better than today. Since you have all the documents ready, why don¡¯t weplete the


    property transfer today?¡± Noah suggested.


    Larissa did have everything required for the property transfer on her at that moment. She had prepared


    them just in case, never oxpecting they would actuallye in handy.


    ¡°Sure.¡± Larissa thought it would be best to get everything done in one go.


    ording to the contract, Noah was supposed to pay a partial deposit beforepleting the property


    transfer procedures However, on their way to the bank, he transferred the full payment


    to her directly.


    When Lanssa received the notification from the bank, her eyes widened, and she asked Noah in


    confusion, ¡°Why did you transfer so much money to me?¡±


    Noah remained indifferent and answered, I have to pay you sooner orter, so why not now.¡±


    He did not seem to worry that she would run away with his money or cheat him Larissa could not take


    his trust in her for granted, so she was especially careful in the process


    The entire day, they went back and forth between the bank and the Department of Housing.


    Developments. They finally managed toplete everything before the offices closed


    Larissa sighed a breath of relief as if a heavy burden had been lifted from her shoulders as she handed


    the property certificate and the keys to Noah.


    However, she had new problems to worry about She couldn¡¯t continue to stay in Foxtail Garden no


    matter how much she liked it there. She still had to buy a house of her own. Although a house would


    not give her a sense of belonging, it was better than drifting around alone in the city. without a ce to


    call her own. She felt like a lost wanderer, unable to find peace of mind.


    Today¡¯s Bonus Offer

 Chapter 182

    Chapter 182


    Chapter 182


    Larissa began to look for information about new real estate projects in the city during her spare time


    with the intention of buying a house. She would take note whenever a property piqued her interest so


    that she could view the ce when she had time off.


    Lana came to give her a gift brought back from Corinthia and happened to see her looking at properties


    on herputer.


    ¡°Are you nning to buy a house? Lana asked in surprise.


    It wasn¡¯t not something to hide or be secretive about so Larissa admitted, ¡°Yes


    ¡°Why?¡± Anxiety shed in her eyes as she asked, ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to marry Kevan?¡±


    Larissa was taken aback.


    ¡°No. I just¡­ I¡¯m investing in property now¡± She couldn¡¯t tell Lana that she was buying the house for


    herself, or else Lana would definitely suspect her rtionship with Kevan.


    ¡°Oh ¡°Lana epted her exnation without any suspicion, and added sheepishly. ¡°Are you really not


    coming back to Bartham?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Larissa didn¡¯t want to delve deeper into this subject and changed the topic. ¡°What would you like


    to drink? I¡¯ll get it for you.


    ¡°Just water.¡± Lana sat downfortably on the sofa across the living room and asked casually. Can I


    stay here for dinner tonight?¡±


    After Larissa injured her shoulder, she would usually have dinner with Kevan and Dn.


    asionally, when she was at home during the day, Kevan would have the housekeepere up and


    cook a separate meal for her


    Lana¡¯s request put her in a dilemma. It wasmon courtesy to invite the quest to stay for dinner, but


    this wasn¡¯tpletely up to her. After giving it some thought, she handed a ss of water to Lana, and


    asked, ¡°What would you like to eat? Let¡¯s go out together.¡±


    However, Lana didn¡¯t seem as excited as she had imagined.


    ¡°Huh¡­ I eat out every day after work, I¡¯m tired of it now. I just want to eat some home-cooked food,


    ¡°she answered


    ¡°But I don¡¯t have anything prepared, and¡­¡± Before Larissa could finish her sentence, her phone. rang.


    It was Kevan. She was sure he was about to ask her to go have dinner.


    As expected, Kevan informed her in a t toe, ¡°Dinner is ready,e down and eat.¡±


    Larissa nced at Lana and hesitated as she said, ¡°Lana brought me some souvenirs, and I was


    nning to eat out with her¡­¡±


    Before Kevan could respond, Lana quickly interrupted, saying, ¡°I don¡¯t mind joining you for dinner!¡±


    Larissa was unsure how to react, but then she heard Kevan say, ¡°Bring her along.¡±


    Larissa brought Lana to the 27th floor. Lana mentioned that she had brought something for Kevan


    and Dn, so she wanted to take the time to give it to them. Larissa waited for her outside the main


    entrance. When she came out, she was carrying two paper bags, one big and one small. The big one


    had characters written in Corinthia¡¯s localnguage that Larissa couldn¡¯t understand, while the small


    one had the logo of an international brand.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go. Lana¡¯s expression became much brighter When she approached, Larissa wrinkled her brows


    as she had obviously put on more perfume than before. Lana¡¯s intentions were as clear as day, and


    Larissa couldn¡¯t ignore them even if she wanted to.


    As soon as they reached the entrance of Dn¡¯s home, Lana let go of Laussa¡¯s hand. She put on a


    bright smile and t aang the doorbell. Dn was the one to open the dissa¡¯s hand. She put on aContent rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 183

    Chapter 183


    Chapter 183


    Lana squeezed in front of Latissa and shook therge bag in her hand.


    ¡°Good evening, Dn! I got this for you!


    Dn was startled by her sudden appearance but quickly regained hisposure. He took the bag


    and smiled, saying. That¡¯s so thoughtful of you. Come in and have dinner with us.¡±


    Kevan was waiting in the dining room, and Lana hurriedly sat next to him before Larissa and Dn


    could


    ¡°Mr. Rogers, this is for you¡± She blushed and ced a small bag in front of Kevan.


    Kevan nced at it and said. ¡°It¡¯s too expensive¡± Then, he pushed the bag back and added. ¡°Ms.


    Seymour, you should keep it for your boyfriend.¡±


    The smile on Lana¡¯s face froze and she exined sheepishly. ¡°I don¡¯t have a boyfriend Besides, !


    personally chose this for you. It¡¯s not that expensive


    ¡°Even the cheapest product from this brand would cost thousands I heard that you¡¯re working as a


    manager at StreamWave Studios. The pay there isn¡¯t that high, right? How could you afford to buy


    something like this?¡± Dn exposed her intentions without a thought.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright I got a bigmission this month,¡± Lana said with a hint of pr


    pride.


    Dn seemed to have recalled something, and eximed, ¡°Oh¡¯ The top two anchors on StreamWave¡¯s


    leaderboard are under your management. They recently secured an endorsement contract with Yenti


    n and even attended a gaming forum in Corinthia, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Lana¡¯s smile grew even wider


    ¡°It¡¯s impressive that you could achieve such results shortly after joining. And you even managed to


    bring two rtively unknown anchors to fame. Great job, Ms. Seymour, Dnmended her. Lana


    couldn¡¯t help but nce at Kevan, hoping for his attention. But he didn¡¯t even spare her a nce,


    seemingly uninterested in her conversation with Dn.


    ¡°Larissa,e here.¡± He extended his hand toward Larissa, who was awkwardly standing next to


    Dn. His gentle gaze and indulgent tone made Lana seethe with jealousy


    The dining table at Dn¡¯s home was rectangr with three chaits on each side. Kevan was sitting on


    the furthest chair away, while Lana sat next to him. s, the empty seat next to his did not have a table


    setting


    Larissa didn¡¯t know what else she could do when he called her over.


    ¡°I¡¯ll sit here.¡± She pondered for a moment and pulled out the chair opposite him.


    Kevan¡¯s arm remained stretched out as he stubbornly refused to put them down


    ¡°Come here,¡± he repeated, his tone still gentle, but his dark eyes flickered with a dangerous light


    Larissa trembled helplessly and walked over, cing her hand in his.


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    and Dn, so she wanted to take the time to give it to them. Larissa waited for her outside the main


    entrance When she came out, she was carrying two paper bags, one big and one small. The big one


    had characters written in Corinthia¡¯s localnguage that Larissa couldn¡¯t understand, while the small


    one had the logo of an international brand


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Lana¡¯s expression became much brighter. When she approached, Larissa wrinkled her


    brows as she had obviously put on more perfume than before. Lana¡¯s intentions were as clear as day,


    and Larissa couldn¡¯t ignore them even if she wanted to


    As soon as they reached the entrance of Dn¡¯s home, Lana let go of Larissa¡¯s hand. She put on a


    bright smile and rang the doorbell Dn was the one to open the door.


    Chapter 183


    Lana squeezed in front of Larissa and shook therge bag in her hand.


    ¡°Good evening. Dn¡¯ I got this for you!¡±


    Dn was startled by her sudden appearance but quickly regained hisposure. He took the bag


    and smiled saying, ¡°That¡¯s so thoughtful of you. Come in and have dinner with us.¡±


    Kevan was waiting in the dining room, and Lana hurriedly sat next to him before Larissa and


    Dn could.


    ¡°Mr. Rogers, this is for you.¡± She blushed and ced a small bag in front of Kevan


    Kevan nced at it and said, ¡°It¡¯s too expensive. Then, he pushed the bag back and added, ¡°Ms.


    Seymour, you should keep it for your boyfriend¡±


    The smile on Lana¡¯s face froze and she exined sheepishly. I don¡¯t have a boyfriend. Besides, 1


    personally chose this for you. It¡¯s not that expensive.¡±


    ¡°Even the cheapest product from this brand would cost thousands. I heard that you¡¯re working as a


    manager at Stream Wave Studios. The pay there isn¡¯t that high, right? How could you afford to buy


    something like this?¡± Dn exposed her intentions without a thought.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright. I got a bigmission this month,¡± Lana said with a hint of pride.


    Dn seemed to have recalled something, and eximed. ¡°Oh The top two anchors on


    StreamWave¡¯s leaderboard are under your management. They recently secured an endorsement ¡¤


    contract with Yenti n and even attended a gaming forum in Corinthia, right?


    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Lana¡¯s smile grew even wider.


    ¡°It¡¯s impressive that you could achieve such results shortly after joining. And you even managed to


    bring two rtively unknown anchors to fame. Great job, Ms. Seymour,¡± Dnmended her.


    Lana couldn¡¯t help but nce at Kevan, hoping for his attention. But he didn¡¯t even spare her a nce,


    seemingly uninterested in her conversation with Dn


    ¡°Larissa,e here.¡± He extended his hand toward Larissa, who was awkwardly standing next to


    Dn. His gentle gaze and indulgent tone made Lana seethe with jealousy.


    The dining table at Dn¡¯s home was rectangr with three chairs on each side. Kevan was sitting on


    the furthest chair away, while Lana sat next to him. s, the empty seat next to his did not have a table


    setting.


    Larissa didn¡¯t know what else she could do when he called her over.


    ¡°I¡¯ll sit here.¡± She pondered for a moment and pulled out the chair opposite him


    Kevan¡¯s arm remained stretched out as he stubbornly refused to put them down


    ¡°Come here,¡± he repeated, his tone still gentle, but his dark eyes flickered with a dangerous light.


    Larissa trembled helplessly and walked over, cing her hand in his.


    ¡°Hrom?¡±


    Kevan gave her a strong tug, and she fell onto hisp with his arms around her slender waist. His


    actions shocked everyone, including Larissa.


    Dn cleared his throat and adjusted his sses, his gaze wandering aimlessly, avoiding them


    completely.


    Is anyone hungry? Let¡¯s eat¡± He sat across from Lana and called out to her, ¡°Ms Seymour, don¡¯t be shy,


    make yourselffortable.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the point? I¡¯m sick just watching the two of them! Lanained jokingly.


    Larissa felt extremely ufortable even though she knew he did it intentionally to show how


    affectionate they were before Lana. She couldn¡¯t remain as calm as he did. She had never been so


    intimate with another man, not even with Travis. It was apletely new experience for her.N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.

 Chapter 184

    Chapter 184


    Chapter 184


    Larissa stiffened up and held her breath. She didn¡¯t date move, fearing that Dn and Lana would see


    through their fa?ade. She forced a dry smile and ced her left hand on Kevan s arm, giving it


    a gentle pat


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? There are other people here!¡± She pouted yfully.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with that?¡± Kevan raised an eyebrow, his cold gaze sweeping over Dn, who was


    focused on eating


    Dn buried his head even lower, and before he finished chewing the rice in his mouth, he hurriedly


    said, ¡°You can ignore my entire existence!


    But Larissa became even more self-conscious after hearing him say that She tilted her head slightly


    and gave Kevan a sign out of Lana¡¯s sight. Kevan gave her a warning look and then. smirked, and


    picked up a shrimp, carefully removing the shell


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± He frd Larissa the shrimp, and she helplessly opened her mouth. While biting the shrimp, her


    tongue identally grazed his fingers. It happened quickly, and it was a short interaction. Even Larissa


    herself did not notice it, but Kevan trembled at the touch of her soft and moist tongue


    on his fingertips.


    Larissa froze for a moment, and her face flushed red. Kevan looked at her red ears and found them


    Irresistibly y cute and enticing. Unable to resist, he leaned closer and gently bit one of them. Larissa


    trembled, startled like a deer caught in headlights, her body shivering. She was so embarrassed, she


    had to turn her head, so Kevan would be facing the back of her head She refused to believe he would


    still make a move in this situation Kevan noticed her subtle movement, and he chuckled. softly, his


    chest pulsing against her back.


    Lana¡¯s grip tightened on her cutlery She tried to maintain a smile on her face and diverted everyone¡¯s


    attention to herself. ¡°By the way, New Year¡¯s ising soon. Will youe home with


    me?


    Her question was like a bucket of cold water on Larissa¡¯s mood. Her face turned cold, and there was aContent rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.


    flicker of indifference in her eyes as she gripped Revan¡¯s hand tightly and calmly replied,


    No.¡±


    Regardless of her rtionship with the Seymour family, she couldn¡¯t possibly return with Lana The end


    of the year was always hectic, with countless reports to prepare and endless meetings to attend


    Besides, there would be a huge flow of tourists due to the holiday season. The hotel would be packed


    and there would definitely be a surge in the hotel rates. She wouldn¡¯t have any leave. avable during


    these times Lana was clearly disappointed.


    ¡°Are you still mad at Mom and Dad?¡± She pursed her lips, and tears brimmed her eyes, as if she had


    been put in a difficult position.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Larissa didn¡¯t shy away from showing her disdain for her mother and stepfather in front of


    others. It would be impossible for her to hide her strong feelings for them


    Lana didn¡¯t expect her to be so frank, and she was at a loss for words. But soon, tears started to


    stream down her face.


    Kevan gave her a strong tug, and she fell onto hisp with his arms around her slender waist. His


    actions shocked everyone, including Larissa.


    Dn cleared his throat and adjusted his sses, his gaze wandering aimlessly, avoiding them


    completely.


    ¡°Is anyone hungry? Let¡¯s eat!¡± He sat across from Lana and called out to her, ¡°Ms. Seymour, don¡¯t be


    shy, make yourselffortable¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the point? I¡¯m sick just watching the two of them! Lanained jokingly.


    Larissa felt extremely ufortable even though she knew he did it intentionally to show how


    affectionate they were before Lana. She couldn¡¯t remain as calm as he did. She had never been so


    intimate with another man, not even with Travis. It was apletely new experience for her.


    Chapter 184


    Larissa stiffened up and held her breath. She didn¡¯t dare move, fearing that Dn and Lana would see


    through their fa?ade. She forced a dry smile and ced her left hand on Kevan¡¯s arm, giving it


    a gentle pat


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? There are other people here!¡± She pouted yfully


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with that?¡± Kevan raised an eyebrow, his cold gaze sweeping over Dn, who was


    focused on eating


    Dn buried his head even lower, and before he finished chewing the rice in his mouth, het hurriedly


    said, ¡°You can ignore my entire existence!¡±


    But Larissa became even more self-conscious after hearing him say that. She tilted her head slightly


    and gave Kevan a sign out of Lana¡¯s sight Kevan gave her a warning look and then smirked, and


    picked up a shrimp, carefully removing the shell


    ¡°Ah He fed Larissa the shrimp, and she helplessly opened her mouth. While biting the shrimp, her


    tonque identally grazed his fingers. It happened quickly, and it was a short interaction. Even Larissa


    herself did not notice it, but Kevan trembled at the touch of her soft and moist tongue


    on his fingertips.


    Larissa froze for a moment, and her face flushed red. Kevan looked at her red ears and found them


    irresistibly cute and enticing. Unable to resist, he leaned closer and gently bit one of them. Larissa


    trembled, startled like a deer caught in headlights, her body shivering. She was so embarrassed, she


    had to turn her head, so Kevan would be facing the back of her head. She refused to believe he would


    still make a move in this situation. Kevan noticed her subtle movement, and he chuckled softly, his


    chest pulsing against her back


    Lana¡¯s grip tightened on her cutlery. She tried to maintain a smile on her face and diverted everyone¡¯s


    attention to herself. ¡°By the way, New Year¡¯s ising soon. Will youe home with


    me?¡±


    Her question was like a bucket of cold water on Larissa¡¯s mood. Her face turned cold, and there was a


    flicker of indifference in her eyes as she gripped Kevan¡¯s hand tightly and calmly replied,


    No.


    ¨C


    Regardless of her rtionship with the Seymour family, she couldn¡¯t possibly return with Lana. The end


    of the year was always hectic, with countless reports to prepare and endless meetings to attend.


    Besides, there would be a huge flow of tourists due to the holiday season. The hotel would. be packed


    and there would definitely be a surge in the hotel rates. She wouldn¡¯t have any leave avable during


    these times Lana was clearly disappointed.


    ¡°Are you still mad at Mom and Dad?¡± She pursed her lips, and tears brimmed her eyes, as if she had


    been put in a difficult position


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Larissa didn¡¯t shy away from showing her disdain for her mother and stepfather in front of


    others. It would be impossible for her to hide her strong feelings for them.


    Lana didn¡¯t expect her to be so frank, and she was at a loss for words. But soon, tears started to


    stream down her face.


    ¡°I came to a realization after Mr. Rogers scolded mest time, and called Mom to talk Mom realized she


    was wrong; and has been wanting to reconcile with you, she choked out.


    Larissa didn¡¯t believe her nonsense.


    ¡°Then why hasn¡¯t she approached me after so long?¡±


    Lana was once again silenced by her question


    ¡°That¡¯s because¡­ She trailed off, struggling for a long time to find an excuse. Her face turned red. and


    she finally managed the words. ¡°She was waiting until New Year¡¯s when everyone would be free to


    meet, so we could meet and talk things out


    Larissa sneered inwardly.


    Tll be working overtime on New Year¡¯s. If she really wants to reconcile with me, she should at least


    show some sincerity and find out when I¡¯ll be avable, right?


    Upon hearing this, Lana started to cry even more uncontrobly.


    ¡°Larissa, please don¡¯t make things difficult Mom truly wants to reconcile with you Wouldn¡¯t it be great if


    we could be a happy family again?¡±


    She reached out to grab Larissa¡¯s right arm, but Larissa dodged to the side, tugging on her injured


    shoulder, causing her to gasp in pain


    Kevan furrowed his brow, and shielded Larissa with his arm, ring coldly at Lana


    ¡°Get lost if you don¡¯t want to enjoy this meal¡±


    He had said some harsh words to Lana before, but asking her to get lost was too much for Lana to


    handle. Even Larissa and Dn thought he was taking things too far.


    Lana stared at him in a daze with misty eyes, as tears continued to flow down her cheeks. She pursed


    her lips, and suddenly stood up, knocking over the chair behind her.


    ¡°Since none of you like me, I¡¯ll just leave!¡±


    Then, she stormed out angrily.


    ¡°Wait!¡± Kevan suddenly called out.


    Lana froze for a moment, and there was a flicker of joy on her face. However, she tried to control hei


    delight and maintained a cold demeanor.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Did you change¡­ Before she could finish her sentence, Kevan had sent the bag


    flying toward her.


    Take it back.¡± Kevan¡¯s voice was cold, and he didn¡¯t even look in her direction as he spoke, focusing his


    attention on peeling the shrimp for Larissa


    The bag eventuallynded on the ground, and a loud shattering sound could be heard. Lana felt that


    her dignity, like this bag, had been callously thrown on the ground, and heartlessly tra mpled. on by


    Kevan over and over again. She clenched her teeth, bent down to pick up the bag, and secretly vowed


    that she would make Larissa pay for the humiliation she suffered today.


    As soon as Lana left, Larissa left Kevan¡¯s embrace and sat across from him. Kevan could feel her


    warmth leave him, and he regretted standing up for Larissa, which drove Lana away.


    Dn couldn¡¯t help but reprimand Kevan. Even if Lana is annoying, she is still a girl. What you did to


    her just now was not chivalrous at all¡±


    ¡°When have I ever been chivalrous?¡± Kevan retorted.


    Dn thought about it for a moment and realized that it was true except for his attitude toward


    Larissa


    ¡°You were quite chivalrous toward Larissa


    Larissa was helping herself with one of the dishes and she paused when she heard this Her heart


    began to beat uncontrobly, and she lowered her head, pretending not to hear their conversation.


    Kevan nced at her, his heart sank after seeing her cold expression. Then, he spat bitterly. That¡¯s


    because she has some use to me.¡±


    Dn sighed and rubbed his forehead. He was speechless at Kevan¡¯s words, and thought he was


    destined to be single for the rest of his life!

 Chapter 185

    Chapter 185


    Chapter 185


    Her racing heart immediately fell, and Larissa silently ate throughout the whole meal Dn could sense


    the tension in the atmosphere and tried to bring up a light-hearted topic, asking Larissa. ¡°Do you have


    any ns for Christmas?¡±


    ¡°I have to work overtime,¡± Larissa replied without hesitation ¡°I¡¯m busy right now, and I probably won¡¯t be


    able to catch a break until after New Year¡¯s¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ So, you won¡¯t be able toe to my Christmas party?¡± Dn sounded a bit disappointed.


    Larissa didn¡¯t want to dampen his spirits and replied, ¡°I¡¯ll join you guys if I get off work early that day


    ¡°Great! Remember to bring a gift for the gift exchange session. It¡¯s quite fun!¡± Dn immediately


    brightened up


    Larissa was just being polite, but hearing him say that further strengthened her determination not to go.


    She suspected that his friends were probably all wealthy, and anything she bought would either be too


    cheap for their liking or too expensive for her to afford.


    Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    Perhaps, Dn could sense her concerns, and added thoughtfully. ¡°We have rules. The gift cannot


    exceed a hundred dors, and it should be practical. What matters most is the thought behind the


    gift.¡±


    Larissa pondered for a moment, biting on her spoon for a few seconds beforeing to the conclusion


    that it was better to stay at the hotel and work overtime.


    Although she had already made up her mind, she still bought a set of knitting supplies online in case


    she wanted to go. She nned to knit a set of warm essories which included a hat, scarf, and a pair


    of gloves. She learned how to knit back in college. At that time, it was trendy to knit these things for


    boyfriends, and some guys evenpeted to see whose girlfriend was more talented. All three of


    Larissa¡¯s dorm mates at the time had boyfriends. Their desks would be piled up with balls of yarn of


    different colors, materials, and thicknesses even before winter arrived. When they didn¡¯t have sses,


    they would be huddled in their own beds, knitting items ording


    to the patterns.


    Wendy, one of her dorm mates, and Larissa¡¯s best friend for many years, couldn¡¯t bear to see her being


    left out. So, she forced her to buy a set of tools and introduced her to the world of knitting. That¡¯s when


    they discovered that Larissa was quite talented in this aspect. She would be able toplete a high-


    quality knitted piece in just two days while others would take more time to finish. Larissa was even able


    to make a living by selling the scarves and gloves she knitted. Although several years had passed, she


    was able to quickly catch on to the techniques again as soon as she held the needles in her hands.


    She worked for about two hours before sleeping every night, working hard and steadily, and finally


    completed thest stitch on the day before Christmas Eve.


    On Christmas Eve, Larissa worked until 11 pm as usual


    Kevan was also hard at work during this time, asionally staying in thepany until dawn.


    Therefore, his driver was always the one to pick her up. Larissa had declined several times as it was


    unnecessary to send a driver to pick her up since she had her own car, and the hotel was only a five-


    minute drive from Foxtail Garden However, Kevan refused to listen


    He had a reasonable excuse, citing that others wouldn¡¯t know she was his girlfriend if he did not


    do so.


    However, Larissa felt indifferent when he called her his girlfriend. She had been pulled back to reality


    by his words at the dinner table.


    When she left the hotel, Larissa noticed a familiar Maserati parked at the entrance. She hesitated,


    unsure if she should approach when the person inside the car hon ked at her. It was Kevan himself


    who came


    Larissa got into the car and fastened her seatbelt, asking him. ¡°Aren¡¯t you working overtime today?


    ¡°I¡¯m going back to attend Dn¡¯s party,¡± Kevan replied in a casual tone


    ¡°It¡¯s sote, hasn¡¯t his party ended yet?¡± Larissa was surprised and somewhat anxious. She had


    thought she could definitely avoid it


    ¡°They can party until three or four in the morning. I¡¯ll be just making an appearance, and leaving


    quickly,¡± Kevan said.


    Dn would definitely know she had gotten off work if Kevan went


    ¡°I¡¯ll go with you, we¡¯ll make a brief appearance together and leave, Larissa answered, making up


    her mind

 Chapter 186

    Chapter 186


    Chapter 186


    Before going to Dn¡¯s house, Larissa took a trip back home to change into somefortable clothes


    and took the gift she prepared. She had nned to meet Kevan at the entrance of Dn¡¯s house, and


    when she arrived, Kevan was already waiting there. He stood there with his hands in his pockets,


    leaning against the wall


    As she approached, he straightened his body and lowered his gaze onto the paper bag she was


    holding onto tightly.


    ¡°Is this the gift you prepared?¡± he asked


    Larissa nodded, ¡°Yes¡±


    She nced at hispletely empty hands.


    ¡°Are you not joining the gift exchange?


    ¡°No, it¡¯s too boring. Kevan turned away and pressed the doorbell. Larissa pursed her lips at how.


    stubborn he was.


    Kevan and Larissa¡¯s appearance caused a small uproar in the party. The guests present at the party


    were all old friends of Dn. They were very familiar with Kevan and were very well aware of his dating


    life. To them, Kevan¡¯s girlfriend was akin to a unicorn-non-existent. However, reality


    said otherwise.


    Initially, Larissa had thought that she could leave after greeting Dn and exchanging gifts. But to her


    surprise, his friends were very nice. One by one, they pulled her aside, calling out her name, and lining


    up to offer her drinks.


    ¡°She can¡¯t drink,¡± Kevan dered as a ss of vodka on the rocks was given to her. He furrowed his


    brows slightly and cast a cold nce at those who were causing a ruckus. Usually, the group would


    know not to push his limits, but tonight was different. Kevan had never brought a girlfriend, so they


    want to seize the opportunity and make fun of him even if they risked their


    lives.


    ¡°It¡¯s understandable that Larissa can¡¯t drink. What about you?¡± The boldest among the group tried. to


    push his buttons.


    Kevan narrowed his eyes at him, his dangerous gaze making him tremble.


    He turned away to avoid Kevan¡¯s gaze and mustered up the courage to say, ¡°If Kevan is not drinking,


    then Larissa has to


    Kevan silently took note of the events unfolding tonight and smirked, his tone was cold as he said,


    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll drink.¡±


    Larissa said with concern. ¡°It¡¯s a strong drink¡­¡±


    Kevan gave her a reassuring look. ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡±


    Larissa pursed her lips and added, ¡°Drink less.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Kevan smiled gently, raised his ss, and took a small sip.


    Chapon TEU


    Protests erupted among them one after another, ¡°Hey, Kevan! What¡¯s the meaning of this?¡±


    ¡°You coward!¡±


    ¡°You have to drink it all in one gulp!


    Kevan put the ss down, wrapped his arms around Larissa¡¯s waist, and said, ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear her


    asking me to drink less? I¡¯d be punished at home if I drank too much.¡±Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 188

    Chapter 188


    Chapter 188


    She watched as Kevan downed an entire bottle of vodka with a straight face Despite the strong alcohol,


    it seemed to have little effect on him. He remained upright in his seat, and his hand never loosened its


    grip on her waist


    As the others called for another round of whiskey, Dn interrupted and announced the next


    activity. ¡°It¡¯s time for the exchange of gifts¡±


    This session had always been the least popr activity at his Christmas party for a very simple reason.


    It was an activity where a group of adult men had to prepare their own gifts out of sincerity. Oftentimes,


    there would be more creative gag gifts rather than actual thoughtful gifts, and almost everyone would


    be forced to ept whatever they were given


    During such times, Dn would always capture their exciting expressions with his camera and share


    them in their group chat In previous years, everyone alwayscked enthusiasm, but this year brought


    about a dramatic change.


    ¡°Great! I want to pick Larissa¡¯s gift!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re dreaming¡¯ Her gift is mine!¡±


    Suddenly someone piped up yfully. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t Larissa¡¯s gift be left for Kevan? You guys are so


    clueless¡±


    These words resonated deeply with Kevan, and he began to think of ways to make it happen. However,


    the group was filled with dim-witted people that did not understand his intentions.


    ¡°Kevan didn¡¯t bring any gift, so he can¡¯t participate in this segment!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Larissa must¡¯ve prepared a separate gift for him. Spare us her gift!¡±


    ¡°Please, Kevan! Give us a chance to receive a normal gift for once!¡±


    Larissa didn¡¯t expect her gift to be the center of attention at the party, but she also didn¡¯t expect to stay


    here until now. The situation made her feel a bit awkward. Although the yarn she bought was of high


    quality, the value of the gift itself was not expensive. This group of men who were used to luxury brands


    probably wouldn¡¯t use it even if they received it.


    They all held such high expectations now, she couldn¡¯t imagine their disappointment when they see the


    giftter.


    ¡°Stop arguing!¡± Dn stepped forward to maintain order. ¡°Let¡¯s follow the rules. Whoever draws the


    number is the one who gets the gift.¡±


    Everyone had to hand over their gifts to Dn upon entering, and in return, they received a numbered


    card from him. Then, he would bring out a ck box during the segment, and each person would draw


    a card. The number on the card determined whose gift they would receive. As Kevan did not bring any


    gifts, he didn¡¯t have a number, so he couldn¡¯t participate in the gift exchange.


    While others were drawing cards, he sat quietly next to Larissa, calmly watching theirughter and


    commotion Larissa¡¯s number was quickly drawn by someone


    ¡°It¡¯s me! I got her number!¡± The person knelt down on the ground dramatically and kissed the card in


    his hand as if he had won the jackpot. Meanwhile, others were filled with envy, and they carried out the


    segment in a somber mood


    There were other activities nned after the event, but Kevan imed he was feeling a bit tipsy from


    the alcohol and needed to go home early to rest as he had work the next day. He didn¡¯t want to stay


    here any longer.


    The others seemed to understand and sent them off, saying. It¡¯s gettingte! You guys should rest carly


    There¡¯s no need to stay and hang out with us bachelors!¡±


    Larissa understood the hidden meaning behind their words and jokingly replied, blushing. We won¡¯t be


    able to rest for some time.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± They were all confused and misunderstood the meaning behind her words.


    Then, Larissa reached out her hand and said. ¡°Didn¡¯t you promise me a whip? Don¡¯t you want to see


    Kevan gelling whipped?Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 189

    Chapter 189


    Chapter 189


    In the end, Lanssa left Dn¡¯s house happily, holding a whip and a bunch of misceneous household


    items they had bought for her as a weing gift.


    Kevan walked with her, and after they left the house, she noticed that he was carrying a somewhat


    familiar paper bag


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this the gift I brought?¡± she asked.


    She clearly remembered that the guy who drew her gift was the one who teased Kevan endlessly and


    poured him drinks. But how did the item end up in Revan¡¯s hands after such a short while?


    ¡°He didn¡¯t want it, so he gave it to me.¡± Kevan said calmly.


    He was telling the truth, albeit omitting certain unnecessary details, such as ckmailing the guy with


    some information)


    Larissa had long noticed that he was quite well-respected amongst the group Although they teased and


    joked with him, they ultimately wished him well. So, the intensemotion over her gift just now was


    probably just an act, a way to push his buttons Regardless of who got it, it would. eventually be given to


    him. Larissa might have only felt slightly embarrassed if the gift was with someone else, however, she


    was more flustered now that it had ended up with Kevan


    ¡°It didn¡¯t cost much, so please don¡¯t be disappointed,¡± she quickly exined.


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Kevan nodded coldly


    The elevator quickly reached the 19th floor, the doors opened, but Larissa couldn¡¯t move as Kevant


    held on tightly to her wrist.


    ¡°I have a headache. He frowned slightly, his face was flushed red, and his usually sharp eyes seemed


    hazy. Even his typically cool fingertips were a bit warm.


    Larissa had heard that some people had a tendency to have a mild fever when they got drunk, but


    Kevan had never been drunk in front of her, so she didn¡¯t know if he had such a minor ailment.


    However, she wouldn¡¯t take it lightly


    She stepped back and ced her left hand on his forehead. His body temperature seemed to beContent is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    slightly higher than hers, and she immediately began to panic. As soon as she entered his house, she


    urgently asked where the first aid kit was located Although Kevan¡¯s home was empty, it still had all the


    necessary things. She sessfully found a thermometer, unbuttoned his shirt, and stuck it under his


    aun


    Kevan slouched on the sofa, watching the slender woman bustling around as she pouted him at ss


    of warm water, and wiped his face with a towel. He suddenly felt a warm sensation filling up the


    emptiness of his heart, and even his stomachache wasn¡¯t as intense as before


    He wasn¡¯t drunk, but he truly felt ufortable. He had been working overtime, so he missed dinner


    and drank a whole bottle of liquor on an empty stomach. His stomach already felt upset for quite some


    time, but he didn¡¯t show it as he did not want her to worry


    The first aid kit was right before him, he quickly took two pills for his stomach and swallowed them


    while Larissa was making fruit juice in the kitchen Larissa returned with freshly squeezed


    orange juice, and Kevan handed her the thermometer


    Fortunately, he did not have a lever.


    ¡°Have some ¡°Larissa had warmed the orange juice, worried that drinking it as it was would hurt his


    stomach.


    Kevan was immediately overwhelmed with emotions as he touched the warm cup She had always


    been such a considerate and attentive person to everyone around Moreover, she never expected


    anything in return for her kindness. That was why she stood out to him, making it difficult for him to let


    go.


    However, while she was special to him, he was probably just another stranger she helped, not even


    worthy of remembering An overwhelming sense of sorrow surged like a tide, engulfing him As he


    sipped the bittersweet orange juice, only a lingering bitterness remained

 Chapter 190

    Chapter 190


    Chapter 190


    Larissa took the empty ss from him, and knelt on the s, cing her thumbs on his temple as he


    gently massaged in circles. She leaned slightly towards him, her elbow resting against the back of the


    sofa to avoid falling onto him. Kevan kept his eyes open, staring straight at her.


    His gaze was too intense, and Larissa couldn¡¯t ignore it. She forced a dry smile and asked him.¡¯ What


    are you looking at?¡±


    Kevan didn¡¯t show any guilt for being caught, instead, he replied honestly, ¡°I¡¯m looking at you.¡±


    Larissa¡¯s face flushed red and she asked, ¡°Why are you looking at me?¡±


    ¡°Because you¡¯re beautiful,¡± Kevan answered without hesitation.


    Larissa was surprised, and her hands paused for a moment. She cautiously lowered her head to meet


    his gaze. His deep eyes were bright and seemed somewhat innocent, like a naive child. The corners of


    his lips curved into a smile, but it wasn¡¯t his usual mocking smirk. Combined with his gaze, it appeared


    incredibly pure and innocent. Larissa was startled to think of him in that light. She had never associated


    him with those words, yet now there was no better way to describe him.


    Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°You¡¯re so beautiful, Larissa! You¡¯re the most stunning woman in this world Kevan smiled, squinting at


    her. He reached up and caressed her cheek, his tone innocent and tender.


    Larissa felt as if she had been struck by lightning. After a brief moment, her head was running wild, and


    she thought, ¡°Is he possessed? Had he drunk too much and lost his senses? Is he trying to tease me?¡±


    She tried to calm herself and smiled in response. Thank you. You¡¯re pretty good-looking yourself.¡±


    She meant it as a joke or merely trying to tter him, but Kevan took it seriously, and asked, ¡°Am 17


    Larissa pondered for a moment, thenplimented him, saying, ¡°You have a pair of deep-set eyes,


    thick eyebrows, longshes, a straight nose, thin lips, and soft skin. You¡¯re tall with looksparable to


    a model¡¯s-no-you look even better than a model!¡±


    Herpliments clearly delighted Kevan as his smile broadened widely, and his eyes twi nkled, like


    stars in the sky. Larissa couldn¡¯t help but get lost in his gaze.


    ¡°If I¡¯m so good-looking, do you like me?¡± Kevan¡¯s fingers caressed her face, his voice enticingly


    charming


    Larissa nodded, bewitched. ¡°Of course, I do.¡±


    Who wouldn¡¯t be attracted by his good looks?


    ¡°Then why don¡¯t you want me?¡± Kevan¡¯s smile quickly faded, his thin lips pursed into a straight line, and


    the light in his eyes vanished, devoid of any emotion but sadness.


    ¡°When have I ever done that? Larissa was dumbfounded by his usation


    But soon she realized that he wasn¡¯t talking about her. He was probably referring to the woman he kept


    mumbling about in his dreams at Starkville Hotel


    For some reason, Larissa felt slightly bitter inside; she didn¡¯t know if it was because she felt sorry


    for him or for other reasons


    ¡°You would rather sever ties with your family than marry me,¡± Kevan used her angrily.


    Larissa felt like this story sounded familiar. If her fianc¨¦ back then hadn¡¯t been an old geezer, even she


    would have believed the story he was spewing


    Now Larissa was certain that Kevan was drunk


    She tried tofort him like a child, saying, ¡°Why would I do that? I could never bear to leave you


    I just don¡¯t want my entire life to be in the hands of that family¡±

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    Chapter 191


    Chapter 191


    Perhaps the situation was very simr, Larissa took it personally while exining. However, it was


    obvious that Kevan¡¯s ¡°Lari¡± was a lot luckier than she was. At least, the man who wanted to marry her


    loved her sincerely.


    ¡°Really?¡± Kevan¡¯s expression suddenly grew serious.


    For one moment, Larissa nearly thought he was in his right mind. ¡°Yes¡­¡± She nodded forcefully and


    said, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t lie to you.¡±


    Kevan stared at her intently for a long time as if he were trying to determine if she was telling the truth.


    ¡°Then¡­ will you leave?¡± His hand slid down her face to grasp her hand, their fingers interlocked. His


    palm was warm and Larissa¡¯s heart sk ipped a beat.


    She subconsciously used a gentler tone as she said, ¡°I won¡¯t leave.¡±


    ¡°Then when will you marry me?¡± Kevan asked anxiously, leaning forward with a look of anticipation in


    his eyes.


    This question was


    ¡°Whenever you say.¡± Lying to him once, twice, or thrice made no difference. Larissa spoke steadily. He


    wouldn¡¯t remember anything when he woke up the next morning anyway.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s get engaged tomorrow!¡± Kevan stood up eagerly and bustled about as if he were looking for


    something.


    Larissa didn¡¯t take his words seriously at all and asked curiously, ¡°What are you looking for?¡±


    ¡°My phone!¡± Kevan patted down all his pockets until he finally found his phone in his jacket pocket. ¡°I


    want to call Dn and ask him to


    come over immediately to write a letter of guarantee!¡± he said while dialing a number swiftly.


    ¡°What letter of guarantee?¡± asked Larissa.


    ¡°A letter of guarantee for you agreeing to get engaged to me tomorrow, of course!¡± Kevan turned


    around and shot her a hard stare that seemed to say, ¡°You¡¯re a little liar who always goes back on her


    word. I¡¯ll worry if I don¡¯t make you sign a letter of guarantee.¡± Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    Larissa was speechless. She was only trying to console him so that he wouldn¡¯t be so upset. She never


    intended to really involve herself.


    While she was still in a daze, Kevan had gotten through to Dn. ¡°Come over now,¡± hemanded


    sternly.


    ¡°My party hasn¡¯t ended¡­¡± Dn said reluctantly.


    Kevan said with a dark expression, ¡°Now. Immediately. At once.¡±


    His fierce expression was


    ¡­


    If it wasn¡¯t that he still couldn¡¯t differentiate between her and the woman he loved, then she had reason


    to suspect that he was just pretending to be drunk earlier.


    ¡®Fine, fine. I¡¯ll be right there!¡± Dn said helplessly. Over the phone, they could hear him say. ¡°Hey,


    have fun guys. I¡¯m going to go see how Mr. Rogers is doing.¡± He was obviously talking to his friends.


    ¡°Why would you see how he¡¯s doing? Isn¡¯t he with his girlfriend?¡±


    ¡°Yeah! Why go be a third-wheeler?¡±


    His friends teased him and joked in the background, and Dn was worried they would say something


    Inappropriate that Kevan might overhear and quickly hung up.

 Chapter 192

    Chapter 192


    Chapter 192


    Kevan waited by the door and yanked it open the moment the doorbell rang, giving Dn a scare.


    ¡°You¡¯re alone? Where¡¯s Larissa?¡± Dn scanned the house with his neck outstretched and immediately


    spotted Larissa, who was waving at him from the middle of the living room. ¡°Larissa¡¯s here, so why did


    you summon me?¡± Dn asked impatiently.


    *Come in first, then we¡¯ll talk.¡± Kevan wasn¡¯t in a rush to exin, and he went into the study to grab a


    pen and paper. In the quick two minutes he was gone. Larissa pulled Dn to her and told him the


    situation in a whisper. ¡°Mr. Rogers is drunk and he thinks I¡¯m the woman he has feelings for. Now he


    even wants to marry me.¡±


    Dn was one of the few who knew about the situation. After listening to Larissa¡¯s exnation, he


    connected the dots and immediatel guessed what Kevan was up to. He had to admit that Kevan was


    very cu nning.


    When Kevan came out of the study, Larissa and Dn instantly sat upright and pretended as if nothing


    had happened. He handed the per and paper to Dn and instructed, ¡°Write a more formal letter of


    guarantee in Lari¡¯s perspective guaranteeing that she will get engaged with me at the City Hall


    tomorrow. If she fails to keep her promise, then she will be at my disposal


    When it came to her fate, Larissa couldn¡¯t help but interrupt, saying, ¡°Isn¡¯t the phrase ¡°be at your


    disposal¡± too vague? What if you do something illegal?*


    ¡°Then what do you want to change it to?¡± Kevan sounded like he was asking for her opinion, but his


    downtumed lips and icy gaze showed his displeasure. Larissa actually wasn¡¯t brave enough to say


    another word at that moment. Dn grabbed her arm, but he shifted his grip onto her sleeve when


    Kevan shot him a chilly re. ¡°Wait here for a moment. I need to say a few things to Larissa¡¯ said


    Dn.


    This time, Kevan agreed right off the bat. ¡°Go ahead.¡± Larissa was still in a daze when she followed


    Dn out onto the balcony. ¡°What do you want to tell me?¡± she asked. Dn shut the ss doors of


    the balcony tightly so that their voices wouldn¡¯t carry into the living room to N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.


    Kevan.


    ¡°Let me tell you something.¡± Dn put on a bitter expression and said, ¡°Kevan¡¯s alcohol tolerance is


    really low. He¡¯s very annoying whenever he¡¯s drunk. I¡¯m sure you know how bossy and narcissistic he


    usually is, but once he¡¯s drunk, he can be a hundred times more narcissistic and bossy. He¡¯s just like a


    child who won¡¯t give up until he gets what he wants.¡±


    Dn was Kevan¡¯s best friend who had been with him for a long time. He had seen all the different


    sides of Kevan, so his words were


    reliable.


    *Then what should we do now?¡± Larissa asked anxiously. ording to what Dn told her, she must


    sign the letter of guarantee that night, or Kevan would never give up. However, if she really signed it ¡­


    Dn naturally knew what she was worried about. ¡°Just go ahead and sign it. It¡¯s okay.¡± He wanted to


    pat her on the shoulder, but the palpable stare fixed on his back made him drop his hand. ¡°There¡¯s


    actually a bright side to him being drunk. He won¡¯t remember anything


    he did or what others did to him. So¡­¡± He smiled cun ningly as he continued speaking. ¡°If youe


    across another incident like this, just


    scold him, hit him, and scold him. Vent all the anger you¡¯ve pent up toward him all at once. The same


    goes with your anger over other


    issues.¡±


    He had obviously done it many times before. ¡°As for the letter of guarantee, I¡¯ll write it ording to his


    instructions, and you just have to sign it. We¡¯ll pacify him first, then I¡¯ll get rid of any evidence of the


    letter when he doesn¡¯t notice. Then we¡¯ll act like this never happened. But, even if he keeps the letter


    and recalls what happened tonight, it¡¯s okay. You already said that he just thinks you¡¯re the woman he


    loves, so he won¡¯t force you to marry him.¡±

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    Chapter 193


    Chapter 193


    Dn¡¯s words made plenty of sense and immediately got Larissa convinced. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll sign it.¡± Dn


    only took two minutes to finish writing the letter of guarantee, and Larissa signed her name on it without


    hesitation. As per their n, Dn separated the letter into two copies and said, ¡°So, I¡¯ll keep one copy,


    right?¡±


    Just as he was about to stuff it into his pocket, Kevan stopped him. ¡°Give it to me.¡± Dn pouted and


    looked annoyed. ¡°Fine, take it! It¡¯s just a piece of paper anyway, not some precious treasure!¡±


    Kevan gripped the letter tightly and pointed to the door. ¡°You may leave now,¡± he said.


    ¡°What a way to burn bridges!¡± Dn tutted and walked to the door. Then, he turned around and subtly


    made an ¡°OK¡± sign at Larissa.


    ¡°Does your head still hurt?¡± Larissa asked Kevan although it seemed very redundant. Seeing how


    energetic he was earlier, she already


    knew that he was as fit as a fiddle.


    However, Kevan slumped onto the sofa the moment he heard her question and frowned deeply,


    massaging his temples with one hand. ¡±


    Yes,¡± he said weakly.


    What a drama queen! Larissa watched him coldly, finding it funny and annoying at the same time.


    Kevan¡¯s drunk personality was so much different than his usual self, and it was oddly adorable. All she


    knew was that it didn¡¯t p iss her off. ¡°It¡¯ste. Go take a shower and go to


    bed,¡± said Larissa.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going!¡± Kevan red at her and pursed his lips. His tone sounded like he was throwing a


    tantrum. ¡°You¡¯re going to run off while I shower, aren¡¯t you?¡± Larissa was speechless at having her


    intentions exposed. ¡°No,¡± she said and forced a sincere-looking smile. ¡°You reek of alcohol I¡¯m sure the


    smell makes you ufortable too. Besides¡­¡± She pointed at the paper he was holding and


    continued, ¡°I already signed the guarantee letter. Where could I possibly run off to?¡±


    Kevan fixed his sharp gaze on her as if he were contemting if she was telling the truth. Larissa met


    his gaze confidently, her expression showing that she had nothing to hide. A momentter, he got up


    from the sofa and said, ¡°I¡¯ll go take a shower.¡± He walked unsteadily and Larissa hurried over to support


    him while thinking, ¡°Wasn¡¯t he very steady when he went to open the door for Dn?¡±


    Larissa did not linger in the bathroom for long. She just helped him inside and went out. Nevertheless,


    she still felt worried since he wasn¡¯t feelingpletely normal. She reminded him, ¡°Don¡¯t let the water


    leak outside. Call me if anything happens. I¡¯m right outside the door.¡±


    Kevan nodded obediently and said, ¡°Alright.¡±


    When the bathroom door was closed, his dazed expression melted away into his usual frigid look. He


    unfolded the paper in his hand and looked at the name in the lower right corner, revealing a confident


    smile. Then, he took his time showering. After that, the first thing he saw when he opened the door was


    Larissa scrolling on her phone on the bed. She really hadn¡¯t left.


    Hearing the noise, Larissa looked up and said, ¡°Done showering?¡± At once, he rushed toward her and


    pinned her against the bed. He had carefully avoided her injured right shoulder and tumbled with her on


    the soft bed. Theyy facing each other, the tips of their noses


    touching.


    Kevan watched her quietly with an unfathomable look in his eyes. ¡°Lari,¡± he said softly.


    Although she knew that he wasn¡¯t actually calling out for her, Larissa¡¯s heart couldn¡¯t help but s kip a


    beat. ¡°I¡¯m here,¡± she said, acting out her role diligently.


    Kevan hugged her more tightly and closed his eyes contentedly.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.

 Chapter 194

    Chapter 194


    Chapter 194


    ¡°How nice,¡± he sighed.


    Larissa¡¯s heart did a somersault and tears filled her eyes. All of a sudden, she actually regretted that


    she wasn¡¯t really his Lari. She thought that if she was his Lari, she would never have abandoned him


    even though she had to follow her parents¡¯ ns. ¡°Sleep,¡± she whispered while patting his back lightly.


    ¡°I won¡¯t leave your side.¡±


    Kevan fell asleep very quickly. Larissa was still awake as she counted his long eyshes and couldn¡¯t


    stop herself from touching his face. His skin was indeed as smooth and tender as she had imagined.


    Next time, she really had to ask him what his skincare routine was.


    The rm clock by the bedside showed that it was past 1 am. Larissa got a shock and wanted to get


    up from the bed, but Kevan¡¯s arms were twined around her waist like vines.


    Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    She dared not push them away by force for fear of waking him, but it was useless if she was too gentle.


    Just as she was panicking, Kevan¡¯s eyes suddenly flew open, giving her a huge fright. Kevan¡¯s gaze


    was nk until he saw her. He smiled happily and buried his face against her neck, brushing it against


    her like a puppy. ¡°You¡¯re really still here.¡± His voice was so soft that it was barely audible, but Larissa


    still heard him. Her heart gave a wild thump, and finally, she sighed softly and closed her eyes in


    resignation.


    Larissa was woken up by Kevan. He yanked her nket away and picked her up h or izontally, then


    strode outside. Larissa was still somewhere in dreand, and her eyes were only open by a slit. Her


    mind was fuzzy, and she couldn¡¯t think straight. Only when Kevan opened the door, and the cold wind


    made her shiver and sneeze uncontrobly did she slowly sober up. By the time she was fully awake,


    Kevan was already standing outside her home while carrying her.


    He pressed her right thumb against the fingerprint reader and the door opened automatically. Larissa


    immediately struggled to get down. and said, ¡°Thank you for the trouble, Mr. Rogers, but I can walk by


    myself!¡±


    Kevan looked at her coldly and warned, ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡±


    Larissa curled up and dared not make another move.


    He walked directly into her bedroom and asked, ¡°Where¡¯s your household register?¡±


    ¡°Why do you want my household register?¡± Larissa didn¡¯t know what he was getting at. Kevan put her


    down and took a folded paper out of his trouser pocket. ¡°Did you write this letter of guarantee?¡± he


    asked and waved it in front of her face. Larissa felt as if she had gotten struck by lightning. Dn, that


    prankster! Hadn¡¯t he said that Kevan wouldn¡¯t remember anything that happened while he was drunk?!


    Hadn¡¯t he said that Kevan wouldn¡¯t make her a bide by the letter?! So, what was happening?!


    ¡°Mr. Shields wrote it.¡± She tried her best to cast the spotlight away from herself.


    Kevan narrowed his eyes and asked, ¡°But I¡¯m sure this signature belongs to you, right?¡± He pointed at


    the lower right corner of the paper.


    ¡°This this doesn¡¯t count,¡± Larissa said. She was starting to panic. ¡°I can exin what happenedst


    night.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°What I need isn¡¯t an exnation.¡± Kevan cut her off and said, ¡°Elther marry me or be at my disposal.¡±


    Larissa felt as if she had fallen into a trap. She contemted and weighed her options repeatedly, then


    said, ¡°I choose thetter.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± Kevan smirked and said, ¡°Then grab your household register and Identification card and follow


    me to the City Hall.¡±

 Chapter 195

    Chapter 195


    Chapter 195


    After going around in circles, they came back to the starting point.


    Larissa was confused. ¡°Mr. Rogers, since you have someone you like, why are you forcing me to marry


    you?¡±


    She could ept pretending to be his girlfriend, however, faking a marriage was really going too far.


    Kevan gazed into the distance and a mncholic aura enveloped him as he continued in a softer tone,


    ¡°The person I like¡­ I don¡¯t know where she is¡­¡±


    His voice trailed away and dissipated into the air, just like the person he loved.


    The sad expression on his face broke Larissa¡¯s heart. Although she wanted tofort him, she


    couldn¡¯t find the right words to say.


    ¡°I¡¯m tired of chasing after an illusion for so many years,¡± Kevan sighed. ¡°When I saw this guarantee


    letter that you wrote, I suddenly felt that marrying you wouldn¡¯t be too bad either.¡±


    Larissa was at a loss for words.


    Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    ¡°I¡¯m not young anymore, and my family has been pressuring me to get married. You¡¯re the only woman


    I don¡¯t find annoying.¡± Kevan held her hand. ¡°Even with physical contact, I¡¯m not turned off by your


    touch.¡±


    Larissa quickly withdrew her hand from his grip. ¡°Mr. Rogers, don¡¯t make such hasty decisions. What if


    you meet someone else you like in the future?¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t happen,¡± Kevan said confidently, ¡°However, I¡¯m also not one to force others into something


    they don¡¯t like.¡± He chuckled softly, putting the guarantee letter he was holding into his pocket. ¡°Since


    you seem unwilling, let¡¯s just leave it at that for today. However, this guarantee letter is valid indefinitely.


    If you change your mind someday, feel free toe to me.¡±


    His willingness topromise surprised Larissa.


    After all, her impression of him was a domineering and dictatorial person.


    Larissa breathed a sigh of relief. She didn¡¯t think too much about it although she did feel a little puzzled


    at his change in temperament. Even though Larissa rejected his proposal, Kevan still dropped off her at


    the Regal Dynasty Hotel first before heading to thepany. Dn had been waiting for him in his


    office all morning. He couldn¡¯t contain his excitement when he saw Kevan. ¡°Show me the marriage


    certificate!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have it.¡± Kevan had an unreadable expression on his face.


    ¡°What do you mean you don¡¯t have it? Did you not get married at all, or did you just forget to bring it?¡±


    ¡°We didn¡¯t register our marriage.¡± Kevan took off his coat and draped it over the back of his chair.


    Pulling out his chair, he sat down and set up hisputer, preparing to start work for the day.


    ¡°Hold on,¡± Dn banged his hands on the table and stood up in confusion. ¡°Didn¡¯t you get the


    guarantee letter signed by Larissa herself? This guarantee letter is legally binding. If she changes her


    mind, you can sue her and request a court order forpulsory execution.¡± Kevan¡¯s gaze remained


    fixed on theputer screen as he replied nonchntly, ¡°It¡¯s ungentlemanly to force a woman against


    her will.¡±


    Dn eximed in exasperation, ¡°Then why did you drink so much and pretend to be drunkst night?


    What¡¯s more, you dragged me into putting on a show so that she would sign the guarantee letter. Was


    all this just a prank to tease her? Or are you pulling my leg instead?¡±


    ¡°This is all part of my n.¡± Kevan opened his inbox and quickly read the content of thetest email,


    chuckling softly.


    The real climax was yet toe.


    It was 3.47 pm, December 31st.


    Larissa was stressing out over a report when she suddenly received a call from one of the team


    leaders. ¡°Ms. Seymour, the guest in room 2821 requests to see you.¡±


    Room 2821 was one of the luxurious executive suites In the Regal Dynasty Hotel, second only to the


    presidential suite.


    Chapter 195


    Guests staying in the executive suites were naturally of significant status and position.


    Larissa immediately became nervous. ¡°Do they have anyints about our hotel?¡±


    The team leader replied hesitantly, ¡°It seems so.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be right there.¡± Larissa didn¡¯t dare waste time for another moment. She saved her files, shut down


    theputer, and hurried to room


    2821.


    She quickly tidied her clothes and tucked a stray hair behind her ears.


    Straightening her posture, she rang the doorbell and put on a professional smile.


    As soon as the door opened, her smile froze.

 Chapter 196

    Chapter 196


    Chapter 196


    It was a middle-aged man, looking as stern as ever.


    His disapproving gaze hadn¡¯t changed since thest time they met.


    ¡®Larissa.¡±


    Upon hearing him utter her name, Larissa shuddered involuntarily.


    He had never bothered to acknowledge her before.


    The only time he called her name was to belittle and criticize her.


    ¡°Mr. Seymour.¡± Composing herself, Larissa addressed him like any other guest in the hotel. ¡°Is there


    anything that I can help you with?¡±


    ¡°Come inside first,¡± Xavier muttered and turned into the room, as if he knew that she would follow his


    orders.


    And indeed, Larissaplied.


    What if he was really here to make aint?


    It turned out she had guessed wrong.


    ¡°Your mother is sick.¡± Xavier went straight to the point.


    When she heard the news, Larissa wasn¡¯t the slightest bit concerned with what happened to Yvette.


    ¡°With her family¡¯s care and support, she should be able to recover soon,¡± Larissa said formally as she


    maintained a professional smile on her face.


    ¡°She has cancer.¡± Xavier¡¯s expression grew even more solemn. ¡°It waste-stage uterine cancer when


    we discovered her illness.¡±


    Taken aback, Larissa clenched her fists instinctively.


    ¡°I know we¡¯ve always treated you poorly, and it¡¯s natural for you to resent us,¡± Xavier recalled the past


    calmly, without a hint of remorse in his tone. ¡°But she is still your mother. She carried you for nine


    months in her womb and raised you to adulthood. I hope that you will meet her for thest time.¡±


    It was obvious that Xavier was manipting her emotions. However, Larissa always had her guard up


    when dealing with the Seymour family. Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    Besides, Lana had asked her to go home on New Year¡¯s Day, but she never mentioned anything about


    Yvette¡¯s illness.


    Larissa couldn¡¯t tell if Yvette intentionally hid it from Lana or if Xavier was lying.


    ¡°Since you imed that she¡¯s sick, where¡¯s the evidence?¡± Larissa asked. ¡°I won¡¯t believe your words


    without evidence.¡±


    Xavier narrowed his eyes and snorted coldly, ¡°Larissa, you really have no conscience!¡±


    Picking up a medical record that was lying within reach, he threw it in Larissa¡¯s direction. ¡°Don¡¯t believe


    me? Take a good look and see if


    your mother is really sick or not!¡±


    Indeed, Yvette¡¯s name was written on the medical record.


    Larissa flipped the pages and could only make out the words ¡°uterine cancer¡± on the first page amongst


    the messy handwriting.


    Taking a deep breath, Larissa tried to suppress the anxiety within her as she closed the document.


    ¡°Medical records like these are easily fabricated.¡±


    Although this statement seemed to be questioning Xavier, she was also convincing herself.


    When Yvette came to see herst time, herplexion and behavior didn¡¯t seem like a patient


    suffering from cancer.


    Despite that, Larissa was still afraid.


    What if it was true?


    She definitely hated and resented Yvette, but as Xavier sald, Yvette was still her biological mother, the


    one who brought her into this world.


    Chapter 196


    Although Larissa was determined to cut off all ties with Yvette and the Seymour family, if Yvette was


    truly terminally ill, she felt obligated to see her mother onest time after all.


    Xavierpletely lost his patience. ¡°It¡¯s best if you go along with me willingly. If you¡¯re unwilling to


    comply¡­¡±


    The door to the bedroom suddenly burst open.


    A group of muscr bodyguards dressed in ck emerged and surrounded Larissa.


    ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll have them take you back by force.¡±

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    Chapter 197


    Chapter 197


    Larissa didn¡¯t give Xavier a chance to take her by force.


    She knew that confronting Xavier head-on was not a wise move, so Larissa chose topromise


    before the bodyguards took action.


    ¡°I will return home with you,¡± she said, ¡°but before that, I need to ask for leave from the general


    manager and delegate my work to others.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t try to be clever with me.¡± Xavier warned her, ¡°I have a flight scheduled for 8 pm, so you must be


    here before 6 pm. If you try to escape, I¡¯ll go to your general manager.¡±


    Larissa had no intention of ying any tricks. Since Xavier knew where she worked and lived, it would


    be as easy as pie to catch her, no matter how hard she tried to escape.


    However, Larissa couldn¡¯t shake off the feeling that something was wrong.


    Xavier had always despised her and thought of her as a burden.


    When she was still living with the Seymour family, he treated her as if she were invisible.


    Unless necessary, he wouldn¡¯t even spare her a nce.


    Strangely, Xavier personally came to meet her today and was very patient in exining everything to


    her.


    Larissa couldn¡¯t believe that he was truly concerned about Yvette¡¯s well-being.


    The rtionship between the couple was not as good as it seemed on the surface.


    Xavier portrayed himself as a gentleman in public, but behind closed doors, he had taken advantage of


    many female artists signed under hispany.


    She knew this because Yvette would asionally go crazy for no reason and lock her up, beating her


    mercilessly while screaming, ¡°How dare you seduce my husband, you little s lut!¡±


    Seeing Xavier¡¯s eagerness in bringing her back to Bartham, he had to have an ulterior motive.


    Although Larissa didn¡¯t know what it was, it was better to be cautious.


    However, Xavier seemed to be even more meticulous than she thought.


    He reached out his palm towards Larissa. ¡°Hand over your phone. I will consider it coteral, so youContent is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    won¡¯t run away.¡±


    Initially, Larissa had nned to contact Dn as soon as she exited the executive suite, but now her


    ns werepletely ruined.


    She handed over her phone obediently, but Xavier was still not satisfied.


    He assigned a bodyguard to apany her. ¡°Apany Miss Larissa while she goes to request a


    leave of absence and exin the situation clearly to her supervisor.¡±


    Larissa and Xavier¡¯s bodyguard went to meet the general manager, Mr. Compton.


    Initially, Mr. Compton was reluctant to approve Larissa¡¯s leave of absence. ¡°You know how busy the


    hotel has beentely, and you¡¯ve already taken time off before this due to various reasons. If you insist,


    your performance assessment might be affected this year.¡±


    At that moment, the bodyguard handed over a phone.


    On the other end of the phone call was Xavier himself.


    The expression on Mr. Compton¡¯s face changed from his initial confusion to shock, andstly to one of


    ttery.


    When he hung up, he immediately overturned his previous statement.


    ¡°It¡¯s a serious matter since your mother fell ill. The hotel management wouldn¡¯t be so cold-hearted to


    turn down your application. I will


    approve your leave, so you can go back and spend more time with your mother.¡±


    This oue was within Larissa¡¯s expectations.


    ¡°I will only take leave for three days maximum. After the holidays around New Year¡¯s, I will definitely


    return to work regardless of any circumstances.¡± Chapter 197


    Larissa emphasized the word ¡°definitely¡± and stared at Mr. Compton meaningfully, hoping he had


    received her hint.


    Xavier¡¯s bodyguard was exceptionally vignt. He grabbed onto her wrist and whispered in a low tone,


    ¡°Miss Larissa, it¡¯s time to leave.¡±


    Larissa handed over her work to her assistant as Xavier¡¯s bodyguard stood nearby, glowering at them.


    Larissa¡¯s assistant was too intimidated to ask any questions and fled the scene with her documents as


    soon as she was done rifying issues regarding her work.


    Larissa¡¯s hope of pulling a fast one on Xavier was in vain.


    Now, she could only rely on Mr. Compton in case anything happened to her after she returned to


    Bartham.


    She prayed that he would quickly realize that something was wrong and call the police to save her.


    Xavier didn¡¯t even let Larissa go back home to pack her luggage. They left straight for the airport.

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    Chapter 198


    This was the first time Larissa had ever sat in the same car as Xavier.


    When Larissa was a child, she remembered watching Xavier and Lana from the window.


    Every morning. Xavier would send Lana to school.


    For a long time, her biggest wish was to be able to ride in Xavier¡¯s car too.


    Unfortunately, the fulfillment of her wish came toote now that she had aplete change of heart


    since her childhood.


    At this moment, she didn¡¯t even feel the slightest bit of joy; instead, she felt like she was on pins and


    needles.


    Xavier closed his eyes and took a nap, refusing to speak to her.


    The two bodyguards in the front seats didn¡¯t talk to her either.


    Larissa stared out the window in a daze, hoping that this drive would end quickly.


    Xavier had booked flight tickets in the first ss and Larissa was given a seat as well.


    Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    She thought that this was probably the only nice thing she experienced throughout the journey.


    As this was Larissa¡¯s first time in first ss, her cautious and restrained behavior drew multiple


    disapproving nces from Xavier.


    Although they were sitting in different rows, she could hear him mutter to his bodyguard sitting beside


    him, ¡°Indeed, she¡¯s just a poor and low-ss bas ta rd.¡±


    The bodyguard agreed with him immediately, ¡°She definitely can¡¯tpare to Miss Lana.¡±


    Xavier sneered, ¡°Naturally. No one else canpare to my Nana!¡±


    The short flight of two hours quickly came to an end.


    After being away for so long, Bartham had changedpletely from when she left, leaving Larissa


    amazed at the sights.


    However, there were also some things that remained unchanged, like the Seymour Mansion and the


    attitude of their household staff toward her.


    She followed behind Xavier and entered the mansion.


    The household staff smiled and greeted Xavier politely, but when they saw Larissa, their faces turned


    nk.


    Some of the nicer ones would greet her, while the majority pretended that she was invisible.


    Larissa wasn¡¯t concerned by the difference in treatment. Instead, if they were to act warmly towards


    her, she would feel that something fishy was going on with their odd behavior.


    Xavier informed her that Yvette refused to undergo chemotherapy and insisted on being discharged


    from the hospital.


    Regarding this statement, Larissa felt that it was believable.


    Yvette was regarded as one of the top actresses when she was younger, even more famous than


    Laura was currently.


    At that time, she was known as the country¡¯s ¡°Beauty Queen¡±.


    If it weren¡¯t for her title, she would have had no chance of marrying into the Seymour family with a child


    in tow.


    The most important thing that Yvette cared about was her beautiful appearance.


    Undergoing chemotherapy was an especially grueling experience.


    Having to receive chemotherapy multiple times would make anyone look old and tired, even a goddess


    wouldn¡¯t be spared.


    It would be more unbearable for Yvette to be ugly than to lose her life.


    ¡°Your mother is currently staying in the room next to yours on the third floor,¡± Xavier said, ¡°you should


    go up and meet her. I won¡¯te with you.¡±


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    Chapter 198


    The Seymour Mansion was built a long time ago and only had three floors, with no further additions


    made.


    The household staff lived on the first floor, while the second floor consisted of bedrooms, study rooms,


    and recreational spaces for the Seymour family. As for the third floor, it¡¯s reserved for guests.


    To avoid having Larissa appear in front of guests as much as possible, her room was located at the far


    end of the third-floor corridor.


    Whenever there were guests visiting, she had to stay in her room and not take a step out of the door.


    However, guests were a rare urrence. Most of the time, she was the only one on the third floor.


    When Larissa was a child, she was afraid of ghosts and the dark.


    She pleaded countless times for Yvette to apany her to the third floor, even if it was just sleeping


    in the room next to hers, but Yvette always refused without exception.


    Sometimes, when Yvette was in a bad mood, Larissa would be beaten up for daring to make such a


    request.

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    Chapter 199


    Chapter 199


    Larissa had no idea what act Yvette was putting on this time.


    Even if she had to sleep separately from Xavier due to her illness, there were enough rooms on the


    second floor.


    There was no need for her to stay on the third floor.


    Feeling uneasy, Larissa climbed up the stairs slowly to the third floor and walked along the corridor.


    Nearing the end, she saw a door that was slightly ajar.


    Voices could be heard from inside the room.


    ¡®Mom, Dad said he will bring Larissa home. Don¡¯t worry about it!¡±


    *Your sister has such a stubborn temper. Even if your dad intervenes, it¡¯s not guaranteed that he can


    persuade her ¡­


    ¡®It can¡¯t be. Larissa will definitelye back once she realizes how serious your illness is!¡±


    ¡®Nana, I really regret it


    ¡­


    Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    If only I had reconciled with your sister earlier! I don¡¯t have much time left now, in case


    *Mom, please don¡¯t think about nonsense like that! As long as you follow the doctor¡¯s instructions, the


    symptoms of your illness can be controlled, even if the disease can¡¯t be cured. Larissa is not someone


    who will hold grudges, she will definitely forgive you for what you did in the past!¡±


    Standing at the corner, Larissa listened in to their conversation for a moment.


    She heaved a sigh of relief, but her heart sank immediately after.


    It seemed that Yvette¡¯s illness was not something Xavier had made up.


    The thought of Yvette possibly not having much time left to live made Larissa anxious. Inexplicably, she


    dreaded facing this reality.


    ¡°Miss Larissa, why are you not going in?¡± Mrs. Harris, one of the household staff, appeared with a tray


    of fruits.


    She asked out of curiosity as to why Larissa was standing motionless outside the door.


    Snapping out of her thoughts, Larissa forced a smile. ¡°I¡¯m going in now.¡±


    Naturally, Mrs. Harris handed the tray to her. ¡°Then, you can take this in. Mr. Seymour asked me to


    hand it to Madam and Miss Lana.¡±


    At that moment, the door was forcefully opened from the inside.


    Lana emerged with a furious expression on her face.


    ¡®Mrs. Harris, Dad asked you to bring us the fruits, not Larissa! If you are unwilling to follow instructions,


    you can resign from your position right now!¡±


    Mrs. Harris had been working for the Seymour family for a long time, she practically watched Larissa


    and Lana grow up.


    She had a clear understanding of the stark difference between both youngdies¡¯ positions in the


    family.


    This was not the first time Mrs. Harris treated Larissa in a demeaning manner, nor the first time she did


    it in front of other members of the Seymour family.


    However, this was the first instance she got reprimanded for her disrespect to Larissa.


    Mrs. Harris felt wronged, but the one criticizing her was Lana, the favored child of the Seymour family.


    She didn¡¯t dare talk back or defend herself but apologized repeatedly for her mistake. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Miss


    Lana! I didn¡¯t mean it!¡±


    Lana sna tched the tray from Larissa¡¯s hand and returned it to Mrs. Harris. ¡°You should apologize to


    Larissa, not me!¡±


    With that, Mrs. Harris quickly turned to Larissa and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Miss Larissa, please forgive me!¡±


    Larissa hadn¡¯t expected Lana to reprimand Mrs. Harris because of her.


    In the past, when Larissa was bullied by the household staff, Lana had always Ignored it without a


    second nce, even though she witnessed it a few times.


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    Chapter 199


    Lana had never stood up for her as she did today.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Larissa waved her hand.


    Compared to Mrs. Harris¡¯s mistreatment, Larissa was more concerned about Lana¡¯s unusual behavior.


    Previously, they clearly had a falling out at Dn¡¯s ce, so there was no reason for Lana to take her


    side now.


    But¡­ it was also possible that she was mistaken and thought too little about Lana¡¯s goodwill.


    Lana instructed Mrs. Harris coldly, ¡°You can leave now. Mom and I can¡¯t eat the fruits anyway. If I ever


    see you or anyone else mistreating Larissa again, you can go directly to Mr. Foster to settle your wages


    and leave.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Miss Lana!¡± Trembling, Mrs. Harris carried the tray and fled.


    Lana suddenly hugged Larissa¡¯s arm, tears welling up in her eyes.


    ¡°Larissa, you¡¯re finally home! I knew you woulde back!¡± Eximing with joy, she pulled Larissa into


    the room.

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    Chapter 200


    Theyout and furnishings of the guest rooms in Seymour Mansion were all identical, even the bed


    sheets and covers were the exact same shade of white.


    Larissa was momentarily confused. She felt as if she was in her old room where she had slept for over


    ten years.


    Yvette was reclining on a bed that was ced in the center of the guest room.


    Her sallow cheeks had sunken in more since thest time they¡¯d met, and herplexion appeared


    jaundiced.


    She was wearing an expensive silk nightgown, her long hair hanging loose.


    In the dim light, she appeared even more haggard.


    ¡°Mom! Larissa is back!¡± Lana eximed happily.


    Yvette¡¯s eyes welled up with tears.


    ¡°Larissa¡­¡± Her voice choked as she reached out her hand toward Larissa. ¡°Come to me quickly so that


    I can take a look at you!¡±


    However, Larissa stood rooted at the spot, afraid to approach her mother.


    Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    She was afraid that as soon as she came closer, Yvette would transform into the sinister monster who


    tormented her during childhood,


    pushing her to the ground and viciously beating her up.


    Needless to say, Yvette noticed the fear and wariness in Larissa¡¯s eyes as well.


    ¡°Larissa She lowered her hand weakly, tears dripping onto the nket. ¡°All these years, I have


    wronged you.¡±


    Larissa watched her in silence, not saying word.


    ¡°I know that no matter how much I say or do now, I cannot make up for the harm that I¡¯ve caused you in


    the past.¡± Yvette clenched the nket with her hands and squeezed out a forced smile on her face. ¡°As


    long as you are still willing to meet me, I am content.¡±


    Lana grabbed Larissa¡¯s hand and begged pleadingly, with tears running down her cheeks, ¡°Larissa,


    please forgive Mommy! It¡¯s her


    greatest wish!¡±


    Pursing her pale, thin lips, Yvette fixed a gaze full of anticipation on Larissa.


    But Larissa couldn¡¯t bring herself to forgive Yvette.


    The physical and me ntal harm Yvette had caused her was beyond forgiveness, even Yvette¡¯s death


    couldn¡¯t erase the trauma she had to


    bear.


    ¡°Now that we¡¯ve met, I¡¯ll be leaving,¡± Larissa said coldly before turning away, but Lana stopped her.


    ¡°Larissa, please don¡¯t leave like this!¡± Lana sobbed uncontrobly. ¡°Since you¡¯ve finallye back,


    please spend more time with Mommy!¡±


    Yvette burst into tears as well. ¡°That¡¯s right! Larissa, I don¡¯t know how much longer I have to live. Why


    don¡¯t you stay put and apany


    me until myst breath?¡±


    Larissa almost gave in when she heard Yvette speak of her illness with such gravity.


    She quickly caught herself. Larissa knew that she couldn¡¯t back down too quickly, otherwise, these two


    women would surely take advantage of her kindness.


    ¡°Knowing how serious your illness is, why wouldn¡¯t you undergo chemotherapy?¡± Larissa pressed


    further, ¡°Is your appearance that important to you? Important enough to lose your life in spite of your


    family¡¯s worries and sadness?¡±


    Yvette hung her head guiltily.


    ¡®I¡­¡± she stammered. ¡°I thought that the rate of remission for undergoing chemotherapy was very low


    as well, Since I¡¯m going to die anyway, I might as well leave this earth looking beautiful. However¡­¡±


    Yvette suddenly looked up at Larissa with a piercing gaze.


    ¡°If you¡¯re willing to stay and apany me, I will ept all the treatment ns arranged by the


    doctor.¡±


    1/2


    It was too fake.


    Herst sentence was in ridiculous.


    Once again, Larissa raised her guard against Yvette.


    She knew very well that Yvette considered her a burden.


    It was impossible that Yvette would change the decision she had already made up in her mind, just


    because of Larissa.


    She could roughly guess that the Seymour family members were using every means to keep her with


    them, but why?


    What did they want to use her for this time?

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    Chapter 201


    Larissa couldnt think of a reason why they were acting like this.


    Therefore, she decided to wait and see.


    ¡°Sure, Ill stay,¡± she said. ¡°Tomorrow, I shall apany you to the hospital for chemotherapy.¡±


    A panicked expression appeared on Yvette¡¯s face. ¡°Chemotherapy treatments need to be scheduled in


    advance!


    Her voice shock as she stered an unnatural smile on her lips. ¡°Besides, the doctors are all on


    holiday during the New Year, We have to wait for an appointment after the holidays are over.¡±


    Larissa pretended to believe the nonsense she was spouting.


    ¡°Okay, after New Year¡¯s Day, I¡¯ll apany you to make the appointment.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± This time, Yvette agreed readily.


    Larissa had a premonition that something would happen during the three days of the New Year holiday.


    It was alreadyte, and Larissa decided to go back to her room to sleep.


    Lana insisted on going with her.


    ¡°Mom had someone clean your room every day! Isn¡¯t it clean?¡± Lana dered proudly.


    Larissa wined the desk casually with her fingertips. Indeed, there wasn¡¯t any dust.


    However, none of her belongings were left behind, nor could she see any traces of her past life with the


    Seymour family.


    That didn¡¯t surprise her.


    When she left abruptly back then, it undoubtedly brought shame to the entire Seymour family.


    In addition, they might have had topensate a significant amount to the other party.


    Under such circumstances, it was perfectly normal for Xavier or Yvette to have ordered someone to


    dispose of all her belongings in a rage.


    Lana walked a few steps ahead of Larissa and went straight to the wardrobe.


    She opened the doors of the wardrobe in a flourish and presented it to Larissa.


    The wardrobes in the guest rooms were not particrlyrge. They had two-doored wardrobes withContent bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    three small drawers.


    And yet, Larissa¡¯s clothes back then couldn¡¯t ever fill it.


    However, things were different now.


    The entire wardrobe was almost overflowing with various clothes. There was no room to squeeze even


    another piece of clothing inside.


    ¡°Mom had all these clothes sent in from major department stores around here, they are mostly from the


    autumn and winter collections


    this year.¡±


    Lana introduced each piece of clothing one by one, thinking that Larissa wouldn¡¯t recognize these high-


    end brands.


    ¡°Besides that She opened the drawers below. revealing collections of jewelry, scarves, and innerwear


    of considerable quality.


    It was evident that Yvette spared no expense, no matter what she intended to do this time.


    Larissa followed Lana around as she presented eacher of the quest room that the Seymour family


    had prepared for her.


    After that, Larissa changed into bathroom slippers. ¡°Thn going toke a shower.¡±


    However, Lana didn¡¯t leave the room.


    Fidgeting with the hem of her dress, she bit her lower ip and stole a nce at Larissa.


    ¡°Larissa. I¡¯m sorry for what happenedst time at Mr. Shield¡¯s house. Actually, Lasteady know that


    Mom was sick at that time, however, I couldn¡¯t tell you the truth in front of strangers. I felt realy sad and


    anxious when you relu, sed to return home with me. Besides, I wasn¡¯t in


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    Chapter 201


    such a good mood that day as I got reprimanded by Mr. Rogers, that¡¯s why Iran my mouth mindlessly.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡±


    Larissa patted her shoulder and said reassuringly. ¡°Kevan was in the wrong that day too. He should


    apologize to you.¡±


    Lana¡¯s eyes filled with tears and she enveloped Larissa in a bear hug. ¡°Larissa you¡¯re the best!¡±


    Hiding her face in Larissa¡¯s embrace, Lana¡¯s gaze was cold as she gritted her teeth.


    The next day, Larissa woke upte in the moming.


    This was the first time she had the privilege of sleeping in ever since she lived with the Seymour family.


    The Seymour Mansion was not only far from the city center, but also far from every school she and


    Lana attended.


    However, Xavier would send Lana to school by car, while Larissa had to take the bus by hersell.


    She had to wake up an hour earlier than Lana every morning, or else she would bete for school


    As for the weekends, she would be awakened by Mrs. Harris at 6 am to clean the third floor with other


    household stall.

 Chapter 202

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    Chapter 202


    Around 9 am someone knocked on her door.


    ¡°Miss Larissa, are you awake?¡± the stall asked in a very respectful manner.


    seemed like they had all been informed of Lana¡¯s threat yesterday.


    Lying in bed, Larissa called out. ¡°Not yet


    ¡°Do you want me to bring you breakfast in bed, or will youe downstairster to eat? the stall


    continued.


    Larissa was pleasantly surprised by the luxurious treatment. At the same time, she felt increasingly


    anxious.


    The Seymour family had gone all out in catering to her every whim.


    Larissa was concemned if she wasn¡¯t cautious enough, she might fall into their trap unknowingly.


    She sat up with disheveled hair and opened the door to take her breakfast tray.


    On the tray were pancakes and some side dishes. This was Larissa¡¯s favorite breakfast since she was


    a child.


    She carried her tray inside and finished her breast before returning to bed, feeling ill at ease.


    Anyway, since they didn¡¯t do anything to her yet, she would stay put.


    Larissa decided that the best course of action right now was to lie in wait until the enemy made a move.


    Not long after, Lana came to find her. ¡°Let¡¯s go next door and keep Mompany,¡± she said.


    Larissa didn¡¯t refuse.


    Yvette was still cressed in the same nightgown. However, she seemed more drawn as the yellowish


    hue on her cheeks appeared more


    noticeable.


    ¡°Yourplexion looks worse than yesterday.¡± Larissa said bluntly.


    ¡°Really?¡± Yvetteughed awkwardly, raising her hand to touch her face. ¡°Maybe my condition has


    worsened.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsenser Lana interjected, rushing forward and pulling Yvette¡¯s hand away from her face.Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°It¡¯s definitely because you were overwhelmed with Larissa¡¯s retum and didn¡¯t get enough restst


    night!¡±


    Yvette chuckled sheepishly and echoed, ¡°That could be a possibility.¡±


    Initially, Larissa failed to notice something odd.


    However, when Lana grabbed Yvette¡¯s hand, the fair skin on her arm was in stark contrast to her sallow


    complexion.


    Furthermore, her lingertips were mysteriously stained with a faint yellow color.


    Larissa knew she was getting closer to the truth, but she showed no sign of it.


    She couldn¡¯t confront them yet.


    Seymour Mansion was filled with her enemies on their side, In addition, her phone was confiscated by


    Xavier and he still hadn¡¯t returned it


    to her.


    She had to be patient and endure until the three days had passed.


    Once Mr. Compton noticed her absence, she would have a chance of leaving this ce.


    Larissa spent the morning chatting with Lana and Yvette.


    coldly with vaque


    Yvelle tried to lind out more details about Larissa¡¯s job and daily life, but she brushed her questions off


    coldly with vaque answers.


    In the afternoon, guests arrived at Seymour Mansion.


    It was the boss of Summer Entertainment, who came with his wife and son to visit Welle.


    Summer Entertainment was one of Cosmic Entertainment¡¯s long-term partners.


    1/2


    As before, Larissa locked hersell in the room so that she would not embarrass hermily in front of


    guests.


    ¡°Larissa, why are you here alone?¡± Lana poked her head inside the room. ¡°Mr. Cole and his family are


    in the next room. Are you not going to greet them?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need¡± Larissa replied, changing channels on the TV mindlessly with the remote control.


    Now that she did not have her phone orputer with her, watching TV was her only pastime here.


    ¡°Why not?¡± Lara looked disapproving. ¡°Mr. Cole and his family came specifically to visit Mom because


    of her illness. As her daughters, we should at least show our gratitude to them, right?¡±


    ¡°Having you alone to show gratitude would be enough,¡± Larissa sneered, her eyes lixed on the TV


    screen. ¡°Besides, no one else knows about my existence. I don¡¯t think your mother would want others


    digging out gossip regarding her illegitimate daughter.


    From the time she joined the Seymour family, Larissa had been introduced as the orphaned child


    whom Yvette¡¯s cousin left behind after their whole family died in a car ident.


    Publicly, Yvetle¡¯s reputation was greatly boosted by this arrangement.


    Thinking about it, Larissa couldn¡¯t help but smile at the irony.


    ¡°Larissa, what are you saying? Lana furrowed her brows. ¡°Since your sumame is Seymour, you are a


    member of the Seymour family. You


    are my parents¡¯ daughter and my older sister. Perhaps we made mistakes in the past, but from now on,


    we will correct our wrongs and strive to make up for what you have suffered.¡±

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    Chapter 203


    Chapter 203


    Larissa was tempted to give Lana a standing ovation for her profound words and heartiell der beration.


    ¡°Great, Ill go with you.¡± Larissa tumed off the TV and sat up enthusiastically. ¡°Let¡¯s greet Mr. Cole and


    his family properly.¡±


    She was curious to see how Lana and Yvette would introduce her to the quests


    Jay Cole, the boss of Summer Entertainment, was nearly seventy years old.


    However, he look great care of his appearance.


    There was not a single strand of white hair on his head, and his face had very few wrinkles.


    Jay appeared younger and more energetic than mary middle¨Caged men in their forlies and lillies.


    This could be seen from his recent marriage to a 23¨Cyear¨Cold model Annabell Willis, as his fourth wile.


    Working at the Regal Cynasty Hotel Larissa had the chance toe in contact with several production


    crew members and start working within the entertainment industry.


    Listening to the gossip that was spread among them, she knew a thing or two about ay.


    Jay had four public marriages and numerous mistresses in secret. However, despite nis infidelity for


    many years, he was very cautious when it came to contraception and never had any child out of


    wedlock


    Because of this, he only had one son Reuben Cole.


    Jay¡¯s first wife gave birth to Reuben, which was why he was considered the heir to themiy.


    Indeed. Jay was grooming him to be the sessor of hispany.


    After B


    Reuben returned from his studies abroad, Jay arranged for him to join hispary as his second¨Cin¨C


    command.


    The results proved that Jay had made the right move by betting on his son.


    Reuben graduated with outstanding results from a first¨Css university abroad.


    Within two years of working at Summer Entertainment, he invested in and produced severa. hit TV


    shows.


    Furthermore, although Reuben had a handsome appearance, he never got himself involved in any


    scandals or gossip.


    He could almost be considered a perfect candidate for a future husband.


    Larissa had suspected that Yvette might be trying to dupe her into marrying another man, just like the


    previous incident.


    However, Reupen was such


    ich an outstanding man.


    Even if Yvette wanted him to be her son¨Cinw, it would he Lana who would marry him, not her.


    With that thought, Larissa cast aside her worries and followed Lana into Yvette¡¯s room.


    When they entered, all four people standing at the fool of Yvette¡¯s bed turned around to look at them.


    Larissa sized them up in return.


    The only woman among the four was clearly Annabel, Jay¡¯s young wife. The man she was leaning


    against must be Jay himself.


    On the other side of Jay were two young men, one fall and handsome, and the other short and slump.


    Larissa recognized the tall and handsome one as Reuben. He had appeared on televis on a few times.


    As for the short and plump one, she had not heard of such a person in the Colerrily.


    The second Larissa entered the room, she noticed the plump man staring at her with his small beady


    eyes.


    His burning gaze was lived on her every move, making her squirm ufortably.


    Jay was the first to speak.


    1/2


    ¡°Is this Larissa, whom Nana has been telling us about?¡± He weed Larissa with a kind and gentle


    smile.


    Surprisingly, he wasn¡¯t as repulsive as she thought,


    Things didn¡¯t tum out as Larissa had imagined.


    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Lana pushed Larissa forward proudly so that everyone could see her. ¡°Isn¡¯t she more


    beautiful than me? Besides, she has been an excellent student since childhood, Not only did she


    graduate from Covenford University, she also worked her way up, relying on her own abilities. She¡¯s


    now the manager of the housekeeping department at the Regal Dynasty Hotell She¡¯s my role model


    With that, Jay¡¯s opinion of Larissa improved, looking at her with admiration in his eyes.


    Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Nana¡¯s just exaggerating.¡±


    Smiling shyly, Larissa greeted Jay and his family politely, ¡°Mr. Cole, thank you foring all the way


    with your family to visit my mother.¡±


    As soon as she finished speaking, the expressions of everyone else in the room changed.


    Jay¡¯s eyes widened as faint frown lines appeared on his forehead. ¡°Mother?¡±


    Staring at Yvette, he continued. ¡°Isn¡¯t Larissa your niece?¡±


    When all was said and done, things hadn¡¯t changed at all.

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    Chapter 204


    Chapter 204


    As expected Yvette didn¡¯t disappoint her.


    Larissa sneered inwardly.


    Yvette made up an exnation in a hurry. ¡°She is Indeed my niece. However, she has addressed me


    as her mother since childhood because I raised her along with Nana,¡±


    As she spoke, she gestured with her eyes, hoping Larissa would back her up.


    Larissa had no intention of helping her cover up this lie and stood aside with a pokerce.


    Lana had no choice and continued with a wide smile on herce. ¡°To me, Larissa is just like my real


    sister! Mom and Dad have always treated her as their own daughter, and we have a great rtionship


    as amily!¡±


    Jay epted their exnation without further questions.


    In contrast, Reuben stared at Larissa with a slightly pecr expression after hearing all this.


    ¡°Larissa, let me introduce you, Jay pointed to the woman who was clinging to his arm, this is my wife,


    Annabell.¡±


    Larissa pretended not to know Annabell¡¯s age and greeted her respectfully, ¡°Hello, Ms. Cole.¡±


    She followed up with apliment ¡°Mrs. Cole, what skincare products do you use? You look as young


    as thirty! How did you maintain


    Your appearance so well?¡±


    Annabell¡¯s face darkened instantly, and Jay¡¯s expression turned sour.


    This was the ellect that Larissa was aiming for.


    If this meeting was truly a blind date in disguise, her pliments¡± would definitely make them think


    twice.


    Lana tugged on Larissa¡¯s sleeve discreetly and whispered to her, ¡°Mrs. Cole is only 23 this year, she¡¯s


    even younger than me!


    Covering her mouth in exaggerated surprise, Larissa apologized to Annabell repeatedly, ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, I


    didn¡¯t know-


    In a fit of anger, Annabell turned her face away despite Larissa¡¯s apology, refusing to even nce at


    her.


    On the other hand, Jay acted graciously. ¡°It¡¯s alright, everyone makes mistakes!¡±


    However, his smile appeared forced.


    Jay pulled Reuben closer, who was standing next to him. ¡°This is my son, Reuben Cole.¡±


    Reuben extended his hand to Larissa. ¡°Ms. Seymour, nice to meet you.¡±


    if the tone of voices could be expressed in terms of temperature. Reuben¡¯s would be considered


    lukewarm, neither too cold nor too hot.


    Larissa found her first impression of him as a person was simr to his tone of voice, he wasn¡¯t a timid


    person, but not too aggressive


    either.


    Reuben¡¯s eyes twinded with amusement.


    In addition, there was also a tiny hint of curiosity in his gaze that was piqued by Larissa¡¯s mysterious


    past.


    Larissa shook his hand politely.


    ¡°Mr. Cole, nice to meet you.¡± She quickly released her grip alter two seconds.


    ¡°Lastly-as Jay spoke, everyone¡¯s gaze fell on thest remaining person.


    The short and plump man proudly pointed his nose into the air and pulled out his rounded chest.


    ¡°This is my nephew, Gon Cole. Speaking of it our families are quite simr. Jay looked at Yvette and


    continued, ¡°Your cousin lell behind a daughter after an ident whereas my younger brother left


    behind a son. I¡¯ve been raising him since he was a child, and we


    have a close father-son rtionship.¡±


    Yvelle chimed inughing, ¡°What a coincidence!¡±


    1/2


    Ignoring the two elders who were still conversing. Don pushed Reuben aside and walked up to


    Larissa.


    ¡°Ms. Seymour, it¡¯s a pleasure to meet you.¡±


    Reaching out. He extended a sweaty and meaty palm to her.Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 205

    Chapter 205


    Chapter 205


    Dorian smiled and his beady eyes almost disappeared from view.


    His putty cheeks Irembled as he spoke, making Larissa¡¯s stomach chum.


    Larissa wasn¡¯t someone who judged people by their appearance, but Dorian really made a poor


    impression on her.


    She endured the nauseating disgust and shook his hand reluctantly.


    ¡°d to meet you too,¡± Larissa forced a smile and sald insincerely.


    As she was about to retract her hand, Dorian cred it forcefully and ran his sweaty palm over the back


    of her hand, leaving a patch of moisture or her skin.


    Larissa was sa turned off that goosebumps appeared all over her.


    She couldn¡¯t tell him off in front of everyone, so she restrained herself.


    Fortunately, Dorian had some sense of propriety and didn¡¯t harass her any further.


    With a lewd smile, he finally let go of her hand.


    Larissa clenched her fists in anger and quickly moved away, Increasing the distance between her and


    Dorian.


    The guest room on the third floor didn¡¯t have any chars, so everyone had to stand to chal.


    Finding it inconvenient, Larissa and Lana helped Yvette off the bed and down the stairs.


    They all set ether with Jay¡¯s family in the living room on the first floor.


    There was only an empty seat next to Reuben. Since Larissa was thest one to find a seal, she


    reluctantly sat down beside him.


    When Dorian saw this, he wanted to switch seats with Reuben. However, before he could get up. Jay


    stopped him with a warning nce.


    Dorian sat back down grudgingly, but he couldn¡¯t stop himself from staring at Larissa.


    His shameless gaze made Larissa feel like she was on pins and needles.


    She suddenly had a bad premonition.


    Could it be that Yvette meant for her to marry Dorian instead of Reuben?


    However, Dorian was just Jay¡¯s nephew. He wouldnt have a share of his property or inheritance.


    Moreover, judging by his unpleasant temperament, he didn¡¯t seem like a man with great prospects for


    the future.


    Yvette wouldn¡¯t go through all this trouble just to dupe her into marrying someone who would bring no


    benefit to the Seymour family.


    The more Larissa thought about it, the more conlused she became.


    She could feel a migraineing on.


    Initially, Reuben was reclining on the back of the scia.


    Suddenly, he sat up straight, conveniently blocking Doran¡¯s audacious gaze.


    ¡°Ms. Seymour, are you currently working in Covenford? he casually started a conversation with Larissa,


    completely ignoring Derian who


    was throwing a lit behind him,


    Larissa noticed the intentions behind Reuben¡¯s behavior and smiled gratefully at him.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m working at the Regal Dynasty Hotel in Covenford. Mr. Cole, you should experience the hotel


    for yourself whenever you are there


    for a business Irp.¡±


    ¡°Cefinitely, Reuben agreed.


    ¡°You two seem to be getting along well Jay interjected suddenly, chuckling warmly. ¡°It¡¯s true that young


    people have more to talk about¡±


    Yvette joined in the conversation, ¡°That¡¯s right! We¡¯re too old for them. They will turn up their noses at


    us!¡±


    1/2


    Coquettishly, Lana enveloped Yvette in a hug. ¡°No way! You¡¯re never too old for me!¡±


    Larissa watched them putting on an act with a jaded expression on her face. Inwardly, her emotions


    were unbothered by their pretense.


    At that moment. Jay gestured to Reuben discreetly.


    Reuben understood his message and spoke up. Tve heard that the Seymour Mansion was designed


    exquisitely. I wonder if I could take a look around the ce?¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡± Yvette agreed readily and pointed at Larissa. ¡°Lari, show Reuben around.¡±


    Larissa didn¡¯t expect to be called out by name.


    Although she had lived in the Seymour Mansion for over ten years, her movements were limited to the


    living room on the first floor and her own room on the third floor.


    Her understanding of the houseyout was far less than any of the household sta


    No matter how she looked at it. Yvette¡¯s response seemed deliberate.Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 206

    Chapter 206


    Chapter 206


    ¡°Sure.¡± Larissa agreed pleasantly. ¡°Let¡¯s go outside and take a look around.¡±


    The warm rays of the alternoon sun shone or them brighty, relieving the chill of wir ter considerably.


    Larissa had to squint due to the bright outdoors,


    After she walked a short distance with Reuben, she suddenly felt the urge to yawn and covered her


    mouth.


    ¡°Feeling tired?¡± Reuben asked.


    ¡°A little.¡± Larissa replied, wiping the tears that appeared in the corner of her eyes.


    She settled down on a bench beside the winding path and gazed into the distance, saying, ¡°The


    courtyard isn¡¯t that big, so you can explore on your own. When you¡¯re done. let¡¯s go inside together.¡±


    Standing in front of Larissa, Reuben¡¯s height was tall enough to cast a shadow on her, blocking the


    sunlight that was directly shining into her eyes.


    ¡°You¡¯re not showing me around?¡± he asked, pu zzed, Reuben seemed surprised that Larissa¡¯s attitude


    was so much different from when they were indoors


    Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Tube honest with you, Mr. Cole.¡± Larissa gave him a formal smile that didn¡¯t reach her eyes. ¡°Xavier


    kidnapped me and brought me from Covenford to meet you for this blind date. I¡¯ve already married


    once in Covenford and I¡¯m currently preparing for my secord wedding. Furthermore, I¡¯m not Yvette¡¯s


    niece, but her illegitimate daughter born out of wedlock. I had no idea who my father was. Mr. Cole,


    both you and yourther have been deceived, I don¡¯t know what deal the Seymour family made with


    you, but you should cut your losses while you still have a chance.¡±


    Larissa wasn¡¯t certain il Yvette¡¯s intentions were as she suspected, that¡¯s why she had to co everything


    in her power to sabotage her mother¡¯s ns.


    Reuben seemed to be greatly shocked.


    His jaw dropped open as he stare


    stared at Larissa nkly.


    Tm hearing all this for the first time.¡± he murmured.


    ¡°You live and learn, Larissa advised him eamesly. It¡¯s better for you to stay away from the Seymour


    family and especially awold dealing with them in business matters. Sooner orter, you¡¯ll end up


    conned by them.¡±


    Reuben sat down beside her and asked curiously. ¡°But why are you telling me all this? Aren¡¯t you afraid


    that the Seymour family will harm you?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because you¡¯re a good person!¡± Larissa beamed.


    At that moment, her eyes were dazzling brightly as the sunlight shone on her face.


    Reuben was dumbfounded by her beauty.


    ¡°You helped me out just now, that¡¯s why I help you in return. Of course I¡¯m doing this for my own sake


    as well. Larissa spoke openly and honestly.


    Reuben snapped out of his daze.


    Smiling bitter, he said, ¡°Our marriage is bound to happen. It¡¯s something that we can¡¯t stop.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Larissa leaped up from the bench in surprise. ¡°If you just tell your father the truth, wouldn¡¯t he


    break off the deal with the Seymour family?


    ¡°The Cole family is rife with secrets as well, not unlike the Seymour family,¡±


    cing his hands behind his back, Reuben gazed up at the blue sky.


    ¡°The Cole family and the Seymour family depend on each other for survival Behind this partnership lies


    the exchange of mutual benefits, This marriage is simply a quarantee to ensure the continuity of the


    strategic alliance. The Cole family has no interest in your background. as long as the Seymour family


    acknowledges you as one of their own, it¡¯s enough. The only thing I can do is to dy the wedding as


    much


    Chapter 206


    as possible.¡±


    Reuben¡¯s words left Larissa feelingpletely deted. She was filled with regret.


    Il she had known things woulde to this, she should have gone to City Hall that day and registered


    her marriage to Kevan!


    Although she wasn¡¯t in love with Kevan, at least she would be free from the Seymour family¡¯s control.


    She wouldn¡¯t be a helpless pawn, manipted ording to their fancles.


    ¡°There are a few more things I need to remind you of Reuben sald, turning around with a serious look


    on his face. ¡°First lock your doors at night and try not to go out alone. Secondly, don¡¯t do anything I ask


    you to do, especially in front of other people. Don¡¯t even eat anything that is given to you.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Larissa couldn¡¯t understand his instructions.


    However, Reuben didn¡¯t answer her question.


    He stood up and patted out the wrinkles on his clothes.


    Looking in the direction of the house, he said, ¡°We¡¯ve been out for long enough. It¡¯s time to go back


    inside.¡±

 Chapter 207

    Chapter 207


    Chapter 207


    Xavier was away for work, attending a New Year¡¯s event hosted by a TV station.


    Since he would only retum tomorrow, Yvette Invited the Cole family to spend the night at Seymour


    Mansion.


    Naturally, they were allocated quest rooms on the third floor. Reuben was deliberately given a room


    across from Larissa¡¯s.


    Before going to bed, the household staff presented each quest with some hot milk and a fruit sd,


    including Larissa.


    However, Larissa had already washed up and brushed her teeth, so the food was left untouched on her


    desk.


    She remembered Reuben¡¯s warning and locked her door. Turning off the lights, shey down on the


    bed.


    No matter how hard she tried, she couldn¡¯t fall asleep.


    Reuben wouldn¡¯t have said those things without reason.


    Considering he told her to lock the door, did it mean that someone would break into her room at night?


    This thought frightened Larissa.


    Perking up her ears, she listened intently to any peculiar sounds outside her door.


    Hourster, there was a knock at her door. It was very soft, as if the person didn¡¯t want to wake her up.


    Larissa checked the rm clock beside her bed. It was two in the morning.


    Biting her lip, Larissa didn¡¯t respond.


    After the knocking sound stopped, she heard the sound of her doorknob being turned subsequently.


    When the door failed to open as expected, the person behind the door cursed in a low voice. ¡°Damn it!¡±


    Larissa recognized that it was Dorian¡¯s voice.


    She was further mystified by this revtion.


    How did Reuben know that Dorian would sneak into her room at night?


    Was this part of the n concocted by both families? But why?


    Didn¡¯t they want her to marry Reuben?


    ¡°What¡¯s going on? another voice spoke up. It was Jay.


    ¡°The door is locked,¡± Dorian replied bitterly.


    ¡°How could it be?¡± Yvette eximed in surprise..


    ¡°Larissa never locks the door at night when she sleeps.¡±


    As more and more people gathered outside her door, Larissa was overwhelmed with lear and despair.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have someone fetch the key.¡± Yvette said.


    Larissa couldn¡¯t sit still any longer.


    Instead of waiting like amb to the ughter, she¡¯d rather confront them head-on.


    She threw the covers off and got out of bed.


    When she opened the door boldly, all three people standing outside were caught off guard.


    ¡°It¡¯s sote at night, What are all of you doing at my door?¡±


    With a wry smile on her face, Larissa nced at each of them, satisfied with the panicked expression


    written on their faces.


    Turning to Yvette, she said, ¡°Mom, you¡¯re not well. You should go to bed early and not stay up sote.¡±


    Yvette avoided her gaze and nodded sheepishly. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll go to bed right now.¡±


    1/2


    Chapter 207


    She quickly escaped the scene by going into her room, leaving Jay and Dorian behind.


    Jay appeared difited, but he managed to regain hisposure quickly, unlike Yvette.


    ¡°I felt thirsty in the middle of the night, that¡¯s why I got up to get some water. Unexpectedly, I ran into


    Dorian here,¡± he said, gesturing to


    Dorian with his eyes.


    Dorian yed along, saying. ¡°Yeah, I got up to drink water as well¡±


    However, his roaming eyes never left Larissa¡¯s figure.


    Larissa¡¯s smile became wider. ¡°What a coincidence for both of you to go the wrong way! The steps


    leading downstairs are in the opposite


    direction of my room.¡±


    Increasingly embarrassed, Jay thought of another excuse. ¡°Both Dorian and I have a


    In the Seymour Mansion, Larissa was alone, without anyone on her side.


    a poor sense of direction.¡±


    The nanny who had helped her in the past was dismissed long ago by the Seymour family.


    Even if Larissa stood on the side of reason, she couldn¡¯t be too pushy with her retaliation, lest they


    decide to take extreme action against


    her.


    She pretended to believe Jay¡¯s words.


    ¡°Let me go downstairs. I¡¯ll pour you a ss of water so that you won¡¯t identally lose your way


    again.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need Jay stopped her. ¡°Go to sleep, don¡¯t worry about us.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Larissa went along with his request ¡°Goodnight. Mr. Cole.¡±Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 208

    Chapter 208


    Chapter 208


    Larissa closed the door and locked it from the inside.


    The two people outside her door left after a minute, but they probably didn¡¯t go downstairs because


    Larissa heard the sounds of their doors closing, one after another.


    Larissa kept her eyes open until dawn.


    She did not sleep a wink, but no one came to knock on her door after that.


    Breakfast was still delivered to her room by the household stall.


    As Larissa was about to close the door, Reuben emerged from the room across from hers.


    ncing at the tray in her hand, he mouthed silently. ¡°Do not eat that.¡±


    After what happenedst night, Larissa trusted Reuben more than anyone else in this house.


    Throwing the pancakes and hash browns into the trash, she sat back and waited to see what would


    happen next.


    As expected, someone knocked on her door again after half an hour.


    ¡°Larissa, are you awake?¡±


    This time it wasn¡¯t Dorian, but Lana.


    Larissa remained silent.


    Lana twisted the doorknob but the door didn¡¯t budge.


    She inserted the key to Larissa¡¯s room that she had prepared earlier into the lock and unlocked the


    door.


    However, when Lana entered the room, the first thing she saw was Larissa standing right behind the


    door.


    She crossed her arms and stared at Lana calmly.


    Lana was startled at Larissa¡¯s appearance and dropped the key in her hand.


    it fell to the ground with a loud ng.


    ¡°Lari Larissa, you¡¯re awake. Why didn¡¯t you respond?¡± Lanaughed dryly.


    ¡°You woke me up when I was about to fall asleep. I got up to open the door for you, but you managed


    toe in by yourself.¡± Larissa bent down, retrieved the key from the floor, and casually put it in her


    pocket. ¡°This is the key to my room, right? Since I¡¯ve lost my old one. I¡¯ll take this instead.¡±


    Lana opened her mouth to protest, but she finally relented. ¡°Alright,¡± she said reluctantly.


    ¡°Do you need something from me? Larissa asked her.


    ¡°Oh!¡± Lana seemed to have just remembered why she came. ¡°Dad came home, and everyone¡¯s in the


    living room downstairs. He asked me toe up and get you.¡±


    ¡°No, thanks,¡± Larissa refused. ¡°I just had breakfast, for some reason, I feel a bit tired. I need to sleep a


    little longer.¡±


    This time, Lana didn¡¯t try to persuade her like she did yesterday. Instead, she smiled with glee.


    ¡°If you¡¯re tired, then rest well I¡¯m sure Dad will understand.¡± Lana said reassuringly. ¡°By the way, if


    you¡¯re going to sleep, don¡¯t lock the door. I¡¯m afraid you won¡¯t hear me when Ie to call you for


    lunch. Dad said everyone must be present for today¡¯s lunch, no absences allowed.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Larissa agreed.


    As soon as Lana lett, she immediately locked the door.


    Well, it seemed that everyone in the Seymour family was involved in this conspiracy. No one was an


    exception.


    Larissa felt that she couldn¡¯t just sit and wait for her impending doom.


    If she locked herself up in her room and refused toe out, they would definitely suspect something.


    chapter 208


    Besides, she couldn¡¯t go without eating or drinking for the next two days.


    Larissa freshened up and changed her clothes. She decided to grab the bull by its homs and went


    downstairs.


    As Lana had said, both the Seymour and Cole families were in the living room on the first floor.


    However, the atmosphere was more solemn than what Larissa had imagined.


    A dark cloud hung over everyone in the living room as they had gloomy expressions on their faces.


    Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    Forcing a smile, Larissa spoke up, breaking the mysterious silence. ¡°Why is everyone so quiet? What


    are we doing here?¡±


    Upon hearing her voice, the expression on their faces changed abruptly.


    ¡°Lari? Weren¡¯t you going to sleep? Why did youe downstairs? Yvette asked in surprise.


    ¡°I thought about it and decided it¡¯s better toe down and say hello.¡± Larissa sat down beside Yvette


    and held her hand naturally.


    Yvette¡¯s body stiffened and there was a hint of disgust in her eyes.


    Instinctively, she wanted to pull her hand away, but she hesitated for a few seconds before relenting.

 Chapter 209

    Chapter 209


    Chapter 209


    The atmosphere in the living room became even more awkward upon Larissa¡¯s arrival. Nevertheless, it


    was slightly better as they had a conversation topic now instead of staring silently at each other like


    before.


    Larissa looked around and noticed that everyone was present, except for Reuben, but she didn¡¯t ask


    about him.


    When it was finally time for lunch, Yvette instructed Larissa, ¡°Larissa, Reuben isn¡¯t feeling well so he¡¯s


    resting in his room. Please call him down for lunch.¡±


    ¡°Alright¡± she said. She went straight upstairs without questioning anything.


    Reuben¡¯s door was shut tightly. After she knocked twice, a muffled voice came from inside. ¡°Come in.¡±


    Larissa pushed the door open, revealing a dark room with the lights off and the curtains drawn.


    Before her eyes could adjust to the darkness, she was yanked onto the bed. She screamed in fear as


    someone pressed themsell upon her and ripped her clothes apart.


    ¡°What are you doing, Reuben?!¡± Larissa pushed away and pped him on reflex. She shouted so


    loudly in panic that her voice broke.


    Reuben didn¡¯t stop, but whispered in her ear instead, saying, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Before Larissa could understand what he meant the door opened and the lights were turned on.


    ¡°Reuben, Larissa=¡±


    At the door, Lana let out a high¨Cpitched scream, her eyes wide with shock.


    Her screams attracted the attention of everyone else. The sound of footsteps could be heard, and


    everyone was gathered outside Reuben¡¯s room.


    By the time Lana arrived, Reuben had already gotten off Larissa, and she quickly pulled the nket


    over herself, curling up into a small ball at the head of the bed.


    ¡°What happened, Lana?¡± Yvette asked nervously. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.


    When she took a look, she was speechless. All she could do was point at the two people on the bed.


    Jay squeezed his way through the throng, his expression dark and slem as he asked Reuben,


    ¡°Reuben, tell me honestly, what exactly happened here?¡±


    Lowering his head without looking at Larissa, Reuben replied softly. ¡°I was sleeping when I heard Ms.


    Seymour calling me. When I opened my eyes, I saw her lying on my bed with her clothes barely on,


    and she even kissed me on the lips,¡±


    Her eyes wide with shock, Larissa could hardly believe that these words wereing out of Reuben¡¯s


    mouth.


    ¡°Hey-¡±


    s, before she could refute his statement, a strong force struck her face..


    ¡°How can you be so shameless!¡± Yvette yelled, her eyes red with anger. ¡°Did you learn these crude


    seduction methods after living alone in the city for so many years?¡±


    The Impact of the p had Larissa¡¯s face feeling numb, and it was difficult for her lo speak.


    At this moment, all eyes were on her with varying forms of expressions¨Cdisappointment, scorn,


    Judgment, and lust.


    Larissa knew very well that this was a plot against her. She just didn¡¯t know who was behind it.


    ¡°Enough, everyone. Leave,¡± Xavier announced, asserting his authority as the head of the family, and


    pulled Yvette out of the room. Turning back to Larissa, he ordered, ¡°Put on your clothes ande to


    the study.¡±

 Chapter 210

    Chapter 210


    Chapter 210


    Everyone left the room and closed the door behind them, leaving only Larissa and Reuben in the room.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Reuben said again.


    Without a trace of emotion on her face, Larissa pulled her shirt back on, adjusting it before getting off


    the bed on her own.


    ¡°I had no choice, I¡¯m sorry,¡± Reuben continued to mutter to himself, ¡°If I didn¡¯t do this¡­ I would suffer in


    my family.¡±


    Larissa stopped in her tracks, but she didn¡¯t tum around.


    Staring nkly at the door, she sneered and said. ¡°You don¡¯t need to apologize. People who don¡¯t act


    for themselves will only lose out in the end. I understand you.¡±


    Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    She didn¡¯t me Reuben. She only med hersell for naively trusting others easily. Reuben had


    taught her a profound lesson today, and she decided to be grateful to him,


    The buttons or Larissa¡¯s shirt had been ripped off by Reuben, leaving only two remaining. Since there


    was no way she could wear it, she went back to her room and changed into a hocdie, before going to


    Xavier¡¯s study as he had instructed.


    Xavier, Yvette. Jay, and Reuben were there. Yvette was wearing an angry and ashamed expression,


    while Xavier and Jay seemed rather calm. Meanwhile, sitting beside Jay Cole, Reuben was staring at


    hisp, his hands clenched tightly.


    ¡°Larissa, apologize to Reuben and Mr. Cole,¡± Xavier said.


    Standing tall Larissa¡¯s gaze swept across the room, scanning each person with her eyes.


    ¡°Mr. Seymour, are you mistaken?¡± she asked with a sneer. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you all be apologizing to me


    instead?¡±


    ¡°You little bit ch!¡± Yvette cried, enraged.


    She was about to rush forward but Larissa¡¯s words stapped her.


    ¡°You seem ful. of energy. I don¡¯t think someone in thete stage of cancer would be like that.¡±


    Yvette gripped the armrests of the chair tightly, the veins of her arms bulging.


    ¡°You ungrateful brat! I took care of you for more than twenty years!¡±


    ¡°Seventeen years,¡± Larissa corrected her. ¡°I went to university in Covenford when I was seventeen, and


    I¡¯ve been paying for my own expenses through part-time jobs ever since. You stopped looking after me


    since then.¡±


    ¡°Well I raised you for seventeen years! Is this how you repay me?¡± Yvette red at her in anger.


    ¡°Well, how would you like me to repay you? Should I y my part in the script of the drama you¡¯ve


    written? Should I pretend that I don¡¯t know the ser vants have been drugging my supper and breakfast?


    Should I act like I have no idea that you wanted Reuben to force himself upon me? Should I admit that I


    seduced Reuben so that your ns for my marriage to him can proceed smoothly?¡±


    Larissa could tolerate it no longer. The sight of them and their holier-than-thou attitudes disgusted her.


    Xavier, Yvette, and Jay were flustered that their n had been exposed.


    ¡°What are you rambling about?¡± Yvette still tried to hold her ground. ¡°Nonsense!


    ¡°You know very well whether it¡¯s nonsense,¡± Larissa said, taking a seat on an emply chair. ¡°Since I can¡¯t


    escape from this family, why don¡¯t you just name a price? If this deal goes through and I find it


    profitable, I might stop resisting and obediently follow your arrangements.¡±


    The three of them exchanged nces.


    Finally, Jay said, ¡°if you marry into the Cole family, the dowry will definitely be at least I¡¯ve million


    dors. Moreover, you will be the only daughter-inw of the Cole family, and in the future, all my


    wealth will belong to you and Reuben. If you have a son, you will have a fair share of rewards.¡±


    His offer was very tempting.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Larissa agreed. ¡°Transfer five million dors to me first. Once it¡¯s in my ount, i register my


    marriage with Reuben instantly.¡±

 Chapter 211

    Chapter 211


    Chapter 211


    The room fell into silence.


    Jay was put into a difficult situation. Five million dors was a small amount to him, not even a fraction


    of what he would invest in a movie. It would be as easy as a fick of his wrist. However, he didn¡¯t trust


    Larissa.


    He could tell that Larissa was a tough cookie. She wasn¡¯t the naive, sweet girl who would do anything


    to repay the kindness of Xavier and Yvette he had thought she was. Hence, it was very likely that the


    live million dors would go to waste.


    On the flip side of things, Larissa was a good match for his loolish son, given her tough personality. If


    they got married, he wouldn¡¯t be worried about the future generations of his family. He was confident


    his family wouldst for the next hundred years with her around.


    After a moment of thought, he attempted to negotiate with Larissa, ¡°Why don¡¯t I pay you a million


    dors first? You¡¯ll get the remainder after you register your marriage?¡±


    It wouldn¡¯t bother him if the one million dors promised went to waste. If that happened, he would just


    treat it aspensation for Larissa.


    However, Larissa rejected his proposal, saying, ¡°No.¡±


    Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.


    Refusing to back down, she went on to say. ¡°Just as you don¡¯t trust me, I don¡¯t trust you either. After we


    register our marriage, you¡¯ll get to decide whether to give me the remaining money. By that time, I


    would be a member of your family, so Mr. and Mrs. Seymour won¡¯t stand up for me anymore.¡±


    She made sure to enunciate the words ¡°Mr. and Mrs. Seymour¡±, which made Yvette¡¯s face turn pale.


    ¡°Since you are notmitted to this, let¡¯s end the conversation here.¡±


    Larissa stood up and got ready to leave.


    ¡°Wait!¡± Jay hurriedly said. ¡°Let me discuss it with Mrs. Seymour.¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± Larissa said. She didn¡¯t seem very thrilled. ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll make a move first.¡±


    ¡°Reuben, follow Larissa out¡± Jay instructed.


    Obediently, Reuben trailed behind Larissa. Leaving the study. Larissa ignored Reuben as she walked,


    her eyes fixed on the floor.


    Reuben caught up with her and stopped her from going further, asking. ¡°Are you really willing to marry


    Do-no, are you willing to marry me?


    ¡°Well, do I have a choice?¡± Larissa asked,ughing dryly. ¡°Isn¡¯t this what you wanted?¡±


    Reuben¡¯s lips quivered as he hesitated to speak. Finally, he answered. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Larissa shouldered past him, heading to the staircase, where Mrs. Harris was standing.


    Blocking the stairs leading to the ground floor, she deadpanned. ¡°You can¡¯t go downstairs.¡±


    Larissa had no intention of going downstairs as only Lana and Dorian were in the living room. There


    was no way she wanted to bring herself more suffering by meeting them. However, Mrs. Harris¡¯s


    behavior piqued her curiosity.


    ¡°Why can¡¯t I go downstairs?¡± she asked.


    ¡°You just can¡¯t go downstairs. Why do you need a reason?¡± Mrs. Harris snapped impatiently.


    Since the staircase was rather far from the living room, Larissa couldn¡¯t tell what was going on in the


    living room, but she could vaguely make out the voices of people in conversation.


    ¡°Hey! You can¡¯t go upstairs? Lana¡¯s rmed shout rang out clearly,


    Larissa turned towards the sound to see someone she never expected to be there. Walking briskly


    toward her was Kevan. The moment he spotted Larissa, the cold expression on his face melted.


    ¡°Larissa!¡± he called joyfully, hastening his steps toward her.


    Mrs. Harris had received Lana¡¯s order to stop Larissa from going downstairs but she didn¡¯t know


    whether she was supposed to stop


    Chapter 211


    Kevan from going upstairs. Taking advantage of her confusion, Kevan walked past her and headed


    straight to Larissa.


    Reaching out for Larissa¡¯s hand, he made it to the top of the stairs.

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    Chapter 212


    Chapter 212


    Chapter 212


    ¡°Why Why are you here?¡± Larissa asked when she finally snapped out of her dare.


    ¡°Your phone was switched off, and I couldn¡¯t reach you, so I was worried, I heard from your manager


    that you followed your stepfather back to Bartham, so I came to check on you.¡± Kevan exined.


    Larissa didn¡¯t think that was the real reason he came. However, regardless of what it was, she was


    relieved that he was there.


    Lana hurriedly ran upstairs. When she reached upstairs, she held her knees to support herself, gasping


    for air.


    ¡°Mr. Rogers, you should leave now! If my parentse out, both you and my sister will be in trouble


    she persuaded anxiously.


    But Kevan didn¡¯t seem to care.


    ¡°Actually, I came to look for your parents,¡± he said.


    That surprised both Larissa and Lana.


    ¡°Why are you looking for them? Larissa curiously asked.


    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s because-¡± Kevan stopped mid-sentence, revealing a mysterious smile. ¡°Well you¡¯ll find


    out soon enough.¡±


    He turned to Lana to ask, ¡°Where are your parents now?¡±


    When Lana shut her lips and remained silent Larissa pointed towards the study, saying. Til take you


    there.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Kevan put his arm around her waist.


    As they turned around, they almost collided with Reuben, who had been standing in the corridor all


    along.


    Squinting. Kevan asked. ¡°And who is this?¡±


    Larissa introduced him, ¡°This is Reuben, the son of Jay Cole¡¯s son. Jay is the president of Summer


    Entertainment. He has been in the news several times. Haven¡¯t you heard of him?¡±


    ¡°Reuben Cole?¡± Kevan scanned Reuben from head to toe. ¡°Reuben Cole seems to look quite different


    from the one I met before.¡±


    His remark made Reuben anxious.


    ¡°Perhaps you mistook me for someone else.¡± Reuben answered.


    ¡°Mistook you for someone else?¡± Kevan¡¯s stare sharpened, which made him extremely uneasy. ¡°Well..¡±


    Looking down from the railing towards the living room. Kevan noticed that Dorian had begun climbing


    up the stairs at some point.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t Dorian who was just with Miss Seymour downstairs look more like Mr. Cole¡¯s son who


    attended the event at Soaring Corporation?


    ¨C


    Reuben paled at his question, leaving Larissa and Lana confused.


    ¡°As I said, you must have mistaken someone else for me,¡± Reuben repeated, his voice louder but less


    convincing.


    Dorian, dragging hisrge body, finally lumbered to the top of the stairs. Large beads of sweat framed


    his eyes, which were wide with


    anger.


    ¡°Stop right there!¡± Pointing at Kevan, he shouted angrily, ¡°How can you be so shameless! Let go of my


    wife now!¡±


    Time seemed to freeze.


    ¡°Who is your wife? Kevan asked, his voice cold as ice.


    Dorian bravely pointed at Larissa with his chin. ¡°The one you¡¯re embracing right now! She is my wife! If


    you know what¡¯s good for you. release her immediately! Otherwise, I¡¯ll kill you!¡±


    He paused intermittently to pant. Despite Dorian¡¯s threat, Kevan showed no trace of fear.


    ¡°You¡¯ll kill me?¡± Kevan¡¯s lips curled into a smile, and the chilly light in his eyes gradually intensified.


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    He leaned down and ced a firm kiss on Larissa¡¯s lips, intentionally making a loud smacking soundContent bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    as he did that


    ¡°Come and kill me,¡± he taunted.

 Chapter 213

    Chapter 213


    Chapter 213


    In his thirty years of life, no one had ever dared to disregard Don as Kevan just did. Infuriated, his


    facial muscles began twitching as he


    gritted his teeth.


    Struggling to stand upright, he rushed toward Kevan, Due to his enormous weight, the floor trembled


    violently with each step he took.


    Kevan stood unmoving, simply using his hand to push Larissa aside.


    ¡°Stay back,¡± he instructed her.


    Larissa, still remembering Kevan¡¯s remarkable performance at the Quinn Bar, wasn¡¯t worried about


    him. To avoid standing in the way, she obediently stepped back, hiding behind Reuben.


    Dorian swung his short, thick arm at Kevan¡¯s face, but Kevan blocked it inches away from his face by


    grabbing his wrist. Kevan¡¯s painful grip on his arm caused him to cry out in agony, and his imposing


    demeanor Instantly disappeared.


    Dorian¡¯s face contorted in pain. His menacing expression was quite a sight to behold.


    Themotion caused by the two of them attracted the attention of the people in the study, who came


    out to see what was happening. From their point of view, all they could see was Kevan bullying a


    defenseless Dorian


    Anxious, Jay shouted, ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡±


    He quickly pulled Kevan¡¯s hand away. However, as he took a look at his face, he hesitated. Jay was


    certain that he had seen the madman before him before, but he couldn¡¯t recall where, when, or who the


    madman was.


    As soon as Jay arrived, Dorian regained his confidence.


    Dad-¡±


    He was about toin, but when Jay shot him a look, he quickly backtracked.


    ¡°Mr. Cole, he stole my wife and even hit me!¡± He pointed at Kevan Rogers angrily.


    Jay was infuriated by Dorian. Before they hade, he had repeatedly warned Dorian to be carefulContent is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    with his words and not to reveal anything. However, he couldn¡¯t control his emotions and disregarded


    all his advice. Nheless. It wasn¡¯t the right time for Jay to give him a scolding.


    ¡°How could you attack him? Uncertain about Kevan¡¯s identity, Jay didn¡¯t dare to take action against


    him, so he only mildly reprimanded him.


    ¡°Attack?¡± Kevan repeated, raising an eyebrow and smiling. ¡°I was just acting in self-defense, as


    everyone present can attest.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Larissa said, returning to his side. ¡°It was Mr. Cole who attacked first.¡±


    Dorian was about to speak, but Jay stopped him with a look, ncing at the others beside him, he


    asked, ¡°Is that true?¡±


    Reuben gave him a small nod, while Lana and Yvette lowered their heads, avoiding involvement in the


    dispute.


    Having learned the truth, Jay was no longer as aggressive as before, but he didn¡¯t back down either.


    This time, however, he shifted his attention to Larissa. ¡°Larissa, who is this gentleman to you?¡±


    Before Larissa could respond, Kevan¡¯s arm wrapped around her waist once again.

 Chapter 214

    Chapter 214


    Chapter 214


    ¡°Tam her fianc¨¦,¡± he announced loudly, as if afraid that they would not hear it.


    Everyone present was stunned, except for Lana, who clenched her lists in resentment.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on? Jay angrily asked Xavier and Yvette, who were standing at the back. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say


    that Larissa was single? Where did her fiancee from?¡±


    Xavier was alsopletely unaware of this matter. He silently turned his gaze to Yvette, wailing for her


    to exin.


    Yvette was on the verge of bursting out in anger. She was well aware of Kevan¡¯s existence because


    she had set up the whole n with Lana. The main purpose was to separate Larissa and Kevan before


    they could get married.


    She and Lana had made thorough preparations. Even if their n was exposed by Larissa, they would


    still force her to marry Reuben. However, their meticulous ns did not consider the possibility of


    Kevan personally showing up at their ce.


    ¡°There may have been some misunderstanding in between.¡± Yvette sald, forcing herself to smile as she


    made up an excuse. ¡°Larissa has been staying in Covenford and doesn¡¯t like to tell us anything. Since


    she hadn¡¯t brought a boyfriend back to meet us, so I thought she was still single¡­¡±


    She pushed all the me onto Larissa, but Larissa refused to shoulder the me.


    ¡°Lana knows all about me and Kevan.¡± Larissa¡¯s gazended on Lana.


    Being singled out, Lana had no choice but to raise her head and face the music.


    Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°I¡­..¡± She couldn¡¯te up with an excuse.


    Earlier in the living room, she had schemed and nned to make her marry Reuben. She couldn¡¯t


    pretend that she waspletely unaware of Yvette¡¯s n. So, she could only use tears to gain


    everyone¡¯s sympathy.


    ¡°I was too selfish¡­ I only saw the difficulties thepany is facing now and the help the marriage


    between the two familles could bring to thepany. I didn¡¯t consider my sister¡¯s wishes¡­ I thought


    that after she leamed about our parents¡¯ difficulties, she would agree¡­¡±


    Lana¡¯s words sounded like an admission of her own mistake, but upon closer examination, she was


    implying that Larissa was an ungrateful person. Thepany was in dire straits and needed to sell her


    off to survive, but she disregarded the well-being of her family for the sake of love. If Larissa had


    previously thought that Lana might be innocent, all possibility of that had been ruled out.


    ¡°Yes, you are indeed very selfish,¡± Larissa said, staring at her disappointedly. ¡°You knew that the


    company was facing difficulties and that the marriage could save thepany. Yet, although you¡¯re still


    single, you pushed me to do this.¡±


    Having been called out by her, Lana nced at Kevan to gauge his reaction. However, his expression


    was stolic and his eyes never left Larissa. That filled Lana with jealousy.


    Suddenly, she recalled that she still had a card up her sleeve.


    ¡°But you tried to seduce Reuben, didn¡¯t you? Everyone saw you and him on the bed together!¡± She


    even had a recording on her phone. If Larissa didn¡¯t admit it, she would release the video and humiliate


    her.


    Larissa hadn¡¯t expected Lana to bring that up. She was a little afraid of Kevan finding out about her and


    Reuben, but Kevan seemed much calmer than she had expected him to be. Although she sighed in


    reliet, she fell a little sad too-did hisck of anger mean that he didn¡¯t Care?Chapter 214


    ¡°Tam her fianc¨¦,¡± he announced loudly, as if afraid that they would not hear it.


    Everyone present was stunned, except for Lana, who clenched her lists in resentment.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on? Jay angrily asked Xavier and Yvette, who were standing at the back. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say


    that Larissa was single? Where did her fiancee from?¡±


    Xavier was alsopletely unaware of this matter. He silently turned his gaze to Yvette, wailing for her


    to exin.


    Yvette was on the verge of bursting out in anger. She was well aware of Kevan¡¯s existence because


    she had set up the whole n with Lana. The main purpose was to separate Larissa and Kevan before


    they could get married.


    She and Lana had made thorough preparations. Even if their n was exposed by Larissa, they would


    still force her to marry Reuben. However, their meticulous ns did not consider the possibility of


    Kevan personally showing up at their ce.


    ¡°There may have been some misunderstanding in between.¡± Yvette sald, forcing herself to smile as she


    made up an excuse. ¡°Larissa has been staying in Covenford and doesn¡¯t like to tell us anything. Since


    she hadn¡¯t brought a boyfriend back to meet us, so I thought she was still single¡­¡±


    She pushed all the me onto Larissa, but Larissa refused to shoulder the me.


    ¡°Lana knows all about me and Kevan.¡± Larissa¡¯s gazended on Lana.


    Being singled out, Lana had no choice but to raise her head and face the music.


    ¡°I¡­..¡± She couldn¡¯te up with an excuse.


    Earlier in the living room, she had schemed and nned to make her marry Reuben. She couldn¡¯t


    pretend that she waspletely unaware of Yvette¡¯s n. So, she could only use tears to gain


    everyone¡¯s sympathy.


    ¡°I was too selfish¡­ I only saw the difficulties thepany is facing now and the help the marriage


    between the two familles could bring to thepany. I didn¡¯t consider my sister¡¯s wishes¡­ I thought


    that after she leamed about our parents¡¯ difficulties, she would agree¡­¡±


    Lana¡¯s words sounded like an admission of her own mistake, but upon closer examination, she was


    implying that Larissa was an ungrateful person. Thepany was in dire straits and needed to sell her


    off to survive, but she disregarded the well-being of her family for the sake of love. If Larissa had


    previously thought that Lana might be innocent, all possibility of that had been ruled out.


    ¡°Yes, you are indeed very selfish,¡± Larissa said, staring at her disappointedly. ¡°You knew that the


    company was facing difficulties and that the marriage could save thepany. Yet, although you¡¯re still


    single, you pushed me to do this.¡±


    Having been called out by her, Lana nced at Kevan to gauge his reaction. However, his expression


    was stolic and his eyes never left Larissa. That filled Lana with jealousy.


    Suddenly, she recalled that she still had a card up her sleeve.


    ¡°But you tried to seduce Reuben, didn¡¯t you? Everyone saw you and him on the bed together!¡± She


    even had a recording on her phone. If Larissa didn¡¯t admit it, she would release the video and humiliate


    her.


    Larissa hadn¡¯t expected Lana to bring that up. She was a little afraid of Kevan finding out about her and


    Reuben, but Kevan seemed much calmer than she had expected him to be. Although she sighed in


    reliet, she fell a little sad too-did hisck of anger mean that he didn¡¯t Care?

 Chapter 215

    Chapter 215


    Chapter 215


    ¡°Tried to seduce? Kevan repeated with a sneer. ¡°Does my fianc¨¦e need to seduce anyone?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true! Seeing that he didn¡¯t believe her, she dragged Reuben the ¡°witness¡± into the mess with her.


    ¡°Reuben, tell Mr. Rogers what exactly happened in your room earlier!¡±


    Although Reuben had never met Kevan, he could tell from his attire and demeanor that he was not an


    ordinary person. So, when Lana asked him to testify, he hesitated. He had not wanted to be involved in


    something so vulgar in the first ce, and it disgusted him.


    Under Kevan¡¯s stern gaze, he felt increasingly guilty. Thus, he chose to remain silent.


    When he was quiet for a long time, Lana stomped her foot in frustration and turned to Yvette for help.


    Yvette, of course, stood on Lana¡¯s side.


    ¡°Larissa did try to d


    ¡°Larissa did try to seduce Reuben,¡± she said, sounding sad and ashamed.


    Larissa had matured after the countless times Yvette had hurt her. Instead of feeling angry or sad, she


    admired her performance, thinking that Yvette¡¯s past career as an actress truly paid off. She could


    effortlessly disy any emotion, and it was impossible to tell if she was lying.


    However, while she admired her acting skills, she still needed to set the record straight.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t. It was Reuben who pushed himself on me. Besides, we didn¡¯t do anything.¡±


    ¡°Stop deceiving Mr. Rogers!¡± Lana cried. ¡°Reuben himself said that you seduced him!¡±


    ¡°Well I just said that I didn¡¯t seduce him!¡± Larissa turned to Lana, disappointment turning into scorn. ¡°As


    my sister, shouldn¡¯t you believe me instead of a stranger?¡±


    Lana was rendered speechless by her question.


    ¡°I¡¯m not ¡°She tried to form a retort but she failed.


    ¡°How can you say that you didn¡¯t seduce Reuben?¡± Yvette shielded Lana behind her like a protective


    mother hen, ring at Larissa. ¡°You took the opportunity in the study earlier to ask Mr. Cole for a dowry


    of five million dors. Don¡¯t think we¡¯ve forgotten about that!¡±


    Larissa had requested five million dors just to dy them. Never had she expected Yvette to use it


    against her.


    ¡°Do you only want five million dors as dowry?¡± Kevan asked in surprise. ¡°I prepared ten million


    dors. What should I do?¡± He seemed a bit flustered.


    His statement caught everyone by surprise. Meanwhile, Yvette and Lana seethed with hatred.


    Larissa knew that Kevan was helping her, so she yed along with him. ¡°Ten million dors is even


    better. I don¡¯t mind having more


    money.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± Kevan appeared relieved. ¡°I¡¯ll have the money transferred to your ountter. When will you


    go with me to register our marriage?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go after the holidays,¡± Larissa answered without hesitation.


    Kevan¡¯s face lit up with a smile. ¡°It¡¯s a deal.¡±


    The way they settled on the wedding date so quickly caused the people around them to seethe with


    anger.


    ¡°Larissa is my wife! You can¡¯t take her away!¡±


    Dorian red at him. Despite his angry words, he was afraid to approach Kevan alter experiencing his


    strength.


    Frowning. Kevan asked in confusion, ¡°So, who do you all want Larissa to marry?¡±


    Larissa had been wanting to ask that question. They had drugged her to create an opportunity for


    Don. They also allowed Reuben to use her falsely, forcing her to ept the marriage.


    Could it be that it didn¡¯t matter it was Dorian or Reuben?Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 216

    Chapter 216


    Chapter 216


    Regardless of whom she married, it would be a union between the Coles and Seymours


    Nheless, why did Dorian keep calling her ¡°wife as if he was certain that she would eventually marry


    him? Just moments ago in the study, Jay talked to her about her marriage with


    Reuben


    Jay turned to re fiercely at Dorian sternly reprimanding him, ¡°Shut up!¡±


    Then he replied to Kevan. ¡°Of course, she will marry Reuben. Don¡¯t parents have the most say in


    marriage? Mr. and Mrs. Seymour and myself have already agreed to Larissa and Reuben¡¯s marriage.


    Larissa herself also has intentions-¡±


    ¡°No, no, no, Mr. Cole, Larissa interrupted him. That was before. The situation has changed now¡±


    She put her head on Kevan¡¯s shoulder and smiled sweetly.


    ¡°Kevan here is willing to give a dowry of ten million dors! And it will be deposited directly into my


    ount. Compared to your installment n of five million dors


    She bit her lip, keeping the insult that followed to herself


    Jay¡¯s face turned red as a tomato. Turning to Xavier and Yvette, he fumed, ¡°You two, figure out


    what to do!¡±


    ¡°You must marry Reuben,¡± Yvette said to Larissa.


    If Larissa didn¡¯t marry Reuben, Lana would have no chance with Kevan. Hence, she had to pave the


    way for Lana¡¯s future. If Lana had a good life, Yvette would have a good life too Larissa, on the other


    hand, had nothing to do with her


    Xavier nodded in agreement. While he didn¡¯t know about Yvette and Lana¡¯s n, he had his own


    considerations. Although Kevan¡¯s dowry of ten million dors was generous, it would be deposited into


    Larissa¡¯s ount, and he wouldn¡¯t benefit from it at all.


    On the other hand, even if the entire five million dors in dowry from the Coles was deposited in


    Larissa¡¯s ount, there would be a guaranteed deal between the twopanies should Larissa agree


    to the marriage, and the profits following that would be endless.


    ¡°Fine.¡± Larissa didn¡¯t refuse, but she raised the stakes, ¡°The dowry must be higher than ten million and


    paid in full at once.¡±


    Jay didn¡¯t respond to her words, continuing to pressure Xavier and Yvette with his eyes.


    ¡°Larissa, you¡¯re going too far!¡± Yvette warned her, ¡°You¡¯re getting married, not selling yourself!¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t a forced marriage selling myself?¡± Larissa asked with a sneer. I¡¯ll be sold in the end anyway. It¡¯s


    better for everyone topete fairly, and the highest bidder wins!¡±


    As soon as she finished speaking, Kevan raised the offer. ¡°Then I¡¯ll give twenty million.¡± His expression


    remained calm, showing no signs of disgust or aversion.


    Lana had never expected that he would react like that as she was certain he would leave and


    sever ties with Larissa. However, he was willing to endure such humiliation for Larissa Lana felt bad for


    him


    Larissa¡¯s smile grew even brighter as she shouted like an auctioneer, ¡°Twenty million dors. Calling


    once, calling twice¡­¡±


    She deliberately dragged thest syble, giving Jay a chance to counteroffer.


    As Jay trembled with anger, Annabell gently stroked his chest to calm him down, whispering in his ear,


    ¡°Twenty million dors can get you any woman. There¡¯s no need to endure such. humiliation here.¡±


    Three months ago, when Jay married Annabell, he had spent no more than a million dors on


    everything Hence, Annabell disagreed that Jay should give Larissa a dowry of twenty million


    dors.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.

 Chapter 217

    Chapter 217


    Chapter 217


    In the end, Jay didn¡¯t offer a higher bid. Ignoring Xavier and Yvette¡¯s attempts to get him to stay, he


    angrily led his whole family out of their house. Before going downstairs, Dorian couldn¡¯t help but look


    back at Larissa, reluctant to part with her.


    Once outside the Seymours¡¯ ce, he started toin. ¡°It¡¯s just twenty million dors! Last month,


    you paid Laura Newman thirty million dors for that movie!¡±


    ¡°I gave Laura thirty million dors because she can earn me several billion dors in return. Can


    Larissa do that?¡± Jay retorted with a snort. ¡°Anyway, forget about this marriage! Tomorrow, I¡¯ll find you a


    better match.¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯ve set my sights on Larissal¡± Dorian persisted. ¡°I won¡¯t marry anyone else but her!¡±


    ¡°Then fork out twenty million dors yourself for her I won¡¯t waste a penny on her,¡± Jay said resolutely.


    ¡°Either marry someone else or never marry in your lifetime. You choose.¡±


    ¡°Dad!¡± Dorian took a few steps forward and grabbed his hand, but he shook it off.


    ¡°Don¡¯t call me Dad! No son of mine is as useless as you are!¡±


    With Annabell¡¯s help, Jay got into the car and mmed the door shut, barely missing Dorian, who


    wanted to follow him into the car.


    Scratching his nose, Dorian reluctantly got into the shotgun seat.


    ¡°Dorian,¡± Jay called.


    Reuben, who was focused on driving, tilted his head in response. ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Find out who Mr. Rogers really is,¡± he instructed, his eyes shing fiercely. ¡°Ill make him pay for


    opposing me.¡±


    Meanwhile, back at the Seymours, Kevan took Larissa¡¯s hand.


    ¡°We should leave too,¡± he said.


    However, Yvette stopped them.


    ¡°I don¡¯t agree with your marriage.¡± Yvette looked right into his eyes, her tone firm and resolute.


    However, her opinion didn¡¯t matter to Kevan


    ¡°This is a matter between Larissa and me. We don¡¯t need anyone¡¯s approval.¡±


    He shouldered past her, but Yvette grabbed Larissa¡¯s wrist from behind. She didn¡¯t dare do anything to


    Kevan, so she unleashed her anger on Larissa instead.


    ¡°Do you want me to die of anger?¡±


    With a smile, Larissa replied, ¡°Even in thete stages of cancer, you¡¯re still full of energy. If I anger you


    a little, I¡¯m sure it wouldn¡¯t kill you, right?¡±


    Yvette had forgotten that she was still ying the role of a cancer patient. When Larissa reminded her,


    she immediately toned down her voice. ¡°Since you know that I¡¯m in thete stages of cancer and don¡¯t


    have many years left, can¡¯t you let me have some peace?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve never cared about me. Did you care when I left Bartham all these years? Have you shown any


    concern for me?¡± Larissa confronted her.


    ¡°I never cared about you? Didn¡¯t I pay a million dors to get rid of those nasty people from your ex -


    husband¡¯s family?¡± Yvette retorted.


    ¡°I think we both know for whom you paid that amount of money.¡± Larissa broke free from her grip and


    leaned toward Kevan. ¡°I¡¯ll return the one million dors once I¡¯m back in Covenford. Meanwhile, you


    can stay at home and rest, pretending that I¡¯m not your daughter. Make sure you live yourst few


    years happily.¡±


    She gave Kevan a signal, and he immediately began to walk.


    ¡°Mom!¡± Lana suddenly shouted, ¡°Mom, please don¡¯t cry!¡±


    Larissa¡¯s foot hovered over the first step of the stairs for a split second before she decided to ce her


    foot down.


    Meanwhile, Yvette sobbed, ¡°Larissa. I¡¯m not as heartless as you! You can pretend you don¡¯t have a


    mother, but I can never pretend that you¡¯re not my daughter *


    Larissa smirked to herself, not responding to her words. Kevan tightened his grip on her hand and


    hastened their pace down the stairs.Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.

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    When they reached the bottom of the stairs, a loud thud came from upstairs as if something heavy had


    fallen to the ground.


    ¡°Mom!¡± Lana cried in desperation ¡°Larissa,e back quickly! Mom fainted¡±


    ¡°If she fainted, call an ambnce. What use am 1? Larissa did not fall for their trap again.


    From the first floor, Xavier ordered his staff, ¡°Stop her!¡±


    Mrs. Harris, who was closest, rushed forward, but Kevan grabbed her arm and flung her aside, causing


    her to hit the wall and let out a loud groan. The subsequent people who followed. experienced the


    same oue, to the point that the other servants were too scared to approach and kept their


    distance.


    Larissa, with Kevan¡¯s help, left the Seymours with no obstacles.


    Kevan¡¯s car was parked outside the courtyard, a ck Maybach with a Bartham license te and


    the number 8888


    Larissa thought to herself about how wealthy and mighty Kevan was.


    ¡°Do you have your ID with you?¡± Kevan asked her


    Larissa took out her ID from the pocket of her jeans, ¡°I have it.¡±


    That was the only thing she had when Xavier brought her back from Covenford. In order to be able to


    escape at any time, she made sure to keep her ID in her pocket whenever she changed clothes It


    proved to be a wise decision


    ¡°If you don¡¯t have any other business to attend to, let¡¯s go to the airport now for the earliest flight


    back to Covenford,¡± Kevan said.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Larissa couldn¡¯t ask for more.


    After the excitement of sessfully escaping from the Seymours subsided, she calmed down and


    asked Kevan, ¡°How did you end up at the Seymours?¡±


    She had asked him this question, but his answer sounded like a lie to him.


    ¡°I want to hear the truth,¡± she emphasized.


    Kevan raised an eyebrow, a small smirk appearing on his lips. ¡°What I said before was the truth.¡±


    Larissa didn¡¯t believe him.


    Even if he really couldn¡¯t contact her and was worried, there was no need for him to fly all the way


    from Covenford to find her. Their rtionship wasn¡¯t worth such trouble.


    ¡°Forget it if you don¡¯t believe me.¡± Kevan didn¡¯t intend to convince her.


    ¡°But you¡± he nced at her sideways. ¡°Weren¡¯t you determined to cut off all ties with the Seymours?


    Why did youe back to Bartham?¡±


    Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    ¡°I was brought back by my stepfather,¡± Larissa told him about everything Xavier had done. ¡°He said my


    mom is in thete stages of uterine cancer and forced me toe back to see her. But I


    Chapter 218


    guess my mom is probably fine.¡±


    Yvette indeed wasn¡¯t sick.


    After thest time Yvette went to Covenford looking for Larissa, Kevan had people watching her and


    Xavier. As a result, he received the news that she went to the hospital for an examination and bribed


    the doctor to forge medical records.


    He didn¡¯t initially know what she was nning, but when he learned that Xavier had met with Jay


    multiple times, he decided to be cautious and bought some secrets from Jay¡¯s secretary. eventually


    learning about the nned marriage alliance between the Coles and Seymours.


    Jay¡¯s son, Reuben, was not the publicly known one. As far as Kevan knew, the real Reuben was an


    ugly and useless waste of space. There was no way Xavier and Yvette would give Lana, their precious


    daughter, in marriage to him.


    In other words, they could only target Larissa. Kevan had considered stopping it in advance, but after


    careful consideration, he finally decided to y along with their scheme.

 Chapter 219

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    Chapter 219


    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    The ne touched down in Covenford, and Larissa felt a renewed sense of vitality as she took a deep


    breath. It felt as if all her troubles had been left behind.


    When Dn arrived to pick her and Kevan up, the first thing he asked was, ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    She nodded in response and said, ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±


    Dn seemed relieved upon hearing that. ¡°That¡¯s good. I tried calling you for two consecutive days but


    couldn¡¯t reach you I also couldn¡¯t find you at your own home. I was worried something had happened to


    you. Fortunately, Kevan contacted Mr. Compton at your hotel and discovered that you had returned to


    Bartham with your stepfather. Your phone has been switched off the whole time, and we were


    concerned that you were being harassed by the Seymour family. Unfortunately, I had a meeting today,


    so I couldn¡¯t apany Kevan. Sorry for that.¡±


    Larissa waved her hand repeatedly. ¡°There¡¯s no need to apologize. They were just regr friends, and


    she was grateful enough that he had shown concern for her. But¡­ she secretly nced at Kevan and


    thought to herself, ¡°He actually told the truth.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± she asked Dn.


    ¡°Elliot¡¯s case will be going to trial after the holiday. Remember to take time off,¡± Dn replied.


    ¡°Okay,¡± she said.


    As the car approached the city and passed through the nearestmercial district, Larissa tapped the


    back of the driver¡¯s seat. ¡°Can you stop the car for a moment?¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Dn looked at her through the rearview mirror.


    ¡°I need to buy a new phone and get a new SIM card at the service center.¡±


    Her phone was still with Xavier. In her haste, she had forgotten to ask him for it. Fortunately, she never


    stored anything important on her phone, so even if Xavier managed to crack her password, all he


    would find was her contact list.


    ¡°We¡¯ll go with you, and afterward, we can have dinner together,¡± Dn said as he turned the steering


    wheel and entered an underground parking lot of a shopping mall.


    As he focused on finding a parking space, he suddenly spotted a familiar car and murmured,


    Hmm¡­


    However, when he finally saw the license te clearly, he said, ¡°Oh, it¡¯s not.¡±


    ¡°Not what?¡± Larissa asked.


    ¡°That Maserati over there.¡± Dn pointed at a car with his chin. ¡°I thought it was Kevan¡¯s.¡±


    She turned and looked at it. The car was the same model as Kevan¡¯s.


    However, Kevan sneered, ¡°Do you think I¡¯m the only one in the world who drives a Maserati?¡±


    Dn seemed to miss the sarcasm in Kevan¡¯s words and earnestly replied, ¡°Well, I¡¯ve lived in


    Covenford for a long time, but I¡¯ve never seen another car like yours on the road.¡±


    ¡°Neither have 1,¡± Larissa chimed in, receiving a cold stare from Kevan in return.


    She then kept quiet and turned to look out the window in the opposite direction from him.


    It took her less than half an hour to purchase the phone and get a new SIM card. They then found a


    restaurant and had a simple dinner. As they were getting ready to leave, they saw Lucas in the


    underground parking lot.


    After the incident at the bar, the rtionship between Larissa and Lucas had be somewhat


    awkward, and they hadn¡¯t seen each other since then. However, Lucas approached them to say hello


    because Kevan was present¡­

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    Chapter 220


    Out of the blue, Kevan, who was usually distant, struck up a casual conversation with Lucas. ¡°Not


    heading back to Bartham for New Year¡¯s?¡±


    Lucas seemed taken aback by Kevan¡¯s sudden ¡°enthusiasm, and his smile turned stiff as his voice


    trembled a little. ¡°No, I¡¯m busy with work here. I don¡¯t have time to go back.¡±


    Kevan nodded in response and asked, ¡°I heard you helped the two anchors from StreamWave Studios


    establish a connection and secure the endorsement deal with Yenti n?¡±


    Lucas¡® face slightly reddened upon hearing that. ¡°Yeah, well, it just so happened that Yenti n was


    looking for spokespersons, and I knew those two anchors, so I made a rmendation. I didn¡¯t expect


    it to work out.¡±


    There was a significant discrepancy between what Lucas said and what Kevan knew. In reality. Lucas


    had used several million dors from Torqua¡¯s external device procurement funds and the future


    exclusive supply rights for external devices to secure the endorsement deal with Yenti


    n.


    Of course, Kevan wouldn¡¯t expose Lucas¡® lie right then and there. After all, thepany would receive


    a 40%mission on the endorsement fees earned by the two anchors. In other words, Lucas was


    indirectly giving him money. So, naturally, he was pleased about that.


    ¡°I¡¯ll definitely give you a generous present as a thank you when you marry Lana,¡± Kevan said with


    a smile.


    Instantly, Lucas¡® mood dampened, but he forced a smile and replied, ¡°Sure.¡±


    ¡°On another note¡­¡± Kevan spoke in a caring, older¨Cbrotherly tone. ¡°Despite being busy with work, you


    still need to make time to be there for your girlfriend. Lana¡¯s mother is in thete stages of uterine


    cancer and may not have much time left. Lana needs you now.¡±


    Lucas was shocked to hear this. ¡°When did Yvette get uterine cancer?¡± He had never heard Lana


    mention it.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you know?¡± Kevan looked surprised by Lucas¡® reaction. ¡°Xavier came to Covenford. specifically


    for this matter the day before yesterday to bring Larissa back home.¡±


    Although Larissa didn¡¯t know what Kevan was up to, she still nodded in agreement ¡°Yeah, Mr. Rogers


    and I just returned from Bartham.¡±


    Lucas panicked. Thanks for letting me know. I¡¯ll go to Bartham right away.¡±


    He reached into his pocket, found his car keys, and pressed a button¨Cthe Maserati parked not far away


    made a ¡°beep¡± sound.


    ¡°Is that Maserati yours?¡± Dn asked


    ¡°Yes.¡± Although Lucas was in a hurry to leave, he patiently answered Dn¡¯s question. ¡°I bought it


    recently. Nana said she likes this car.¡±


    Larissa remembered something when Lucas said that. It was the image of Lana getting into a Maserati


    outside the Microworks Building. At the time, she thought it was Keyan picking Lana up from work and


    misunderstood their rtionship.


    It turned out it was actually Lucas. The thorn that had been lodged in her heart was finally


    removed, and Larissa¡¯s mood seemed to improve slightly.


    After Lucas responded to Dn, he hurriedly left.


    Dn sighed, ¡°I can¡¯t bear to see Lucas being used like this.¡±


    ¡°They both agreed to it. So, why do you care so much?¡± Kevan nced at him coldly. ¡°Instead, you


    should think about how to deal with your parents when you go back for the big family reunion dinner!¡±


    Dn red at Kevan and gritted his teeth. ¡°Shut up!¡± Only one month remained until then.


    Nevertheless, since Kevan brought up the topic, Dn continued the conversation. ¡°Hey, Larissa, what


    are your ns for that period?¡±


    ¡°Probably spending it just by myself!¡± She forced a smile with a tinge of bitterness.


    When she was still with the Seymour family, she would lock herself in her room every big family reunion


    dinner, feeling disconnected from the festive atmosphere outside. After she went to Covenford for


    university, everyone else in the dormitory would go home during the winter break.. leaving her all alone.


    She would either work or stay in the library during the family reunion dinner.


    However, Wendy would video chat with her every eve of the reunion dinner after graduating. They


    would talk until the early hours of the morning before going to sleep. After that, she was with Travis,


    and she never experienced the feeling of loneliness during big family reunion dinners. again. But now¡­


    she was back to square one. She was feeling sentimental when a hand reached.


    Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    out from the side and held hers


    Kevan turned to look at her; his eyes devoid of emotion, and his tone as calm as water when he said,


    ¡°Come spend the big family reunion dinner with me at my home.¡±

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    Chapter 221


    ¡°Huh?¡± Larissa was puzzled. ¡°Why should I go home with you?¡±


    However, Kevan didn¡¯t answer her question directly. Instead, he said, ¡°We¡¯re getting married.


    tomorrow,¡±


    ¡°Married? What are you talking about?¡± Larissa couldn¡¯t quite grasp Kevan¡¯s statement.


    Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    He slightly pursed his lips and replied, ¡°We¡¯re going to register our marriage.¡±


    She could sense a hint of displeasure seeping through his cold tone.


    Simultaneously, her new phone made a ¡°ding¡± sound, and a bank notification popped up on the screen.


    ¡°Your debit card ending in 4408 received a deposit of 20,000,000 dors on January 2, 2019, at 20:07.


    Your bnce is now 20,023.125 86 dors.1


    She stared at the amount, counting the zeros behind the ¡°2¡± multiple times just to be sure.


    ¡°20 million dors?¡±


    This amount


    She looked at Kevan, who also noticed the message. He calmly uttered, ¡°Dowry.¡± Instantly, she felt


    flustered and apprehensive..


    ¡®I demanded 20 million as a dowry just to scare Jay away¡­


    She had no intention of asking Kevan for that much money. In fact, she hadn¡¯t even considered


    marrying him in the first ce!


    ¡°You said you¡¯d register the marriage once you received the dowry.¡± He held onto this point firmly.


    disregarding the circumstances under which Larissa had uttered those words or whether she had


    been serious about it.


    He squinted his eyes, and his tone turned cold. ¡°Or are you nning to listen to your mother and marry


    Jay?¡±


    ¡°No!¡± She quickly denied it.


    Marrying Jay waspletely out of the question. She had finally managed to escape from the


    Seymour family, and it would be insane for her to return and wade through that mess again


    ¡°Think it over,¡± Kevan said. He reasoned with her as he presented the facts.


    ¡°Even if Jay is out of the picture, your family will find someone else for you. Only when you get. married


    will theypletely abandon this idea.¡±


    She agreed with everything he said and didn¡¯t object to marrying him either. But the idea of marrying


    into a wealthy family terrified her. After all, her mother¡¯s cautionary tale served as a warning. She had


    witnessed how picky Xavier¡¯s parents and rtives were toward Yvette.


    Despite being a beauty queen and adored by millions of people, she was treated as lowly as a servant


    in the presence of those elder rtives. As a result, her temper worsened, and even the slightest thing


    would provoke her wrath. Such a life was too terrifying, and Larissa didn¡¯t want to follow in Yvette¡¯s


    footsteps.


    Chapt


    ¡°Marriage involves more than just the two of us.¡± She used this reason to refuse Kevan. ¡°I can


    disregard my mother¡¯s wishes, but what about you?¡±


    Wealthy people ced great importance on matching status. Someone like her, who had been


    divorced once and was an illegitimate child with an unknown biological father, might not meet his


    parents¡® standards.


    ¡°If that¡¯s your concem¡­ Kevan smiled. There was a glint in his eyes, and his tone became lighter as he


    continued, ¡°As long as the person I bring back is a woman, my parents will be very happy.¡±


    He had been single for so many years, without a girlfriend or even rumored romantic partners. His


    mother had inquired more than once to Dn whether her son was gay. Not to mention Dn had


    teased him about it several times.


    Dn, who was driving, couldn¡¯t help but burst intoughter upon hearing Kevan¡¯s reply as he


    recalled those times.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Dn said, trying his best to hold back hisughter as Kevan shot him a death stare.


    ¡°His parents really aren¡¯t picky. Moreover, Kevan only goes back home once a year. You don¡¯t have to


    worry about conflicts with the inws, and there¡¯s no need to fret about them flying over specifically to


    find fault with you. They have better things to do.¡±


    Larissa¡¯s heart began to waver.

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    Chapter 222


    Kevan continued reassuring her, saying, ¡°Our marriage will remain confidential and will only be


    revealed to our respective families. We can terminate it anytime if you have any issues with my family.¡±


    Larissa no longer hesitated and replied, ¡°Deal!¡±


    New Year¡¯s Day was a public holiday, and naturally, the City Hall was closed. However, Kevan


    somehow managed to find a way to expedite their marriage registration on that day. While Larissa was


    quitefortable throughout the whole process since she had been through it before, Kevan was the


    ¡°novice¡± and was overly nervous.


    The photographer even had to remind him multiple times to rx his stiff smile during the photo


    session. In the end, they could only select one photo where Kevan looked rtively natural from


    the dozen or so shots taken.


    Once they received the marriage certificate, she briefly nced at it and casually slipped it into her


    backpack. On the other hand, he stared at their wedding photo for a long time, even gently caressing


    the edges of the photo with his fingers. Somehow, he couldn¡¯t suppress his smile, Nheless, Larissa


    thought he was simply amused and didn¡¯t read too much into his action.


    ¡°I¡¯ll drive.¡± She asked for the car keys and teased, Just so you can have more time staring at it.¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± he simply replied without a hint of embarrassment showing on his face for being caught red¨C


    handed. He then went and sat in the passenger seat. He held the marriage certificate and looked at it


    repeatedly, even taking a photo with his phone to show off to Dn


    Dn quickly replied, ¡°Congrattions! You¡¯ve finally achieved your dream after so many years,


    Kevan pursed his lips and subtly nced at Larissa, who was oblivious to his conversation with Dn.


    Only then did he feel at ease and reply to the message, ¡°Uh¨Chuh.¡±


    ¡°Do you want to have dinner together tonight?¡± Dn asked.


    ¡°No.¡± Kevan gripped his phone tightly as he wanted to slow down his racing heartbeat. ¡°I have other


    ns.¡±


    Hence, Dn sent a few mischievous smiley emojis, and Kevan knew that his friend was probably


    overthinking but couldn¡¯t be bothered to exin. He simply put his phone back in his pocket.


    Larissa pressed the number ¡°19¡± when she and Kevan entered the elevator and even considerately


    pressed ¡°20¡± for him, yet, he reached out and canceled the ¡°20¡± button.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± She looked up at him in confusion. He remained expressionless as he replied, ¡°You¡¯re


    moving.


    Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Moving? What do you mean?¡± She became even more puzzled.


    Hence, he shook the marriage certificate in his hand. ¡°We are already married, so we should live


    together.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that,¡± Larissa frowned. ¡°No one from the Seymour family will know even if we don¡¯t


    live together.¡±


    Since there was only one household on each floor, as long as she didn¡¯t ride the elevator with anyone


    else, no one would know which floor she was going to


    ¡°Did you forget that Lana also lives in this building?¡± Kevan reminded her. ¡°What if shees looking


    for you?¡±


    She was momentarily stumped by his question, Lana was indeed a big troublemaker.


    He continued tempting her, saying. ¡°You can also save the monthly rent if you move in with me.¡±


    The 3,000 dors monthly rent wasn¡¯t a significant expense for her, so that didn¡¯t quite sway her.


    Rather, Lana was more of a concern to her. This time, they had a major conflict but didn¡¯tpletely


    sever their rtionship.


    Based on Lana¡¯s past behavior, it wouldn¡¯t be long before Lana came to her, apologizing and begging


    for forgiveness while crying. Larissa¡¯s head started to ache just thinking about it. If she had known this


    would happen, she should have made it clear when she left the Seymour family that she would have


    nothing to do with Lana in the future

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    Chapter 223


    Larissa moved into Kevan¡¯s ce, and since she didn¡¯t have many belongings, the move was rtively


    easy. They only had to make two trips, and it was all settled.


    Kevan didn¡¯t want to push his luck, so he arranged for her to stay in the guest room next to the master


    bedroom.


    Once they were settled, Larissa took the marriage certificate from her bag and ced it on the table.


    She snapped a photo of it with her phone and went to the study to find Kevan. ¡°Can we take a selfie,


    please?¡±


    Kevan was busy with pendingpany matters on hisputer, but he promptly released the mouse


    upon hearing her request. Intrigued, he raised a brow and asked, ¡°What kind of selfie do you have in


    mind?¡±


    She hesitated for a moment as she struggled to find the right words before saying, ¡°Um¡­ a more


    intimate one.¡® Her face turned red as soon as she finished speaking.


    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Sure,¡± Kevan generously agreed. He rose to his feet and walked over to her side, asking, ¡°How


    intimate would you like it to be?¡±


    He maintained a safe distance from her and used his normal tone to mask the excitement in his heart


    Larissa hesitated again. She licked her dry lips and whispered, ¡°We can just lean our heads on each


    other.¡±


    Upon hearing her suggestion, Kevan took a big step toward the door and replied. ¡°Then, let¡¯s take the


    selfie in the living room.¡±


    She followed him quickly and sat beside him on the couch.


    Although she had suggested the idea of leaning their heads together, she hesitated in the moment and


    couldn¡¯t bring herself to act for quite some time. Her body stiffened, and she grappled with internal


    conflict. Finally mustering the courage, she attempted to inch closer to Kevan, but her touch merely


    grazed his arm without getting any closer.


    tioned it to capture both of their


    She raised her arm with her phone in hand and carefully faces on the screen. Looking at the front


    camera, she could clearly see a noticeable gap between their heads.


    ¡°Is this what you meant by taking a selfie side by side?¡± Kevan teased as he lowered his gaze to look at


    her.


    -Sheughed awkwardly, trying to salvage the situation. ¡°Well¡­ let¡¯s just take it like this, okay?¡±


    ¡°Just like this? Do you think anyone would believe we¡¯re a married couple?¡± Kevan gazed directly into


    her eyes on the phone screen, and his stare was intense enough for her to feel it through the screen. It


    ignited a burning sensation within her, prompting her to anxiously avert her gaze.


    ¡°Forget it. Let¡¯s not take it,¡± she said, wanting to back away.


    Just as she was about to stand up, she felt a firm grip around her waist. A strong force pulled her back,


    and she stumbled into his arms. He took the phone from her hands and raised it in front of


    Chap 223


    them. His chin rested on the top of her head, and his smile was much more rxed than when they


    were at the City Hall.


    Her face pressed against his chest, and she could hear nothing but his steady heartbeat. She even


    caught a whiff of his fresh scent and was momentarily distracted¨Cshe became uncertain whether this


    moment was real or not. Kevan pinched her waist dissatisfiedly, bringing her back to reality.


    ¡°Look at the camera and smile,¡± hemanded.


    Larissa immediately turned and skillfully shed a sweet smile at the camera. He pressed the shutter


    several times in quick session. He opened her WhatsApp message before returning the phone to


    her and sent himself the photos they had just taken.


    She didn¡¯t fully understand his actions, so he exined, ¡°I¡¯m going to send them to my mom 50 she


    can mentally prepare herself.¡±


    Larissa instantly became nervous upon hearing that.


    ¡°Wait!¡± She grabbed his arm and snatched her phone back. ¡°Let me check if the photos turned out well


    before you send them.¡±


    Even though their marriage was fake, she still cared a lot about her image in his parents¡® eyes. To her


    surprise, the photos turned out much better than the wedding photo on their marriage certificate. She


    wasn¡¯t sure if it was his photography skills or the powerful filter on the phone¡¯s front camera, but she


    could see the genuine joy and a hint of tenderness in his eyes.

 Chapter 224

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    Chapter 224


    Larissa was captivated as she looked at the selfies, feeling her heart racing.


    ¡°How do they look? Are they good?¡± Kevan asked, leaning in closer to get a better view of the photos


    on the phone. His warm breath brushed against her face, tickling her senses.


    The instant she realized the proximity and her disarray, she quickly moved a foot away, trying to


    distance herself from his embrace. Only then did her heartbeat gradually return to normal


    ¡°They turned out great,¡± she replied nervously, avoiding his gaze. Despite noticing her reaction,


    Kevan remainedposed. He smiled and said, ¡°That¡¯s good.¡±


    She forced herself to focus solely on her phone, intentionally avoiding looking at Kevan, who was


    sitting beside her. She selected one of the photos Kevan took and uploaded it with the marriage


    certificate to her Facebook post, restricting its visibility to Lana alone. Apanied by the caption,


    ¡°We¡¯re married!¡± Larissa concluded with a cute emoji to add to the effect.


    Kevan watched as she made the post on her Facebook, yet he couldn¡¯t locate it on his own feed no


    matter how many times he refreshed it. Gradually, a thought began to form in his mind. ¡°Did you block


    me?¡® His face darkened, and his tone turned unpleasant.


    Larissa was momentarily stunned before realizing what his words meant. ¡°No, I adjusted the privacy


    setting so that only Lana can see my post.


    Kevan had mentioned keeping their marriage a secret from everyone except their families, and she


    needed a way to inform the Seymour family. However, this frustrated Kevan a bit. He also wanted to


    post on his Facebook and tell the whole world about their marriage, but it wasn¡¯t


    possible


    ¡°Delete it and repost it so that I can see it¡­ and include Dn in your privacy setting too,¡± he said.


    At least in that case, he would have the illusion that she was sharing this ¡°good news¡® with everyone if


    he could see her post. It would help him deceive himself. Since his request wasn¡¯t unreasonable, she


    promptly fulfilled it. Upon seeing the post, he immediately liked it and was followed by Dn.


    It took a while before Lana messaged her. ¡°Larissa, did you really marry Mr. Rogers?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Larissa even took a screenshot of the 20 million dor deposit message and sent it to Lana


    ¡°There you go, the 20 million dowry, not a penny less. Much more generous than the Cole family,¡±


    Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    she boasted.


    In the end, Lana didn¡¯t reply, leaving Larissa somewhat disappointed.


    Around 6 pm, Kevan came knocking on the door. He was dressed neatly, even his hair was


    meticulously groomed. ¡°Get ready. We¡¯re going out for dinner,¡± he said. When Larissa moved in, she


    inspected his refrigerator and discovered it contained only bottled water and beer. She had nned to


    organize things and go grocery shopping but got busy and forgot about it until now. It was alreadyte,


    and the chances of finding high¨Cquality groceries were slim. So, going out for dinner was their only


    option.


    ¡°Alright.¡± She grabbed her jacket next to her and put it on. She ran her hand through her hair at couple


    of times before saying, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    He gazed at her for a few seconds, his mouth slightly opening as if he wanted to say something. But in


    the end, he remained silent. He turned around and let out a soft sigh when Larissa couldn¡¯t

 Chapter 225

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    Chapter 225


    There were plenty of restaurants near Foxtail Garden, so Larissa assumed Kevan would randomly


    choose one for dinner. However, he drove past the bustling street and continued until they arrived at


    Microworks Building.


    That left her confused. ¡°Are we going to the office to work overtime?¡±


    He ignored her question. He simply pulled out the key, opened the door, and stepped out of the car. He


    then walked around to the passenger side and reached out as she opened the door.


    She hesitated for a moment before she cautiously took his hand. He smiled slightly. His fingers gently


    enclosed hers. He noticed that her hand was significantly smaller than his


    ¡°Come with me.¡±


    The building remained brightly illuminated even though it was the New Year holiday and the


    time was past 6 pm. The vignt and energetic security guard on the ground floor showed no signs of


    cking off


    Kevan led Larissa to his private elevator and pressed the button for the top floor.


    ¡°The 70th floor?¡± She couldn¡¯t help but wonder if he had identally pressed the wrong button.


    because his office was clearly on the 69th floor. If she recalled correctly, the 70th floor housed the


    panoramic observation tower at the summit of the Microworks Building.


    ¡°Yes,¡± he casually replied.


    She asked excitedly. ¡°Are we going to see the city skyline at night?¡±


    On her first visit, Dn had mentioned that the panoramic observation tower offered a view of the


    entire city. However, it was said to be essible only to a select few high¨Cranking executives of


    Microworks Corporation, so no photos were circting on the Inte from the tower¡¯s summit.


    He responded to her excitement with a simple ¡°Yes¡± and maintained a calm expression. His gaze


    shifted slightly upwards and fixed on the ever¨Cchanging numbers disyed electronically. The elevator


    ascended swiftly, causing a brief ringing sensation in her ears. However, the difort vanished the


    moment the elevator doors opened.


    ¡°Wow!¡± She couldn¡¯t help but exim in awe.


    Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    Like the elevator, the interior of the observation tower was constructed entirely with transparent ss,


    from the ceiling to the walls and even the floor. She could clearly see the crescent moon. suspended in


    the night sky and the faintly shimmering stars. They seemed within arm¡¯s reach as if she could simply


    stretch out and touch them. She took a step forward and nearly startled herself when she looked down


    Below, numerous individuals continued to toil in the offices. In that instant, she experienced a sensation


    of standing above their heads, her body seemingly suspended in mid¨Cair.


    Thankfully, she didn¡¯t suffer from a severe fear of heights. Still, she couldn¡¯t help but worry. ¡°Will we


    disturb their work by being up here? If they happen to look up, will they see us?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± he reassured her, tightening his grip on her hand as he led her forward. ¡°The panoramic


    observation tower is made of one¨Cway transparent ss on all four sides. That means you can see


    1/2


    Chapter 225


    the people below, but they can¡¯t see you. Just treat it as if you were standing on a regr concrete


    floor. There¡¯s no need to feel any pressure.¡±


    They gradually approached the center of the observation tower. borate crystal chandeliers hung


    from above, casting a radiant light that illuminated the entire floor as if it were daytime. Directly beneath


    the chandeliers was a dining table adorned with a vibrant red rose in a crystal


    vase.


    Suddenly, melodious music began ying, and the curtains behind the dining table slowly


    opened, revealing a grand ssical orchestra! A man dressed in a ck tailcoat energetically waved


    his conductor¡¯s baton, and the other members of the orchestra followed his lead, ying the music


    passionately


    ¡°This ¡°Larissa waspletely dumbfounded by the spectacle unfolding before her. However, he merely


    smiled as he pulled a chair closer to them, inviting her to sit down.


    ¡°This is the first time I¡¯ve been married, so I thought we should celebrate,¡± he casually exined.


    While she could understand his desire to celebrate, the grandeur of this celebration seemed


    overwhelming. And to make matters worse, he hadn¡¯t even informed her in advance! ncing at her


    casual attire, she feltpletely out of ce in this luxurious setting.

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    Chapter 226


    Kevan didn¡¯t care. He pped, and two waiters appeared out of nowhere. Then, they served them


    food


    The main course consisted of a tender steak served with a ss of wine. As Kevan raised his ss, a


    deep, captivating light gleamed in his eyes.


    ¡°Cheers to our marriage,¡± he said to Larissa.


    Larissa gently clinked sses with him. ¡°Cheers to our marriage.¡±


    They exchanged nces with a smile and finished the wine in a gulp.


    The neon lights illuminated the night, casting a vibrant disy of colors. Larissa cut her steak and


    looked outside. With genuine admiration, she remarked, ¡°It¡¯s beautiful here.¡±


    ¡°If you like it here, we cane whenever you like.¡± Kevan stared at her, and his tone was gentle.


    Puzzled, Larissa turned to look at him and met his burning gaze. It made her heart pound, and she


    could feel her cheeks burning.


    ¡°That¡¯s great,¡± she murmured, her voice tinged with a gentle softness as she lowered her head.


    Suddenly, the music stopped, and the chandelier overhead flickered off. Larissa gasped, ¡®Is this a


    power outage?¡±


    ¡°Look up,¡± Kevan said


    Larissa followed his instructions and saw a streak of light shot through the night sky, leaving behind a


    bright arc.


    ¡°It¡¯s a meteor!¡± Larissa eximed, setting aside her cutlery and reaching for her phone. However,


    Kevan quickly grabbed her left hand before she could retrieve it. Before she could react, she felt a


    hard, cold object being ced on her ring finger. The thing gleamed brightly as the moonlight hit it,


    casting a dazzling glow in the darkness.


    To her surprise, the object turned out to be a diamond-a sizeable one at that. While not asrge as a


    pigeon¡¯s egg, it was still an incredibly luxurious item. Larissa had never seen anything quite like it, and


    the sight filled her with happiness.


    The meteor disappeared quickly. Soon, the sky returned to its original state. With that, the chandelier lit


    up again, but the band was gone.


    Larissa looked at Kevan in a daze and asked, ¡°Why are you giving this to me?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s to make up for the proposal I never gave you,¡± Kevan let go of her and picked up his cutlery.


    ¡°It might be a fake marriage, but we will have everything a real marriage has. Otherwise, we risk


    exposing our secret when we face my parents.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Larissa clenched her fingers, and the happy feeling she had earlier was gone. Then, she took a


    slice of meat and ate it. However, it didn¡¯t taste as good as it was earlier.


    Without the band ying the background music, the observation tower fell into silence. Larissa could


    only hear the clinking sound of porcin and cutlery.


    Chapter 226


    Larissa¡¯s silence made Kevan uneasy. ¡°Do you not like this ring?¡±


    ¨C


    ¡°I like it a lot.¡± Larissa didn¡¯t hesitate when she answered. Unfortunately, her smile was unnatural and


    lacked sincerity.


    Kevan pursed his lips. Then, he said coldly, ¡°If you don¡¯t like it, you can take it off. We can get another


    one tomorrow.¡±


    He grabbed her hand, but she dodged it.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that,¡± Larissa rejected. ¡°It¡¯s just a prop, after all. I don¡¯t care how it looks.¡±


    ¡°Just a prop?¡± Kevan thought as his pursed lips turned pale. He looked down to hide his sadness and


    disappointment.Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 227

    Chapter 227


    Chapter 227


    Kevan had put in a lot of effort to arrange this so-called romantic dinner. However, the atmosphere


    became increasingly awkward as they finished their dinner.


    After the waiter cleared away their tes, Kevan asked, ¡°Would you like to stay a while longer?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m a little tired. I think I¡¯ll go home and sleep. Larissa chuckled. To support her excuse, she


    covered her mouth and yawned


    At the same time, Kevan¡¯s phone vibrated. It was a text from his assistant, who had been waiting for


    him in the cold breeze for an hour. The message read, ¡°Mr. Rogers, when do you need us to release


    the fireworks?¡±


    Larissa had already stood up and was ready to leave.


    Kevan pursed his lips and quickly replied, ¡°Cancel it. You can deal with them.¡±


    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°How should I deal with them?¡± His assistant replied instantly.


    Why did he ask him about such an insignificant matter? Irritated, Kevan typed, ¡°I don¡¯t care ¡±


    At that moment, he made a decision that he would get a new assistant tomorrow.


    On the way back, Larissa could sense Kevan¡¯s oppressive demeanor. However, she couldn¡¯t wrap


    her mind around why he was upset. She couldn¡¯t recall doing anything that might have offended


    him


    Soon, Kevan dropped her off at the entrance of the apartment. ¡°I have ns to meet a friend for


    drinks. You can head back on your own.¡±


    Kevan had consumed alcohol during dinner, so he didn¡¯t drive. He called for his driver instead.


    Larissa felt that there was nothing more to say and gave a short response. Just as she finished, the car


    window at the back was immediately closed, hiding Kevan¡¯s cold face.


    The driver asked, ¡°Mr. Rogers, where are we heading?¡±


    Kevan stared at Larissa, who was still standing by the roadside, watching them leave.


    ¡°Go back to thepany.¡±


    Confused, the driver thought, ¡°Back to thepany? Didn¡¯t he say he was going to drink?¡±


    However, he dared not voice his doubts and did as ordered. He sent Kevan back to Microworks


    Building.


    The workers in the presidential office had been preparing to leave after working overtime. They were


    shocked to see Kevan returning and quickly sat back in their seats.


    Once Kevan entered the office, he called over Sebastian, the vice president of the Interactive Media


    Division.


    Sebastian, who rarely had a day off, was at home, apanying his son and ying video games.


    When he received Kevan¡¯s phone call, he hastily put down the game controller. Then, he changed his


    clothes even though his son was crying in protest.


    As Sebastian arrived at thepany, Kevan called him again and said, ¡°Bring some alcohol.¡±

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    Chapter 228


    ¡°Huh?¡± Sebastian stepped on the brakes. Hisplicated feelings not be described in words.


    The boss called him out of the house thiste at night just to drink?


    could


    He really wanted to turn back, but he refrained from doing so-he was rather satisfied with his job and


    had no intention of jumping ship now.


    Parking the car at a convenience store that runs 24/7, he went inside and walked around ¡°There¡¯s only


    beer. You want any?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Kevan said,


    Sebastian straight-up brought a whole box.


    Kevan took two cans and gave him one.


    ¡°You¡¯re so lonely that you needed me to drink with you?¡± Sebastian poked fun at him.


    Kevan opened his beer using the pull tab, then ced it to the side. This act of his confused Sebastian.


    ¡°You¡¯re not drinking?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s get down to business first. Kevan¡¯s expression was stern, and Sebastian immediately


    straightened up and shifted into an attentive position.


    ¡°Take down all TV shows and movies by Summer Entertainment from VisualBox tomorrow. From this


    day onwards, Microworks will never have any other partnerships with Summer Entertainment,¡± Kevan


    gave the order.


    Sebastian frowned.


    ¡°Summer Entertainment is currently one of the biggest productionpanies in the country. Their


    works have been very well-received in recent years. They achieved remarkable sess in terms of


    viewership and box office performance and even won many mainstream awards. The web series we


    exclusively acquired previously, Little Bad of Love, caused VisualBox to have a 230% increase in


    their premium subscriptions in just a single month, creating over 20 million in revenue. They managed


    to cover all the costs within less than three months. The other non- exclusive dramas have pretty good


    views too. To be honest with you, Visual Box has a long-term contract with Summer Entertainment,


    letting them package and sell their works to us.¡±


    Kevan maintained his stance. ¡°Just do as I say.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Rogers, you must think this through.¡± Sebastian persuaded him earnestly. ¡°Summer Entertainment


    is a golden goose right now. Almost all the streaming sites in the country want to have exclusive


    streaming rights to their works, but Summer Entertainment has spoken. They said. that they prefer us


    the most.¡±


    ¡°Sebastian Kevan tapped on the table twice. ¡°A good streaming website should not only wait for other


    companies to deliver content to them. Being overly passive will lead to maniption by others, and


    prices will be raised at will. We should put things in a long-term perspective-the sess of ¡®Little Bad


    of Love¡¯ is, of course, due to the script, but most importantly, is the ¡® exclusivity¡¯ of it.¡±


    Sebastian was an employee who followed Kevan during thepany¡¯s founding stages. He


    figured out what Kevan meant immediately. ¡°You mean¡­ We will be making our own content in the


    future?¡±


    Kevan nodded. ¡°Microworks is a big corporation. Our capital is definitelyrger than Summer


    Entertainment. Any projects they can do, we can too, anything they can¡¯t do, we still can. I will host a


    corporate executive meeting tomorrow to prepare for our own filmpany. Thispany will be


    under the Interactive Media Division, and you will be in charge of it by then.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have any objections to establishing a filmpany.¡± Sebastian was actually quite excited. ¡°But


    we don¡¯t need to break things off with Summer Entertainment now, do we? After all, we can¡¯t provide


    VisualBox¡¯s content all by ourselves. We¡¯d definitely have to buy a great deal externally.¡± ¡°Do you mean


    to tell me that Summer Entertainment is the onlypany with good productions?¡± Kevan asked him.


    ¡°Well, they are the best. Sebastian did not want to give up. They have the most seasoned producers in


    the industry, and they even have contracts with some of the best screenwriters. They¡¯ve also worked


    together with various directors in the country. Besides, any production from Summer Entertainment


    doesn¡¯t have to worry about finding big-shot actors for them. On the contrary, many management


    companies will try everything they can to shove their people into any Summer Entertainment projects,


    even if it¡¯s not official yet.¡±


    ¡°In that case¡­¡± Kevan¡¯s eyes gleamed. ¡°Recruit any producer, screenwriter, or anyone you think is


    useful from Summer Entertainment to our side. Have their sry and benefits be twice as much. as


    what Summer Entertainment is paying them, and make sure to pay the contract breach penalties for


    them. Ensure that they have nothing to worry about.¡±


    He had undoubtedly spared no expense this time, and Sebastian could feel his determination to


    prepare well for the film productionpany.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Sebastian suddenly felt quite passionate about this project of theirs. He raised his beer can and


    thunked it with Kevan¡¯s. I¡¯ll contact my headhunting friend tomorrow and do my best to get everyone in


    their rightful ces!¡±Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 229

    Chapter 229


    Chapter 229


    The moment Larissa got home, she removed the ring from her finger and carefully ced it inside her


    jewelry box. Even though it was supposed to be a prop, based on Kevan¡¯s character, arge diamond


    like this probably cost a lot. She didn¡¯t dare wear it out, fearing that wearing it in public might risk


    damaging it or attracting unwanted attention from others with ill intentions.


    In the WhatsApp group chat, her colleagues were all talking about the meteor shower tonight. It


    seemed that the National Weather Service had forecasted this, hence many people had gone up to


    Starry Mountain a day in advance just to wait for those few seconds in which the meteor shower could


    be seen.


    I¡¯m currently at the peak of Starry Mountain, and it¡¯s absolutely packed,¡± one of Larissa¡¯s assistants


    messaged, apanied by a picture capturing the current scene. The photo showed a dense crowd


    swarming the mountain¡¯s summit.


    Those who can get here are lucky enough. Many people are stranded on the mountainside. They can¡¯t


    come up or go back down. I don¡¯t even know when I¡¯ll be able to make my way down either. The police


    havee to disperse the crowds. @Larissa, I¡¯ll just apply for a leave in advance. If you don¡¯t see me


    in the hotel tomorrow, that means I¡¯m still stuck on Starry Mountain.¡±


    Larissa replied, ¡°Sure. Take care.¡±


    Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.


    Larissa¡¯s leave application was rather sudden, not to mention the fact that Xavier had taken her phone


    away, so she had not been around for two whole days in the group chat. Now that her text. message


    had finally been sent, the group chat burst into a flurry of activity.


    ¡°The missing person has been found¡°¡±


    ¡°Ms. Seymour, you¡¯re back!¡±


    Larissa sent a cute emoji and said, ¡°I went back to my hometown two days ago. It¡¯s pretty rural, so


    there¡¯s no signal.¡±


    ¡°Ms. Seymour, have you seen tonight¡¯s meteor shower?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I did.¡± And it was at an excellent spot¨Cshe could not say that, of course, or else she would risk


    exposing her rtionship with Kevan.


    ¡°Did you make a wish?¡±


    Larissa was way past the age of believing in such unrealistic superstitions. But when she saw the


    shooting stars, a notion shed briefly through her mind, ¡°It would be wonderful if time could stop at this


    moment.¡±


    Last night was just like a scene from a magical fairytale, with a princely gentleman by her side. But


    deep down, she knew that this enchanting moment was never truly hers to keep.


    Once the contract was up, all the magic would disappear, and she would be Cindere once again.


    When she thought of that, she was inexplicably sad.


    ¡°Nope,¡± Larissa texted back.


    ¡°Aww¡­¡±


    expressed everyone in the group chat, showing their mathy toward her situation


    Chapt


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Ms. Seymour! I made a wish!¡± her assistant said, ¡°My wish is for Ms. Seymour to meet her


    Mr. Right as soon as possible!¡±


    Kevan appeared in Larissa¡¯s mind¡¯s, and a smile appeared on her face. However, her smile was


    bittersweet.


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    Everyone began cheering for her, but Larissa no longer had the mood to engage in any yful


    banter with them.


    Larissa never had trouble adjusting to a new bed or sleeping in unfamiliar surroundings, but she


    actually lost sleep tonight due to Kevan¡¯s absence.


    Her brain was filled with all sorts of distracting thoughts.


    What was he doing now?


    Did he get drunk?


    Would he be okay?


    T


    That kept going until midnight. Larissa could no longer resist and got up from the bed.


    The living room was still dark. She knocked lightly on the master bedroom door, but there was no


    response, as expected


    She could not help but worry.


    When she returned to her room, she texted Kevan. ¡°Are youing back tonight?¡±


    He never responded though.


    Past 5 am, Larissa finally felt sleepy enough to drift off.


    The rm rang exactly at 8 am Struggling to get up, Larissa freshened herself as she yawned, then


    walked over to the entrance hall, her eyes barely open.


    When she passed by the sofa, she smelled the strong scent of alcohol¨Cthis was not therest night.

 Chapter 230

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    Chapter 230


    Halting in her footsteps, Larissa turned her head with wide eyes, only to see the man she had lost


    contact with for the whole night snoring on the sofa.


    His coat was missing, his tie loosely hanging around his neck, and quite a few of his shirt buttons were


    unbuttoned. His shirt was wide open, exposing his pecs


    However, Larissa¡¯s attention was drawn to the red lipstick mark on his neck.


    Even though she knew that she had no right to hold him ountable or be jealous in any way, she


    found that she was unable to move her feet. Her heart felt like it was being crushed by something, and


    Larissa could not breathe, her mindpletely nking out.


    Therge sofa was small for Kevan, and he turned in difort, scaring Larissa as well as bringing


    her back to reality.


    It waste. She should not dy any longer.


    Looking away, she hurriedly left through the door, which closed with a loud thump.


    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Kevan, who had been deeply asleep, slowly opened his eyes.


    Once the New Year holidays ended, the number of guests checking in was immediately cut down by


    half. Larissa did not have much to be busy over, but her heart still felt stifled from that kiss mark in the


    morning. She deliberately stayed at the hotel for two more hours before reluctantly clocking out.


    Kevan was no longer in the living room. But his leather shoes were still at the entrance hall, and his


    cotton slippers were missing from the shoe cab, meaning he had not left the house for the whole


    day.


    The door to the study opened, and Larissa waited for two seconds before seeing Kevan emerge from it.


    He was not wearing the suit from the morning but rather a set of deep blue checkered


    pajamas.


    Larissa could not help but move her gaze to his neck-the kiss mark was gone, but she still felt


    moody.


    ¡°Have you eaten?¡± Kevan broke the silence between them.


    Larissa nodded. ¡°Yes.¡± She asked him in return, ¡°You?¡±


    ¡°Not yet.¡± Kevan rubbed the sore bridge of his nose. I¡¯ll be heading out after and won¡¯t being back


    tonight.¡±


    Larissa was stunned for a short moment before she said, ¡°Okay.¡±


    Larissa hid in her room, listening as Kevan left. She did not know why she felt empty. To prevent herself


    from having delusional thoughts, she started watching the teen drama series rmended endlessly


    by the young girls in her department-but she could not take in even a single episode.


    12


    Tossing her phone aside, Larissa went to take a bath before pouring in some incense that helped with


    sleep into her new incense machine. But she still ended up tossing and turning in bed for half the night.


    Larissa found Kevan fast asleep on the sofa once again before she left.


    There was no kiss mark this time, but he smelled so strongly of perfume. Her nose itched, and Larissa


    could not stop herself from sneezing loudly.


    She swiftly covered her mouth and was thankful that she did not wake Kevan. Having had experience


    from the day before, Larissa was calmer this time. So much so that she even thought of bringing him


    an extra nket and adjusting the thermostat to a higher setting.


    Larissa met Dn when she got downstairs.


    Elliot¡¯s case would officially be on trial in the afternoon. Dn reminded her, ¡°Have you applied for


    leave?¡±


    ¡°Yes, all good.¡± After the morning meeting, Larissa went to find the general manager to apply for leave.


    Although Mr. Compton was a little displeased with this, he could not reject her application.


    Dn said, ¡°I¡¯ll pick you up at Regal Dynasty at noon. Mr. Sharpe will run you through the things that


    you should do in court again¡±


    Mr. Sharpe was the bestwyer specializing in criminal cases from Dn¡¯sw firm. He was assigned


    to be Larissa¡¯s representative attorney by Dn this time.

 Chapter 231

    Chapter 231


    Chapter 231


    The moment it was noon, Larissa received Dn¡¯s call. He was already waiting for her in Regal


    Dynasty¡¯s cafe with Mr. Sharpe, and with them was an important witness, Maria Durham. Because


    there was no challenge as to how this case would end, they were all pretty rxed.


    Mr. Sharpe only emphasized a couple of points that Larissa and Maria needed to be clear on during


    their testimony. When they expressed their understanding, he did not say more.


    Maria, however, excitedly chatted with Larissa.


    ¡°Larissa, you and Kevan are such lucky stars! After my husband and I went to visit you in the hospital,


    my husband got a sry increment within two days! And it¡¯s twice the original amount! The boss said it


    was amendation for his many years of effort in thepany and even said that his performance


    warranted a better post. But since he prefers his current post, he doesn¡¯t have to move. But when he


    does? He can get promoted whenever he wants! Moreover, if his team designs better work in the


    future, his sry will increase even further!


    Larissa was genumely happy for her, but she disagreed with Maria¡¯s talk of being ¡°lucky stars¡± Even if


    they were, it should only be Kevan who was one. She had nothing to do with it.


    What Maria did not know-and could not know-was that all of this was arranged by Kevan.


    ¡°Congrattions to you both.¡± Larissa smiled. ¡°Now that Jacob¡¯s gotten a sry increment, shouldn¡¯t


    you be considering having children now?¡±


    Upon hearing her mention children, Maria¡¯s eyes became brighter, and her smile deepened Lowering


    her head, Maria gently caressed her stomach with her right hand. ¡°Actually¡­ Well. technically, I¡¯m not


    supposed to say it, but I really want to share this good news with you I¡¯m pregnant. It¡¯s close to a month


    already.¡±


    Larissa¡¯s mouth fell open as her gaze moved to Maria¡¯s stomach.


    That¡¯s a cause for double celebration!¡± She could not help butin to Maria, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you. tell


    me earlier? I didn¡¯t even prepare any gifts for the baby!¡¯


    ¡°Aw nah, it¡¯s still early!¡± Maria smacked her yfully. ¡°You can still prepare for it when the baby is born.Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    Speaking of which-¡± Marta¡¯s eyes darted around for a bit. ¡°You and Kevan aren¡¯t getting any younger,


    right? When do you n to have kids?¡±


    Her question was too ¡°harsh, causing Larissa to nearly choke on her own spit.


    Dn also casually went along with it. ¡°Yeah, Larissa, when will you have a child with Kevan?¡±


    Rolling her eyes at him, Larissa replied to Maria, ¡°It¡¯s still early.¡±


    Many people were still unable to ept couples not having babies. Larissa had no intention of


    announcing this anywhere. Besides, she and Kevan¡­ would never have children. It was impossible.


    ¡°What on earth are you talking about!¡± Maria turned into a nagging busybody at once. ¡°It¡¯s not like you


    don¡¯t have the financial means to have children! Quickly give birth to as many as you can while you¡¯re


    still young! That way, your body can recover quickly, and your parents can help you raise them! Look at


    me now. My mom and his mom have all kinds of illnesses the older they get.


    Chapter 731


    Once this child is born, we¡¯ll be the only ones who can raise him I bet that before the kid attends pre-


    school, I¡¯ll have to be a full-time housewife at home ¡°She sighed as she spoke.


    Hearing her long speech, Larissa only felt more resolute in maintaining her decision not to have


    children.


    Raising children was truly a hugemitment. For someone like her who disliked trouble it was better


    to avoid it if she could.


    Maria only stopped after the dishes were served.


    Larissa breathed a sigh of relief and quickly passed her a ss of water.


    When Elliot was escorted out by the prison officers, Larissa could hardly believe that it was him.


    It had only been a month or so, and he could not be more different from the time he chased after


    her with a broomstick to beat her with

 Chapter 232

    Chapter 232


    Chapter 232


    Elliot¡¯s crew cut had been sh aved to that of a skinhead. He had be twice as thin, and his face


    was littered with bruises. His eyes were so swollen that they resembled walnuts, and there was only a


    thin line indicating the opening of the eyes.


    His neck and any other parts uncovered were in a simr state as his face, which was quite frightening.


    Elliot pleaded guilty to his crimes without needing the judge or Mr. Sharpe to grill him. When he spoke,


    tears and s not were running all over his face Larissa clearly saw that what was once a mouth full of


    uneven yellow teeth now only had a few teeth remaining. She could not imagine


    what on earth he went through in the detention center.


    The trial progressed much more smoothly than Larissa anticipated She did not even need to use. any


    of the words that Mr. Sharpe had coached her to say beforehand. In the end, the judge found Elliot


    guilty of causing intentional bodily harm and sentenced him to ten years in prison. Compared to the


    harm he had caused Larissa, ten years of prison is quite a heavy punishment. already.


    Larissa was fairly pleased with this oue. The same went for Dn and Mr. Sharpe.


    ¡°How about a celebratory meal?¡± Larissa suggested


    Maria waved her hand ¡®Didn¡¯t we just eat at noon?¡± She smiled apologetically before she said, ¡°My


    husband sent me a text on WhatsApp, telling me toe home once I¡¯m done here. He was Toasting


    chicken for me, and now it¡¯s ready. As I¡¯m pregnant now, it¡¯s better for me to eat


    homemade food¡±


    Being on the receiving end of such affection between a couple made Larissa feel envious.


    Seeing her this way, Maria patted her shoulder and said earnestly, Larissa, go ahead and have a child!


    Once you¡¯re pregnant, Kevan will only love you more. By then, you could have anything and everything


    you want. Wouldn¡¯t that be nice?¡±


    To this. Larissa could only smile dryly. ¡°Maybe in the far future.¡±


    Maria left with a cab first, and Mr. Sharpe had something to do, so Larissa and Dn were the only


    ones left.


    Taking out his phone, Dn asked Larissa, ¡°How about calling your husband out to join us for a


    meal?¡±


    The title of ¡°husband¡± was a little far away for Larissa. It took a while for her to react.


    ¡°He is pretty busy these days. We¡¯d better not disturb him.¡±


    Kevan had to go out drinking for the past couple of nights and would only return in the morning. She


    figured that he would not have the time to eat with them.


    ¡°He still got to eat, right? Even if he¡¯s busy?¡± Dn called Kevan right away. ¡°At worst, we can just eat


    near Microworks, so we won¡¯t hold him up from his work.¡±


    Since he had already said so, Larissa could not stop him.


    CHA


    Kevan answered the phone pretty quickly.


    ¡°Finished?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Yup.¡± Dn replied, ¡°We just finished. Your wife said she wanted to have a celebratory meal. We just


    weren¡¯t sure if you had time for that?¡±


    The phone went silent for a few seconds.


    Larissa thought Kevan would refuse, but he said, ¡°Sure, where to?¡±


    Dn gave Larissa a victorious smirk. ¡°Your wife is sorry you¡¯re so busy with work and doesn¡¯t


    want you to run around, so we¡¯ll be heading over to Microworks right now. Then we¡¯ll just find a


    restaurant nearby.¡±Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 233

    Chapter 233


    Chapter 233


    Dn and Larissa had just arrived at Microworks when Kevan called and said he needed to start a


    meeting now and told them to find a restaurant first.


    ¡°Well, I just happen to need to get a document in my office. Shall we wait a bit for him?¡± Dn sought


    Larissa¡¯s opinion


    ¡°Sure.¡± Larissa did not mind.


    They took Kevan¡¯s personal elevator, and Dn left Larissa at the presidential office before heading


    toward thew firm.


    Thest time Larissa was there, she had attracted a lot of attention in the office. Everyone knew her


    and was aware of her rtionship with Kevan So, when she appeared, everyone tensed up and


    pretended to be working diligently while sneaking nces at her.


    Larissa could sense those looks but pretended not to notice that they were eyeing her. Walking forward


    in a straight line, she suddenly stopped and nced over at the person in the cubicle next


    to her.


    There were several female employees in the presidential office, and they were all dressed in in


    formal wear as stipted by thepany. So, they could only pete¡± with each other through their


    makeup All sorts of pertume scents filled the office, blending into a fragrant mix. Out of all these scents,


    Larissa easily discerned the smell of the perfume that had been on Kevan-the exact same scent.


    The source came from the female employee closest to her.


    Larissa¡¯s gaze was unabashed, which made the employee rather nervous. The employee managed a


    weak smile and addressed her tentatively. ¡°Ms. S-Ms. Seymour, is there something I can help you


    with? Her voice was quivering


    Larissa smiled at her and asked politely. ¡°Your perfume smells great. What brand is it?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± The employee was stunned for a moment before frantically rummaging through her drawer,


    taking out a delicate perfume bottle. The Chanel 5 perfume. It¡¯s the one that got promoted by a bunch


    of celebrities on Twitter. If you like it, this bottle is yours¡±


    Larissa took it and removed the cap to take a whiff. It was indeed the same scent that she found on


    Kevan.


    ¡°Speaking of which¡­ your taste is quite simr to Mr. Rogers!¡± The employee treated her as the future


    female boss and did everything she could to tter her. ¡°Yesterday, Mr. Rogers also said that this scent


    was nice and asked me which brand it was!¡±


    ¡°Mr. Rogers asked you?¡± Larissa was a bit confused


    This act of Kevan¡¯s¡­ She could not figure it out.


    ¡°Huh? Mr. Rogers asked you about perfume?¡± Another female employee poked her head over from the


    next cubicle, looking rather surprised. ¡°He suddenly asked me about lipstick shades the day before


    yesterday. Near da mn scared me to death!¡±


    Larissa immediately zoned in on her lips. The color was somewhat familiar. It looked simr to


    the kiss mark¡¯s color on Kevan¡¯s neck yesterday. But the shade from the kiss mark was lighter, so she


    could not tell if it was the same type of lipstick.


    ¡°Since when did Mr. Rogers care about this sort of thing?¡± The female employees continued to discuss


    the matter.


    ¡°Is he nning on buying lots for his girlfriend? As they spoke, they kept sneaking nces at Larissa,


    their eyes filled with envy.


    Larissa automatically filtered through everything they said and returned the perfume, saying.¡± Thank


    you


    She went to Kevan¡¯s office to wait for him.


    Sitting on the couch, she could not help but think about Kevan¡¯s motives in asking about perfume and


    lipsticks from his employees.


    These were all women¡¯s items. He could not possibly buy them for himself, but the traces of these


    things did appear on his body.


    Or¡­ did he buy them for a mistress that he had out there somewhere? And whenever they spent the


    night together, it all ended up on his body?


    The more she thought about it, the more Larissa thought this possibility a reality, and she got N?velDrama.Org owns this.


    angrier as a result.


    Kevan was f ucking outrageous


    He already had such an intimate partner but still forced her to marry him anyway.


    Unable to sit still any longer, Larissa decided to send Dn a text through WhatsApp. She used the


    excuse of feeling unwell as a reason to leave Microworks


    When Dn saw that text, it was already five minutester.


    He hurriedly called Larissa and asked, ¡°Are you okay? Where is it that you feel unwell? Do you need to


    go to the hospital?¡±


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because of the cold wind. My head hurts a little. I¡¯ll take some cold medicine and sleep it


    off. You two can enjoy dinner together.¡± Larissa hailed a cab and got in


    Hearing her speak to the cab driver, Dn swallowed down the offer he was about to make to send


    her home

 Chapter 234

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    Chapter 234


    ¡°Then rest well. We¡¯ll bring you something to eat after,¡± Kevan said


    ¡°Sure.¡± Larissa did not want to talk to him anymore, so she did not reject the offer.


    The moment Larissa got home, shecked herself in her room.


    She took out the marriage certificate hidden at the bottom of the drawer and stared at their picture


    together.


    No matter how she looked, they did not match at all!


    She angrily shoved the certificate back into the drawer.


    She wanted to divorce Kevan at once, but this marriage was still beneficial to her, so she was reluctant


    too


    After a long moment of mulling over the matter, she sighed and flopped back onto the bed.


    ¡°Just let it be, I guess,¡± she thought


    Her marriage to Kevan was one of mutual benefit. Who cared if he had a mistress?


    But her heart still felt terribly stifled and heavy.


    Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    Before 6 pm, Larissa heard the sounds of the door opening outside.


    Kevan could not possiblye home so early. Apart from him, the only other person who could enter


    the house was Dn


    It turned out that she had made the wrong guess.


    As soon as Larissa stepped out of her room, she saw Kevan rushing toward her. His brows were drawn


    tightly together, and his mouth was pressed into a thin line. There was a white stic bag. in his hands,


    though she did not know what exactly it carried


    ¡°Why are you back so soon?¡± Larissa asked in surprise.


    Kevan did not answer her question. He only quickened his steps to reach her before feeling her


    forehead with the back of his hand,


    When he was certain it was normal, he let out a sigh of relief.


    ¡°Have you taken any medication?¡± he asked, and Larissa nodded. ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Brushing past her, Kevan entered her room, cing the white stic bag on the table before


    opening it up..


    ¡°Come eat.¡±


    The food he took out was for two people, so Larissa asked him, ¡°You didn¡¯t eat with Dn?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    How could he eat when she was sick alone at home? Not to mention that he was not clear about her


    condition. Thankfully, she seemed okay.


    Larissa chewed on the pasta before suddenly recalling something. She asked, ¡°You¡¯re not going out


    tonight?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Kevan¡¯s voice was low even as he focused on his own pasta.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Larissa was secretly a little happy. ¡°But


    She bit on her spoon and asked tentatively. ¡°If you don¡¯t go out, your¡­¡± She did not know what word to


    use to describe that person ¡°Wouldn¡¯t be angry?¡±


    Kevan was suddenly interested Raising a brow while grinning, he said. ¡°My what?¡±


    ¡°Well..¡± Larissa bit her lip. ¡°Well, the one who spends every night with you!¡±


    ¡°Oh-¡± Kevan made a show of nodding his head. ¡°That person, huh- His smile grew brighter.


    Larissa¡¯s mood actually dropped at his reaction. Was he really that happy at the mention of that


    person?


    ¡°They¡¯re going home to apany their kid, so they can¡¯t apany me.¡± Kevan¡¯s voice was filled


    with regret

 Chapter 235

    Chapter 235


    Chapter 235


    His mistress already had a child? Could it be¡­ that he was the homewrecker instead? If so, that would


    exin why Kevan did not marry that person but came to her instead.


    Larissa¡¯s previous marriage had been ruined by a mistress, even if Travis had yed a significant role


    in it. As a result, she harbored a deep disdain for homewreckers


    At this moment, how she looked at Kevan had changed greatly. All the good feelings from living


    together for so long were slowly being destroyed.


    Kevan naturally sensed the changes in her mood, and the changes were heading in a direction that he


    did not anticipate at all


    The disdain in her eyes was a little too obvious. It was as if she never thought of hiding it in the first


    ce


    Kevan suddenly panicked a little. He only wanted to make her jealous for a teeny bit, but he probably


    overdid it so much that she now suspected his character


    ¡°What are you thinking of?¡± He asked while pretending to be calm, deliberately smiling mischievously.


    ¡°You can¡¯t possibly have thought-He moved his face closer to hers, his lips almost touching hers


    ¡°That I¡¯m involved with a married woman, hmm?


    His low voice was filled with amusement, and Larissa realized that he was making fun of her, causing


    her to blush while feeling at a loss. At the same time, though, she internally breathed out


    a sigh of relief.


    ¡°Thank goodness,¡± she thought to herself.


    She could ept him having feelings for other women, but she could not ept him tearing other


    people¡¯s families apart.


    ¡°Well¡­ Who was it you were with every day then? Larissa¡¯s voice was a little wavery, her guilt causing


    her to avoid his gaze.


    ¡°The vice-president of ourpany. Kevan straightened up. Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.


    The oppressive atmosphere he caused vanished the moment he moved away from Larissa, and it


    became easier for her to breathe.


    ¡°Microworks is expanding into a new industry, so he had meetings with me for two consecutive nights in


    a row. It¡¯s notpletely finalized, though. His son had a bit of a fever, and his wife could not handle it,


    so I let him go home to help,¡± Kevan exined.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Larissa nodded.


    He must be telling the truth but was withholding some information. If he was only with thepany¡¯s


    vice-president for the past two nights, where did the kiss mark on his neck and the perfumee


    from?


    However, she would not ask about those though. She just pretended she had not seen anything.


    ¡°I saw Elliot Webb today.¡± She changed the topic. ¡°He seems to have it pretty bad in the detention


    center because he was wounded all over.¡±


    ¡°Is 11?¡± Kevan¡¯s reaction was mild, and he did not seem interested


    Larissa shoved a mouthful of pasta into her mouth and stopped speaking


    After Lana returned from Bartham, she tried to meet with Larissa several times, saying that she wanted


    to invite her and Kevan out for a meal as a form of apology as well as congratting them on their


    marriage, but Larissa refused every time.


    At first, she would still use the excuse of being busy at work. But unable to stand her harassment any


    longer, she simply stopped being cordial and said, ¡°Let¡¯s not keep in touch anymore


    After that, she cklisted all of Lana¡¯s contacts.


    She heard that Lana cried to Kevan about it through a phone call.


    But who did she take Kevan for?

 Chapter 236

    Chapter 236


    Chapter 236


    Not only did Kevan cklist her, but he also warned her to stop harassing them, or he would ensure


    that she would not be able to remain in Covenford any longer.


    Everyone knew that Kevan had such power.


    But Dn secretly confided in Larissa, saying. ¡°As long as Lana doesn¡¯tpletely break up with


    Lucas, your husband won¡¯t really fire her. After all, Lana has only been with StreamWave for a short


    month, and Lucas has already brought in proceeds worth more than a million to StreamWave. If this


    carnes on¡­ Dn tutted. ¡°Lucas will be a major benefactor for StreamWave.¡±


    Larissa let out a faint smile. ¡°Then I hope that they live happily ever after together forever!¡±


    The news of Microworks wanting to establish their own filmpany quickly spread throughout the


    industry. To the film industry, this was undoubtedly a groundbreaking development for them.


    Microworks, the country¡¯s leading IT corporation, had expanded its influence into the real estate sector,


    establishing itself as one of the most promising and lucrative industries of the futu


    In other words, Microworks possessed substantial capital that surpassed that of other filmpanies.


    They could buy the best scripts, employ the finest production crew, and attract the best actors for their


    projects


    This development naturally instilled a great sense of horror and fear among many filmpanies.


    In this era of ¡°Capitalism is King.¡± leveraging the umted experience and multipleworking


    resources could neverpare to the big bucks that Microworks could shell out.


    Out of all thesepanies, Summer Entertainment was the most agitated Watching as the backbones


    of hispany were pilfered away by Microworks, Jay was so worried that his hair had grayed out a


    lot.


    When they first started pilfering, he never treated it as a serious matter. As a prominentpany in the


    industry, Summer Entertainment had the best content production team. Countlesspanies had


    come to steal talent from him over the years, and Jay had quite a fair foresight.


    Those who were in charge of content in thepany had all signed contracts with the longest duration


    allowed within legal limits, and the penalty fees for contract breaching on their end were extremely


    high. Because of such constraints, these people could only stay with Summer Entertainment, even if


    they wished to jump ship. Nopany that wanted to pilfer people from him could afford such


    exorbitant penalty fees¨Cexcept for Microworks.


    After taking the best of Summer Entertainment, Microworks paid a lump sum of more than five billion to


    Summer Entertainment for the penalty fees.


    The working capital Summer Entertainment could take out was not even close to five billion.


    With this five billion, the ten or so projects they had stacked up could be started at the same time.


    However, due to theck of a strong production team, it could only remain shelved


    Even some of the projects they had already started were now stuck in limbo due to all the main.


    creators leaving, causing Summer Entertainment to lose millions of dors.


    In a regr meeting. Jay kept smacking the table with rage, scaring everyone else into silence.


    ¡°Contact the otherpanies who Microworks has also taken people from! Convince them to ally with


    us and boycott these bullying actions from Microworks¡±


    The secretary sitting beside him reported shakily, Mr. C¨CMr. Cole. I¡¯ve asked around. The only


    company in the industry that had people pilfered by Microworks is ours Also, all productions by our


    company have been entirely taken all Microwork¡¯s VisualBox.¡±


    Kevan¡¯s actions were quite obvious. He was trying to tell Jay that he was targeting him. Jay figured this


    out soon enough.


    ¡°Mr. Cole¡­¡± The secretary was still trembling ¡°Did someone from ourpany offend the people at


    Microworks, which is why they¡¯re targeting us for their own gain?¡±


    Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.


    Jay became contemtive.


    A momentter, he instructed every department head, ¡°Look into this at once! The moment you find


    anyone who has problems with Microworks, fire them immediately! You don¡¯t have to report this to your


    superiors!¡±


    After the meeting concluded, he was still seething with anger, to the point where he was trembling


    Donian, who assumed the identity of Reuben, was Jay¡¯s biological nephew. He hurried into Jay¡¯s


    office with a stack of documents in his arms


    ¡°Mr. Cole ¡°He handed over the documents to Jay. I¡¯ve found out who that Mr Rogers is

 Chapter 237

    Chapter 237


    Chapter 237


    Jay went home in a fury:


    ¡°Where¡¯s Mr. Reuben?¡± He asked the household staff, who looked ufortable.


    ¡°Mr. Reuben¡­ went out early in the morning and has not yet returned.¡±


    Jay¡¯s rage shot through the roof, and he grabbed the ashtray from the coffee table, hurling it to the floor


    in a fit of anger..


    ¡°Call hum and get him toe home! NOW!¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡± The household staff swiftly vanished, seemingly evaporating into thin air.


    Hearing the noise, Annabell sashayed downstairs


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± She hugged Jay and kissed him on the lips. ¡°Who made you angry again?¡± ¡°Who


    else!¡± Even though he had a beauty in his arms, it could not extinguish Jay¡¯s mes of anger ¡°That


    failure has f ucked me up for good!¡±


    Annabell was secretly delighted, but she pulled a face of concern ¡°Don¡¯t be angry anymore What you


    do if you¡¯ve harmed your body this way? Once Reubenes back, just talk to him nicely. Don¡¯t fight


    again¡±


    ¡°Thepany¡¯s already f ucked, and you want me to talk to him nicely?¡± Jay¡¯s re was so intense.


    that his eyes almost bulged out of their sockets. Seeing the household staff return after the call, he


    immediately raised his voice. When will Mr. Reuben he back?¡±


    The household staff said quickly, ¡°He says he will be back soon!¡±


    Jay dropped heavily onto the sofa and lit a cigarette


    Annabell quickly stered herself to him and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with thepany? How is it


    screwed up?¡±


    Jay took a drag of his cigarette and waved his hand irritably. We¡¯ll talk about it after that failure gets


    home!¡±


    Reuben¡¯s ¡°soon¡¯ took two long hours N?velDrama.Org owns this.


    Jay got someone to hurry him up with calls in between. His already thinning patience was practically


    worn to nothing now.


    ¡°What¡¯s so urgent that you got to call me home like this?¡± Reuben came back, drunk off his as s. He


    smelled of alcohol, women¡¯s powder, and perfume.


    Jay could not restrain himself anymore. He lunged forward and delivered a forceful p to


    Reuben¡¯s face.


    Reuben held his face, staring at Jay in disbelief. His head felt heavier than ever.


    ¡°You have the f ucking audacity to ask?¡± Jay jabbed a finger at his nose as he roared. ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for


    your insistence on marrying Larissa f ucking Seymour, would I end up offending Kevan tucking


    Rogers? Now he¡¯s almost pilfered every single da ned person from Summer Entertainment! No project


    can be started! If this keeps going down the way it is, we can all f ucking go live on air!¡±


    ¡°Who the hell is Kevan Rogers? Reuben asked impertinently,


    ¡°Larissa¡¯s f ucking fiance! The guy we met at the Seymours¡¯st time! He is Microworks Corporation¡¯s


    president!¡± Jay could not tell anyone of his frustration and regret


    If he had known Kevan¡¯s identity earlier, he would never have insisted that Larissa marry his s hit head


    of a son.


    There was not anyone who did not know the name Microworks Corporation


    Annabell panicked for a moment.


    ¡°Can Summer Entertainment be saved then?¡± She asked Jay, who remained quiet for a while before


    ordering Reuben, ¡°Follow me to Covenford tomorrow and apologize in person to Kevan Rogers!


    Jay slept early as he needed to catch the ne tomorrow.


    Annabell texted Lana through WhatsApp ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me that your sister¡¯s fianc¨¦ is the


    president of Microworks? Now Summer Entertainment is going to get f ucked over by Microworks!


    What am I supposed to do now? I just barely managed totch onto Jay!¡±


    Lana only replied after a long while Don¡¯t forget, the fact that you¡¯re able totch onto him at all was


    because I helped you do so


    Annabell was struck speechless


    Less than two minutester, Lana sent another text. If you want to save Summer Entertainment, I


    have a n, but I need the cooperation of your st upid stepson

 Chapter 238

    Chapter 238


    Chapter 238


    Annabell replied, ¡°Do tell.¡±


    Jay rushed over to Microworks early in the morning with Reuben in tow, but the security guards


    stopped him


    ¡°Sorry, sir. But no visitor pass, no entry.


    Jay did not even know what the hell a visitor pass was. Trying to contain his anger, Jay did his best to


    speak politely to the quards. ¡°Please inform Mr. Rogers that Jay Cole of Summer Entertainment is here


    to see him.¡±


    The guards remained unfazed ¡°We don¡¯t have the clearance to go up to the presidential office 1! you


    want to meet Mr. Rogers, please let him know in person¡±


    Having lived to his current age, Jay had never been humiliated this way before, let alone being


    disregarded by a mere security guard However, he did not dare to lose his temper while on Microworks


    turf.


    Seeing Reuben ying whatever it was on his phone, Jay¡¯s anger boiled over, and he furiously


    whacked his son on the back of the head


    Hurting. Reuben let out a cry of pain.. ¡°Dad¡¯ What the hell are you doing?¡±


    ¡°That should be my line! I¡¯m literally begging for leniency here, but you¡¯re ying on your phone?! Jay


    snarled and was about to sn atch his phone while Reuben moved hisrge body away with difficulty to


    avoid Jay


    ¡°Im not ying!¡± Reuben argued firmly, ¡°I¡¯m texting Lana through WhatsApp!¡±


    ¡°Lana?¡± Hearing this name, Jay froze. ¡°Why the hell are you texting her? Don¡¯t you think the Seymours


    have done enough to us?¡±


    He med the Seymours the most for what befell Summer Entertainment. But as they were still useful,


    he could not fall out with them yet, so he could only vent all his frustrations onto Reuben.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know? Lana works here! She said she could get us visitor passes Reuben smugly tried to


    im credit from Jay


    Jay did not know that Lana worked in Microworks. Upon hearing Reuben said that, he was dubious


    ¡°Lana can work in Microworks?¡±


    He knew about Lana¡¯s academic background and work experience. A bigpany like Microworks


    would only hire the best of the best. He could not imagine what Lana could do as an employee there.


    ¡°Dad! Stop looking down on her!¡± Reuben blinked his beady eyes and raised his many china. pointing


    to the front. ¡°See? She¡¯s here!¡±


    Lana ran from the elevator area and swiped her card to exit the ess gate. She then handed over


    the two visitor passes to them.


    ¡°Mr. Cole, Dorian,¡± she called sweetly, pretending not to know that ¡°Dorian¡± was actually Reuben.


    ¡°Nana, thank you so much for today!¡± Jay said with gratitude.


    ¡°No problem!¡± Lana led them past the ess gate before joining them in the elevator.


    ¡°Mr. Rogers¡¯ presidential office is on the 69th floor. Just head up. This visitor pass is not department-


    specific. But you have to return them to me before you leave. I have to return them to my supervisor,¡±


    she reminded them.


    Jay and Reuben sessfully made their way to the 69th floor. However, they were stopped again


    when they reached the presidential office¡¯s doors


    They disyed their visitor passes ¡°We¡¯re here to see Mr. Rogers.¡±


    ¡°Do you have an appointment? The presidential office was a little stricter with visitors as it held. the


    company¡¯s most ssified documents


    Jay pondered for a moment before deciding to lie. ¡°Yes, we made one Jay thought Kevan would not


    kick them out once he had seen them. However, his little wishful thinking was not fulfilled.


    When Kevan¡¯s secretary did not find their names on the visitor appointment list, she unceremoniously


    asked them to leave.


    Standing outside the presidential office of Microworks, Jay was so angry that he kept gritting his


    teeth.


    Reuben, on the other hand, texted Lana and said. T¡¯ll follow your n¡±Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 239

    Chapter 239


    Chapter 239


    Kevan had just finished a meeting when he found out from his secretary that the Cole father-and- son


    duo hade to find him.


    That was within his expectations-as a matter of fact, it was a few dayster than he had expected.


    Right now, all of the most valuable teams in Summer Entertainment had been pilfered by him. Soon, it


    would turn into a third-rate filmpany


    But this was not enough


    What he wanted was for the Cole family to be finished entirely, without any possibility of making a


    comeback


    ¡°Should anyone from Summer Entertainmente by again, just get security up and throw them out,


    Kevan ordered coldly,


    The secretary acknowledged the order nervously.


    When Larissa saw Jay and Dorian checking in at the hotel lobby, she thought she was sering things.


    Not daring to let them notice her, she stood quietly in the corner and observed for a while. Once they


    went upstairs, she ran over to the front desk to confirm what she saw. ¡°Were those two checking in to


    our hotel?¡±


    ¡°Yeah! They asked for two executive suites!¡± Livie tutted Talready told them that one suite would be


    enough for two, but they insisted on having two Honestly, the minds of the wealthy are a mystery to us


    broke people ¡±


    Larissa was not surprised about that. After all, Kevan and Dn had two different suites when theyst


    stayed here


    What she really wanted to know was the duration of their stay. So she asked, ¡°How long will they be


    staying?¡±


    ¡°Two nights,¡± Live replied honestly.


    ¡°Their room numbers?¡±


    Livie reported two consecutive numbers, which Larissa took care to remember. She told herself that


    she must do her best to avoid them.


    But sometimes, some things in this world happened to be remarkably coincidental.


    At 8 pm, Larissa packed up and prepared to clock out Suddenly, she got a call saying that a guest was


    making aint and was demanding to see the manager. The room number reported by the


    assistant just so happened to be one of the Cole rooms.


    Larissa pulled back the foot she had set out and instructed her assistant, ¡°Get the deputy manager to


    go over. He is on duty tonight. I¡¯m leaving now


    Lana had previously introduced her job to the Coles, so they should be aware that she was Regal


    ¡°Nana, thank you so much for today!¡± Jay said with gratitude.


    ¡°No problem!¡± Lana led them past the ess gate before joining them in the elevator.


    ¡°Mr. Rogers¡¯ presidential office is on the 69th floor. Just head up. This visitor pass is not department-


    specific. But you have to return them to me before you leave. I have to return them to my supervisor,¡±


    she reminded them.


    Jay and Reuben sessfully made their way to the 69th floor. However, they were stopped again


    when they reached the presidential offior¡¯s doors


    They disyed their visitor passes. ¡°We¡¯re here to see Mr. Rogers.¡±


    ¡°Do you have an appointment?¡± The presidential office was a little stricter with visitors as it held the


    company¡¯s most ssified documents.


    Jay pendered for a moment before deciding to lie. ¡°Yes, we made one.¡± Jay thought Kevan would not


    kick them out once he had seen them However, his little wishful thinking was not fulfilled.


    When Kevan¡¯s secretary did not find their names on the visitor appointment list, she unceremoniously


    asked them to leave.


    Standing outside the presidential office of Microworks, Jay was so angry that he kept gritting his


    teeth


    Reuben, on the other hand, texted Lana and said, I¡¯ll follow your n¡±


    27 N?velDrama.Org owns this.


    Chapter 239


    Kevan had just finished a meeting when he found out from his secretary that the Cole father-and-


    son duo hade to find him.


    That was within his expectations-as a matter of fact, it was a few dayster than he had expected.


    Right now, all of the most valuable teams in Summer Entertainment had been pilfered by him. Soon, it


    would turn into a third-rate filmpany


    But this was not enough.


    What he wanted was for the Cole family to be finished entirely, without any possibility of making


    aeback


    ¡°Should anyone from Summer Entertainmente by again, just get security up and throw them out.


    Kevan ordered coldly.


    The secretary acknowledged the order nervously.


    When Larissa saw Jay and Dorian checking in at the hotel lobby, she thought she was seeing


    things


    Not daring to let them notice her, she stood quietly in the corner and observed for a while. Once they


    went upstairs, she ran over to the front desk to confirm what she saw. ¡°Were those two checking in to


    our hotel?¡±


    ¡°Yeah! They asked for two executive suites! Livie tutted 1 already told them that one suite would be


    enough for two, but they insisted on having two Honestly, the minds of the wealthy are a mystery to us


    broke people


    Larissa was not surprised about that. After all, Kevan and Dn had two different suites when theyst


    stayed here.


    What she really wanted to know was the duration of their stay. So, she asked, ¡°How long will they


    be staying?¡±


    ¡°Two nights,¡± Livie replied honestly.


    ¡°Their room numbers?¡±


    Livie reported two consecutive numbers, which Larissa took care to remember. She told herself that


    she must do her best to avoid them.


    But sometimes, some things in this world happened to be remarkably coincidental,


    At 8 pm, Larissa packed up and prepared to clock out. Suddenly, she got a call saying that a guest was


    making aint and was demanding to see the manager. The room number reported by the


    assistant just so happened to be one of the Cole rooms


    Larissa pulled back the foot she had set out and instructed her assistant, ¡°Get the deputy manager to


    go over. He is on duty tonight. I¡¯m leaving now.¡±


    Lana had previously introduced her job to the Coles, so they should be aware that she was Regal


    Dynasty¡¯s hicusekeeping manager. If it was a normalint, having the deputy manager there was


    the same thing. But if they were targeting her¡­ it was even more important that she could not be seen


    Larissa always put her work first. Sometimes, even when she had already gone home, she woulde


    back to the hotel if anything happened. After having been with her for about a year or so, this was the


    first time her assistant had seen her shirk her duties.


    The assistant figured she had something important to do tonight, so she did not bother her further.


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll call the deputy manager at once.


    However, the assistant called her again when Larissa arrived on the first floor ¡°Ms. Seymour, the guest


    said that he had to see you Otherwise, he¡¯s going toin to the general manager about our whole


    department!¡±


    After hearing the panicked tone of her assistant¡¯s voice, it was clear that the quest was difficult to deal


    with, and Larissa already knew this while she was at the Seymour family home. She really did not want


    to deal with the Coles but it was like this now..


    ¡°Let the quest wast for a few minutes I¡¯ll head up now.


    The assistant was relieved ¡°Okay, thanks!¡±


    The assistant was waiting for her at the elevator. When the doors opened, she caught onto Larissa¡¯s


    hand at once.


    ¡°Ms. Seymour, here! ?ver here! Anyter and that quest will blow his tap!¡±


    Larissa forced her to slow down. ¡°Don¡¯t panic. Just tell me what it is that the guest is unsatisfied


    about.¡±


    ¡°A whole bunch of stuff! The mattress isn¡¯t soft enough, there aren¡¯t enough channels on the TV. the


    towel isn¡¯t made of good material. I honestly suspect that he¡¯s sent over by a rival hotel to create


    trouble!¡± the assistant huffed


    If Larissa had not known about the Coles, she probably would have thought the same.


    However..

 Chapter 240

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    Chapter 240


    It was clear that the Coles¡¯ goal was to cause trouble.


    Taking a deep breath, Larissa understood that if it was a blessing, it would not be a disaster; if


    was a disaster, she could not avoid it.


    Larissa rang the doorbell, and Dorian opened the door


    ¡°Yo. Ms. Seymour is here? I thought you¡¯d already clocked out?¡±


    Dorian smelled of alcohol, his beady eyes gleaming with lust


    Even though she hated him, Larissa could only force out a professional smile due to his current status


    as a hotel guest. Speaking politely in response to his weird question, she said, ¡°I have indeed clocked


    out, but our hotel¡¯s motto is customer first Since Mr Cole insists on seeing me,


    then I must return¡±


    Dorianughed coldly before suddenly letting out a burp


    In a sh, a pungent gust of alcoholic smell wafted over, causing Larissa to frown As for the


    assistant behind her, she could not help but cover her mouth and nose with her hand


    ¡°What, you think it stinks? Dorian¡¯s smile vanished as he red at Larissa¡¯s assistant. The threatening


    tone in his voice was extremely tant


    The assistant waved her hands. ¡°No, not at all!¡±


    ¡°Get over here!¡± Dorian ordered.


    The assistant hesitantly stepped forward


    ¡°Closer! Closer still!¡±


    In the end, the assistant stopped in front of Dorian Her body was stiff, trembling a little from the


    fear.


    Dorian opened his mouth and deliberately breathed out a huge gust of air.


    The assistant forced herself to stay still, but her eyes were a little red


    Unable to watch this go on any longer, Larissa subtly pulled her assistant back and put the poor girl


    behind her. Returning to the main topic, she said, ¡°Mr. Cole, yourint has been conveyed to meContent ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.


    by others. This is how we will solve it for you. First, we will change your room. You can choose


    whichever type of room you like until you¡¯re satisfied. If you¡¯re unhappy with all of our rooms, we will


    refund you your money and help you contact a hotel of your preference, whereby we will pay for your


    room there.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like any of these options.¡± Dorian raised his arms with the intention to cross them, but as his


    stomach was too big, his body too wide, and his arms too short, he barely managed to ce his hands


    on his chest-which was honestly rather absurd


    He backed away step by step, bracing himself with one hand against the door, and said tly to


    Larissa, ¡°Ms. Seymour,e to my room. Let¡¯s have a good talk.¡±


    Even though he acted serious, Larissa was familiar with some aspects of his character. While she


    could not avoid talking to him, she also couldn¡¯t be alone with him. So, she brought her assistant along.


    ¡°My assistant is in charge of executing the solutions, so she must be present.¡±


    Dorian¡¯s expression grew increasingly dark.


    ¡°Ms. Seymour, are you sincere in helping me solve the problem?¡±


    ¡°Of course Larissa maintained her smile, and her attitude was neither humble nor submissive¡± But your


    cooperation is required too, Mr. Cole.¡±


    The alcohol rushed up to Donan¡¯s head at once. What little patience he had left vanishedpletely at


    this moment.


    ¡°Bit ch! Get in here, you little s lut He grabbed Larissa¡¯s arm and dragged her into his room. It only took


    him two seconds to do that. Then, he mmed the door shut..


    Larissa was pinned to the wall by Dorian. He was about thrice as big as she was, so naturally, he was


    stronger than her.


    Dorian dragged her hands up above her head and pinned them in ce with one hand while his legs


    trapped hers between them, preventing Larissa from moving in a sh.

 Chapter 241

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    Chapter 241


    The only thing Larissa could do was move her head haphazardly to avoid Dorian¡¯s disgusting, stinky


    mouth.


    The assistant frantically pounded on the door outsice, shouting. ¡°Mr. Cole, please open the door! Or


    else I¡¯ll call the police!


    But Don tumed a deal ear to it. Gripping Larissa¡¯s suit jacket, he ripped it causing the bullons to pop


    off and scaller onto the floor.


    He then did the same thing to her shirt, causing irreparable damage to the two garments.


    The suite¡¯s thermostat was on, but Larissa only lett cold, especially when her chest was exposed to the


    air with Don¡¯s lewd gaze upon it.


    ¡°Mr. Cole, sexual assault is against thew.¡± She struggled to keep herself calm, but her voice could


    not help but tremble. ¡°Il you stop now, I can pretend nothing has happened and will not hold you


    ountable.¡±


    ¡°What assault? Dorian was dismissive. He even retorted unapologetically. ¡°You¡¯re my future wile. How


    is this considered sexual assault?¡±


    ¡°I am married, Mr. Cole! Larissa deeply regretted not wearing that diamond ring at that moment. ¡°I have


    no ties to you whatsoever, much less your future wher


    Dorian did not take her words for the truth, snickering gleefully. ¡°What marriage did you have without


    me?¡±


    He lowered his head, pressing his thick lips to her-


    Something in Larissa¡¯s mind snapped.


    Fear, panic all sorts of negative emotions surged within Larissa.


    Kevan¡¯s face suddenly appeared in her mind¡¯s eye, which made her scared, I he found out about what


    happened today


    Grilling her teeth, she used up every liber of energy in her body to fight back. But this sort of struggle


    against Dorian was akin to a tiny insect trying to shake a bree. It was ineffective.


    She could only put all her hopes on her assistant, who was still pounding on the door. Larissa vaguely


    heard her say the words room card,


    *which Dorian heard as well.


    Cursing in a low voice. he leaned over and fastered the door chain. Seizing this chance, Larissa bit his


    shoulder.


    Dorian only wore thin pajamas, so it basically meant that there was nothing in the way.


    Larissa bit down hard and very harshly, Even if her teeth ached. she did not let go. Dorian howled in


    pain, and he unconsciously let go of her. Taking this opportunity, Larissa punched him in the stomach


    hard, But nothing happened, and it caused him no true harm at all


    However, this act truly angered Dorian,


    Roaring, he grabbed Larissa and slung her over his shoulder, entering the bedroom and locking the


    door.


    Due to the increased blood flow to Larissa¡¯s head, she was a bit disorientated. Before she could react,


    she was thrown onto the bed.


    Seeing that what happened in the Seymourrily home would happen again, a sudden idea struck


    Larissa, and sheroled to the side of


    the bed.


    Dorian¡¯s body was too heavy, so he was unable to do what Reuben did and leap at her on time. He


    could only watch as she escaped him. Furious, he grilled his teeth before his eyes sparked with an


    idea, and he retreated to the bedroom door, guarding the room¡¯s only exit


    ¡°You can¡¯Lescape! If you know what¡¯s good for you, offer yourself to me! I may even convince my dad


    to give you a bigger dowry!¡± He threatened and tempted her at the same time.


    Larissa knew all too well that she could not directly stand up to him now. She positioned herself to a


    comer of the room, coincidentally. forming a diagonal line with Dorian and maintaining the maximum


    distance between them. This way, even he wanted ine over and calch her, she could run away


    quickly.


    Dorian seemed to have made up his mind to drag things out with her. He had one hand gripping theText ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    door handle, looking as if he was going to go down with the door.


    Larissa was not afraid of him dragging things out. In fact, I was exactly what she nerced.


    1/1


    Chapter 241


    The only thing Larissa could do was move her head haphazardly to avoid Derian¡¯s disgusting, stinky


    mouth.


    The assistant frantically pounded on the door outside shouling. ¡°Mr. Cole, please open the door! Or


    else I¡¯ll call the police!¡±


    But Dorian tumed a deal ear to it. Gripping Larissa¡¯s suit jacket, he ripped it causing the buttons to pop


    off and s catter onto the foor


    He then did the same thing to her shirt, causing imparable damage to the two garments.


    The suite¡¯s thermostat was on, but Larissa only fell told, especially when her chest was exposed to the


    air with Corian¡¯s lewd gaze upon it.


    ¡°Mr. Cole, sexual assault is against thew.¡± She strapped to keep herself cam, but her voice could not


    help but tremble. If you stop now. I can pretere nothing has happened and will not hold you


    ountable.¡±


    ¡°What assault? Dorian was dismissive. He even retorted unapologetically.


    ally. ¡°You¡¯re my future wile. How is this considered sexual assault?¡±


    ¡°Tam married. Mr. Cole!¡± Larissa deeply regretted not wearing that diamond ring at that moment. ¡°I


    have no lies to you whatsoever, much less your future wit


    Dorian did not take her words for the truth, snickering gloruly. ¡°What marriage did you have without


    me?¡±


    He lowered his head, pressing his thick lips to her-


    Something in Larissa¡¯s mind snapped,


    Fear panic all sorts of negative emotions surged within Larissa


    Kevan¡¯s face suddenly appeared in her mind¡¯s eye, which made her scared. If he found out about what


    happened today


    Gritting her teeth, she used up every tiber of energy in her body to fight back. But this sort of struggle


    against Dorian was akin to any insect trying to shake a tree. It was ineffective.


    She could only put all her hopes on her assistant, who was stil pounding on the door, Larissa vaguely


    heard her say the words ¡°room card. ¡°which Dorian heard as well.


    Cursing in a low voice, he leaned over and fastened the door chain. Seizing this chance, Larissa bit his


    shoulder.


    Dorian only wore thin pajamas, so it basically meant that there was nothing in the way.


    Larissa bit down hard and very harshly. Even ther teeth ached, she did not let go. Der an howled in


    pain, and he unconsciously let go of her. Taking this opportunity, Larissa punched him in the stomach


    hard. But nothing happened, and it caused him no true harm at all,


    However, this act truly angered Dorian.


    Roaring, he grabbed Larissa and slung her over his shoulder, entering the bedroom andcking the


    door.


    Due to the increased blood flow to Lanssa¡¯s head, she was a bit disorientated. Delore she could react,


    she was thrown onto the bed.


    Seeing that what happened in the Seymour family home would happen again, a sudden idea struck


    Larissa, and she rolled to the side of the bed.


    Dorian¡¯s body was too heavy, so he was unable to do what Reuben did and leap at her on time. He


    could only watch as she escaped him. Furious, he gritted his teeth before his eyes sparked with an


    idea, and he retreated to the bedroom door, guarding the room¡¯s only exit.


    ¡°You can¡¯t escape! If you know what¡¯s good for you, offer yourself to me! I may ever convince my dad to


    give you a bigger dowry threatened and tempted her at the same time,


    Lanssa knew all too well that she could not directly stand up to him now. She positioned herself to a


    comer of the room, coincidentally forming a diagonal line with Dorian and maintaining the maximum


    distance between them. This way, even if he wanted toe over and catch her, she could run away


    quickly.


    Donian seemed to have made up his mind to drag things out with her. He had one hand gripping the


    door handle, looking as if he was going to go down with the door,


    Larissa was not afraid of him dragging things out. In fact, it was exactly what she needed.

 Chapter 242

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    Chapter 242


    As long as there was enough time, her assistant would bring someone over to save her. Fortunately,


    her assistant did not disappoint her. Not more than a few minutester, she heard the assistant


    shouting again, ¡°Ms. Seymour, are you in there?¡±


    This time, the assistant was pounding on the bedroom door.


    ¡°I¡¯m here!¡± Larissa replied loudly.


    The arrival of ¡°reinforcements¡± caused Dorian to panic. He finally gave up on waiting around and


    decided to take the offensive. However. before he reached Larissa, she used the bed and rushed to the


    other side of the room, seeding in opening the bedroom door before he could get to her.


    The people outside swarmed in.


    The assistant hugged a disheveled Larissa, crying as she asked, ¡°Ms. Seymour, are you okay?¡±


    Larissa shook her head. Seeing Dorian hurrying over in his attempt to catch her. Larissa hastened her


    pace and left the bedroom.


    The hotel security guards blocked Dorian¡¯s path with their tall and strong bodies.


    *Sir, please remain in this room for the time being.¡±


    Dorian naturally refused.


    ¡°Get out of my way!¡± He tried to push at the guards, but they did not move.


    ¡°I am a valued guest of your hotel! Believe it or not, fileints against all of you and have you


    kicked out of Regal Dynasty!¡±


    It was as if the security guards had gone deal, as even their faces showed no shift in emotion.


    Larissa asked her assistant, ¡°Have the police been called for?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡± The assistant sniffed, using her hand to wipe at her face before seeing Larissa¡¯s tem shirt in her


    peripheral. She quickly took off her own jacket and said. ¡®Ms. Seymour, please wear my jackell¡±


    Larissa did not bother to be overly polite to her. ¡°Thanks.¡±


    They had not yet left the suite when they ran into Jay, who came over alter having heard the


    commotion next door,


    He seemed a little surprised to see Larissa. But soon, his gaze moved over her andnded on the


    security personnel guarding the bedroom door.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± He quickened his pace, squeezing past people before seeing the trapped Dorian in


    the room.


    Dorian saw him too.


    ¡°Dad! Hurry up and make them go away! They want to trap me in here!¡±


    Jay knew that his st upid son had caused trouble again, but he could not allord to be embarrassed this


    way, so he could only force himsell to shout at security. ¡°Move aside! Otherwise, I will call your general


    manager at once and have hime here for you guys!


    Those who could afford to live in executive suites were usually people with a specific identity. Besides,


    Jay was quite imposing, so the guards began to waver a little.


    They looked at each other before looking over at Lanssa, whose gaze remained steady as she was not


    frightened by Jay¡¯s threat.


    ¡°The results are the same, Mr. Cole, even if you get the general manager toe here. Mr. Dorian has


    tried and failed in his sexual assault attempt. He needs to be legally held ountable.¡±


    The words ¡°sexual assault attempt hit Jay like a blunt object, causing him to feel a heavy blow to his


    head. He nearly cked out.


    Jay m entally scolded, ¡°This f ucking idiot! He dared to provoke Larissa Seymour¡±


    If there were no one in the suite, Jay would definitely grab Don by the cor and scream bl oody


    murder at him. But the most important thing right now was to appease Larissa and prevent her from


    speaking of this matter to Kevan.


    ¡°Ms. Seymour.¡± He turned and bowed his head deeply at Larissa. ¡°I apologize on Dorian¡¯s behall.


    Name whateverpensation you wish


    Chapter 242


    for, as long as you let him go.¡±Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 243

    Chapter 243


    Chapter 243


    ¡°My apologies. Mr. Cole.¡± Larissa¡¯s attitude was equally just as firm. Tm alrald you will not be able to


    give me thepensation that!


    want.¡±


    Suppose Dorian was acting inationally under the influence of alcohol In that case, she might have


    chosen topromise for the hotel¡¯s sake. After all, Summer Entertainment had coborated with


    Regal Dynasty multiple times. If their production was filmed in Covenford, they would typically choose


    Regal Dynasty as the base for the entire production crew.


    But she noticed a micro camera in Dorian¡¯s room. It was ced on the TV stand, facing the bed. The


    camera was tiny, resembling a regr USB drive. If Larissa hadn¡¯t worked in the hotel industry for a


    long time and had seen all kinds of micro cameras, she would not have noticed it at all


    At that moment, she felt cold, having figured out in an instant that Dorian nned all of this.


    She did not know what he was going to do with the footage, but it would definitely be something he


    could use as leverage over her.


    Jay was furious. Under normal circumstances, he would have escted the matter to the general


    manager of Regal Dynasty. Although he had not chen stayed in the hotel, theirpany was


    considered a big client of the Regal Dynasty as they had contributed significant ie to the hotel


    Regal Dynasty¡¯s general manager would at least give him a little dignity and suppress this matter


    based on that fact, but he did not dare to do that.


    Because the one behind Larissa was not just anyone: it was Kevan Rogers, a man who could destroy


    Summer Entertainment with just a


    flick of his fingers


    Thepany was his own little kingdom that he had spent more than hall his life building and fighting


    for. He could not just stand by and watch it all fall apart.


    But


    He only had one son, even if he was an idiot that made him worry for over 20 years with his only knackContent is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    for causing trouble.


    If Jay could have had more children, he would never have bothered to wrack his brains for solutions to


    protect or suffer all sorts of


    humitation for his son.


    ¡°Get your f ucking as s out here right now!¡± He red hard at Dorian in the bedroom


    Dorian was stunned for a moment before he slowly realized that his dad was shouting at him.


    ¡°Dad ¡ª What¡¯s wrong? Even though his mind was addled by alcohol, he still sensed the oing


    danger.


    The security guards moved away wisely at this time.


    Jay shot over to his son, his nimbleness looking nothing like that of a man who was almost reaching his


    seventies.


    Several smacks could be heard as he pped Dorian several times. None of the blows were merciful


    and they cracked loudly in the air.


    Dorian¡¯s fatty cheeks ji ggled from the blows, and dark red handprints soon appeared.


    ¡°Who the f uck is your dad?! He is long dead! Today, I shall teach you a lesson in his stead Jay never


    acknowledged this idiot as his real son in public. It was because he felt too ashamed that he made


    Reuben and Don change their identities back then.


    Compared to the idiot of his loins, he favored his nephew-the real Dorian, who was an academically


    outstanding individual since he was


    young.


    Dorian held his face and began to wall for mercy. ¡°Stop it, uncle! Stop hitting me! I know I¡¯m wrong!¡± He


    immediately changed the way he addressed Jay.


    Jay then tugged on his plump ear and twisted L


    Dorian squealed in agony.


    ¡°Come!¡± Jay dragged him past the guards and led him to Larissa.


    ¡°On your knees!¡±


    1/2


    Dorian¡¯s eyes widened in shock. ¡°W-What?¡±


    He was not the only one. Even Larissa thought she had heard wrong.


    Jay kicked the back of Dorian¡¯s knees and repeated. ¡°On your knees!¡±


    With a thud, Dorian¡¯s knees mmed against the floor. As he was too heavy, and the momentum was


    too much, his body pliched lonward the moment his knees hit the floor. Luckily, Larissa was able to


    move away in time so that he did not crash on top of her.


    However. Der an crashed embaras singly into the llop.

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    Chapter 244


    hapter 244


    ¡°Ow!¡± He wailed from the pain as he struggled to get up, only seeding somewhat after Jay yanked


    him up by the back of his neck.


    ¡°Apologize to Ms. Seymour¡± Jay ordered him.


    With the ordeal he had gone through, Dorian¡¯s face was already wet with tears and s not. He did not


    dare to go against Jay¡¯s order. Even though he was unwilling, he did as he was told. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry. Ms.


    Seymour!¡±


    Larissa could not hear any hint of sincerity in his voice.


    ¡°Ms. Seymour, if you¡¯re angry, feel free to hit or shout at him if you wish.¡± Jay said.


    Larissa did not understand why Jay would go this far. From their briet acquaintance at the Seymour


    family home, Jay hade across as an assertive person who would persist even when he was in the


    wrong.


    ¡°No need.¡± Larissa replied, refusing his offer. She believed that someone like Dorian, whom she


    considered trash, couldn¡¯t be adequately punished through mere beatings or scoldings.


    Circling around them, she went back to the bedroom. Jay watched her with confusion, ¡°Ms. Seymour,


    what are you doing?¡±


    Larissa did not reply to Jay¡¯s question but instead turned to the security guards and instructed them,


    ¡°Watch them. Don¡¯t let theme inside.¡±


    She shut the door before removing the micro camera from the TV stand, carefully depositing it into the


    jacket pocket.


    She could not let Jay or Dorian see her doing this, or they would never let her take it away.


    With the micro camera secured, Larissa went outside. Dorian was still kneeling on the ground while Jay


    was beating the s hit out of him, causing Dorian to shriek and howl as he said. Tm sorry, uncle! I was


    wrong! I swear I never do it again. Please, forgive me!¡±


    Jay nced at Larissa and yelled. ¡°What¡¯s the point of forgiving you? You didn¡¯t hurt me. You hurt Ms.


    Seymour! Maybe you should just go to jail for some proper rehabilitation and learn how to be a better


    person!¡±


    Larissa knew all too well that Jay was not being genuine. It was just a brick to make her soften her


    heart towards them


    Pretending not to have seen or heard anything, Larissa tugged her assistant with her, and they left the


    suite together,


    ¡°Ms. Seymour! Jay called out anxiously as he attempted to chase after her, but the group of security


    guards stopped him.


    Larissa handed the micro camera over to the police, who only got here half an hourter. The thing was


    running when she got it, and it


    was still in recording mode.


    She did not need to say more about the incident. The police would understand the moment they saw


    the footage. Therefore, even if Dorian led and denied his crimes, no one would believe him, Larissa


    was only able to go home after having yet another grueling ordeal at the


    police station.


    The living room lights were on, but no one was home.


    The entrance hall was devoid of Kevan¡¯s shoes, and his cotton slippers were in their original spot in the


    shoe cab.


    He was still not back yet even though it was sote?


    Well this was not anything new anyway.


    Since they married, he frequently stayed outte and smelled of alcohol, but kiss marks and perfumes


    never showed up again.


    If Kevan was not yet home, who turned on the lights?


    ¡°Kevan?¡± Larissa called from the entrance hall, but no one responded.


    She felt for her phone in her bag and discovered that the ballery had depleted. Once her phone was


    charged up enough to turn back on


    the screen immediately disyed several missed call notifications, and they all came from the same


    person.Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 245

    Chapter 245


    Chapter 245


    Larissa had been wondering how her phone could have shut off with 50% battery remaining. Il turned


    out that it was because of Kevan¡¯s


    He normally never called her, only sending a text via WhatsApp when he wasing homete but


    today¡­


    He probably had something important to do. Otherwise, he would not have called her so many times.


    Larissa quickly caled him back, and he answered on the first ring.


    ¡°Where are you now? Kevan¡¯s words were rushed, his voice low and cold.


    Larissa had just opened her mouth, but Kever had taken over without even giving her a chance to say


    hello.


    ¡®Im at home.¡±


    She felt inexplicably guilty from how aggressive his aura was.


    Kevan grunted in acknowledgment and his voice was gentler than before, ¡°I have something I need to


    deal with over here. Dn will find youter. Stay with him and don¡¯t go anywhere else. Wait for me to


    come home.¡±


    Larissa had a ¡°erting moment of disillusionment he seemed to have taken her for a child.


    Larissa¡¯s cheeks flushed inexplicably, and she could feel her heart racing in her chest. From the ck


    screen of the switched-off TV, she could see art smile forming on her lips in herrelection.


    She had a vegue understanding of why she reacted this way, but she did not want to think about it.


    Ten minutes after the phone call ended, Dn arrived.


    His first question was, ¡°Are you okay?¡± and his eyes were filled with concem. Clearly, he already knew


    what had happened to her at the


    hotel which meant that Kevan knew too.


    So when he mentioned having something important to attend to during the phone. Larissa couldn¡¯t help


    but suspect it was likely rted Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    to her.


    Whenever Larissa was facing Dn, she was always rxed.


    He had an uncanny ability to make one open their hearts to him-even if one was unfamiliar with him,


    ¡°Not really,¡± she admitted. ¡°Even though Dorian failed, I¡¯m still pretty shaken up. Besices, I feel really


    scared when i think of someone deliberately trying to hurt me out there.¡±


    ¡°Deliberately? How so?¡± Dn frowned.


    Larissa told him about the micro camera she found in Dorian¡¯s room.


    ¡°He probably wanted to capture footage to use as leverage against me.¡±


    ¡°Not necessarily to have leverage over you.¡± Dn¡¯s hown deepened. ¡®Kevan recently pillered a lot of


    people from Summer Entertainment.


    This could be an act of revenge from the Coles.¡±


    That was the first time Larissa had heard of something like this.


    *The Cole father and son duo went to Microworks to lind Kevan this morning. But he did not meet them


    and even got security to kick them


    out.¡±


    The Living room became silent after Dn spoke,


    Larissa contemted this possibility seriously. Gven Jay¡¯s reaction to Dorian and her, he was likely


    unaware of this n Put Dorian did not seem like the type to get back at Kevan either, no matter how


    she looked at it.


    ¡°I still believe that they¡¯re targeting me.¡± She maintained her view.


    Dn pursed his Ips. ¡°We¡¯ll have an urate conclusion once Kevan gets back from the police


    stallon.¡±


    I was two hourster when Kevan gol home.


    ¡°What did they say?¡± Dn asked eagerly


    Kevan did not answer his question but took a good look at Larissa. He asked, ¡°Are you hurt?¡±


    Larissa shook her head. ¡°No,¡±

 Chapter 246

    Chapter 246


    Kevan¡¯s care suddenly focused on her wrists and Larissa lollowed his gare. Only then did she discover


    the dark red marks from Dorian¡¯s grip on her earlier. The marks were obvious due to how far her skin


    was,


    Kevan¡¯s gaze carkened, and it was a little sinister how dark it got


    Larissa shuddered involuntarily as he took two steps forward, grabbing her arm to raise it. He then


    asked in a low voice. ¡°Cole did this?¡±


    Larissa did not need to lie. ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Biting his ip, Kevan asked again. ¡°Does it hurt?¡±


    Larissa¡¯s mind wert nk as she found hersell captivated by his mesmenting eyes. In a daar, she


    replied, ¡°Yeah.¡± Her voice was soll with a hint of hurt. It sounded very much like she was trying to seek


    attention from him. When Larissa came back to her senses, she was chagrined. What on earth had she


    done?


    Kevan¡¯s eyes narrowed, and the cold auraing from sim grew heavier. He pushed her onto the s


    and retrieved a first aid kit to treat her wrists. While he was applying some soothing cream, he finally


    remembered Dn, ¡°Reuben confessed and gave a name. It¡¯s not Jay.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure they¡¯re telling the truth?¡± Dn did not quite believe him.


    ¡°Wait-¡± Larissa interrupted them with confusion. ¡°What? Reuben? Wasn¡¯t it supposed to be Dan?¡±


    These two Cole cousins werepletely different from each other. Once you had met them, there was


    no way you could confuse them.


    ¡°The one you met today is the real Reuben, Jay¡¯s biogical son.¡± Kevan patiently exined to her. ¡°Jay


    is the type to care a lot about his reputation and image. He feared that people wouldugh at how st


    upid his son is, so he publicly switched his nephew¡¯s identity for his


    son¡¯s.¡±


    Larissa suddenly recalled that Reuben-no. I should be Dorian, who told her that the Cole family had


    many untold secrets back at the Seymour family home. She supposed this was one of them.


    She nodded twice to show her understanding.


    Kevan continued to answer Dn¡¯s question, ¡°I can tell they were lying.¡± In order to survive in that


    large,plicated family, histher sent him abroad te barn about micro-expresslors with an expert in


    the field.


    Dn naturally thought of this too. ¡°Then what name did Reuben give? Who is it?¡±


    Kevan looked at Larissa who panicked, a sense of dread engulfing her,


    ¡°They¡¯re rted to Larissa?¡± Dn asked.


    Kevan simply gave the answer. ¡°It was Lana.¡±


    Larissa was surprised, and yet she was also not


    The Seymours anginally tried to facilitate a marriage between her and the Cole family. It was because


    of Kevan¡¯s sudden visitst time that they missed the opportunity, so they probably were not willing to


    give up.


    However, Lana still did this with the knowledge that she had married Kevan Did she think that Kevan


    would divorce her once Reuben had tanted her?


    ¡°Who put the micro camera there? Dn asked again.


    Larissa really wanted to know too.


    ¡°Reuben said that Lana gave it to him and told him in put it in the room. The police checked. The


    lootage from the camera will be instantly sent to the cloud, and you can check it by simply logging in to


    your ount on aputer. They also managed to obtain a set of IP addresses that visited the cloud


    recently, and it¡¯s bum Microworks¡¯ Internalwork¡±


    The evidence of the cloud being essed from within Microworks¡¯ internalwork provided lurther


    support for the im of Lana¡¯s involvement.


    ¡°With an urate set of IP addresses, we¡¯d be able to determine whichputer II was, right?¡±


    Microworks was the country¡¯s top ITpany, and they had the best technicians. Checking an IP


    address would only take a lew minutes.


    Yes. It¡¯s aputer operated by StreamWave. He says he has no idea about this.¡±N?velDrama.Org owns this.

 Chapter 247

    Chapter 247


    StreamWave


    It was clearer and clearer who the culprit was.


    As for why it was an operationalputer Lana was probably afraid they might trace it back to her. But


    this diversion was useless as the only person in StreamWave who had a connection to Reuben was


    her.


    ¡°Did the police find Lana yet?¡±


    ¡°They did, but Lana denied it. She said that Reuben was framing her. There isn¡¯t any direct evidence to


    prove that she¡¯s the one using the ount so the police can¡¯t do anything about he


    One was innocent until proven guilty. Even if everyone know what was up, no one could punish her


    with thew, not to mention that Lana¡¯s n was well-considered.


    Reuben tried to provide his chat history with her to prove that he was telling the truth, but he could not


    produce his phone, Even after he had tumed the hotel room upside down, there was no sign of his


    phone


    N?velDrama.Org owns this.


    Based on his memory, he never used his phone again after Lana got someone to deliver the camera.


    The police promptly requested all survence footage of the hotel lobby and alliders, locusing on


    identifying the individual described by Reuben. However, the person in question wore a cap and a


    mask, making it difficult to obtain a clear view of their face.


    Regrettably, the trail of clues came to an abrupt end.


    The only good news was Reuben was officially charged with the offense of attempted sexual assault.


    Regardless of his excuses, such as iming to have acted under someone¡¯s instigation or being


    intoxicated, he could not apsolve himself of his crimes.


    Even if the Coles found the best da mnwyer, the only thing they could do was to light for a lesser


    sentence.


    It waste. As Larissa was shaken up, she relumed to her room, yawning, after she saw Dyan off.


    Soon Kevan entered her room with a


    ss of milk in his hand.


    ¡°Drink this before you sleep¡±


    The mik was warm and was just right to be consumed. ttered, Larissa thanked Kevan and drained


    the ss in hort of him.


    Kevan took back the now empty ss with milk stains while Larissa went to lie down. Less than five


    minutester, she was knocked out.


    Kevan cleared the ss before returning to check on her. Once he was certain that she was deeply


    asleep, he left with a sense of relief. The hall-dose seesing pill he had slipped into the milk seemed to


    work wonderfully.


    He sat in the living room and video-called Dn.


    It took forever for him to answer, When he finally appeared on the screen, he was half-naked, and the


    ends of his hair were wet.


    *Dude.¡± He was pis sed. ¡°Can you just finish say ng everything at once? I¡¯m in the middle of a f ucking


    shower, and suddenly you just


    video call me


    Kevan ignored hisint and said, ¡°Remind Sharon to tell herpany to pay the rest of the taxes


    within hall of this month, including the artist studios under herpany. Those who have financial


    problems should have them solved within this timeframe.¡±


    Dn grew serious at once. ¡°Within the half of this month What are you nning to do?¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡± Kevan replied. ¡°But after hall of the month, his eyes narrowed dangerously as he continued,


    ¡°There will be a massive, earth- sha ttening event that will rock the entertainment industry.¡±


    Shocked. Dyan reminded him, ¡°Bro, take it easy mu nt Just messing up Summer Entertainment is fine.


    Don¡¯t escte things further, Once you¡¯ve made too many enemies, you¡¯ll have problems hanging


    around in the Industry¡±


    ¡°Since when have I hung around in the industry? Kevan responded nonchntly. He always kept to


    himself and rarely engaged with all those bosses through social engagements apart from work,

 Chapter 248

    Chapter 248


    Chapter 248


    Kevan was not marginalized because of that. On the contrary, everyone wanted to curry favor with him.


    Dn knew that once Kevan had decided on something, no one could convince him to give up. Either


    way, he still tried and did exactly what a good friend would have done. This was as far as he could go.


    But there was one more thing ¡ª


    ¡°Why am I the one to remind Sharon? It¡¯s not like you don¡¯t have her phone number!¡± Dn lost his


    temper.


    Kevan said lightly. ¡°She¡¯s your fianc¨¦e, not mine. If you don¡¯t want to remind her, then forget it. I won¡¯t


    even need to give out the timeframe


    of hall a month, which is even better.¡±


    Without waiting for Dn to react. Kevan ended the video call


    Dn was so mad that he was gritting his teeth and shouted several strings of profanity. He sulkily


    called Sharon¡¯s number after he had


    calmed down.


    The next day at work, Larissa was summoned by the general manager. He was waiting for her in his


    office, rubbing his hands with an


    unnatural smile on his face.


    Larissa¡¯s heart skipped a beat and she immediately became highly alert


    ¡°I heard about what happenedst night.¡± The general manager put out a look of concem. ¡°You¡¯ve


    suffered a grievance, and it¡¯s natural for you to seek justice. I do support you, but¡± He paused, looking


    a little ufortable. ¡°You are the hotel¡¯s housekeeping manager as well as my choice of candidate to


    seed in my position. I hope you can take the hotel into consideration, Summer Entertainment has


    coborated with Regal Dynasty for several years and is one of our biggest clients. The annual profit


    they create for us is quite significant


    Larissa could not be bothered to mince words with him. ¡°Mr. Compton, just tell me what you want me to


    do.¡±


    The general manager inhaled and lowered his gaze, probably out of regret.


    ¡°Mr. Cole came to me early in the morning and said that he wanted to settle things with you privately.


    He is willing to pay you a hugepensation as long as you agree to withdraw yourwsuit.¡±


    ¡°How much is he willing to pay? Larissa was interested,


    Jay had been unwilling to pay live million for the dowry then. This time she wanted to see how much


    Jay thought his biological son¡¯s


    future was worth.


    This question stumped Mr. Compton.


    I don¡¯t know¡± he said. ¡°You¡¯d have to discuss it with Mr. Cole.¡±


    Larissa really went to find Jay


    Jay was rather generous. ¡°Name your price.¡±


    Larissa made an exorbitant demand. ¡°Five billon.¡± She just heard from Dnst night that Microworks


    paid five billion inpensation for all the top talents they had pilfered from Summer Entertainment.


    Jay¡¯s expression shifted immediately, but he did his best to contain his rage.


    ¡°I really can¡¯t take out five billion for you. How about this. He negotiated with her. ¡°I pay you 50 million,


    alright?¡±


    Larissa got up to leave. ¡°Mr. Cole, if you¡¯re not sincere and are not capable of paying, then don¡¯t ask to


    discuss this with me. I can¡¯t afford to waste your precious time.¡±


    ¡°Larissa!¡± Jay quickly caught up with her, ¡°Can¡¯t you let Dorian off for the sake of your aunt and Mr.


    Seymour?¡±


    Larissaughed. ¡°Il I really did do it for their sakes, I would have made Reuben stay in jail forever! Also,


    Mr. Cole, I¡¯m aware of your family¡¯s trivial matter. If you continue to harass me or force my superior to


    pressure me, I Texpose your son¡¯s true identity. By then-¡± She dragged out thest word. ¡°Your


    reputation must be even worse than before, hmm


    ¡°Your¡± Jay¡¯s eyes widened from his re as his face began to twitch from his fury.


    ¡°You canin about me to Mr. Compton or threaten him with never coborating with our hotel


    ever again.¡± Larissa straightened up. litting her chin. Her attitude was neither humble nor submissive.


    Im not afraid. The worst that could happen to me is to get fired. you¡¯re capable of doing so, feel free to


    let every singlepany in the country know that they should never ever hire me.¡±Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 249

    Chapter 249


    Chapter 249


    Larissa lelt Jay¡¯s room, fully aware that she mightce termination by the general manager. However,


    she was not afraid of this oue. Jay might have the power to cost her job, but he was not able to do


    whatever he liked in Covenford..


    With her credentials and skills, finding another job in the industry wouldn¡¯t be difficult for Larissa.


    Surprisingly, the whole aftemoon passed without anymunication from the general manager,


    Larissa did not know if it was because Jay had notined about her or if he didin and the


    general manager chose to overlook


    the matter.


    But regardless of whichever it was, she did not care.


    Not long after she clocked out Larissa received a phone call from Zero, whom she had met for a


    long time.


    ¡°My Lady Luck, you free tonight? You cool with supper?¡±


    Zero rarely called her out for a hangout, so Larissa could not find it in herself to reluse her.


    ¡°Sure. Send me the address.¡±


    Supper was at a Southern-style diner that sold greasy lood. But Zero ate pasta instead which was


    strangely nd for her caling habits.


    Tve recently gotten quite a bit of e, so I¡¯m taking it easy with heavy foods for now,¡± Zrro exined.


    is it because of makeup allergy or what? Larissa asked based on what she was told. ¡°Did you check it


    out at the hospita?


    ¡°No.¡± Zero pursed her lips as she touched her face. ¡°I¡¯m just angry, but I haven¡¯t got any ce tosh


    out so it turned into e instead.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Larissa was curious.


    Zero was pretty chill when she was not gaming, so it was rare to see her angry. To be so angry to the


    point that she had e clear that this was no smal matter.


    ¡°It¡¯s those two knuckleheads! Dark Knight and Best! F ucking as sholes!¡± Zero huffed even as she


    shoved a mouthful of sd into her


    mouth.


    The names Dark Knight and BestM were somewhat familiar to Larissa. After a bit of recalling. she


    realized that they were the anchors


    under Lana.


    Was


    ¡°Ever since they¡¯ve surpassed me in all sorts of rankings, they keeping to show off their results. I


    just don¡¯t understand, if they have so much free time, why don¡¯t they practice more with their gaming


    skills? They y so badly. Who on earth even let them ve-stream? Zero chewed or her sd which


    garbled her speech as she ranted.


    Ruffling her hair. Larissaforted her. ¡°Rx. What¡¯s important for a game streamer is their gaming


    skills, With those two, they have nothing if they don¡¯t have an agent like Lana.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s precisely because they depend on Lara le deliver their results that they¡¯ve been able to take


    advantage of the tform and its resources!¡± Zero¡¯s face was red, but it was hard to tel if it was from


    her anger or the heat Inside the diner.


    Larissa began to understand. ¡°They¡¯ve taken your resources too?¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡± Zero nodded sulkily. ¡°It¡¯s the anniversary of Ballegrounds of Champions, and the organizers are


    holding an exhipton match. They¡¯ve invited renowned yers from around the world. Including many of


    my idols. Since StreamWave will be responsible or live- streaming the entirepetition, the gaming


    company made an exception and allowed two of thepany¡¯s anchors to participate.


    ¡°You know that I started as a professional yer, and my skills are top-notch at StreamWave. A few


    days ago, the website formed me about participating, but today they suddenly loud me that the


    participants are now Dark Knight and Basi All because they are endorsers of Yenti n, and Yenli n


    are thepelllion¡¯s biggest sponsors.¡±


    Larissa naturaly felt sorry for Zero, but this sort of thing was one of themon implct rules of the


    industry. Having worked for a long time, Larissa had witnessed many simr urrences, and she had


    grown ustomed to them. As a result, she did not react as strongly as Zero did.


    ¡°Honestly, I¡¯m not angry because they took away the resources that should have been mine. It¡¯s just


    that thispetition is my one and


    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    only chance to share the same stage as my idols and if I miss Lit¡¯s gone forever.¡± Zero was unusually


    despondent


    ¡°Is there no way to try fighting for an extra spot? Larissa asked.

 Chapter 250

    Chapter 250


    Chapter 250


    StreamWave was the exclusive tform for live-streaming thepetition, so both parties would be


    coborating closely. If StreamWave requested aver from them, the organizers would be obligated to


    comply.


    ¡°Raina already asked. They said there¡¯s a limit to the total number of participants, and they¡¯ve already


    arranged thepetition schedule. so they can¡¯t forcibly stick in an extra person.¡¯ Zero let out a long


    sigh before pushing an extra serving of steak toward Larissa ¡°Do eat more, Larissa! Let¡¯s enjoy the


    meal and stop thinking about such sad things!¡±


    Larissa spent nearly two hours with Zero, When they emerged from the diner, they were pretty much


    stuffed.


    ¡°Huh? Isn¡¯t that Lana? Zero eximed as she lugged on Larissa¡¯s down jacket¡¯s sleeve.


    Following where her finger was pointing, Larissa saw Lans and a man entering the high-end restaurant


    across the street. She did not get a good look at the man¡¯s face due to how dark it was, but she was


    sure that it was not Lucas.


    ¡°Hmm, that guy next to Lana looks kinda familiar Zero Irowned as she tried to remember. It wasn¡¯t until


    she got into Larissa¡¯s car that she smacked her thigh in triumph and eximed, ¡°I remember now!


    That¡¯s the guy from LuminoLive! He tried to get me to join themst time, but I refused.¡±


    Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    LuminoLive was the only live-streaming tform that could rival StreamWave. The country¡¯s most


    popr anchors were predominantly on these two tforms. Seeing someone having a meal with


    Lana, it was obvious what it meant. However, it remained unclear whether LuminoLive was attempting


    to poach Lana or il Lana hersell wanted to jump ship.


    ¡°Hang on


    ¡ª


    FII


    Zero suddenly became serious. ¡°Il Lana wants to jump ship then those two anchors under her will


    definitely follow. they¡¯re only leaving after thepetition then that¡¯s really f ucking shameless!¡¯ She


    was angrier than before. ¡°No way! Tve got to tell Raina and get her to tell the higher-ups about this!


    ¡ª


    Larissa stopped her. It¡¯s fine to tell Raina about this, but don¡¯t ask her to find the higher-ups yet. Lana is


    just having a meal with the guy from Luminal ive. She may not necessarily be jump ng ship. If you


    report her rashly like this, she may retaliate.¡±


    ¡°Then thepetition Zero only cared about the exibition match now.


    ¡°When is 17 Larissa asked.


    ¡°A week before the new year.¡±


    So there was still about a week¡¯s time left from now, Larissa had a feeling that Lana would not stay for


    that long in StreamWave, because Kevan would strike at her for yesterday¡¯s events.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, You¡¯ll be able to participate in thepetition.¡±


    Zero just took that as Larissaforting her, so she forced a smile and said. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Ater Larissa dropped Zero off at her home, it was almost 11 pm when she finally arrived at her own


    home.


    Surprisingly, Kewan was not yet asleep and was sliting in the living room, drinking water and watching


    boring news on TV.


    Larissa had already reported to him beforehand about the supper. When he heard the sound of the


    door opening, he nced over and


    asked, ¡°Did you eat well?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it was fine. Larissa changed her shoes and went to sit next to him instead of going to her


    bedroom.


    Kevan was a bit surprised. He picked up the remote and turned off the TV.


    ¡°Do you need something?¡±


    He could not think of any other reason that would lead her to seek him out.

 Chapter 251

    Chapter 251


    hapter 251


    ¡°I saw Lana today. Larissa spoke very slowly, and her voice was hesitant.


    Before speaking, she was unsure if she should tell him about what happened tonight. However, she


    also felt that if Lana was really going to jump ship. StreamWave should be informed in advance to be


    prepared. Otherwise, the two participation spots given to her small anchors would be for naught


    Kevan misunderstood her though. ¡°She tried locking lor trouble with you?¡± His eyes ginted dangerously,


    and his voice was sin sterly cold.


    ¡°No, no.¡± Larissa quickly waved her hands. ¡°I saw her, but she didn¡¯t see me.¡±


    Kevan¡¯s coldness vanished at once. ¡°So?¡± In the end he was as calm as he was before.


    Larissa licked he lips. ¡°She was eating with someone from LuminoLive. That guy tried to recruit Zero


    before


    She broke all at this point, and Kevan picked up where she left off. ¡°So you think that he wants to


    recruit Lana too?¡±


    Larissa nodded minutely.


    Kevan recrossed his legs, his face remaining unchanged. ¡°Lana is not so important to StreamWave


    that I would do anything to prevent her from jumping ship.¡±


    ¡°But she mayke her anchors with her.¡±


    ¡°Those two anchors heh,¡± Kevan smirked, his mockery clear to see. ¡°They only got the ranking they did


    because of Lucas¡¯ money. The total number of their true fans probably doesn¡¯t even amount to a


    fraction of Zero¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s precisely those two lousy anchors with a few fans who stole her rightful spol in the


    Battlegrounds of Champions exhibition match.


    ¡°Larissa could not help but stand up for Zero.


    Kevan¡¯s eyes narrowed as he turned to study her with an ambiguous smile on hisce.


    ¡°So you said so much for so long just because of this?


    Having been found out, Larissa panicked. She locked down and mumbled, ¡°Yesh.¡±


    ¡°Therefore, you want me to help Zero get a spot for the exhibition match? Kevan a ssed.


    Larissa never thought of doing so. She knew that she did not have that much pull with him, so she did


    not dare to bother him with this


    sort of thing.


    ¡°No.¡± Larissa released a bitter exhale from within. ¡°I just wanted you to keep an eye on Lana¡¯s recent


    movements. Il she really w


    really wants to Jump ship, Streamwave could still take back the two spots and prevent any significant


    losses.¡±


    ¡°So, in the end, you¡¯re doing this for Zero.¡± Kevan chuckled, but the mirth did not reach his eyes. His


    gaze remained on his ices, his expression apathetic. I got it and I¡¯ll send somecre to keep an eye on


    Lana. As for the participation spot in the exhibillon malch, I¡¯ll try getting an extra one from the game


    company. Anything else?¡±


    His inexplicable dejection scared Larissa


    ¡°No. Thank you.¡± She discreetly shifted to the side and pushed herself up with the sofa¡¯s armiesi. Til be


    heading to bed now.¡±


    ¡°Larissa¡± Kevan suddenly called her.


    Larissa paused and turned back nervously. ¡°Yeah?¡±


    Kevan¡¯s expression was not as bad as she thought. On the contrary, he c ocked a brow and leased, ¡°I


    gave you such a big help, and you only have a ¡®thank you for me?


    Larissa reacted immediately. ¡°I treat you to a meal when you¡¯re free. You get to pick the alion


    Kevan was dissatisfied with her suggestion. ¡®Do I realy need a meal from you?¡± The  in his voice


    was close to bursting out of the


    apartment.


    Larissa changed track pretty fast. Til buy something you like?¡±


    ¡°Do you think that I can¡¯t buy it myself?¡±


    1/2


    Chapter 251


    Larissa had no words for that.


    ¡°Just say it, then.¡± She gave up trying to guess what he was thinking. ¡°What do you want?¡±


    Kevan suddenly got up from the s, stuck his hands into his pockets, and walked slowly toward her.


    His tall stature gave her great pressure as she was pretty much left in his shadow, Larissa anxiously


    clenched her fists.


    Kevan¡¯s voice sounded from above her head. ¡°You¡¯ll give me anything I want?¡±


    Larissa fixed her gaze on the button on Kevan¡¯s chest as she spoke without presence, ¡°It can¡¯t be too


    much.-.¡±


    She saw Kevan raise his right hand in her peripheral until he was holding her chin, forcing her to lock


    eyes with him. His dark eyes were


    gleaming with something.


    ¡°How about.¡± He leaned down and kissed her.


    It was as it something had exploded in her brain. Larissa froze, and all manner of coherent thought


    vanished, Her eyes widened in shock her pupils dting even as she stared at the man before her in


    disbelief.


    Kevan skillfully slipped past her teeth, and the kiss felt like it was going on forever. Kevan took things a


    step further when he saw that Larissa did not resist hugging her to him with his left hand.


    His blood thrummed in his veins, and his breathing quickened.


    When cool fingers touched her. Larissa snapped back to reality. She quickly grabbed his arm and


    tugged down hard. Having already been prepared for her to push him away at any time, Kevan let her


    go the moment she moved.


    He stood two steps away from her, involuntarily licking his lips, which caused Larissa to blush, her


    heart pounding madly. He had clearly vited her, but she did not feel disgusted in any shape or form.


    In fact, she was a little tempted, a little addicted, so much so that she


    wanted to continue.


    She thought she had probably gone mad.


    ¡°D-Do not do this anymore.¡± She turned her back on him. She wanted to speak with assertion, but it


    came out weak due to herck of


    oxygen


    ¡°Larissa.¡± Kevan watched her flustered silhouette and smiled, but his voice was a little cold due to his


    deliberate tone control. ¡°We¡¯re married. Some things must be done. I believe I have already given you


    enough time to adapt.¡±


    ¡°Our marriage is fake, remember?¡± Larissa whirled around, gazing at him in horror. ¡°We¡¯re not really


    husband and wife. We don¡¯t need to perform any marital duties¡±


    ¡°Fake marriage?¡± Kevanughed coldly. ¡°The procedure was real and the marriage certificate is real


    too. Why don¡¯t you ask the City Hall our marriage is real or fake!¡±


    Larissa was more panicked than ever. ¡°But you said that we are only pretending to marry to deal with


    your family


    ¡°It¡¯s true that we¡¯re doing this to deal with my family. But since I¡¯ve married you, I never had the


    intention to divorce.¡± Kevan slowly loomed over her even as his voice grew deeper and lower. ¡°So, you


    will be my only wile. Hence, it¡¯s natural for you to cooperate with me.¡± He


    pulled her hand over.Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 252

    Chapter 252


    Chapter 252


    The heat permeated through the thin fabric and warmed Larissa¡¯s palm, it was so intense that it


    bordered on scorching, making her take shallow breaths in response.


    ¡°You ¨C Larissa started to be incoherent. Her tongue seemed to be all twisted up, and she could


    not utter aplete sentence at all


    She curled up her fingers in an attempt to escape the source of the heal.


    Kevan grunted before taking a deep breath. ¡°Larissa.¡± He did his best to control himself, just barely


    forcing himself to speak in a h oar se voice. ¡°I¡¯m a normal man.¡± He gazed at her with red eyes.


    The kiss on his neck appeared in Larissa¡¯s mind, and the smell of the thick Chanel 5 perfume seemed


    to surround Larissa at that moment.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you have a lover out there?¡± Jealous words escaped her as the fluster from before vanished


    entirely. She pressed her lips tightly together, and a faint hint of anger could be seen in her eyes.


    Kevan froze for a moment before a mischievous smile appeared on his face. ¡°Are you jealous?¡± he


    asked.


    Larissa turned away to avoid his intense stare. Her voice was high out of guilt. ¡°Who said I¡¯m jealous!


    She swiftly withdrew her hand, keeping her head bowed low. ¡°Anyway if you have any needs, go find


    your lover. Our rtionship has only ever been one of mutual benefit.¡±


    Atraid that he would catch her again, Larissa ran away the moment she finished speaking. When she


    reached her bedroom door, she heard him say. ¡°That may not be quite true.¡±


    Kevan¡¯s ambiguous and unclear words stirred up a whirlwind of emotions within Larissa, awakening a


    sense of romantic longing deep within her.


    The next morning, she left her room with dark circles under her eyes. The first thing she saw was the


    comical sight of Kevan wearing a shirt and tie as well as the floral apron she brought up from her


    apartment downstairs.


    ¡°I made breakfast. Eat before you go.¡± His smile was light, and his voice gentle. Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    Larissa rubbed her eyes in disbelief and discreetly pinched herself on her thigh. The pain caused her to


    hiss quietly, making her realize that she was actually not dreaming. She couldn¡¯t help but wonder if


    Kevan was pulling on an act.


    While she was confused. Kevan took her hand and led her to the dining hall. The table held the


    breakfast that he had already made beforehand-egg bacon sandwiches and freshly squeezed orange


    juice.


    Larissa blinked as she swallowed her saliva unconsciously.


    Kevan pushed her down on a chair, removed the apron, and sal across from her. The way they were


    right now actually made them look like a regr couple. Larissa felt inexplicably at a loss, not even


    daring to look him in the eye.


    ¡°An extra spot has been secured for the exhibition match, Zero will be informed about it today.¡± Kevan¡¯s


    expression was quite natural. He took a bite of his sandwich before drinking some orange juice, a


    complete air of casualness about him.


    Larissa did not expect his work efficiency to be so high,


    ¡°Tha¡ª¡°Recalling what happenedst night, Larissa cut hersell off and swallowed the rest of her thanks


    ¡°Okay.¡± She picked up her sandwich.


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you thanking me? Kevan asked her on purpose.


    Gritting her teeth, Larissa replied as calmly as she could, ¡°Already didst night.¡±


    ¡°True.¡± Kevan nodded before saying enigmatically. ¡°However, there will be many more instances in


    which you have to thank me in the future. You¡¯d better prepare yourself.¡±


    Larissa¡¯s heart sk ipped a beat, but her expression remained cold as she said, ¡°Future matters can be


    spoken about in the future.¡± Kevan smiled. ¡°Sure.¡±

 Chapter 253

    Chapter 253


    Chapter 253


    +


    As they were about to leave. Larissa noticed that Kevan had packed a portion of breast with him.


    ¡°It¡¯s for Dn¡± he exined.


    After dropping Larissa off at the hotel, Kevan sent a WhatsApp text to Dn. ¡°Come to my officeter.


    I¡¯ve brought you breast.¡±


    Dn sent back several lines of question marks. ¡°Has the sun risen from the west today?¡± he asked.


    Kevan snerted coldly. ¡°If you don¡¯t want it, that¡¯s fine.¡± He tossed his phone onto the passenger¡¯s seat


    and started the car again. As he drove his phone kept vibrating with notifications. When he finally had a


    moment to look, he saw that the screen was lilled with Dn¡¯s


    responses.


    ¡°DONNNT!¡±


    TM SORRY!


    ¡°MR, ROGERS!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, okay???¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the kindest f ucking angel on this earth!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re my role model for life!¡±


    Tm at your office sir!


    ¡°Ready to wee you at any moment, sir!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t panic, and drive safely!¡±


    ¡°Much love and kisses!¡±


    When he imagined thest four wordsing out of Dn¡¯s mouth, Kewan nearly threw up his


    breakfast


    Dn was indeed waiting for Kevan in his office, just as he had mentioned, and he enthusiastically


    weed him, particrly the


    breast in his hands.


    ¡°As expected of Mr. Rogers¡¯ culinary skills.¡± he eximed, gobbling up the sandwiches and sipping on


    the coffee delivered by the secretary. ¡°But,¡± he added, still confused, ¡°are you in Ik e a super good


    mood today? Forget making breakfast yourself, but actually


    bringing me a portion?¡±


    He would never dare to think of something like this if it was under the usual circumstances.


    ¡°It¡¯s not too bad, I suppose.¡± Kevan said mildly, but he could not stop the smile from appearing on his


    lace, which showed just how happy


    he was.


    The only thing that could make Kevan this happy was probably rted to Larissa. Remembering what


    he had said to him, a realization sparked in Dn¡¯s head, and he startedughing. Lowering his voice,


    Dn teased him happily, ¡°What have you finally gotten intimate


    with Larissa?¡±


    ¡°Not really,¡± Kevan was still a little disappointed. ¡°But your words have rare moments of being


    urate.¡±


    ¡°Bul lshi t!¡¯ Dn spat at him.


    Kevan frowned in disgust as he drew out a piece of tissue paper to wipe off the front of his jackel. ¡°Your


    spit hasnded on my clothes.¡±


    Dn huffed coldly. ¡°What do you mean by rare moments of being urate? My words have been right


    the whole time, but you never ¨¹stened to me I told you before you can¡¯t put on airs when you¡¯re trying


    to pursue a girl You have to be gentle and considerate. Only then will she have a good impression of


    you and start liking you that way. Look at what you¡¯ve done. All you know is to throw coud looks at her


    and frequently use nasty words to mock or ridicule her. You just have to push her further away from you


    to be happy, is it?¡±


    Kevan was struck speechless by his long string of confrontations¡­


    Alter a long moment, he managed to say something to regain some standing for himsell. ¡°Well, it¡¯s as


    you said she does have leelings for


    me.¡±Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    Dn had said to him after watching the lootage from the micro camera in Reuben¡¯s room. ¡°I think


    Larissa kinda likes you man. Look, she doesn¡¯t like Reuben, right? So she would think of all the ways to


    avoid his touch. But whenever you tug at her or hug her, she does not


    show a hint of revulsion.¡±


    That was why he deliberately found the opportunity to test Dn¡¯s hypothesisst night.

 Chapter 254

    Chapter 254


    Chapter 254


    ¡°My Lady Luck! You¡¯re really my Lady Luck! Zero called Larissa bright and early in the morning to


    report the good news to her. Her cheery voice wasrgely different from yesterday¡¯s despondency.


    ¡°The gamingpany really gave StreamWave an additional spot! They even said that I¡¯m the one


    who will be going!¡±


    Although she already knew beforehand from Kevan, it did not stop Larissa from being affected by


    Zero¡¯s Joy through the phone call A genuine smile appeared on herce.


    ¡°Congrattions on having what you wished for!¡±


    Zero couldn¡¯t stop giggling, probably because she was so happy about this wonderful news.


    The general manager suddenly called Larissa to attend a meeting, so she could not chat long with her.


    She simply congratted Zero a few more times before hanging up the call,


    When Larissa entered the meeting room, she noticed that all the department managers were present.


    She let out a sigh of relief. Before attending the meeting, she had assumed that the general manager


    would fire her due to her refusal toply with his requests and rejecting Jay¡¯s offer of a private


    settlement


    But the cold atmosphere in the meeting room still made her tense up. This meeting was held due to a


    trending tweet on Twitter.


    The Tweeter was a travelogue writer with around 400 thousand fans. He traveled to different cities and


    stayed in various hotels as part of


    his work


    In the early hours of the morning, he uploaded a video exposing sanitation issues in numerous high-


    end hotels across the country. That sparked a great deal of discussion amongizens and caused the


    hotel industry to face a credibility crisis.


    ¡°What is noteworthy is that our hotel Covenford¡¯s Regal Dynasty, is not on the cklist,¡± the general


    manager proudly proimed, his voice brimming with confidence.


    The Tweeter had specifically named and praised several hotels that could be considered sale to stay


    in, including Covenlord¡¯s Regal Dynasty. Conversely. Bartham¡¯s Regal Dynasty Hotel was unable to


    uphold its reputation in this incident.


    ¡°As you all know. Bartham¡¯s Regal Dynasty has been in operation longer than us, mainly due to its


    location near Soaring Corporation¡¯s headquarters. They have always been more favored by the


    headquarters, having various resources given to them. But now-¡°Perhaps he could finally hold his head


    high, the general manager wore a rare smile of pride. ¡°We can finally stand up and say that they¡¯re not


    worth it!¡±


    His emotions matched the tion in his voice, and the department managers, affected by his mood,


    erupted in thunderous apuse.


    ¡°Okay, stop!¡± The general manager raised his hand, and everyone stopped pping. The meeting room


    became silent once more.


    Turning to Larissa, the general manager¡¯s eyes were filled with appreciation.


    ¡°This time, I¡¯d like to speciallymend Ms. Seymour of the housekeeping department,¡±


    The hotel had always had strict rules with regard to the hotel rooms sanitation. Every time a new janitor


    joined them, the first thing Larissa did was make them memorize all the rules and regtions. They


    were not allowed to clean the rooms if they could not learn them by rote


    Of course, rote memorization did not mean they would do things ording to the rules. It was Larissa


    who performed spot checks in random locations. It she caught someone who did not follow the rules,


    then they would be penalized and let off with a warning. If this happened three times, they would be


    fired at once


    This method of deterrence proved to be quite effective. The only drawback was that it took up too much


    of her time.


    After the incident in which Travis framed a janitor for stealing a ne, she had applied for funding


    from the brass to buy a b


    a batch of micro cameras resembling the recorders used byw enforcement police. Every Janitor on


    duty would have one on their chest, and her assistant would check the footage every day to view the


    cleaning process.


    Once this aspect of ¡°supervision¡± was implemented, all the janitors became much more conscientious.


    Larissa also increased their sry at appropriate times and would give generous rewards to the janitor


    who was picked as the ¡°best housekeeper¡± of the month. This also helped to alleviate any grievances


    they might have towards thepany¡¯s strict policies.


    Larissa smiled humbly and said, ¡°It¡¯s because you trained me well, Mr. Compton.¡±


    Chapter 254


    The general manager waved his hand and praised her back. ¡°It¡¯s you who have exceeded all


    expectations.¡± With that, he cleared his throat


    and returned to the topic at hand. Larissa, the headquarters have given the order for you to train the


    housekeeping employees in


    Bartham. It wouldst for about a week. You can go home after the meeting and pack as you leave


    tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Larissa was stunned. ¡°So sudden?¡±Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 255

    Chapter 255


    Chapter 255


    The general manager didn¡¯t even ask if she was avable to undertake the task. He frowned, ¡°Didn¡¯t I


    tell you a day in achance?


    Larissa pursed her lips and answered helplessly. ¡°Okay.¡±


    After working for so many years, Larissa had been an numerous work trips. However, she had always


    managed to avoid Barlham, and this visit marked her first time there. She would have arranged for a


    substitute if the general manager hadn¡¯t specifically requested her presence or if someone else could


    have conducted the training on her behalf.


    She packed two full suitcases since she would be there for a week. When Kevan relumed at night and


    saw the suitcases, he was rmed. He didn¡¯t even change out of his shoes. He simply ran straight into


    Larissa¡¯s bedroom.


    Larissa had an early fight the next morning, so she had an early dinner, showered, and was currently in


    bed with a face mask on.


    Kevan¡¯s sudden intrusion startled Larissa, leaving her in a state of shock Reacting sw thy, she abruptly


    got up, causing the face mask to slip down her face-all the essence on the face mask was now on her


    sheets, In a panicked te, Larissa quickly picked it up and took some tissues to wipe away the


    essence.


    Once she was done, she asked, ¡°Why are you in such a rush?¡±


    The moment Kevan saw her in a face mask, he knew he had misunderstood. Il someone were to


    escape, they wouldn¡¯t be dressed in


    pajamas with ace mask on like her.


    Soon, his pounding heart returned to normal. Then, he casually asked. ¡°Are the suitcases by the


    entrance yours?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Only then did Larissa remember that she hadn¡¯t informed him.


    Tm going to Bartham for a business trip tomorrow, and I be there for a week.¡±


    ¡°One week? Why so long? Kevan was unhappy, He linaly made the decision to get along with her afterN?velDrama.Org owns this.


    taking Dn¡¯s advice. Now that she was going to be away for a week, how could he implement his


    n?


    ¡°I was assigned to train the Regal Dynasty Hotel¡¯s housekeeping department.¡±


    Kevan saw the news today and knew why she was sent to train them. Since he couldn¡¯t stop her, the


    only way to solve this was


    ¡°I have some business in Dartham tomorrow. There have been some developments at the Microworks


    Corporation heade uarters. What


    time is your light? I¡¯ll go with you.¡±


    Kevan¡¯s request to get a ne ticket for him in the middle of the night was not an unfamiliar urence


    for Fred Jamal, his secretary. Despite thete hour, Fred had grown ustomed to such demands.


    Just as he was about to conclude the conversation aller confirming the flight dis, he heard Kevan¡¯s


    voice again.


    ¡°This time, book me a seat in the economy ss.¡±


    Fred was rmed and thought, ¡°Why is the boss suddenly so frugal? Is ourpany going bankrupt?¡±

 Chapter 256

    Chapter 256


    Chapter 256


    Larissa was surprised to see Kevan settling for an economy seat alongside her. Given his long legs, it


    appeared ufortable for him to be sealed in an economy seat with little legroom. Larissa couldn¡¯t


    bear to see him like that and offered him the seat next to the aisle.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about money. Why aren¡¯t you in first ss?¡± Larissa was puzzled. If she


    possessed the same worth as him. she would buy the entire ne for herself, let alone opt for first


    ss.


    ¡°I want to apany you,¡± Kevan answered without any hesitation. Then, he turned to stare at her. His


    gaze was filed with sincerity.


    Larissa could feel her heart briefly stop before it resumed pounding in her chest, in an effort to mask


    the ufortable feeling, she swiftly made a joke, saying, ¡°Actually, you can treat me to an upgrade.¡±


    Kevan was caught off guard by Larissa¡¯s remark, but he quickly reached for his walel. We can do it


    now.¡±


    He couldn¡¯t help but reflect on how his thought process might have been somewhat clouded yesterday.


    Why hadn¡¯t he considered this carler?


    ¡°Forget it.¡± Larissa quickly stopped him from summoning the air stewardess.


    ¡°It¡¯s just a two-hour flight. It will go by quickly,¡±


    Only a rich loclike Kevan would get an upgrade while they were already on the ne. Not only would


    he be forced to use cash, but he also wouldn¡¯t enjoy any benefits or umte his coints. Since she


    was used to economy seats, upgrading wasn¡¯t necessary if Kevan didn¡¯t feel extremely ufortable.


    Feeling Larissa¡¯s touch on his arm, Kevan suddenly thought that the once-ufortable economy seat


    no longer felt as harsh as before.


    ¡°Okay. We won¡¯t upgrade then.¡± He agreed to her suggestion.


    Just as Larissa was about to retract her hand. Kevan unexpectedly pulled it over, lily ssing it and


    intertwining their liners. With numerous passengers around them, Larissa dared not struggle too much.


    Then, she tumed to re at him. However. Kevan acted as if he didn¡¯t see it. He reclined the seat and


    closed his eyes.


    ¡°Ba stard!¡± Larissa scolded in a tiny voice while Kavar smirked imperceptibly.


    Kevan¡¯s striking appearance drew the attention of the air stewardesses, who often walked by him. As


    they passed. their eyes were naturally drawn to his face. One of the air stewardesses even went the


    extra mile and kindly offered him a nket when she noticed he was asleep. going out of her way to


    assist in dracing it over him.


    ¡°Let me do ¡°With a malicious thought in mind, Larissa deliberately shook her hand held by Kevan,


    Instantly, the air stewardess! expression darkened. However, she still gave the nket to Larissa.


    Since the airflow in the cabin was poor, Larissa¡¯s face was red from the heat. She wanted to remove


    her jacket but could break free from Kevan Fortunately, n¡¯s hands were cold. Otherwise, she would


    have used all her might to get away from him.


    Kevan wore feweryers than her, but there should stilbe at least three pieces of clothing, so he


    probably didn¡¯t need this nket. At the thought of that Larissa draped it over her own legs.


    After that, she reclined her seat. Just as she closed her eyes, Kevan asked. ¡°Where¡¯s my nket?¡±


    Larissa immediately opened her eyes and noticed his gaze fixed upon her. However, I would be more


    urate to say he was actually looking at the nket resting on her legs.


    She pulled it off and asked, ¡°Do you want th


    ¡°Yes¡± Kevan nodded.


    In a matter-of-fact tone, he replied, ¡°The air stewardess gave it to me. Why wouldn¡¯t I want it?¡±


    He seemed pleased, probably because he knew he was liked by women wherever he wer!.N?velDrama.Org owns this.

 Chapter 257

    Chapter 257


    Chapter 257


    Larissa was suddenly imitated and threw the nket on him before closing her eyes again. Then, she


    heard Kevan¡¯s chuckle. His lips were


    so close to her face that he almost kissed her ear.


    ¡°Jealous?¡± His breath grazed her skin, causing a surge of warmth to course through her. Larissa


    panicked and shot him a re in


    response.


    ¡°Who¡¯s jealous? Don¡¯t let your imagination run wild!¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Kevan was suddenly considerate. Although he said that there was still a hint of tease in his


    gaze.


    Larissa bit her lower lip and retrieved a baseball hat and eye mask from her bag. She covered herself


    with the cap and the mask before putting on her headphones. She cranked up the music to its


    maximum volume topletely iste herself from him.


    Her actions only made Kevanugh. The gentle expression in his eyes attracted many passengers.


    One passenger was even tempted to secretly take a picture but was shot a warning gaze by Kevan.


    Shocked, the passenger shuddered and put away his phone.


    At first, Larissa was just pretending to be asleep, but eventually, she really dozed off. Kevan woke her


    up before the nended. Throughout the flight, their hands remained firmly intertwined.


    When they got off the ne, Larissa was embarrassed and wanted her hand to be free, but Kevan


    strongly refused. However, practicality eventually prevailed, and Kevan reluctantly released her hand


    when pushing the suitcases with only one hand became inconvenient.


    The Regal Dynasty Hotel did not send anyone to pick Larissa up. The general manager told her to get


    a taxi and that thepany would reimburse her when she returned. So, she nned to hitchhike


    Kevan¡¯s car.


    When Larissa and Kevan exited the airport a ck Maybach with the number te 8888 came to a haltN?velDrama.Org owns this.


    before them. Then, a young man dressed in a suit stepped out of the car and greeted them with a


    respectful bow. ¡°Mr. Rogers.¡±


    Kevan responded with a slight acknowledgment, and the perceptive young man promptly took charge


    of the trolley. He moved two of Larissa¡¯srge suitcases into the trunk. Meanwhile, Kevan opened the


    car door for Larissa and told her to get in.


    ¡°To Regal Dynasty?¡± he asked her.


    Larissa nodded. ¡°Thave to meet with the hotel¡¯s housekeeping department to learn about the situation.


    I¡¯ll only start work officially


    tomomow.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°What about you? Are you going home or thepany?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to the Regal Dynasty,¡± he answered.


    ¡°For work?¡± That was the only reason Larissa could think of.


    Kevan fell silent for a moment before saying. It can be said so.¡±


    All the managers from various branches of the Regal Dynasty Hotel were part of a group chat. Larissa


    look the initiative to add the contact of the housekeeping manager from the Bartham branch that she


    had acquired from the group chat beforehand.


    They shared the same surname, so Larissa had a good impression of her even though they hadn¡¯t met.


    When they were about to reach, Larissa sent Lotus a text. Lotus then replied that she would be waiting


    at the entrance for her.


    Larissa waited ten minutes in the lobby with her two suitcases, but no one appeared. Kevan had lost


    his patience and said, ¡°Give her a call. Ask her how long we still need to wait.¡±


    Larissa made a call, but no one answered.

 Chapter 258

    Chapter 258


    Chapter 258


    Kevan beckoned a waiter over in the lobby and asked, ¡°On which floor can I find the housekeeping


    manager¡¯s office?¡±


    The waiter was taken aback by Kevan¡¯s assertiveness and timidly gestured. ¡°The oflice area is on the


    highest floor. You should and the housekeeping manager there.¡±


    ¡°Wait for me here. Il go up and take a lock,¡± Kevan instructed Larissa


    She quickly stopped him. ¡°I can go up by mysell.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure you want to bring so much up with you?¡± Kevan said as he nced at her suitcases.


    Immediately, Larissa retracted her hand and sal hark on the s.


    After that, Kevan went straight to the top floor. As he arrived, he encountered a door that served as the


    entrance to the office area, which required a card for ess.


    Kevan made a cal, and the general manager of Bartham¡¯s Regal Dynasty Hotel came out to wee


    him.


    ¡°Mr. Rogers!¡± eximed the general manager with a ttening smile as he extended his hand. Only


    then did he remember Kevan had severe clearliness issues and promptly withdrew his hand.


    ¡°To what do we owe the honor?¡±


    Kevan replied indifferently, ¡°I¡¯m here to find someone.¡±


    It was an unexpected answer, so the manager asked, ¡°May I know who you¡¯re lookingr?¡±


    ¡°Is the housekeeping manager here?¡± Kevan¡¯s expression darkened, causing the general manager to


    be visibly appalled and break


    into a sweat


    ¡°Do you have any leedback regarding the room? Feel free to provide yourments directly to me. I¡¯ll


    arrange a meeting with the housekeeping department to address the issues. I¡¯l make sure they learn


    from their mistakes.¡±


    ¡°I do have somements regarding your housekeeping.¡± Kevan coldly stated while ring at him.


    ¡°Go and prepare a report about the matter on Twitter. I expect a detailed exnation within the next


    hour.¡±


    The general manager sensed an impending faintness, desperately wishing to sumb to it and evade


    the ruthless meeting scheduled within the next hour. Anyone who had ever worked with Kevan knew


    how scary he was when he was angry.


    ¡°However, it¡¯s a private matter for me to meet the housekeeping manager. You just have to tell me


    where she is.¡± Kevan added.


    The general manager regained hisposure and answered, ¡°Ms. Seymour should be in her office.


    She¡¯s preparing to wee the trainer from Covenford.¡±


    Kevan sneered when he heard that causing the general manager to shudder. He didn¡¯t understand the


    meaning behind his sneer.


    Later, the general manager escorted Kevan to the office area of the housekeeping department.


    Everyone was gathered together and


    chatting.


    ¡°Ms. Seymour, hasn¡¯t the representative from Covenlord arrived yet?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s here, downstairs in the lobby,¡± stated the woman in the middle, leisurely painting her nails, her


    tone filled with pride. ¡®She called me multiple times and sent me so many texts, but i don¡¯t even bother


    to respond.¡±


    ¡°Hahahaha! Ms. Seymour, you¡¯re amazing!¡±


    ¡°You did wel!


    ¡°We should show her how powerful we are so that they won¡¯t bully us!¡±


    The other employees agreed with her.Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

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    The general manager sensed a sudden chill in the air and cautiously nced at Kevan, only to find that


    he was staring at Lotus. His gaze was ominously dark and unsettling.


    ¡°Ms. S The general manager wanted to interrupt the group but was stopped by Kevan


    Lotus sneered. ¡°Isn¡¯t she just some random woman who suddenly gels all the credit? Why did they


    make it such a big deal? That woman is from Covenford, for heaven¡¯s sake. Honestly, I bet the hotel in


    Covenford must have bribed the press. Otherwise, why are the other renowned hotels facing criticism


    while they remain unscathed?¡±


    ¡°I agree! It¡¯s outrageous that they were invited to train us just because they bribed the press to be on


    the good list. Don¡¯t they feel


    ashamed?¡±


    ¡°I mean, the general manager should also be med. He could just warn us and let us rectify our


    issues. How could he allow the people. from Covenford toe and make fun of us? I¡¯m just mad


    thinking about it.¡±


    At this point, the general manager¡¯s expression was as dark as Kevan¡¯s.


    Then, Lotus¡± phone vibrated again. She turned to nce at it, acted as if nothing happened, and


    continued painting her nails.


    ¡°Is it the person from Coventord?¡± someone asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Lotus replied casually.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just ignore her for another half an hour. I¡¯ll go downstairs and meet her once my nails have


    dried.¡±


    Kevan turned to leave after hearing that. The general manager panicked, and he wanted to reprimand


    the staff from the housekeeping department. However, he swiftly gathered himself and hastened to


    catch up with Kevan.


    ¡°Mr. Rogers, please allow me to exin.¡±


    Kevan stopped before the elevator and pressed the button. ¡°No need. I¡¯m very clear about theN?velDrama.Org owns this.


    housekeeping department¡¯s stance on this issue. You don¡¯t have to provide me with the report. Just


    send me your resignation letter.¡±


    Instantly, it seemed as if the blood had drained from the general manager¡¯s face. ¡°Mr. Rogers!¡±


    He had the urge to seize Kevan¡¯s arm and plead for mercy, but he realized it would only exacerbate the


    situation. ¡°I have strongly criticized the housekeeping department for their mistakes! I genuinely want to


    improve the hotel. That¡¯s why I weed the people from Covenford to provide them with training. I


    simply didn¡¯t anticipate their strong aversion to it


    ¡°Was it only a mistake?¡± Kevan smirked, and his gaze was cold.


    ¡°Then, tell me, is it the fault of the cleaner who happened to be caught on video using the used towels


    to wipe everything in the room and not changing dirty bed sheets, or is it a problem that extends to all


    the cleaners in the hotel?¡±


    The general manager moved his lips, yet no words emerged, and he eventually lowered his head in


    shame.


    ¡°Why is it that the staff at the Covenford branch can adhere to thepany¡¯s strict rules, but you all


    seem incapable of doing so? Now that this matter has been exposed, none of your employees are


    even showing a willingness to learn or change. They are even deliberately bullying a colleague who


    came all the way from Covenford to help out. With such corrupt management in ce, it seems


    necessary to start afresh and clear out everything.¡±


    The elevator arrived just as Kevan linished speaking, and he promptly stepped inside.


    ¡°Don¡¯t follow me. I won¡¯t make any changes to the decision make. Oh, and He pressed the open button


    to stop the elevator doors


    from closing


    ¡®Don¡¯t let the people from the housekeeping department know about this. I will announce the


    punishment personally.¡±


    Larissa tried to call Lotus several times and texted her, but she never replied. She was worried and


    also angry. Regardless of the reason for Lotus¡¯s dyed arrival, she should have at least informed


    Larissa so she wouldn¡¯t have to wait in vain.


    When Kevan returned to the lobby, he didn¡¯t wall for her to ask her questions. He simply grabbed her


    suitcases, heading straight to the


    front desk.


    ¡°Presidential suite,¡± he stated while presenting his identification card and ck card to the staff at the


    front desk.


    Thedy at the front desk blushed as she looked at him. Then, she quicklypleted the check-in.


    Larissa finally get the chance to ask Kevan after they left the front desk. ¡°You didn¡¯t find Lotus?


    I found her,¡± Kevan said with a dark expression.


    ¡°Then, why did youe down alone? Also, why are you taking away my suitcases? I need to wait for


    Lotus to pick me up.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to wait anymore.¡± Kevan said directly.


    ¡°You can rest. I have some matters to discuss with her. Let me deal with her, and you guys can chat


    later.¡±

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    Larissa was puzzled. Why did he suddenly reed to talk to Lolus? Why didn¡¯t he deal with it when he


    was up there? Also, where should she


    rest?


    However, she knew Bartham was his territory, so he had some authority in the Regal Dynasty Hotel. In


    the end, she didn¡¯t ask anything and quietly followed him.


    Kevan told Larissa to rest in the presidential suite he just booked and ced her suitcases neatly on


    the side.


    ¡°You¡¯ll stay here while you¡¯re in Bartham.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Larissa thought Kevan got this room for himsell.


    She quickly waved her hand and rejected his offer. ¡°They will provide me with a ce to stay. You don¡¯t


    need to pay extra lor a room.¡±


    The presidential sulle cost nearly ten thousand per right, if she yed here for a week, it would cost


    around eighty thousand, almost hall her sry. Even though she wasn¡¯t paying for it, she felt


    distressed.


    ¡°I dont need to pay to stay at the Regal Dynasty Holel. Just think that I arranged this for you.¡±


    Kevan¡¯s words cave Larissa somefort


    ¡°How long do you think it will take with Lotus? Larissa asked.


    Kevan replied without much thought it might take quite some time. If you¡¯re tired, you can sleep.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Not long after Kevan went out, Lotus finally caled aller geing missing for an hour.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Ms. Seymour. I had to deal with a tricky customer. I just finished dealing with him. Are you


    still in the lobby? I¡¯ll go meet you right now.¡± Letus tone was polite and apologetic.


    Instantly, the anger in Larissa¡¯s heart was gone. They were both managers of the housekeeping


    department, so Larissa knew how much of


    a headache it was to deal with tricky customers. Therefore, she could understand why Lotus did not


    answer her call or text.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯m already downstairs. I see you once you¡¯re done with M. Rogers.¡± she


    replied, disying her


    understand no and magnanimity


    ¡°Mr. Rogers? What do you mean?¡± Lotus was puzzled.


    ¡°I¡¯m talking about Kevan Rogers. Didn¡¯t you see him?¡± Even Larissa was unsure since Kevan had a


    strange reaction just now.


    ¡°I have beer with my guest. I haven¡¯t met anyone named Mr. Rogers.¡± Lotus suspected that Larissa


    might have ulterior motives, and her


    tone turned unkind.


    Just as she was preparing to leave the office, her attention was caught by the arrival of a tall and


    handsome man. To her surprise, the general manager stood meekly behind him, seemingly attempting


    to hide.


    Lotus stopped in her tracks and forgot she was still on the phone.


    ¡°Lotus Seymour? Manager of the housekeeping department?¡± Kevan stopped before her and looked


    down at her condescendingly.


    On the other end of the call, Larissa could hear his cold voice.


    Lotus looked up and was taken aback. Subconsciously, her lone became gentle as she introduced


    hersell, saying, ¡°I am Lotus Seymour.¡±


    Kevan nodded. ¡°You and


    He nced past Lotus, locusing his gaze on the people behind her, and continued, ¡°You guys. All of


    you pack your stuff and go to the human resources department to initiate the resignation procedures.¡±N?velDrama.Org owns this.

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    Everyone stared in disbeliel, unable to move as they wondered if they had misheard.


    ¡°What did you just say?¡± Lotus asked. She also fixed her gaze on the general manager standing behind


    Kevan as she tried to seek confirmation of what had just been announced.


    However, the general manager merely shot her a resentful nce and remained silent.


    *All of you, the entire housekeeping department staff, are fired.¡± Kevan reiterated, using different


    words. ¡°Do you understand now?¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Lotus questioned with dissatisfaction, ¡°I admit that there are areas for improvement, but that


    doesn¡¯t mean that the department doesn¡¯t even deserve a chance to make amends. Are you really


    dismissing us all without giving us an opportunity?¡±


    ¡°Opportunities are for those who genuinely seek change, and you all are not worthy,¡± he sneered.


    Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    In that instant, she found Kevan¡¯s words utterly absurd. ¡°Mr. Chance!¡± She turned to address the


    general manager again. ¡°Didn¡¯t you just say the housekeeping department would receive


    comprehensive training? We are all prepared for it. So, what¡¯s the issue now?¡±


    As soon as she mentioned ¡°training,¡± the general manager could no longer contain his anger. How


    could he expect these people to sincerely ept training when they had caused such amotion? It


    had even cost him his job! So, he retorted. ¡°Oh, now you remember that you need training? Weren¡¯t


    you just boasting earlier that you were going to show her that you are not one to be messed with?¡±


    Lotus, along with the staff, turned pale. They had indeed been engaged in their heated discussion


    without realizing that the general manager had been present. Normally, what they had said among


    themselves to vent their frustrations would not be a problem. But now, everything sounded like pure


    nder in the general manager¡¯s ears.


    ¡°Well, we were just¡­¡± Lotus tried racking her brain toe up with a less obvious excuse. ¡°We¡¯ve


    been receiving online criticism for days. and we were feeling frustrated. Moreover, our hotel has always


    overshadowed Covenlord¡¯s Regal Dynasty Hotel but now they seem to be


    surpassing us. We were just venting. We didn¡¯t actually have any intention to take any action.¡±


    ¡°Just venting?¡± Kevan¡¯s gaze grew colder. ¡°Ms. Lotus, you were supposed to meet Ms. Seymour from


    Covenford in the lobby downstairs at


    1 pm, right? Take a look at the time now.¡±


    Lotus listened to his words and brought her phone in front of her, only to see the call interface with


    Larissa. Panicked, she immediately


    ended the call.


    ¡°It¡¯s almost 2 pm,¡± she sheepishly answered.


    ¡°What about Ms. Seymour? he pressed on.


    ¡°She Lotus couldn¡¯te up with a response and had to make something up. ¡°I was dealing with a


    guestint, which took some


    time, so I couldn¡¯t make it to meet her. But I had called her to exin the situation, and she said she


    understood.¡±


    ¡°What about theint record?¡± He opened his palm and demanded, ¡°Show it to me.¡±


    Regal Dynasty Hotel had a clear policy that every guestint must be documented, and the


    handling results should be reported


    promptly.


    Lotus hesitated for a moment beforeing up with another excuse. ¡°I just came up here and nned


    to write theint record after meeting Ms. Seymour.¡±


    ¡°Okay, then, tell me the room number of that guest, and I¡¯ll personally go and verity IL Kevan pressed


    on, showing no intention of letting her off the h ook.


    Her guilt intensified, and her eyes kept darting back, trying to seek help from her colleagues in the


    department. But at this moment. everyone was only concerned about self-preservation, as they were all


    afraid that they might be the target of Kevan¡¯s attack instead. So, she had no choice but to grit her


    teeth and seethe, ¡°I don¡¯t remember the room number.¡±

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    ¡°Well, looking at your unique work attitude, it¡¯s no surprise that the stall here are also careless, creating


    negative publicity for the Company. ¡°Kevan sarcastically remarked.


    He felt a sense of disdain and had no intention of engaging with these individuals any longer. So, he


    merely said, ¡°You have half an hour to go through the resignation procedures, and if anyone is still here


    after that security wille and help you pack your things.¡±


    Reluctantly, the remaining staff of the housekeeping department began to move slowly. However, Lotus


    still couldn¡¯t ept the oue. She seized the general manager after Kevan had left and asked


    Indignantly, ¡°Mr. Chance, who was that strange person earlier? What authority does he have to fire us?


    Who gave him that power?¡±


    It was only at that moment that the general manager started to reflect on himself. How could he have


    been so blind as to promote Lotus to the housekeeping department manager?


    ¡°That was Mr. Rogers,¡± he replied, shaking off her hand and giving her a cold re. ¡°He¡¯s in charge of


    all the hotels under the Company. So, who do you think gave him the power to fire you?¡±


    Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    Lotus was stunned and could feel her heart sinking gradually upon realizing she had offended such an


    influential person.


    The general manager¡¯s resentment slowly turned into satisfaction as he looked at her shocked and


    clueless expression, and his words grew sharper. ¡°I heard from the front desk that Mr. Rogers came


    here with Ms. Seymour. So. not only me, but he also heard every word you said. I advise you to pursue


    a different career alter leaving the hotel. Knowing Mr. Rogers, you won¡¯t be able to find a job in the


    hotel industry in this country. And as for all of you. He nced across the room at the other stall, who


    were just as terrified as Lotus, and continued. ¡°Continue following your manager and kissing her smelly


    as s!¡±


    Larissa sat alone in the room, feeling restless. Despite Lotus hanging up the phone midway, Larissa


    had heard everything she needed to hear. Kevan had fired everyone in the housekeeping department,


    likely because Lotus had stood her up. The quilt and remorse weighed heavily on Larissa when she


    realized that her actions had caused an entire department to lose their jobs.


    After informing the Company about the situation at Bartham¡¯s Regal Dynasty Hotel and instructing


    them to arrange for someone to take over as soon as possible, Kevan finally returned to the room. As


    soon as he pushed open the door, he saw Larissa sitting on the living room couch, furrowing her brows


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you asleep yet?¡± he asked in a surprised tone.


    Well how could she possibly fall asleep?


    ¡°Ms. Lotus was on the phone with me when you went to find her.¡± She looked up and met his gaze.


    Indeed, he had witnessed the moment when Lotus hastily hung up the phone, but he didn¡¯t expect it to


    be Larissa on the other end of the call However, he intended to tell her what he had done, so it didn¡¯t


    matter if she already knew about it.


    ¡°I have fired everyone in the housekeeping department. Until the new employees are in ce, you may


    need to temporarily take over the manager¡¯s position.¡± This shouldn¡¯t be difficult for Larissa


    ¡°The scheduled meeting with the management of the housekeeping department this afternoon is


    canceled, and the work n for tomorrow will proceed as usual. Also, your stay here will be extended


    for another week, I willmunicate this with your superiors, so you don¡¯t have to worry about your


    work at Covenford.¡±


    However, Larissa didn¡¯t pay much attention to what he said. She only cared about one thing. Hence,


    she asked, ¡°Did you fire Lotus because of me?¡±


    Kevan denied without hesitation, ¡°No.¡±


    He knew the truth would put immense pressure on Larissa, and knowing her personality, she would


    undoubtedly plead for those people. He didn¡¯t want to put himself in such a dilemma.


    ¡°But I can¡¯t say It¡¯spletely unrted. Rather, I should say you are the catalyst,¡± he rified.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± She finally managed to locus after hearing that.

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    ¡®Lotus didn¡¯t pick you up as agreed, not because she was handling customerints, but because


    she wanted to embarrass you intentionally. The Company does want to foster apetitive


    atmosphere among its hotels, but it¡¯s for mutual progress, not to suppress each other. Her actions


    today, along with her previous inaction andck of remorse, led me to believe that she and the team


    she cultivated are not a good fit for the hotel¡¯s culture. Of course, my firm actions also serve as a


    warning to let other departments know the consequences of not following the Company¡¯s regtions


    and engaging in passive work.¡±


    While she was somewhat relieved at his answer, she also tell disappointed because Kevan had not


    been driven by his emotions. She had actually thought that he had made such a scene just to defend


    her. Clearly, she had been too sell-absorbed.


    She lowered her head, using her long hair to conceal her burning red face, and tried to inquire calmly.


    ¡°When will the new employees be in ce? I can temporarily take over Lotus¡¯ position, but managing it


    will be challenging since I¡¯m the only one in the department.¡±


    ¡°I have arranged for the Company to transfer people from other hotels. They should being from


    more than one hotel. However, you¡¯ll have to make an extra effort to shorten the recruits adaptation


    period.¡± Kevan exined in an official tone.


    ¡°Okay,¡± she replied.


    Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Alright, we¡¯re done with business.¡± He finally had the chance to drop the serious tone, and hiscial


    expression instantly softened.


    He reached out to Larissa. ¡°Come here.¡±


    She looked at hisrge, dry palm, feeling puzzled. ¡°Huh?¡±


    He pursed his lips, walked over to hold her hand, and pulled her up.


    ¡°Well you didn¡¯t feel like sleeping, right? Since we don¡¯t have anything to do this afternoon,e with


    me to my home,¡± he suggested.


    She had the urge to ask if she could go to sleep right away, but Kevan didn¡¯t even give her the


    opportunity to ask the question. He grabbed her and escorted her out of the room, directly guiding her


    into the car.


    Brown District was in the heart of Barth, and it was a well-known affluent area in the city. The district


    was home to numerous politicians and business celebrities, often featured in the news. Despite living in


    Barth for over ten years, Larissa rarely ventured into Brown District Thus, as she apanied Kevan


    this time, everything seemed fresh and exhrating.


    He parked the car in front of Pine Mansion, which was notablyrger than the typical residences found


    in narrow alleyways. The mansion exhibited signs of age but had undergone renovations,bining


    antique charm with a grand presence.


    ¡°Is this your home?¡± Larissa¡¯s eyes widened as she took in the sight of the mansion. However,


    considering his wealth, it wasn¡¯t particrly surprising.


    ¡°Sort of.¡± He grasped her hand and raised his index finger to gently tap on the vermilion-colored gate.


    Since the mansioncked doorbells. this was the most primitive approach.


    Larissa felt somewhat apprehensive about whether anyone inside could hear them. As it turned out,


    her concerns were unwarranted. Within a couple of minutes, the gate swung open from the inside,


    revealing an elderly man adored in formal livery.


    For a moment, Larissa even felt as though she had traveled back in time.


    ¡°Young Mr. Rogers has returned!¡± The wrinkles on the old man¡¯s face converged, and he excitedly


    shouted into the courtyard,


    In no time, several individuals emerged from adjacent rooms, dressed simrly to the elderly man,


    though noticeably younger in age.


    ¡°Young Mr. Rogers!¡± They respectfully called out, and their faces were beaming with joy.


    After a while, a person emerged from the side of the main room facing the gale. This individual, who


    had gray hair and a stooped posture. struggled to take a step forward as he relied on a cane for


    support.


    ¡°Grandpa!¡± Kevan pulled Larissa along, hastening toward his grandfather,

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    Rnd stood motionless, tightly gripping his cane with both hands. He only briefly nced at Kevan in


    the beginning before bingpletely fixated on Larissa.


    ¡°And this is.¡± Although he directed his question at Kevan, his gaze never left Her. Upon hearing that,


    Kevan pulled Larissa closer. ¡°This is my wife, Larissa.¡±


    Rnd was clearly taken aback and involuntarily raised his voice, saying, ¡°What? Wife?¡±


    Larissa was shocked at the sudden raise of tone, causing her to instinctively press herself against


    Kevan. Initially, she had assumed he was taking her back to his own ¡°home¡± in Bartham, but little did


    she expect that he would bring her to his grandfather¡¯s house. She would


    never have gone out with him if she had known earlier.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Nevertheless, Kevan calmly nodded. ¡°We got married on the 3rd.¡±


    All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    Infuriated, Rnd widened his eyes and raised his cane to about hall his height, but he suddenly


    realized Larissa was still present and had to forcefully lower it again.


    He gave Kevan a warning look, then turned to Larissa and called out ¡°Lari?¡±


    It seemed as though he had instantly transformed into a different person. His previous cold and stem


    demeanor vanished, and his tone became incredibly gentle as if he feared scaring her away. ¡°What¡¯s


    Lari short for?¡±


    Larissa tightly held Kevan¡¯s hand, their palms fitting together perfectly, and she slowly drew warmth


    from him, which gave her a sense of security. Years of workce experience had made her more


    adaptable than the average person. She mustered a smile and politely answered. ¡°It¡¯s Larissa.¡±


    Her voice was sweet overshadowing the slight tremor within it.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Rnd narrowed his eyes slightly and kindly smiled. ¡°That¡¯s a very beautiful name.¡±


    Though she knew he was being polite, she couldn¡¯t help but blush at hispliment.


    Bartham belonged to the northem region, and in winter, it was much colder than coastal cities like


    Covenford in the south. The dry air made the cold wind in Bartham feel like a sharp de cutting


    across the face.


    Rnd had no knowledge of Larissa¡¯s background, and when he saw her face suddenly turn red, he


    thought she wasn¡¯t ustomed to Bartham¡¯s climate and had been severely affected by the cold.


    ¡°Come inside and have a seat,¡± he invited her. ¡°It¡¯s too cold outside.¡±


    He slowly turned around and walked unsteadily forward. She watched with trepidation, quickly letting


    go of Kevan¡¯s hand and catching up with Rnd, linking her arm with his. She sweetly smiled and said,


    ¡°Grandpa, let¡¯s walk together.¡± Her proactive approach surprised Rnd. He was momentarily stunned,


    but then his smile grew even wider, and the wrinkles on his face deepened.


    *Sure, sounds great!¡± His voice was filled with indescribable joy and delight.


    Kevan, who was left behind by the two, observed their interaction and quietly smiled.


    The main room where Rnd lived was in the deepest part of the mansion, but it wasn¡¯t the most


    magnificent and grand room in the entirepound. On the contrary, the room had an overall worn-out


    appearance, and the furniture inside had a very old-fashioned style. with some pieces even peeling


    paint.


    Kevanter told Larissa that this room had been his grandparents¡¯ bridal chamber, and they had lived


    there ever since they got married. His grandmother passed away in her forties due to illness, and


    Rnd never remarried. Out of nostalgia for his wife, he hadn¡¯t changed or redecorated anything in the


    room all these years.


    The three of them sat in the hall, with a high-powered electric healer ced nearby, warming up the air


    in the room.


    Kevan exined, ¡°Grandpa didn¡¯t allow this room to be renovated, so there¡¯s no heating here. If you


    feel cold, I can have someone bring you a thicker coal.¡±


    Larissa was sitting closest to the electric heater-Rnd specifically made this arrangement. ¡°It¡¯s quite


    warm here,¡± she replied.

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    Rnd observed his grandson, who had always been distant but now disyed such tenderness and


    thoughtfulness in front of Larissa. He instantly fell his satisfaction with her grow even more.


    ¡°Do your parents know about your marriage? Rnd inquired. His cold demeanor contrasted sharply


    with his warm attitude toward


    Larissa.


    ¡°They are not aware yet,¡± Kevan responded honestly. I n to bring her back for the family reunion


    dinner and inform you all then. However, she had an unexpected business trip to Bartham. And since


    there are also pending matters at Microworks Corporation, we decided toe together, We only


    arrived in Bartham this maming and decided to visit you the same afternoon. No doubt I have always


    prioritized you in my heart.¡±


    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    As Kevan tried to appease his grandfather with his words, Rnd¡¯s expression improved somewhat.


    He raised his cane as if he was about to swing it at Kevan,


    ¡°What nonsense are you talking about? Your wife should be your top priority now that you¡¯re married!¡±


    Kevan acted as if he had a moment of sudden realization. ¡°You¡¯re right, Grandpa.¡± He then turned and


    yfully nced at Larissa.


    Perhaps Larissa was feeling shy that she lowered her head as if trying to hide, and her ears turned into


    a deep shade of red.


    She heard him say. ¡°From now on, my wife will be my top priority.¡±


    He raised his hand and gently brushed her long hair behind her ear. The touch of his fingertips on her


    tender skin caused a slight shiver. He smiled with satisfaction and teasingly called her, ¡°Honey.¡±


    Her heart raced upon hearing that, and she could feel her body warming up.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± She had no choice but to respond, but she didn¡¯t dare to raise her head or meet Kevan¡¯s gaze.


    ¡°Am I also your top priority?¡± he asked.


    ¡°What a friggin¡® cheesy question,¡± she thought to herself, unable to believe he had just said that out


    loud. But he loved acting, and once he got into character, he was fullymitted. So, she yed along


    despite her difort. ¡°Of course.¡±


    To make it more believable, she even forced herself to look at him, and as she did, she noticed his


    eyes sparkle and his face filled with a Smile.


    ¡°Honey¡­¡± His gaze softened, as if it held countless words.


    ¡°Ahem Rnd cleared his throat, displeased as he looked at Kevan. ¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough. Save the


    lovey¨Cdovey forter. We haven¡¯t finished discussing serious matters yet!¡±


    Kevan immediately straightened up, adopting a serious expression. ¡°Please continue. Grandpa.¡±


    However, the hand he held with Lanssa couldn¡¯t stay still and fidgeted restlessly. He bent his index


    finger and lightly scratched her palm, and she felt as if a leather swept across her heart, causing a


    ticklish sensation. She wanted to retract her hand, but she could only maintain aposed face and


    pretend nothing had happened in front of Rnd.


    ¡°When are you nning to have your wedding? Rnd asked. Just as Kevan was about to respond,


    Rnd added slemly. ¡°Don¡¯t give me any nonsense about not having a wedding! During our time,


    having a wedding is the true way to get married!¡±


    ¡°Grandpa. Kevan felt somewhat helpless. I haven¡¯t said anything yet


    Rnd tapped his cane on the ground. ¡°You can speak now!¡±


    *Larissa and I haven¡¯t discussed the wedding yet¡± Kevan replied, ¡°Both of us are busy with work, and


    coordinating our schedules will require more effort. We can¡¯t give you an urate answer right away.¡±


    Larissa quickly chimed in. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±

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    Chapter 266


    If it had been just Kevan alone, Rnd would have swung his cane mercilessly toward him. However,


    Larissa clearly sided with Kevan. Il he scolded Kevan. It would be like scolding her. He didn¡¯t want to


    scare her away after walling years for a granddaughter-inw like her.


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s start coordinating from now on,¡± Rndmanded firmly, facing Kevan. ¡®You may have a


    busy schedule, but I believe you can manage your time. Amodate Lar¡¯s schedule so that we can


    quickly set the wedding date, yeah?¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Kevan readily agreed.


    And so, all the pressure fell on Larissa¡¯s shoulders. nluriated, she gave Kevan a disdantul nce,


    annoyed by his irresponsible behavior of abandering her to save his own ar se at a critical moment.


    ¡°What say you, Lari? Rnd asked her.


    Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    Naturally, she obediently nodded and replied, ¡°After the big family reunion dinner. I¡¯ll ask my


    supervisors when I can take my wedding leave.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Rnd finally seemed satisfied and disyed a relieved smile. ¡°I thought I wouldn¡¯t live long


    enough to see my urtical grandson get married!¡±


    ¡°You have a long life ahead. How could you miss it? Kevan said, holding Larissa¡¯s hard and giving it a


    little shake. ¡°I even brought my wife


    to visit you. didn¡¯t I?¡±


    Rnd tried to remain stern, but his eyes and brows betrayed him as he couldn¡¯t hide his smile.


    Rnd was quite talkative: he spent the entire afternoon chatting with Larissa. Apart from drinking


    water, he did not stop talking. His ability to gauge people¡¯s expressions and reactions was strong.


    Whenever he sensed herck of interest in the conversation, he swiftly moved on to the next topic,


    ensuring there were never any dull moments.


    His words and actionspletely shattered Larissa¡¯s prejudice against ¡°wealthy families. She


    genuinely liked this down-to-earth and


    amiable old man.


    After dinner. Rnd wanted them to stay, but Kevan refused, saying. ¡°She has to work early tomorrow.


    It¡¯s more convenient to stay at the hotel than waking up too early for work.¡±


    Upon hearing that, she nestled against him and let out a dryugh. Well Rnd¡¯s ce wasn¡¯t far from


    the Regal Dynasty Hotel So, even if they had to rush to the hotel in the morning, they would only need


    to wake up around 8 am-far from what Kevan considered ¡°too early.¡± The only exnation was that he


    had other rs himself.


    Rnd was clearly disappointed but couldn¡¯t say much when it involved her work. ¡°Alright then.¡±


    He wanted to see them off at the door, but Larissa stopped him. ¡°It¡¯s cold outside, Grandpa. Please


    stay indoors. Be careful not to catch a cold.¡± she gently reminded him. She worried that he might


    identally slip and fall, considering his difficulty in walking.


    Rnd held her hand, and his eyes filled with reluctance. ¡®Okay then, I won¡¯t see you off,¡± he said.


    ¡°When you have time, make sure toe and visit me again.¡±


    ¡°I wil¡± she promised solemnly.


    As they exited the mansion, she asked Kevan, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you want to stay? Don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s because


    of met At most it¡¯s only a half-hour drive from here to the hotel,¡±


    Kevan turned his head slightly to look at her and asked, ¡°Do you want to stay?¡± He raised a brow


    slightly, seeming somewhat surprised.


    ¡°Yes, to apany Grandpar She turned to nce but couldn¡¯t catch a glimpse deep into the


    courtyard. The thought of the old man with his snowy white hair bidding them farewell with a heartfelt


    sadness made her feel somewhat mncholic.


    ¡°Grandpa lives here alone. He must feel lonely.¡± she said.

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    ¡°Probably,¡± Kevan replied, turning to nce at the mansion and letting out a soft sigh. My parents and


    several uncles have tried countless limes le convince him to move in with them, but he refuses to leave


    the room where he lived with my grandmother.¡±


    There was, of course, an even more significant reason-his grandpa symbolized the ultimate power of


    Soaring Corporation. No matter which son¡¯s house he decided to reside in, it would raise suspicion and


    discontent among others.


    However, Kevan had no intention of revealing these Intricate family faction struggles to Larissa.


    She couldn¡¯t hrp but sigh and remark, ¡°There aren¡¯t many men left in this world as loyal as your


    grandpa!¡±


    He locked into her eyes, almost saving. ¡°You forgot about me.¡± but ultimately chose to remain sient


    ¡°you want to stay, then stay.¡± He pretended to turn back


    Larissa quickly grasped his hand. ¡°Forget it. Grandpa might already be in bed. When wee back


    next time, let¡¯s make sure to stay and keep himpany!¡±


    C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    Kevan smiled faintly. ¡°Alright.¡±


    As they made their way back to the hotel they continued their conversation. ¡°Do you like my grandpa


    Regardless, he already had a good idea of her answer to this question.


    ¡°Yeah, of course,¡± she candidly expressed her true feelings. ¡°Honestly, when I first saw him, I thought


    he would be difficult to get along


    with!


    ¡°He can indeed be quite difficult.¡± He didn¡¯t spare ary face for his own grandpa. ¡°He has a quick temper,


    if things don¡¯t go his way, he¡¯ll get angry. I¡¯ve endured many beatings from him since I was a child. I¡¯ve


    even broken countless canes of his.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± She couldn¡¯t reconcile the person he described with the grandpa she had just met. ¡®Are you


    serious? You¡¯re not joking, are you?¡± ¡°Why would I joke about that with you? Kevar chucked. He has


    toned it down quite a bit in front of you. I guess he really likes you.¡± Larissa blushed, feeling shy upon


    hearing that ¡°Wel, he likes me because he likes you. It¡¯s like love me, love my dog.¡±¡±


    Although there may be some truth to that Kevan could tell that his grandpa genuinely liked Larissa as a


    person, not just as his daughter-in w. After al, his male cousins were all married and had children,


    yet his grandpa didn¡¯t show the same warmth toward their wives as he did toward Larissa.


    Regardless, even if his parents harbored any dissatisfaction with Larissa he was no longer afraid.


    Having his grandpa¡¯s support gave him the confidence he needed. In fact that was the main reason he


    had brought Larissa to meet his grandpa.


    Kevan apanied Larissa all the way to her room and settled on the s, showing no intention of


    leaving.


    Seeing that it was gettingte, she finally ran out of patience to continur lingering with him.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going home?¡± she asked.


    He appeared somewhat surprised by her question. ¡°What home? he countered.


    ¡°Of course, your own home! Are you nning to sleep here?¡±


    He nodded. ¡°Yes, I n to sleep here, and Ill stay here for the next two weeks.¡±


    She was at a loss for words. ¡°But you have a home in Bartham. Why don¡¯t you go there?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s too much of a ha ssle and not cost-effective to have someone clean the housest because fl be


    staying there for two weeks,¡± he exined. This was typical of Kevan, being a sessful businessman


    and always calcting the pros and cons of his actions.


    ¡°It¡¯s more convenient to stay at the hotel where there¡¯s daily housekeeping. But..¡±


    He narrowed his eyes and called the front desk, ¡®Ask the housekeeping stall toe and clean the


    room.¡±


    The front desk stall naturally amodated the quests in the presidential sulte.


    1/2


    Chapter 267


    However, Larissa found it peculiar. ¡°Why have someonee to clean now? Isn¡¯t the room already


    clean?¡±


    Moreover, they had just checked in today and hadn¡¯t spent more than two hours in the room.


    He frowned. ¡°I don¡¯t trust the housekeeping here.¡±

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    The presidential suite was enormous, requiring two housekeepers to clean it together. So, Kevan and


    Larissa divided the task of keeping a watchful eye on each housekeeper among themselves to ensure


    the housekeepers followed all the regtions. They couldn¡¯t be certain whether it was the effect of the


    leaked video or the special treatment for the suite¡¯s guests, but the two housekeepers never made a


    single mistake during their work, unlike what was shown in the leaked footage.


    However, Larissa could tell that theycked skill in their job. It was clear that they were not ustomed


    to this particr process. The weight of her responsibilities suddenly felt heavy on her shoulders.


    At that moment, Kevan¡¯s assistant delivered a suitcase containing his clothes for the next two weeks,


    as well as a brand-new set of bed sheets and covers.


    Larissa was amazed by this, but she understood why he did that. After all Bartham¡¯s Regal Dynasty


    Hotel had recently faced hygiene Issues, and Kevan¡¯s obsession with cleanliness already reached an


    unimaginable level for ordinary people.


    She felt grateful that they were not actually married. Otherwise, she could envision herself being


    tormented by his cleanliness standard to the point of losing her hair.


    The entire management team of the housekeeping department had left, and the new recement


    employees had yet to arrive. So. Larissa gathered the remaining staff for a meeting first thing in the


    moming, exining the current situation and providing preliminary training for the housekeepers. She


    shared her experiences from her time in Covenford, giving them detailed exnations.


    Perhaps the staff members were ustomed to the previous work mode, as most of them showed little


    interest and even expressed dissatisfaction with her ¡°new policies.¡±


    They listened inattentively, and she even found out that they still had limited knowledge of what she


    said during spot checks. Larissa usually considered herself to have a good temperament, but these


    employees negligence andck of seriousness pushed her to her limit.


    Naturally, sheshed out at them, saving. ¡°You can leave now if you don¡¯t want to continue workingContent is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    here.¡± Everyone lowered their heads, but not a single person left. Well, that was expected, considering


    the wages for housekeeping at this hotel were more than double those of other hotels.


    ¡°Since you refuse to leave, you mustply with my demands? Larissa ordered.


    Later, as she patrolled the rooms, she passed by the utility room and overheard a conversation among


    several housekeepers.


    ¡°That new manager, Ms. Seymour, is way too strict don¡¯t you think?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s making a big deal out of nothing! Now that she¡¯s the boss in our housekeeping department, she


    wants to show off her power in front of us.¡±


    ¡°Sigh, the previous manager, Lotus, was much better. What a pity


    ¡°So what? She made one mistake and got fired. Our hotel is reallycking inpassion


    Instantly, Larissa, who was about to walk forward, turned and changed direction. She pushed the door


    open, and the housekeepers were startled. Their mouths were agape, and they were unable to speak


    for a moment.


    ¡°You seem to have some misunderstandings.¡± Larissa stood at the doorway, looking across the room at


    each of the housekeepers.


    ¡°Firstly, my strictness is not about showing off, but for the hotel¡¯s and your own substantial development


    Secondly, I have limited interactions with Ms. Lotus, so I won¡¯tment on her character. But she


    wasn¡¯t fired just because of one mistake, as you imed. In fact, she had long been lenient with you,


    turning a blind eye to your vitions of hotel regtions, which is the most serious dereliction of duty!


    And all of you are the main culprits responsible for her being fired!¡±


    The housekeepers blushed in embarrassment and hung their heads when they were being


    reprimanded.

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    ¡°I¡¯m not ke Ms. Lolus. I¡¯ve never imed to be a saint. Once I catch any of you viting the rules,


    either you resign on your own ord. or kick you out, with no room for negotiation, Larissa dered


    attempting to establish herself as a cold-hearted ¡°viin¡± to intimidate the employees who cisobeyed


    her management.


    She wasn¡¯t concerned with gaining their liking or respect; her only expectation was for them to fulfil


    their duties diligently. After delivering her message, she turned and walked away. As she turned


    around, she noticed the door of a room across theidor wide open.


    A young man in pajamas leaned against the doorframe. His gaze fixed on her with a hall-smile. The


    man was quite handsome, bearing a slight resemnce to Kevan at first nce. However, his overall


    demeanor leaned more toward a gentle and effeminate nature,cking


    Kevan¡¯s cold and distant aura.


    Thinking that her loud voice might have disturbed him. Larissa quickly apologized. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, sir. Did I


    wake you up?¡±


    All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    The man shook his head. ¡°No.¡±


    There was a hint of interest in his gaze as he observed her, ¡°You must be the new manager of the


    housekeeping department, right?¡±


    Larissa immediately realized that the man was not an ordinary guest-there was a good chance he had


    some connection to the hotel.


    Im just filling in temporarily for a few days. There should d be a new manager for the housekeeping


    departmenting soon,¡± she Exined.


    ¡°I see.¡± The man nodded knowingly. Nice to meet you, regardless.¡± He charmingly smiled, revealing a


    pair of smal canine teeth. ¡°You can continue with your work. I won¡¯t disturb you¡± With that he retreated


    into the room and closed the door,


    She gazed at the closed door for a few more secones, shrugged her shoulders, and left with lingering


    questions.


    Inside the room, the man picked up his phone and made a call.


    ¡°Well I saw the woman who was with Kevan. She seems to be the manager of the housekeeping


    department at Regal Dynasty Hotel, She¡¯s not bad-locking, somewhat resembling Ruby. I¡¯d say, Kevan


    probably likes this type. What? Me? Are you sure you want me to go? Yo, doing something like this


    once is already enough. Il we do it again¡­ I¡¯m afraid Kevan will really kill us all¡­ Alright then.¡±


    After hanging up the phone, the man let out a long sigh. His expression was filled withplexity.


    Word of Larissa¡¯s remarks at the utility room entrance seemed to have spread. In the afternoon, when


    the other housekeepers saw her, they treated her with utmost respect, and none of them dared to give


    her a hard time. As she supervised their work, she also noticed a significant improvement in their


    diligencepared to before. She thought to herself. ¡°This could be considered a good stan.¡±


    be in ce


    tomorrow. And also. His gaze turned dars, revealing a chilling intent. ¡°The new general manager will


    also arrive tomorrow. He¡¯s being brought in from the Soaring Corporation despite having no prior hotel


    management experience. Try to keep your distance from him and


    avoid provoking him unless necessary.¡±


    When Larissa returned to the room in the evening, she mentioned the new employees to Kevan. He


    responded, ¡°They will


    His description sparked Larissa¡¯s interest in the general manager.


    ¡°Why?¡± she asked.


    Kevan pursed his lips. Well he¡¯s my cousin and one of the people who hates me the most. Once he


    finds out about your rtionship with me..¡± He leaned down, gripping her thin, bringing hisce


    extremely close to hers. His lips nearly touched hers. Larissa involuntarily held her breath. Her


    heartbeat raced wildly, and her eyes locked onto his,


    ¡°Do you think he would spare you?¡±

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    As promised by Kevan the new employees of the housekeeping department were all in ce the


    following day. The news of the new general manager taking office came along with their arrival. Delore


    Larissa could even settle into her chair, she received an email instructing her to attend a meeting in the


    large canference room. The attendees were all members of the hotel¡¯s management team, gathering to


    introduce the new leadership and discuss the future of the hotel.


    Being unfamiliar with the employees of Bartham¡¯s Regal Dynasty Hotel and mindful of Kevan¡¯s


    instructions from the previous night. Larissa found a corner seat and sat down with her notebook,


    People around her were engaged in conversations, specting about the uing new leader¡¯s


    gender, age, appearance, and personality, all hoping for someone easy to get along with


    As the designated time of 9 am stated in the email approached the doors of the conference room were


    promptly pushed open, and one person stood in the doorway as three others entered one after another.


    Tu Larissa¡¯s surprise the man leading them was the same person she had seen outside the utility room


    yesterday.


    He walked through the entire conference room and took his ce at the seat designated for the


    general manager while the others. aparying him dispersed and sat on both sides. After testing the


    microphone to ensure it worked properly, he began his self- introduction, saying, ¡°Hello, everyone. I am


    the new general manager of the hotel. My name is Edmund Rogers.¡±


    It didn¡¯t take long for a wave of enthusiastic greetings. ¡°Hello, Mr. Rogers,¡± to fill the conference room,


    Larissa finally snapped out of her astonishment. No wonder she thought Edmund resembled Kevan;


    they were indeed cousins. Edmund¡¯s gaze swept across the conference room, eventuallynding on


    Larissa¡¯s face. She cleary saw him grin and nod at her, which started her and made her quickly lower


    her head.


    The meeting proceeded as expected, with each person¡¯s speech sounding formal and allicial, Larissa


    pretended to take notes, making an effort to avoid making eye contact with him.


    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    However, she didn¡¯t anticipate that her low¨Cprofile approach would still attract his attention.


    ¡°Ms. Seymour of the housekeeping department,¡± Edmund spoke, and all eyes in the conference room


    turned toward Larissa. She managed a smile as she raised her head and asked, ¡°Yes?¡±


    Edmund rested his elbows on the table and sped his hands to support his chin. He wore a faint


    smile on his face as he spoke, ¡°I heard that the housekeeping department is undergoing significant


    improvements. Thank you for your hard work.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡® she replied with an official tone. ¡°It¡¯s all part of my job.¡±


    He nodded. ¡°I look forward to seeing the final results.¡±


    With that the topic concluded, as if he had casualy mentioned it. Larissa let out a sigh of relel,


    uncapped her pen, and continued


    scribbling random notes in her notebook


    The morning meetingsted for over an hour, and when it adjourned, Larissa lelt a sense of liberation,


    practically being the first one to rush out of the conference room. Edmund watched her retreating


    figure, and his smile gradually faded.


    Back in the housekeeping department, Larissa immediately called for a department reeling, which


    lasted a considerable amount of time. In addition to getting acquainted with each other, she assigned


    tasks to each person.

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    After a busy moming of work, Larissa remained in her office while others from the department headed


    to the cafeteria for lunch. She was organizing the reports that Lotus hadn¡¯t had the chance to hand over


    to her yet.


    Someone knocked on the office door twice, and she looked up to see Edmund standing at the doorway


    with a smile on his face.


    ¡°Still busy?¡± he asked,


    She immediately set aside the mouse and stood up, eximing. ¡°Mr. Rogers!¡±


    ¡°No need to be so formal¡± he said while his smile deepened. ¡°I¡¯m about the same age as you. You can


    call me Edmund.¡±


    His casualness caught her off guard, and she suddenly remembered what Kevan had said.


    ¡°Well you¡¯re my superior, so I¡¯ll stick with Mr. Regers¡¯,¡¯ she said, trying to maintain her distance, even


    though that title might confuse him


    with Kevan. Regardless, she was making an effort to create some space between them


    Edmund didn¡¯t insist. ¡°As you wish.¡±


    There was always a hint of indulgence in his tone, which made Larissa ufortable. She averted her


    gaze and asked in an official tone.¡± Mr. Rogers, is there anything I can help you with?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± he replied, his gaze fixed on her face. ¡°I wanted to ask if you have any specific improvement pl


    ns. The hotel¡¯s hygiene issues have been creating a buzz online, and everyone is paying a lot of


    attention to it. Our upancy rate has been continucu sly decreasing these days. So. I want you to


    coordinate with the public rtions department and release a statement to show that we are indeed


    sincere about making improvements.¡±


    Larissa always took her work seriously. ¡°Ill find the person in charge of the public rtions department


    this attemoon.¡±


    ¡°I hope we can release the statement this afternoon, so let¡¯s discuss it over lunch. Edmund decided on


    his own that they would have


    lunch together.


    She didn¡¯t have the means to refuse, so she temporanly saved the unfinished documents and left the


    office with him.


    Instead of going to the employee cafeteria, he reserved a private room in the hotel¡¯s restaurant. She


    recognized the person in charge of the public rtions department at a nce-it happened to be one of


    the two people who had followed Edmund into the meeting room in the morning. Previously, she had


    thought they were his assistants.


    Edmund briefly introduced them and then focused on ordering dishes, not participating in their


    conversation.


    Larissa exined her improvement ns to the other person, who diligently took notes and discussed


    the external public rtions Strategy with her.


    The dishes arrived quickly, and Edmund interrupted them, saying. ¡°Let¡¯s eat list¡± As he spoke, he


    picked up a chicken leg and put it into


    her bow.


    That ufortable feeling resurfaced, and she forced a smile and thanked him. She lock a bite of the


    chicken leg and found it delicious. Throughout the mea, he served her several times, ignoring her


    protests.


    The person from the public rtions department seemed to ignore their Interaction and quietly focused


    on eating, as if they were invisible.


    Midway through the meal, he received a phone call and quickly excused himsell say ra ¡®Sorry, I have


    something to attend to. Mr. Rogers, Ms. Seymour, please enjoy your meal. He then left, leaving the two


    of them behind. The air was filled with an awkward almosphere, which made Larissa leel ufortable


    all over her body-even her hair lelt out of ce.


    She set down her utensils and said, ¡°Thanks for the meal. It¡¯s gettingte, and I should get back to


    work.¡±


    He didn¡¯t stop her, Instead, he said, ¡°Well, I¡¯m lull ton, Let¡¯s go then.¡± He stood up alongside her.


    They walked side by side in the hotel attracting allen llon from onlookers as an exceptionally eye-


    catching pair of attractive individuals. Quite a few people recognized them on the way, and alter they


    passed, they gathered to discuss the nature of their rtionship.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.

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    Edmund had no clue about being discreet¨Cperhaps due to his inherently carefree nature or simply not


    caring about external opinions. In the span of a single attemoon, he made two visits to Larissa¡¯s office.


    Although their interactions were work¨Crted, Larissa could easily discem through the transparent


    ss that several employees from the marketing department had been stealing nces and peeking


    inside during their breaks.


    Larissa purposely left the blinds open and even left the door slightly ajar to avoid any misconceptions,


    showcasing her innocence regarding Edmund. However, he remainedpletely oblivious to all of this.


    Their conversation carried on until the end of the workday. Edmund was aware that Larissa resided in


    the hotel, so he took the opportunity to invite her to have dinner together. Feeling helpless. Larissa had


    no choice but to decline, citing her desire to lose weight and skip dinner. Edmund didn¡¯t suspect


    anything and merely disyed a hint of disappointment.


    Exhausted, Larissa returned to her room. As soon as she opened the door, she found Kevan already


    waiting in the living room. He leaned against the couch, casually resting his legs on the coffee table


    while holding a transparent highball ss in one hand. He was gently swirling his wrist, and the liquid


    inside the ss swayed: a drop sttered onto his pristine white shirt, leaving a dark red stain.


    Unfazed by this mishap, Kevan appeared unperturbed.


    The 65¨Cinch LCD TV disyed shopping advertisements thatcked any real substance. Though his


    gaze remained fixed on a certain


    spot, his eyescked focus. When he heard the sound of the door opening, he turned his head slightly.


    Larissa collided with his deep,


    bottomless gaze, momentarily getting lost in the whirlwind ofplex emotions within. It took her a


    while to regain herposure.


    N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    ¡°What¡¯s¡­what¡¯s wrong with you?¡± she cautiously inquired.


    He merely took a sip of his drink, and the remnants of wine staining his lips a deep red. Then, he


    narrowed his eyes and subtly pursed his lips. His tone dripped with sarcasm as he uttered, ¡°Did you


    forget everything I told youst night?¡±


    Larissa was caught off guard but quickly realized that he must have heard rumors about her growing


    too close to Edmund.


    ¡°No,¡± she hurriedly exined, ¡°Mr. Rogers and I, I mean, your cousin. It¡¯s purely professional


    interaction at work.¡±


    *Does ¡®professional interaction at work involve sharing meals and spending the entire afternoon alone


    in the office?¡± Kevan¡¯s gaze darkened while his voice tinged with coldness. He made it evident that he


    didn¡¯t believe her, leaving Larissa feeling a mix of annoyance


    and powerlessness.


    ¡°You¡¯re entitled to think whatever you want,¡± she replied helplessly, her imitation palpable.


    Without hesitation, she made her way to her room. Upon seeing that, Kevan promptly ced the ss


    aside and approached her with determined strides. He gripped her wrist with a force that could easily


    shatter bones.


    ¡°Stay away from Edmund,¡± he reiterated. His tone grew colder and more solemn with each word.


    Larissa summoned all her strength to free herself from his grasp. ¡°Sure,¡± she replied without even


    ncing back and thus was oblivious to


    the intense concern in his eyes.

 Chapter 273

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    Chapter 273


    To avoid encountering Edmund, Larissa spent most of the following days wandering around the guest


    rooms downstairs. Whenever she spotted a housekeeping staff member cleaning a room, she would


    enter to conduct a ¡°surprise inspection.¡±


    She understood that developing habits took time, and despite the housekeeping staff¡¯s efforts, there


    were still some minor shorings. For less serious issues, she corrected them and let them go. But


    for more severe problems, she made a note and imposed fines. Those who disobeyed her


    management and were dissatisfied with the penalties were simply fired.


    In just a week¡¯s time, she earned the nickname ¡°Devil¡± among her colleagues. However, instead of


    feeling offended, she felt somewhat


    satisfied-after all, everyone was afraid of her and conscientiously carried out their work.


    The only burden she felt was during the weekly department meeting when Edmund specifically praised


    her and made a joke about her


    being called the ¡°Devil¡± by her subordinates. Although he intended to encourage others to learn from


    her and be strict with their


    subordinates, she still heard a few ambiguous chuckles.


    After the meeting, she overheard the head and deputy managers of the F&B Department discussing


    the incident.


    ¡°What¡¯s there to be proud of about being called the ¡®Devil¡¯? Doesn¡¯t that just prove that she¡¯s not well-


    liked?¡±


    ¡°Well, Mr. Rogers was just finding an excuse to publicly praise her. Don¡¯t take it too seriously!¡± another


    replied.


    ¡°True I even saw him having lunch alone with herst time. They came out of the private dining room


    together.¡±


    ¡­C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    Larissa never expected her rumored rtionship with Edmund to spread so quickly within the hotel.


    She couldn¡¯t possibly exin to each and every person, nor could she follow in the footsteps of some


    celebrities and issue a formal statement. Such actions would only make others think she was trying to


    hide something. Luckily, she only had one more week left here, and whatever others said would no


    longer concern her.


    However, what she hadn¡¯t anticipated was that Edmund had applied to transfer her from Covenford. He


    never asked for her opinion nor informed her when he submitted the application. She only found out


    because the general manager of Covenford¡¯s Regal Dynasty Hotel called her to question, ¡°You¡¯ve only


    been there for a few days, and now you don¡¯t even want toe back?¡±


    Larissa waspletely puzzled. She asked, ¡°When did I say I didn¡¯t want to go back to Covenford?¡±


    ¡°Still pretending!¡± The general manager grew more infuriated. ¡°Headquarters sent me an email saying


    they want to transfer you to Bartham!


    Larissa was taken aback and quickly denied, ¡°I have no knowledge of this.¡± Her reaction was too


    genuine, and the general manager, having worked with her for many years, naturally knew she wasn¡¯t


    lying.


    ¡°I¡¯ll forward you the email. Take a look for yourself.¡±


    Indeed, it was an email from headquarters to the general manager, notifying him of the personnel


    change. She refreshed her inbox multiple times and even checked the spam folder, but she couldn¡¯t


    find any email directly sent to her regarding the transfer. So, she went to see Edmund, as it could only


    be his idea to transfer her.


    He admitted candidly, ¡°Yes, I was the one who requested for you to be transferred here.¡±


    Larissa was angry, but she managed to restrain herself from banging the table and confronting him.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you discuss it with me?¡± she questioned.


    ¡°Because I wasn¡¯t sure if headquarters would approve, so I submitted the application first.¡± He came up


    with a grand excuse. ¡°I nned to wait for their approval and then ask for your opinion so that If you


    agreed, it wouldn¡¯t be rejected.¡±


    She managed to grasp the key point from his exnation. ¡°So, you¡¯re saying that I still have a chance


    to refuse now, right?¡±


    However, he looked apologetic. ¡°That should have been the case if everything went ording to my


    n. But it seems like headquarters misunderstood my intention and directly processed the personnel


    transfer ¡­ Now you¡¯re already an employee of Bartham¡¯s Regal Dynasty Hotel, and your position


    remains as the manager of the housekeeping department.¡±

 Chapter 274

    Chapter 274


    Chapter 274


    Edmund hadn¡¯t anticipated Larissa¡¯s strong reaction. He looked at her with a hint of admiration in his


    exes


    ¡°The applications will get rejected if we submit them frequently he said


    ¡°How about this-let¡¯s try a different approach. You stay here to now and Itt subent another application


    once the housing department is back on track after the big family reunion dinner. To be honest, we


    need you move here than in Coverlord reforms can¡¯t be aplished in just two weeks. It¡¯s a king


    process, which is why I hope you can stay Bharthar


    Everything about him-his words, tone, and demeanor-all seemed genuine. If it weren¡¯t for Kevan¡¯s initial


    warming and her aversion to being in Bartham, she might have been convinced by him already


    ¡°I disagree,¡± she firmly rejected. ¡°If you can¡¯t resolve this, I¡¯ll contact headquarters mysel


    Due to Edmund¡¯s persistence, Larissa had no choice but to seek help from her actual superior to


    exin the situation to headquarters She also sent an email expressing her unawareness of the


    decision made by headquarters and her desire to return to Covenford


    However, headquarters remained unyielding and even swiftly transferred her personnel Hite to Bartham


    Seeing that she had no other options, she reluctantly turned to Kevan for assistance.


    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Since theirst unpleasant incident, Kevan had beening and going at odd hours. By the time she


    woke up, he had already left, and the would return when she went to sleep. Over the past week, they


    shared the same suite but hadn¡¯t crossed paths event once


    She lingered in the living room until 11.30 pm when she finally heard the sound of the door opening.


    Kevan didn¡¯t expect Larissa to wait for him, and his footsteps momentarily paused when he saw her.


    Eventually, he spoke, ¡°Why haven¡¯t you gone to sleep yet?¡±


    His voice sounded h oa rse, and after speaking, he pressed his fist against his lips and coughed softby


    a couple of times.


    Instantly, she forgot about her issue. ¡°Are you catching a cold?¡± she asked anxiously. ¡°Is it serious? Did


    you take medicine? Should I call the front desk and ask them to bring up some cold medicine?¡±


    Her concern warmed his heart, and the days of irritation and headaches seemed to alleviate.


    ¡°It¡¯s not serious. I¡¯ve taken medicine. No need to send anything,¡± he patiently answered each of her


    questions,


    She tiptoed toward him and gently ced her hand on his forehead, confirming that their temperatures


    were almost identical before gradually easing her worry.


    ¡°You¡¯re sick, so why didn¡¯t youe back earlier to rest?¡± she asked, and her gaze cattled a hint of


    reproach.


    His throat tickled, and he coughed a couple of times before reluctantly answering, ¡°There¡¯s too much


    work at thepany. I¡¯ve been in meetings all the time.¡±


    He had been busy attending various meetings, but it was not just dealing with thepany¡¯s affairs.


    He had only been at Covenford for a short while, and the people from the Rogers family had already


    started showing signs of aeback. He wasn¡¯t particrly worried though. After all, their feeble


    attempts were nothing more than a joke. If he could subdue them once, he could subdue them again.


    ¡°Work is never-ending, but your health is the most important,¡± she advised.


    ¡°I know¡± As he spoke, his gaze softened, and his tone filled with Indulgent helplessness. This made her


    heart tremble, and her face immediately blushed.


    Lowering her head, she softly urged, ¡°Go back to your room and rest!¡±


    But he didn¡¯t move.


    ¡°You waited for me here because you have something to discuss, right?¡± he asked. Although they


    hadn¡¯t met face-to-face these past few days, he was well aware of what had happened to her. He


    pretended not to know anything, wanting to see when she would remember him. Luckily, despite the


    unsatisfactory process, at least the result was what he had hoped for.


    Only then did she remember the purpose of waiting for him all night.


    Chapter 274


    ¡°Your cousin didn¡¯t inform me and had headquarters transfer me to Bartham. I applied to return to


    Covenford, but my request was rejected,


    * she exined.


    He raised an eyebrow. ¡°So, you want me to intervene and transfer you back to Covenford?¡±


    She nodded in agreement.

 Chapter 275

    Chapter 275


    Chapter 275


    ¡°Can you help me?¡± Larissa asked tentatively


    ¡°It¡¯s not impossible.¡± Kevan crossed his legs as he sat on the sofa.


    Then, he continued, ¡°What will I get for helping you?¡±


    It was the same when he helped her with Zero¡¯s incident. He always treated mutual assistance


    between friends as transactions. Larissa wasn¡¯t going to ask him to help in vain. Plus, she didn¡¯t like to


    owe others. However, the reward he requested posed a challenge for her. That was why she wouldn¡¯t


    turn to him for help unless she had no other choice left.


    She pursed her lips and asked, ¡°What do you want in return?¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Kevan frowned. After a moment, he said, ¡°My head hurts.¡±


    Then, he looked at Larissa. ¡°Give me a massage.¡±


    That was much easier than a kiss, a hug, or anything of that sort. Anyway, Larissa felt it was something


    she could handle.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Larissa walked over to him, knelt on one knee on the sofa, and leaned over to massage his


    forehead. Her movements were gentle, and she happened to apply pressure on the right spot where


    Kevan felt the most pain. Instantly, Kevan rxed and started to feel drowsy. Before long, Larissa


    noticed his steady breath. She softly called out, ¡°Kevan?¡±


    He didn¡¯t react to her. Now that she was near him, she noticed the dark circles under his eyes and the


    stubble on his chin. Kevan had always been concerned about his appearance, so she could imagine


    how busy he must have beentely.


    Distressed, Larissa touched his face. His skin was rougher than before. Then, she concluded that


    sleeping in the living room wasn¡¯t appropriate, so she gently nudged him and softly said, ¡°Kevan, wake


    up.¡±


    Kevan¡¯s eyelids moved, but he didn¡¯t open his eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯m tired,¡± he muttered. He waved his arms weakly in the air before hugging her waist.


    Larissa yelped in shock and fell into his embrace.


    Kevan took advantage of the situation andy on the wide sofa while Larissa was forced to lie beside


    him.


    ¡°Hey!¡± she eximed, pushing against his chest, attempting to break free from his grasp. However, he


    responded by wrapping his arms around her even tighter.


    ¡°Lari, stop moving.¡± Kevan frowned.


    ¡°I¡¯m really tired¡­¡± his voice trailed off as he spoke.


    When she saw that he was asleep, she abandoned the idea of waking him up, thinking, ¡°I should just


    let him have a good rest.¡±


    The next day, Larissa woke up in her bed, and Kevan was not beside her. As usual, he was not in the


    room.


    After contemting for a while, she decided to send him a text. ¡°Remember to have breakfast. Then,


    take your medicine! Take your medicine! Take your medicine! Important matters must be repeated


    three times!¡±


    Halfway through the meeting, Kevan¡¯s phone vibrated. He nced down at it, and a smile graced his


    face. Everyone present was so shocked that they held their breath. Even the vice president presenting


    on the stage momentarily forgot his next talking point.


    However, it onlysted for a moment before Kevan returned to his serious expression and nced at


    the crowd. Immediately, everyone looked away.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.

 Chapter 276

    Chapter 276


    Chapter 276


    The meetingsted the whole morning. After Kevan left the meeting room, his assistant handed him his


    phone. As Keren nced at the screen, he saw the chat history between his assistant and the Human


    Resource Department manager of Regal Dynasty Hotel


    He had requested the other party to transfer Larissa back to Covenford as per Kevan¡¯s instruction, but


    the request was denied. The other party replied, ¡°Old Mr. Rogers ordered the transfer. If Mr. Rogers


    has any objection to this, he should discuss it with Old Mc Roggen directly. We can¡¯t do anything about


    it.¡±


    Kevan narrowed his eyes. He had thought this was Edmund¡¯s arrangement and that Bernard and his


    family were involved. He hadn¡¯t expected his grandfather¡¯s involvement in this. If that was indeed the


    case, the situation had be even moreplicated.


    ¡°Got it,¡± Kevan said. Then, he returned to his office and called his grandfather.


    Rnd answered the call and asked, ¡°You¡¯re calling me because of Lari?¡±


    His grandpa was obviously prepared, so Kevan didn¡¯t beat around the bush. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Your family is in Bartham, and so is your business. Since Lari is your wife, it¡¯s only natural for her to be


    by your side in Barthem. I¡¯m simply making arrangements ahead of time. Of course, I have my own


    reasons for doing so. You know that among your peers, I value you the most. Lari is different from your


    sister-inw and brother-inw. I like her very much. I¡¯m too old to travel now. If you all stay in Barther,


    you can visit me often.¡±


    Rnd¡¯s heartfelt words plunged Kevan into deep contemtion. He began to reflect on himself,


    realizing that he had been neglecting his family for the past few years in his pursuit of stabilizing the


    Rogers family business and his own ventures.


    ¡°But Lari doesn¡¯t like it here,¡± Kevan expressed, torn between honoring his grandfather¡¯s wishes and


    acknowledging Larissa¡¯s feelings.


    ¡°She had some unpleasant experiences in Bartham when she was a child.¡±


    Rnd was silent for a long time before asking, ¡°Why don¡¯t you ask Lari if she could stay in Bartham


    for a few years for me? I won¡¯t live long. When I¡¯m gone, you guys can go whenever you want to. Is


    that okay?¡±


    Everyone was well aware of Rnd¡¯s deteriorating health, and the entire family was bracing


    themselves for the inevitable. Only Kevan had been deceiving both his grandfather and himself,


    refusing to acknowledge the gravity of the situation. ¡°You still have a long time to gor


    Rndughed. ¡°Enough, don¡¯t try to fool me. Go and discuss it with Lari. I can¡¯t die without having


    some peace of mind. It depends on


    you now.¡±


    ¡°Grandpa.¡± Kevan suddenly became serious as he continued, ¡°You should know that if Lari stays in


    Bartham, Benard and his family will try


    to harm her.¡±


    ¡°I know that.¡± Rnd might be old, but he wasn¡¯t sen ile. He remained aware of everything happening


    in thepany. While it was Edmund¡¯s idea to transfer Larissa from Covenford, he had different ns.


    Despite their divergent purposes, Rnd intended to use Edmund¡¯s n to beat him, so he informed


    the Human Resource Department beforehand.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about Bernard and his family. I¡¯ll send someone to protect Lari. Nothing will happen to


    her.¡± Since Rnd made his promise,


    Kevan knew he didn¡¯t have to worry. Still, it was a challenge to persuade Larissa.


    At night, Kevan was home before Larissa. It was a rare sight, so Larissa was surprised to see the lights


    switched on.


    ¡°You¡¯re not busy today?¡± she asked Kevan.


    Kevan patted the seat beside him and said, ¡°Come here.¡±


    Confused, Larissa walked over.Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 277

    Chapter 277


    Chapter 277


    Kevan got straight to the point, informing Larissa, ¡°You can¡¯t be transferred back to Covenford for now.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Larissa was in disbelief. She wondered if even Kevan couldn¡¯t handle this matter. Could it be


    that Edmund held a higher position


    than him in the group?


    ¡°Actually, it was Grandpa who transferred you over.¡± Kevan couldn¡¯t think of any other excuse, so he


    decided to tell her the truth.


    ¡°As you know, Grandpa isn¡¯t doing well from ourst visit. He felt that his days are numbered. He also


    felt lonely. Therefore, he hopes we can visit him more often.¡±


    Larissa liked Rnd a lot. It might be due to theck of love she received as a kid. Therefore, she


    cherished elders that were kind to her. If


    it was Rnd who wanted her to stay ¡­..


    C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    ¡°Then I won¡¯t leave.¡±


    Kevan was shocked by how quickly Larissa agreed.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you dislike Bartham?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s because I don¡¯t like the Rogers family. However, now that I have people I like here, I¡¯ll try to


    like this city.¡± Larissa sounded sincere.


    Kevan stared at her side profile, looking at the slightly raised corners of her mouth and the strange


    brilliance in her eyes. Suddenly, he felt


    a flutter in his heart and hugged her.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± he murmured, his head nestled on her shoulder.


    Larissa thought he was thankful on his grandfather¡¯s behalf, so she gently patted his back and said,


    ¡°No need for that. Let¡¯s visit Grandpa


    when you¡¯re free.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Kevan hugged her even tighter after that. He decided he would never let go of her in his life.


    Edmund got the news and went to Larissa. ¡°You¡¯re not leaving?¡±


    Larissa didn¡¯t want to answer him. Although she stayed for Rnd, it was still a fact that Edmund was


    the one who applied for her to be


    transferred here without her permission.


    In addition to the heads-up Kevan had provided, Larissa had resolved to distance herself from a


    superior who did not value her opinions. Nheless, considering the long-term nature of their working


    rtionship and the fact that he was her superior, she knew better than to disy a negative attitude


    toward him.


    ¡°Yes, unfortunately, the headquarters did not ept my application.¡± She pretended to sigh. ¡°I have no


    choice but toply with the orders given.¡±


    ¡°Actually, Bartham is a great ce.¡± Edmund pulled out a chair and sat down. He was trying to


    brainwash her. ¡°The Regal Dynasty Hotel in Bartham is the most valued hotel among our branches. If


    you do well, you are more likely to get a promotion than in Covenford. Plus, not that I¡¯m praising myself,


    but you¡¯lle to see that I¡¯m a good leader after we get along. I¡¯m easygoing and never give my


    subordinates any pressure.¡±


    Larissa hoped he was a cold guy like his cousin and wouldn¡¯t pester her frequently. She showed him a


    fake smile and responded briefly to his lengthy monologue.


    ¡°It¡¯s going to be the New Year soon,¡± Edmund abruptly changed the topic, veering away from their


    previous discussion.


    ¡°Are you going back to Covenford?¡±


    Larissa had already agreed to stay with Kevan during New Year, so she won¡¯t be returning to


    Covenford.


    ¡°I¡¯ll probably stay in Bartham. My family is here.¡±


    Edmund didn¡¯t seem surprised. It was probably because he had conducted some investigation into her


    background.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be here too. Can I ask you out for the New Year?¡±

 Chapter 278

    Chapter 278


    Chapter 278


    Larissa was taken aback, ¡°Why do you want to ask me out?¡¯


    Edmund unveiled a shy smile before bowing his head. The effeminate demeanor he disyed didn¡¯t


    seem out of ce on his feminine


    face.


    ¡°You might not believe me¡­¡± Edmund bit his lip. Then as if he had made up his mind, he suddenly


    raised his head and stared at Larissa,


    Actually, on the day you scolded the housekeepers I fell for you at first sight. It was out of my personal


    Interest to transfer you here,¡±


    Larissa felt as if she had been struck by lightning, and her mind went nk. It took her a while to regain


    herposure, and she chuckled,


    saying, ¡°Mr. Rogers, please don¡¯t y such a prank on me.¡±


    Edmund knew she didn¡¯t believe him and seriously said to her, ¡°I¡¯m not joking. I really like you.¡±


    His serious expression and tone caused Larissa to panic. While she had experienced many love


    confessions in the past, this was the first time she felt flustered. She didn¡¯t know how to reject him.


    After all, Edmund was her superior. She felt a responsibility to preserve his dignity and avoid being


    overly blunt in her response.


    ¡°Sorry, Mr. Rogers. I¡¯m married,¡± she began, her gaze drifting to her ring finger, which bore no ring.


    Once again, she regretted not wearing the diamond ring that Kevan had given her.


    Edmund¡¯s gaze instantly became sullen. ¡°Are you really married or trying to fool me?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m really married. If you don¡¯t believe me, I can show you the marriage certificate.¡± Of course, she


    wouldn¡¯t really let him see it. She, couldn¡¯t make known her rtionship with Kevan.


    ¡°No need for that.¡±


    Larissa felt relieved hearing his answer.


    ¡°Your marriage doesn¡¯t affect me,¡± he sneered, apanied by an unsettlingugh.


    *After all, there are no married couples that can¡¯t be broken up. It simply means the third party hasn¡¯t


    put in enough effort.¡±


    With that, Edmund rose from his chair and ced his hands firmly on the table. He looked down at her


    with a condescending gaze and dered, ¡°I won¡¯t give up on you. I believe that one day your heart will


    be mine.¡±


    Edmund left her office after that, leaving her shocked. ¡°Edmund


    688


    He has gone crazy!¡±


    His intention to intervene in her rtionship with Kevan revealed a deeply twisted sense of morality.


    Larissa couldn¡¯t fathom the extent of his distorted mindset.


    Larissa did not n to tell Kevan about this. The previous rumor between her and Edmund had already


    enraged him. If he knew that Edmund wanted to sna tch her from him. She might be killed.


    Following Edmund¡¯s confession, Larissa remained on edge, worried about his unpredictable actions.


    Fortunately, Edmund never did anything too crazy after that. Just like that, they peacefully ended the


    last few days of work before the new year.


    As the long-awaited holiday season approached, Rnd, being aware of Larissa¡¯s time off, invited her


    and Kevan to his home to celebrate New Year¡¯s Eve.All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.

 Chapter 279

    Chapter 279


    Grade 2079


    Kanataract abs to encounter with Rnd at thest minute so ste don¡¯t presare any gitc. Ste fet


    egeftitt


    On the day they were meeting fnd for dinner. She pulled even out of bed eary in the moming. Ste


    readed nim to apany her to Crosse something that found would the orang too seriousw Kn


    oliged and apanied her on the search for the defect


    Just or anything Granda wil ik tawwasers eventing, and he only cares about the givers sincenty Kn


    persuader ter ate ter rutless search in all the famous mals


    Shetty Lasca pondered for a moment and then an idea struck ret. Ste sagety tugged at fear¡¯s seale


    Don¡¯t Grandda mention now re misses the homemade pies that Grandma used to mare for him during


    the roicas?


    KRET ETTETCETs that there was indeed such a thing her family loved pies, and they would prepare


    pies during different holidays. The Dies at home were made by the cres. They would make the casty


    and filings themselves, and Kevan fet it was delicious. However, his fatter always hosted that


    Grandma¡¯s dies were beter even his matter concured with that sentment


    N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    Unformarew his grandmother passed early on so Kn had not much impression of res not to mention


    the taste of her pies. Therefore,


    He was Cueless about how fasy his grandmothers de MES.


    ¡°You want to make a die for Grande Keen frowned


    I dont think it¡¯s a good idea to trouble yourself. Ater Grandma passed away, Grandca never ate pies


    again. He would always say frat no one could replicate Grandma¡¯s taste


    How do we know if we don¡¯t even give it a ty? Larissa showed a curring sale


    In the end, Keven didn¡¯t stop het. He thought that even if the pie she made didn¡¯t have Grandma¡¯s


    taste, and even if Grandice didn¡¯t eat it.


    he would like it. After alts her snicety.


    Latosa and Keren went to the supermarket to get the ingredients for the pie. After that they went to


    Rnd¡¯s house. What was different from thest time they visted was that the house was decorated


    festively in bright colors for the New Year


    Ben, the old man who had opened the doorst time, brought them into the house. Rnd was sitting


    on the couch. He wore spectacles


    and we focused on reading


    M. Roges, yong rectes, and young madam are back¡± Ben shouted toward the living room. It was the


    first time Larissa had heard anyone being addressed as such, and she found the use of such old-


    fashioned titles to be rather peculiar, but she refrained from expressing her thoughts in front of Ben


    Keven gave her a knowing look, silently conveying the message, ¡°You just have to get used to it.¡±


    Then, he said, ¡®It¡¯s difficult for older individuals to adapt and change their ways.¡±


    When Rnd heard Bert¡¯s announcement, he promptly set aside his book and rose from his seat,


    relying on his cane for support. Larissa hortedly approached him and offered her assistance, guiding


    him back to his seat


    Rnd was excited to see her and didn¡¯t let go of her hand as he fussed, ¡°You guys are finally here!


    I¡¯ve waited for the whole day.¡± ¨C


    Keven slowly walked over and showed him the bags. ¡°Lari said we couldn¡¯t be here empty-handed and


    insisted on buying you gifts. That¡¯s why we¡¯rete.


    ¡°Gifts? Rnd redirected his gaze at Larissa.


    ¡°The fact that the two of you can apany me for New Year¡¯s Eve dinner is already the best gift!¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not really a gift. Larissa smiled.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you mention your craving for pies? I went to buy some ingredients. I¡¯ll make one for everyone to


    share.¡±


    Rnd was taken aback but quickly nodded with a smile. ¡°Great! I can¡¯t wait to have a taste of your


    cooking!¡±

 Chapter 280

    Chapter 280


    Chapter 280


    The kitchen area was separated from the main house and looked ancient. Larissa almost thought they


    would be using firewood for cooking. However, the moment she entered, it was filled with thetest


    kitchen equipment.


    Kevan offered to help, and Larissa agreed. She was responsible for making the pastry while he made


    the fillings. Just as they started, they heard Ben announcing, ¡°Young masters Cody and Edmund are


    here.¡±


    Larissa was taken aback at the mention of Edmund¡¯s name, halted what she was doing, and turned her


    attention to Kevan. Shocked, she inquired, ¡°Edmund Rogers is here?¡±


    Still engrossed in chopping the ingredients, Kevan responded nonchntly, ¡°It seems like they are


    here.¡±


    ¡°Why are they here? Didn¡¯t Grandpa say he only invited the two of us?¡± Larissa panicked. Kevan was


    like a ticking timebomb while Edmund


    was the catalyst. When Kevan would explode depended on how Edmund stimted him.


    ¡°Grandpa didn¡¯t call them over, but it doesn¡¯t mean they won¡¯t visit.¡± There was gloom In Kevan¡¯s eyes.


    He knew his cousin had heard the news and rushed over. He wasn¡¯t willing to tell those two about his


    rtionship with Larissa. However, the more he hid it, the more they would suspect. It would be better


    to Introduce Larissa to them.


    ¡°Wash your hands. We¡¯ll go over and greet them,¡± Kevan sald to Larissa.


    ¡°Can I stay here?¡± Larissa was unwilling to leave.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Kevan was surprised by her reaction.


    ¡°I¡¯m not used to being with strangers. Didn¡¯t you say it¡¯s not good for me if Edmund finds out about our


    rtionship?¡±


    ¡°I think they came over because they know you¡¯re here.¡± Kevan put down the knife and continued, ¡°It¡¯s


    meaningless to keep hiding.¡±


    Larissa pursed her lip tightly together, feeling apprehensive. Nheless, she proceeded to wash


    away the flour on her hand before asking, ¡°What kind of disadvantage would Edmund bring me?¡±


    Recalling the old adage that stated, ¡°Know thyself and thy enemy, and you shall win every battle,¡±


    Larissa believed that being aware of what Edmund might do to her would allow her to be prepared.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Kevan took off the apron. He usuallymunicated with Cody while Edmund had been


    studying abroad. He only came back when Kevan was in Covenford.


    ¡°No matter what, just be careful.¡±


    Rnd didn¡¯t host them in his main house but in an annex designated for entertaining guests. While it


    appeared like a regr living room. it was twice the size of a typical one.


    As Larissa entered the room, she immediately noticed the presence of another woman besides Cody


    and Edmund, The woman sat obediently by Cody¡¯s side, holding a teacup in her hand but did not take


    a sip.


    ¡°Grandpa, Cody, Ruby, Edmund.¡± Kevan took the initiative to greet them.


    When the woman heard him, she instantly looked up and stared at him with a burning gaze. Her eyes


    seemed almost glued to his presence.


    Observing Ruby¡¯s reaction, Larissa couldn¡¯t help but feel a sense of displeasure. In a deliberate move,


    she positioned herself closer to Kevan and even took hold of his arm. Kevan paused, ncing at her,


    and upon seeing her re toward Ruby, he felt a warm and contented sensation in his heart, finding


    happiness in her possessive disy.All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.

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    Chapter 281


    ¡°Kevan! Come and take a seat!¡± Cody smiled and beckoned to him.


    Kevanplied, calling out, ¡°Cody.¡±


    ¡°Kevan ¡­¡± Ruby also greeted him, her voice soft and gentle. With a smile, she continued, ¡°You¡¯re


    back?¡± Her smile carried a hint of ttery.


    Kevan did not sit beside Cody. Instead, he led Larissa to take a seat on the other side of Rnd.


    Finally, Cody turned his attention to Larissa and inquired, ¡°And who might this be?¡±


    Kevan replied. ¡°This is my wife, Larissa Seymour.¡±


    Larissa smiled at Cody and nodded. At the same time, she caught a glimpse of Ruby¡¯s face, which had


    turned pale.


    Cody acted surprised and questioned, ¡°When did you get married? Why didn¡¯t you tell us about it?¡±


    He wore an unhappy expression and continued, ¡°Do you consider us as outsiders?¡±


    Kevan simply replied, ¡°We had just gotten married. We have the marriage certificates but haven¡¯t had


    the wedding ceremony yet.¡±


    Rnd sneered and added, ¡°I only found out not long ago too.¡±


    After hearing that, Cody relented and said, ¡°Make sure to inform us when the wedding ceremony is


    held!¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Kevan smiled.


    Then, Rnd asked, ¡°You guys are done with the pie?¡±


    ¡°No. We heard that my cousins had arrived, so we came out to say hello. Otherwise, Edmund might


    use us of having bad manners.¡±


    Edmundughed and responded, ¡°I¡¯m not that petty.¡±


    Kevan didn¡¯t react.


    ¡°Since you¡¯ve greeted them, you can go ahead and continue making the pie,¡± Rnd dismissed them.


    Larissa got up, and Ruby followed suit. Thetter suggested, ¡°Let me help too.¡±


    Larissa looked at Kevan, silently signaling her refusal. However, Kevan remained still and merely


    responded, ¡°Okay.¡±


    At that moment, Larissa really wanted to leave. Still, she endured it and smiled at Ruby, saying, ¡°Thank


    you, but it¡¯s fine.¡±


    After that, she forcefully pulled Kevan up from his chair and added, ¡°Kevan and I can deal with it.¡±


    But Kevan pushed her hand away and sat back. ¡°Go with Ruby. I want to chat with Cody and Edmund


    for a while.¡±


    Larissa red at him and went to the kitchen with Ruby. Since Kevan had chopped up the ingredients,


    she just had to mix and season


    them.


    ¡®Do you know how to make pastry?¡± Larissa asked Ruby.


    Ruby nodded and took over Larissa¡¯s previous task. Then, they got on with their work and did not


    disturb each other. However, Ruby broke


    the silence after a while and asked, ¡°How did you and Kevan meet?¡±


    The way she said Kevan¡¯s name was simr to how Kevan called her, filled with a sense of intimacy


    that made Larissa envious.


    ¡®During work, Larissa replied coldly.


    ¡°How long have you known each other?¡± Ruby continued to ask.


    ¡°Not very long¡­ Larissa thought about it carefully. ¡°It hasn¡¯t been half a year.¡±


    ¡°Not even half a year?¡± Ruby seemed to be proud.


    ¡°I¡¯ve known Kevan for more than seven years.¡±


    Larissa felt a strong urge to roll her eyes and sarcastically ask, ¡°So?¡± However, her manners didn¡¯t


    allow her to do such a thing. Instead, she said, ¡°You two must be good friends.¡±


    She deliberately emphasized the word friend.¡± As expected, the smile on Ruby¡¯s face froze.This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.

 Chapter 282

    Chapter 282


    Chapter 282


    Ruby gritted her teeth and squeezed the dough hard. Her fingers were pressed into it. She tried her


    best to adjust the emotions on her face so she would look natural.


    ¡°Actually.¡± She lowered her head and felt her cheeks burn with a blush.


    ¡­


    ¡°We weren¡¯t just friends He pursued me for a long time in the past, but Maybe we weren¡¯t just meant to


    be. In the end, we didn¡¯t end up together, and I married Cody.¡±


    Larissa surmised Ruby was referring to the guy sitting beside her just now, Kevan¡¯s cousin.


    Ruby looked at Larissa, a hint of provocation in her eyes. ¡°You don¡¯t mind it do you?¡±


    Despite that, Larissa¡¯s tone remained gentle. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, and we¡¯re both married time, so it


    brought back memories.¡±


    ¡­


    It¡¯s just that I haven¡¯t seen him in a long


    Larissa let out a breath and acted generous. ¡°I don¡¯t mind.¡±


    But in reality, a sense of suffocation gripped her chest, and her mood sank. Upon witnessing their initial


    interaction, she thought Ruby had feelings for Kevan. Yet, it turned out to be theplete opposite.


    ¡®Ruby Cole Ruby Cole¡­¡± Larissa repeated the name in her mind, suddenly recalling how Kevan had


    called out the name of the woman who had chosen to sever ties with her own family rather than marry


    him. Could it be this Ruby Cole? The more she pondered, the more usible it seemed. However, the


    realization only deepened her distress. She was nothing more than a substitute, after all.


    This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.


    Larissa hastened her movements, eager toplete the pie as swiftly as possible. She didn¡¯t want to


    stay in the same room with Ruby, in contrast, Ruby had alreadypleted her pastry task. Hailing from


    a middle-ss family, she did note from wealth. Furthermore being an only child meant she was


    exempt from household chores. As the young madam of the Rogers family, she was also relieved of


    any domestic responsibilities.


    ¡°What do I do next?¡± Ruby asked Larissa.


    Larissa looked at the dough and sighed in her heart. Even though she knew the answer, she asked,


    ¡°Do you know how to roll out the pie pastry?¡±


    As expected, Larissa shook her head.


    ¡°Go and rest. I¡¯ll handle the rest of it.¡± Larissa gave her a polite smile.


    ¡°T-Thank you!¡± Ruby didn¡¯t insist and quickly left the kitchen after washing her hands.


    Larissapleted the fillings and skillfully kneaded the dough. She then proceeded to roll it out,


    carefully cing it in the pie pan. Pouring in the vorful fillings, she adorned the pie with decorative


    touches before sliding it into the oven. By the time she finished, darkness had enveloped the outside


    world.


    Only a handful of cooks remained in the kitchen, diligently preparing the New Year¡¯s dinner. No one


    else entered thereafter. Standing at the kitchen door, Larissa could see the light emanating from the


    living room. Unable to suppress her thoughts, she wondered about the lively conversation Kevan was


    engaged in with the others. Were they all enjoying a delightful exchange? Otherwise, how could he


    have forgotten about her?


    Suddenly, Larissa realized how absurd she was being. It was only natural for Kevan to be happy in the


    presence of the woman he liked. For him to forget about her was to be expected.


    As the pie required baking, she had no choice but to wait. After standing for nearly the entire afternoon,


    she finally felt the pain in her back She rubbed it, leaned against the door frame, and slowly slid to the


    floor.


    A profound sadness enveloped her heart as she gazed at the glow in the courtyard. It felt as though


    she had been transported back to her days with the Seymours. Hugging her knees tightly, she fought


    back the tears from shedding. She couldn¡¯t help but believe that she was simply destined to be


    unlucky-destined to never experience true affection in this lifetime.


    1/1


    Chapter 282


    Chapter 282


    Ruby gritted her teeth and squeezed the dough hard. Her fingers were pressed into it. She tried her


    best to adjust the emotions on her face so she would look natural.


    ¡°Actually¡­¡± She lowered her head and felt her cheeks burn with a blush.


    ***


    ¡­


    ¡°We weren¡¯t just friends He pursued me for a long time in the past, but Maybe we weren¡¯t just meant to


    be. In the end, we didn¡¯t end up together, and I married Cody.¡±


    Larissa surmised Ruby was referring to the guy sitting beside her just now, Kevan¡¯s cousin.


    Ruby looked at Larissa, a hint of provocation in her eyes. ¡°You don¡¯t mind it do you?¡±


    Despite that, Larissa¡¯s tone remained gentle. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, and we¡¯re both married. It¡¯s just that


    I haven¡¯t seen him in a long time, so it brought back memories.¡±


    Larissa let out a breath and acted generous. ¡°I don¡¯t mind.¡±


    But in reality, a sense of suffocation gripped her chest, and her mood sank. Upon witnessing their initial


    interaction, she thought Ruby had feelings for Kevan. Yet, it turned out to be theplete opposite.


    ¡­


    ¡°Ruby Cole Ruby Cole ¡­¡± Larissa repeated the name in her mind, suddenly recalling how Kevan had


    called out the name of the woman who had chosen to sever ties with her own family rather than marry


    him. Could it be this Ruby Cole? The more she pondered, the more usible it seemed. However, the


    realization only deepened her distress. She was nothing more than a substitute, after all.


    Larissa hastened her movements, eager toplete the pie as swiftly as possible. She didn¡¯t want to


    stay in the same room with Ruby. In contrast, Ruby had alreadypleted her pastry task. Hailing from


    a middle-ss family, she did note from wealth. Furthermore, being an only child meant she was


    exempt from household chores. As the young madam of the Rogers family, she was also relieved of


    any domestic responsibilities.


    ¡°What do I do next?¡± Ruby asked Larissa.


    Larissa looked at the dough and sighed in her heart. Even though she knew the answer, she asked,


    ¡°Do you know how to roll out the pie pastry?¡±


    As expected, Larissa shook her head.


    ¡®Go and rest. I¡¯ll handle the rest of it.¡± Larissa gave her a polite smile.


    ¡®T-Thank you!¡± Ruby didn¡¯t insist and quickly left the kitchen after washing her hands.


    Larissapleted the fillings and skillfully kneaded the dough. She then proceeded to roll it out,


    carefully cing it in the pie pan. Pouring in the vorful fillings, she adorned the pie with decorative


    touches before sliding it into the oven. By the time she finished, darkness had enveloped the outside


    world.


    Only a handful of cooks remained in the kitchen, diligently preparing the New Year¡¯s dinner. No one


    else entered thereafter. Standing at the kitchen door, Larissa could see the light emanating from the


    living room. Unable to suppress her thoughts, she wondered about the lively conversation Kevan was


    engaged in with the others. Were they all enjoying a delightful exchange? Otherwise, how could he


    have forgotten


    about her?


    Suddenly, Larissa realized how absurd she was being. It was only natural for Kevan to be happy in the


    presence of the woman he liked. For him to forget about her was to be expected.


    As the pie required baking, she had no choice but to wait. After standing for nearly the entire afternoon,


    she finally felt the pain in her back. She rubbed it, leaned against the door frame, and slowly slid to the


    floor.


    A profound sadness enveloped her heart as she gazed at the glow in the courtyard. It felt as though


    she had been transported back to her days with the Seymours, Hugging her knees tightly, she fought


    back the tears from shedding. She couldn¡¯t help but believe that she was simply destined to be


    unlucky-destined to never experience true affection in this lifetime.

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    Chapter 283


    The people working in Rnd¡¯s willia knew who she was. When the cooks saw her alone by the door,


    they couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Young madam, are you okay?¡±


    Larissa smiled and reassured them. ¡°Tim fine. I just feel tired from standing all day.¡±


    There weren¡¯t any chairs in the kitchen, and everyone was busy. No one had the time to bring over a


    chair. Even so, Larissa wouldn¡¯t let


    them do it.


    madam


    After half an hour, someone called out to her. ¡°Young madam, the pie is ready?


    Larissa quickly got up to check the oven and saw that it was perfectly baked. She removed it from the


    oven with utmost care and brought it to the main house.


    The dining table stood prominently in the center of the main house, and the cooks ced the dishes on


    the table. The people in the living room were already there. Rnd upied the central seat while the


    others found their ces ordingly. As Larissa entered, she noticed the joyous atmosphere, with


    everyone happily indulging in drinks and food. They didn¡¯t wait for her to start.


    When Larissa thought of that, she felt even more upset. She stopped herself from crying and showed a


    gracious smile. ¡°The pie is ready.¡±


    she announced.


    Larissa ced the pie in front of Rnd before cutting it and distributing portions onto everyone¡¯s te.


    After that, she sat beside Kevan.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Rnd smiled at her. However, his smile seemed distant, unlike how friendly he had been


    earlier. Kevan didn¡¯t show any


    expression. He instructed the maid to give her a set of cutlery before falling silent.


    *Sorry, Larissa. We didn¡¯t wait for you even though you¡¯ve been busy in the kitchen.¡± In the end, the


    only person who showed concern for


    her was Edmund. This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.


    *I wanted to call you, but Kevan said it was fine ¡ª


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Since they were outside, Larissa didn¡¯t want to make a fuss.


    Kevan coldly added, ¡°The weather is cold. Grandpa has to eat while it¡¯s hot. Otherwise, it won¡¯t be


    good for his body.¡±


    Larissa continued to nod. Then, Ruby asked, ¡°Ms. Seymour, are you angry?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Larissa looked up and met her gaze. Then, she smiled and said, ¡°Everyone is here to visit


    Grandpa, and of course, we have to prioritize Grandpa¡¯s needs. Besides, I wanted Grandpa to be


    happy, which is why I put in so much effort to make this pie.¡±


    Rnd praised her, saying, ¡°Lari, you¡¯re very considerate.¡±


    However, Larissa felt that his tone and emotions seemed overly polite. She couldn¡¯t sense the sincerity


    behind his words. She was clueless about the sudden change in Rnd¡¯s attitude, which had urred


    within a matter of few hours. The situation of being excluded


    left her feeling uneasy.


    Larissa tightly held her cutlery and forced out, ¡°I¡¯m d you like it.¡±


    To which Rnd replied, ¡°I like it a lot.¡±


    But he never once took a bite of the pie. Once dinner concluded, Larissa looked at the almost


    untouched pie and felt a mix of emotions.

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    Rnd was old and had to go to bed early. Around nine o¡¯clock, he said he was sleepy and retired to


    his room. Kevan helped him in returning to his quarters. Just as she reached the doorway, he turned


    back and instructed Larissa, ¡°Clean the table.¡±


    Larissa paused for a moment, then nodded in acknowledgment. ¡°Okay.¡±


    Edmund and the others had left together, so only Larissa was in the main house. This New Year¡¯s Eve


    dinner was sumptuous, and the


    table was adorned with a wide array of dishes. As the six of them had not consumed much, there was a


    considerable amount of leftovers.


    Larissa felt uncertain about how to handle them, as Kevan had not provided clear instructions.


    Just as she was in a dilemma, Ben came over with some maids, and they discarded the leftovers into


    the trash. When they were about to


    throw the pie, Larissa stopped them. ¡°Ben, can I take this away?¡±


    She had spent the whole afternoon making it. Even if no one ate it, she couldn¡¯t let it be thrown away


    like that. Fortunately, Ben still treated


    her the same. He did as she told and ordered someone to put the pie in a box before giving it to her.


    ¡°Are you going to eat it as a midnight snack?¡± Ben asked. He was very considerate and suggested, ¡°If


    it¡¯s not enough, I can get the cooks to prepare a few more dishes for you to bring home.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Larissa declined his offer before saying. ¡°This is enough.¡± Following her response, she


    offered him a smile.


    As they were talking, they heard the car being started. Ben nced over and said, ¡°It¡¯s young master


    Cody and Edmund leaving.¡±


    After a while, Kevan returned. ¡°Are you done?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but it¡¯s mostly done by Ben and the others,¡± Larissa replied. She didn¡¯t like to take credit for things


    she didn¡¯t do.


    Kevan didn¡¯t say anything about it and left. Larissa heard him say in a cold voice, ¡°Let¡¯s go back to theC¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    hotel*


    On the way back, both of them were silent. When they reached the hotel, Kevan told her to get up early


    tomorrow and retum to his room. He provided no exnation regarding the peculiar situation between


    him and Rnd that evening.


    It turned out to be another unhappy New Year¡¯s Eve. Larissa was used to it, but she was still upset.


    Then, she microwaved the pie and turned on the massive TV in the living room. Nestling into the sofa,


    she watched the annual New Year¡¯s Eve special broadcast.


    In reality, Larissa had never been fond of watching that particr show. However, she found herself at


    a loss on how to spend the lonely New Year¡¯s Eve by herself. At that moment, aedy skit unfolded


    on the screen, with the actors eamestly attempting to bringughter to the audience. Larissa took a bite


    of the pie and tried tough with them. As sheughed, tears slowly rolled down her face.


    Suddenly, Kevan came out of his room.


    ¡°Could you please lower the volume?¡± he irritably requested. However, upon catching sight of Larissa¡¯s


    tear-streaked face, he froze in astonishment. Panic and fear shed across his eyes.


    ¡°Sorry.¡± Larissa snapped back to her senses and took a few tissues from the table to dry her face.


    Then, she took the remote control and turned down the volume.


    ¡°Is this okay?¡± she asked.


    Kevan pursed his lips.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± His tone was much nicer. Then, he reached into his right pocket, took out a stack of


    money, and handed it to her.


    ¡°Grandpa gave you money,¡± he said.

 Chapter 285

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    Chapter 285


    Larissa stared at the money in his hand, and her eyes grew as round as saucers. This was the first


    time in her life to receive cash as a gift. As a kid, she envied Lana every New Year because she


    received stacks of money. Just the money she got from Xavier and Yvette was already worth


    thousands, whereas Larissa had nothing.


    Larissa felt like taking the money but suppressed her urge in the end. ¡°I¡¯m already an adult. Why are


    you still giving me money?¡± She smiled slightly and pushed Kevan¡¯s hand away. ¡°Give it back to your


    grandpa.¡±


    ¡°Give it to him yourself if you want to.¡± Kevan stuffed the money into her hand and said, ¡°I don¡¯t run


    errands for other people.¡± With that, he went back into his room. Old Mr. Rogers had given her a very


    thick roll of money. Just by feeling it, Larissa guessed that there was at least a few thousand dors.


    However, she couldn¡¯t ept it, so she did not unbind it to check. She just left it on the coffee table.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    Time gradually ticked away until it was almost midnight. On the television, a few TV show hosts were


    standing on stage, counting down.¡± Five four three two one!¡± Following the strike of the clock, loud


    cracks and booms sounded outside. Larissa drew the curtains aside and saw colorful fireworks


    exploding in the night sky. The smog in Bartham was very severe, and fireworks were prohibited during


    New Year¡¯s. There used to be fireworks shows, but they had been canceled over recent years. Those


    fireworks were obviously not a gesture from the government.


    Judging by the distance and loudness, it seemed more like an initiative from the hotel. Larissa went out


    onto the balcony and leaned against the railing. Watching the dazzling sky, she suddenly felt like


    drinking. There was red wine in the booze cab, and she opened a bottle. Without using a ss, she


    just drank right from the bottle and downed half of it.


    There was no one to admire the view with her. ¡°It¡¯s so beautiful.¡± She raised her hand, trying to touch


    the faraway fireworks. ¡°Too bad Sadness slowly overwhelmed her until she was drowning in it. Very


    quickly, she reached the bottom of the bottle. She lost her grip, and the bottle fell to the floor, shattering


    to pieces. The booming fireworks drowned out the sound of breaking ss, so Kevan heard nothing


    from his room.


    As Larissa crouched down to cautiously collect the shards of ss, a momentarypse in


    concentration caused her to inadvertently cut her finger on a sharp, jagged edge. The sting of pain felt


    magnified on a night when everyone else seemed to be reveling, and the effects of alcohol had


    loosened her grip on control. She flung away the broken piece and sank to the floor, hugging her


    knees, and wept bitterly. Filled with hope and anticipation, Larissa had believed that this year would


    bring a change. She had thought she finally had a family to celebrate the New Year with. However,


    reality dealt her a crushing blow, shattering her expectations. With a heavy heart, she realized that she


    had been naive in believing his words of affection were genuine. Unbeknownst to her, people could be


    insincere, and their feelings


    could change with time.


    Perhaps she had eaten too many pies, or maybe it was because she had downed a whole bottle of red


    wine; Larissa felt as if her stomach was burning. It also felt like someone was stirring her insides with a


    spoon, and it felt terrible, making her feel like vomiting. She stood up unsteadily and stumbled into the


    bathroom. She hunched over the toilet bowl and emptied the contents of her stomach.


    She sat on the floor in the bathroom for a very long time until she slowly sobered up and her strength


    returned. By the time she finished showering andy down on her bed, it was past 3 am. The gastric


    pain made her toss and turn the entire night. Only when the sky brightened did she finally feel a little


    sleepy. Just as she was about to fall asleep, Kevan burst into her room. ¡°Why are you still sleeping?¡±


    There was a hint of displeasure in his voice. ¡°Haven¡¯t I told you to wake up earlier?¡±This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.

 Chapter 286

    Chapter 286


    Chapter 287


    ¡°Oh!¡± The nurse fumbled a note and two hundred¨Cdor bills from her pocket, handing them to Larissa.


    ¡°Your husband seemed to have something urgent to do and left after a phone call, He gave me these


    before leaving and asked you to take a taxi to this address after you wake up.¡± Larissa took the note


    and crumpled it up, then tossed it away after taking one look at it. As for the two hundred dors, she


    stuffed them carefully into the pocket of her sweater. The address Kevan had written on the note was


    probably his parents¡® address. She wondered if he would believe her if she told him she had


    identally lost the note.


    Larissa didn¡¯t have a very high fever anymore, with her temperature slightly over 38 degrees. It


    subsided after she received the IV drip. After checking her temperature, the nurse cheerfully


    discharged her. Larissa took a taxi back to the hotel. The receptionist knew her, so she gave Larissa a


    spare key card without any hassle.


    The hotel room had been cleaned, and the mess from the previous night was gone. Larissa ate a


    simple lunch and obediently took all the medicine prescribed by the doctor. The u medicine kicked in


    very fast and she started feeling sleepy again after a little while, even though she had just woken up


    not long ago.


    She slept for long hours this time and only opened her eyes after the sky had turned dark. Her phone


    kept ringing. She spent a long time looking for it before finally spotting it abandoned on the sofa in the


    living room. As expected, the call was from Kevan. After a brief moment of contemtion, she


    ultimately decided to answer the call.


    ¡°Where are you?¡± asked Kevan, his voice terribly icy. Larissa took a deep breath and tried her best to


    answer calmly. ¡°At the hotel,¡± she


    ¡°Didn¡¯t the nurse pass 5 you the note?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but I lost it.¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you call me after returning to the hotel?¡± Kevan¡¯s voice only got colder. Although she was in


    a heated room, Larissa couldn¡¯t help but shiver. ¡°I was feeling dizzy, and I got sleepy after taking the flu


    medicine sol forgot¡± said Larissa steadily. The line went silent for a few seconds, and Kevan¡¯s heavy


    breathing was the only sound to be heard.


    She thought he must be outraged. She would be lying if she said she wasn¡¯t afraid. However, she was


    more scared of going to his parents¡® house than of making him angry. ¡°Kevan A sweet female voice


    came from his end of the line. Although people sounded slightly different on the phone, Larissa could


    still tell it was Ruby Cole¡¯s voice.


    All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    It wasn¡¯t a surprise that Ruby was at Kevan¡¯s parents¡® house. She was Cody Rogers¡® wile, so following


    her husband to visit his rtives during New Year¡¯s was normal. But Larissa just didn¡¯t like it. As long


    as Ruby was near Kevan, she would get upset. Even so, she could not express her displeasure too


    obviously. ¡°Someone¡¯s calling for you. Go do your own thing. You don¡¯t have to bother about me,¡± said


    Larissa


    ¡°if it isn¡¯t because they keep asking me why you¡¯re not here, do you think I could be bothered with


    you?¡± said Kevan impatiently. As it someone had thrown a basin of cold water over her head Larissa


    hugged hersell and curled up on the sofa. Only by doing so did she not feel so cold. Kevan don¡¯t speak


    to Larissa like that. You¡¯ll hurt her feelings!¡± said Ruby.


    Lanssa felt so irritated that she nearly hung up. What did her issues with Kevan have to do with Ruby?


    Why did she have to meddle? Although she was the one who got away for Kevan, she had already


    married someone else, Didn¡¯t she know she had to set boundaries between herself and other men?


    Kevan scoffed and said cruelly. ¡°Larissa, I send you the address. You¡¯ll either take a taxi here right now


    or never meet my parents for the

 Chapter 287

    Chapter 287


    Chapter 288


    It wasn¡¯t important to Larissa whether she got to meet Kevan¡¯s parents. They werer¡¯l a real married


    couple anyway, and Larissa already knew that they would go their separate ways one day, even though


    Kevan had no rtenlien of divorcing. Nevertheless, his resolution gave her an inexplicable sense of tear.


    She closed her eyes and made a decision. Te.¡±


    Kevan texted her the address, and when she read it out to the taxi driver, he turned around and locked


    her up and down with his eyes wide. There was curiosity in his gaze mixed with a litte envy. Kevan¡¯s


    parents lived in the vi residential area in the city center. The price ofnd was costly at the city


    center, and although the vis were buill more than a decade ago, only high-ss wealthy people could


    afford to live there.


    The area¡¯s security was very strict, and noxis were alowed entry. Larissa alighted outside the gate


    and searched for the correct house number one by one in the piercing wind. Thankfully, the Rogers¡¯


    vi was not located very deep into the residential area, or she would have needed to wak for more


    than half an hour.


    Every vi had a yard, but in fact, it was more of a park. Of course, it still couldn¡¯t bepared to Pine


    Mansion, where Rnd¡¯ ived, and the Seymour family¡¯s mansion outside Avenue 3, Standing at the


    yard¡¯s gate, Larissa coud see the shape of the vi and warm yellow light spilling out of the windows.


    She pressed the inte, and someone in the vi answered it very quickly. ¡°Who is it? It was an


    unfamiliar voice with a foreign ent Larissa introduced hersell warly. ¡°Hi, I¡¯m Larissa Seymour.¡±


    ¡°Oh, oh!¡± The other person seemed to have heard of her. 1 open the gate for you right away!¡± After the


    call ended, the metal gates swung open. Larissa walked inside slowly on the gravel path, and the


    moment she reached the man door, she spalled Kevar standing there with his hands in his pockets. He


    was wearing a light gray cashmere sweater with matching sweatpants and flutty slippers for winter. His


    clothes made him give off an air of warmth.


    ¡°Come here,¡± he said, stretching his arm to her. However, he didn¡¯t hold her hand but touched her


    forehead instead. Alter being in the icy. wind for so long, he temperature was even lower than that ofAll content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    his hand, which was usually cold, Fortunately, she was no longer having a lever. Kevan stuffed his


    hand back into his pocket and turned around. ¡°Come inside,¡± he said


    Larissa lollowed him into the vi, where a se rvant was waiting in the lover. ¡°Mrs. Rogers.¡± he greeted.


    He put a pair of lutty slippers front of her on the loor and said, ¡°Please change into these.¡± Larissa


    wasn¡¯t used to being waited on so thoughtfully. She changed into the slippers asst as she could and


    followed alle Kevan.


    The members of the Rogers family were chatting in the living room. It was New Year¡¯s, and Kevan¡¯s


    uncles had brought their spouses back to visit the family. The whole family was sitting closely on the


    wide couch, and a lew youngsters were sitting on the fuzzy carpet. As Kevan and Larissa entered the


    room, a hush fell over the gathering, and all eyes turned toward them,


    Larissa fell extremely uneasy, a lot more uneasy than the time she had met Travis¡¯ family. ¡°Larissa


    come over and have a seal!¡± An


    elegant middle-aged woman in the crowd beckoned her over with a smile and skirted to the side to


    make a little space for Larissa Kevan gave Larissa a heads-up softly. ¡°That¡¯s my mom.¡±

 Chapter 289

    Chapter 289


    Chapter 289


    Larissa quickly forced a sweet smile and walked towards her, greeting, ¡°Hi Mom Viclet smiled from ear


    to ear as she held Larissa¡¯s hand and said loudly, ¡°Hey Larissa squeezed onto the couch beside her as


    Violet stared at her intently. Then, she asked in a caring lone.¡± Kevan said you¡¯re sick and were at the


    hospital this moming. Are you feeling better? Larissa nodded and said, ¡°I¡¯m feeling a ct better. Thanks


    for asking. Mom.¡±


    Violet pretended to re at her angrily and seld, ¡°What are you talking about? We¡¯re family. Isn¡¯t it


    normal for me to a ss after you?¡± Larissa was sturned for a moment, at a loss for words. After all, her


    own mother had never done any of these ¡°normal¡± things.


    Judging from where she was seated, anotherdy who should be Cody and Edmund¡¯s mother said.


    ¡°Violet, your wish has finalye true! You wished for a daughter-inw for so many years, and Kevan


    finally brought her home today!¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that right!¡± Violet said joyfully. Her gaze never left Larissa. ¡°Lari, are you hungry? II you are. I ask


    the kitchen ser vants to serve dinner at once¡± Larissa felt ttered by Violet¡¯s enthusiasm. She nced


    at everyone else, who remained motionless, and batted her hands nervously. ¡®No, no, I¡¯m not!¡±


    Anthony, who was sitting on the other side of Violet, said decisively. ¡°Let¡¯s eat. Everyone¡¯s been


    waiting.¡± Everyone else got to their feet the moment he stood up. Violet pulled Larissa to the cining hall


    while introducing themily to her non-stop. ¡°This is Kevan¡¯s second uncle, this is his aunty, and this is


    his third uncle When she reached Ruby, Violet said, ¡®This is Cody¡¯s wife, Ruby.¡± Her expression was


    normal so Larissa thought she most probably knew nothing about Kewan and Ruby¡¯s history.


    Ruby stopped waking when she heard her name and smiled at Violet. She came over to them and held


    Violet other arm while saying coquettishly, ¡°Larissa and I already met at Grandpa¡¯s house. haven¡¯t we.


    Larissa? She winked cheekily, and Larissa smirked, ying along with Ruby. ¡°Yup.¡±


    The dining hall was huge, It was evenrger than the living room of a typical house. Perhaps it was


    more convenient for reunion meals, the dining table was long and rectangr. There were nearly


    twenty chairs along its sides. The threemilies heads sat at the head of the table, followed by three


    other women from the Rogers family, then the kids.


    Larissa¡¯s seat was between Kevan and his mother¡¯s, while Ruby¡¯s was coincidentally on the other side


    of Kevan¡¯s. She saw it clearly when Ruby pulled away the chair beside Kevan the moment he sat


    down. Her cunning couldn¡¯t escape Larissa¡¯s eyes. However, no one else


    seemed to have noticed.


    it was Larissa¡¯s first time meeting the family, and she was the new daughter-inw, so she became the


    center of everybody¡¯s attention. They bombarded her with questions.


    ¡°Where are you from?¡±


    ¡°Where do you live?¡±


    ¡°How old are you?


    ¡°What¡¯s your upation?¡±


    ¡®What do your parents do?¡±


    Larissa finally got to experience what others meant by petling interrogated.¡± She answered all their


    questions patiently but didn¡¯t know what to say when she heard the word ¡®parents.¡± She shot Kevan a


    pleading look, hoping that he would help her divert the topic of conversation, but he acted as if he didn¡¯t


    see it. Instead, he helped Ruby get a sice cl pizza.


    Larissa gripped the tablecloth and forced herself to look away. She tried her best to keep a smile on her


    face and said. ¡®My parents passed away a long time ago, and I grew up in my aunt¡¯s care. My aunt


    used to be a very famous actress. Her name is Yvette Xander.¡±All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.

 Chapter 290

    Chapter 290


    Chapter 290


    Yvette¡¯s name and reputation were well-known among the older generation. However, the elders of the


    Rogers family didn¡¯t seem happy when they heard this, unlike themon public, who would be


    pleasantly surprised by this revtion.


    On the contrary, the expression on Kevan¡¯s parents¡¯ faces darkened considerably. Kevan¡¯s uncles held


    their hands up to theirces, hiding their smirks and trying to stifle theirughter. His two aunts were


    less discreet. They simply looked down and chuckled in glee.


    Their unusual reactions caught Larissa off guard. She didn¡¯t know what went wrong. Panicking, Larissa


    clenched her lists tighter.


    ¡°What a coincidence!¡± Cody broke the unbearable silence. Mockingly, he continued with a mischievous


    smile on his face, saying, ¡°Back


    then, Kevan¡­¡±


    low but i


    His words were interrupted by Anthony¡¯s low but imposing voice, ¡°Cody, that¡¯s enough!¡±


    Sheepishly. Cody rubbed his nose and decided to shut his mouth,


    Violet immediately changed the subject ¡°Lari, you¡¯re so thin! You should eat more!¡± She kept serving


    Larissa and piled up food on her


    This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.


    te.


    Larissa suspected she was trying to stuff her mouth to prevent her from saying anything inappropriate.


    Because of this unexpected incident, the meal ended in an awkward silence. No one dared to speak


    any further.


    After the meal everyone returned to the living room.


    Larissa sat next to Violet still


    The household staff brought out several trays adorned with an array of assorted fruits, each one


    meticulously arranged to create an


    appealing disy.


    Larissa loved strawberries. Her gaze drifted involuntarily toward the strawberries as soon as one of the


    stall appeared with them on a tray.


    Violet had a keen sense of observation and immediately saw through her thoughts. She beckoned the


    statt. ¡°Put the strawberries in front


    of Lar,¡±


    However, he was intercepted by Kevan. ¡°We should serve guests first. Ruby, have these strawberries.¡±


    Ruby widened her eyes in surprise, seemingly surprised by such a sweet gesture from Kevan.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need! She waved her hands repeatedly. ¡°Give them to Larissa! It¡¯s her first time meeting


    your family. She should be given the


    priority.¡±


    Although her words sounded gentle and considerate, Larissa could see the look of satisfaction in her


    taunting eyes.


    Without further argument, Kevan took the fruit tray hom the staff and handed it to Ruby. ¡°Aren¡¯t


    strawberries your favorite?¡± Histone was exceptionally soft when he spoke to her,


    Ruby couldn¡¯t help but blush, the smile in her eyes evident. Lowering her head, she epted his kind


    gesture.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Ruby whispered.


    Staring at their performance with a detached expression, Larissa cussed silently in her heart, ¡°How


    shameless can these two be?¡±


    Even if her marriage to Kevan waske, Ruby and Cody¡¯s marriage was real, right?


    They were being so intimate as it no one else was present, yet Cody seemed oblivious to the tension


    between Kevan and his wife.


    On the other hand, the elders of the family frowned with disapproval, but not a single person stood up


    to reprimand them.


    Larissa¡¯s worldview was shattered.


    Violet stepped forward to ease the situation. ¡°Tina, go wash another te of strawberries for La


    Larissa stopped her. ¡°There¡¯s no need to trouble yourself, eat something else.¡± As she spoke, she


    reached out and picked up a slice of


    orange.


    Ruby didn¡¯t monopolize the tray of strawberries either.


    Chapter 290


    After eating a few she ced the tray on a coffee table to share the fruits with everyone else. However,


    Larissa didn¡¯t take a single bite of the strawberries.

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    Chapter 291


    Chapter 291


    At 8.30pm. Kevan¡¯s two uncles hid farewell and left conscientiously.


    After seeing of the quests. Anthony said to Kevar, ¡°Come with me to the study. There was a forbidding


    tone to his voice,


    Violet took Larissa upstairs. She opened a door and said, ¡°This is Kewan¡¯s room.¡±


    The room¡¯s decor and style werepletely different from Kevan¡¯s house in Covenlord. The overall


    color scheme leaned towards warm inviting colors, matching the style of this house. It was obviously


    Kevan¡¯s parents¡¯ handwerk.


    ¡°He moved cut when he went to university. After that, he rarely came back.¡± Aint of sadness appeared


    on Viclel¡¯sce. ¡°You also know how much of a clean freak he is. He wouldn¡¯t let anyone touch anything


    in this room. I¡¯m in charge of cleaning his room alter he llew the coop.¡±


    Looking affectionately at Larissa, she continued, ¡®Living with him must be tough, right?¡±


    Larissa smiled. ¡°It¡¯s not too bad.¡±


    This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.


    They didn¡¯t live in the same room, so she rarely touched his personal belongings. Besides, Kryan had


    hired help toe in and clean the house every day, so there was no conflict in that regard.


    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear.¡± Violet breathed a sigh of relet. I always worry that his OCD will prevent him from


    getting mamed?


    Larissa maintained a tight-lipped smile and expressed no opinion on Kevan¡¯s habits.


    Violet brought Larissa on a tour of Kevan¡¯s room. Every corner was marked with traces of his


    childhood. Each time she picked up an itam. Violet would tel. Larissa the stories behind them in great


    detal


    ¡°These are the certificates Kevan received in elementary school. He has always been a good student


    and ranked list in his ss every year. We never had to worry about his academics.¡±


    ¡°When Kevan was in junior high, he suddenly became obsessed with assembling model kits. He stayed


    up all night and assembled tons of these models. I thought we had too many of them at home, so I


    wanted to give some away to his younger cousins. We ended up having a big argument.¡±


    *Kevan has many hobbies, especially in sports. He¡¯s wel trained in martial arts, wrestling, and boxing.¡±


    ¡°Oh, and this photo album Violet stood on her tiptoes and took a photo album from the top shell of


    Kevan¡¯s bookcase.


    She called cut to Larissa excitedly. ¡°Come and take a look!


    Both of them stood side by side in front of the bookcase.


    Apart from Kevan¡¯s bed, there was only one chair in his room and nothing else to sit on. Furthermore,


    he hated other people sitting on his bed.


    Violet opened the photo album.


    The first page had a photo of Kevan when he was just born. He was so tiny, with a wrinkledce, His


    handsome features were nowhere to be seen


    The next page showed him at a month old, then al three months old


    All the photos were arranged in chronological order


    As Violet flipped through the pages, Larissa witnessed Kevan¡¯s growth throughout his childhood.


    Thest few photos were from five years ago as dates were disyed at the bollom righter.


    They were all group photos of Kevan and his three cousins. In one of them, Ruby was present as well.


    She stood between Kevan and Cody, with Cody¡¯s arm around her shoulder,


    Blushing shyly. Ruby was smiling happily in the photo. On the other hand, Kevan stared at the camera


    expressionlessly. It was obvious that he was anything but cheerful.


    When Violet noticed Larissa staring at this particuar photo, she was reminded of the recent dispute


    over strawberries.


    ¡°Lari don¡¯t overthink ill¡± she exined on Kevan¡¯s behall, ¡°Kevan and Ruby are just friends. They were


    close friends back then, but they gradually grew apart after Ruby manied Cody. Kevan might seem like


    an unfeeling person, but once he thinks of someone as a friend, he will treat that person


    wholeheartedly. That¡¯s how he is with Ruby. Today¡¯s situation happened because Ruby is a guest, so


    Kevan gave her the strawberries first.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Larissa held Violet¡¯s arm and reassured her, ¡°Mom, please don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m not that


    petty.¡±

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    Chapter 292


    Chapter 292


    The resentment and inexplicable Jealousy that Larissa lell earlier was quickly forgotten.


    Larissa refocused her mindset. She was merely a tool hired by Kevan to appease his parents so that


    they would not continue pressuring him to get married. His past with other women didn¡¯t maller


    because it had nothing to do with her.


    While feeling relieved, Violet also felt bad for Larissa.


    ¡°Lari, Kevan never speaks his mind, so he ollen gets misunderstood, Please be more considerate and


    understanding towards him. If he does anything to upset you, let me apologize on his behall.¡±


    Larissa gave a breezyugh, ¡°No, he didn¡¯t upset me at all. I know the kind of person he s: otherwise. I


    wouldn¡¯t have agreed to marry him.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a reliet.¡± Viclet patted her hand and sighed deeply. ¡°Revan is so fortunate to have such an


    understanding wife like you!¡±


    After a while. Kevan retumed from his father¡¯s study.


    As soon as he opened the door, he saw Larissa and Viclet in his room. Raising an eyebrow in surprise,


    he asked in a surly lone. ¡°What are you doing in my room?¡±


    ¡°I brought Lari to your room and told her about your childhood stories,¡± Violet said.


    Kevan scanned the room and frowned suddenly. ¡°Did you rummage through my things again?¡±


    1 didnt Volet cenied quickly, just took some things out to show Lari and put them back exactly as they


    were!¡±


    Kevan pursed his lips.


    pleased with her actions.


    you two alone. Don¡¯t argue when I¡¯m


    ¡°Well, I just remembered I have something to discuss with your father. I need to go now and leave y


    awayl


    Fearing Kewan¡¯s wrath, Violet quickly made up an excuse and left leaving Larissa alone with Kevan


    Kevan closed the door and lumed to Larissa. ¡°What stories did my mother tell you?¡± C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    Larissa lowered her gaze. ¡°Nothing.¡±


    Staring at her for a few seconds, Kevan finally looked away without probing further.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be sleeping in the same room tonight,¡± he said.


    Since Larissa had made the decision toe, she had prepared hersell beforehand for this to happen.


    Kevan¡¯s bed was huge. If they were to sleep on either side, there would be a space wide enough for


    another person between them.


    ¡°Alright,¡± she replied scitly.


    Kevan opened the wardrobe. He look out a set of pajamas and handed it to Larissa, ¡°I don¡¯t have any


    clothes that fit you here. Wear my pajamas for now. Tomorrow morning I have someone go buy you


    some new clothes.¡±


    Larissa held his pajamas to her chest. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°You can go take a shower now.¡± Kevan continued.


    His bedroom had its own bathroom. Since Kevan rarely came back home, Violet prepared brand-new


    toiletries for him, so Larissa could use those as well.


    After taking a shower, she changed into Kevan¡¯s pajamas, which were obviously too  for her.


    Larissa had to roll the sleeves and pant legs high up to expose her wrists and ankles.


    She opened the bathroom door and called out, ¡°Kevan, where¡¯s the hairdryer?¡±


    Her cheeks were flushed from the hot steamy shower, and her hair was still wel.


    Drops of water dripped onto her chest, and the thin pajamabric clung to her skin, showing all her


    curves.


    Kevan¡¯s eyes smoldered as he stared at Larissa.


    Striding past her, he caught a faint whiff of a minty fragrance, which further aroused his desire.


    His blood boiled with lust as his pent-up frustrations eased slightly.


    Tuming on his heel, he walked towards Larissa and scooped her up in his arms.

 Chapter 293

    Chapter 293


    Chapter 293


    When Larissa was suddenly suspended in the air, she screamed in right.


    Without giving her time to react, Kevan threw Larissa onto the bed. Pressing his body against hers,


    Kevan pinned her to the bed.


    ¡°Kevan, you..¡± Larissa was about to reprimand him when his kiss sealed her lips.


    Almost suffocated by his devouring kiss. Larissa fell repulsed. Turning her head away to avoid his lips,


    she tried to shove him away by


    pushing against his shoulders forcefully, but to no avall.


    Edged on by Larissa¡¯s resistance, Kevan grabbed her wrists and pinned her hands above her head


    while his other hand held her chin in ce as he ravished her lips.


    Larissa¡¯s legs were mped together, and she couldn¡¯t even move an inch. She was as helpless as a


    turtle on its back. Resigned to her


    late, Larissa shed tears of despair,


    Kevan tasted the warm salty tears that ran down her cheeks by ident. He jolted up in surprise and


    stared at Larissa in disbelief.


    ¡°Why are you crying?¡± he asked in a h oa rse voice.


    Through her tears, Larissa met his gaze and replied in a quavering tone between so bs, ¡°Keyan, what


    do you take me for? A prostitute at your disposal?¡±


    Kevan¡¯s heart ached at her usations. He wished he could pull her into an embrace andfort her


    with sweet, lender words, but he


    couldn¡¯t.


    Putting on a stem expression, he coldly dismissed her. ¡°Larissa, as I¡¯ve said before, you are my wife.


    Thus, you have the responsibility to fulfill your m ental duties between husband and wife.¡±


    ¡°But I also have the right to refuse Larissa pursed her lips. ¡°You can¡¯t force yourself on me! Otherwise,


    it can be considered marital rape!


    It¡¯s a crime C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    Each sentence she said was clear and to the point.


    ¡°A crime?¡± Kevan sneered. ¡°You can go ahead and report it to the police. See what happens.¡±


    Lowering his head, he captured her lips once more. However, he was even more aggressive this time,


    as if he was deliberately punishing


    her for taking back.


    Moving his hand downwards, he gripped Larissa¡¯s pajama shirt and gave it a rough tug. Most of the


    buttons were forcibly ripped off, exposing her neck and chest.


    Kevan¡¯s lips trailed down her slender neck, leaving behind dark red h ickeys on her skin.


    ¡°Kevan, let go of mer Larissa didn¡¯t give up and continued strugging, but the stark difference in strength


    between them was clear. Her


    resistance was futile.


    Larissa didn¡¯t dare to scream as she was afraid of attracting the attention of other people in the house.


    In a low volor, she cursed and


    Swore at Kewan,


    However, there was nothing she could do to make Kevan back off. Instead, he seemed to be even


    more turned on by her defiance.


    Larissa lost consciousness and slept untilte in the morning.


    Presumably, after everything was over, Kevan had wiped her down as she could feel her skin was fresh


    and clean.


    Except for the h ickeys he left on her body, there were no traces of him viting herst night.


    The pajamas she wore yesterday were torn apart into a pile of rags. At that moment, she was wearing


    a new set of pajamas that was buttoned right up to her neck.


    Larissay in bed for a long while, staring at the overhead chandelier. She had no intention of getting


    up. Apart from her sore muscles preventing her from moving, she didn¡¯t want to face Kevan either.


    At the fondness and attraction she had developed for Kevan in the time they had spent together was


    completely destroyed by his betrayalst night.


    When she thought of this, Larissa couldn¡¯t help butugh at her own foolishness.


    Although she already knew that he had someone else in his heart, she failed to resist the temtion


    and ended up falling for him.


    The torment and suffering she felt right now were self-inflicted!

 Chapter 294

    Chapter 294


    Chapter 294


    Aber some time, someone opened the door.


    Larissa rolled around to see who it was.


    It was Kevan, the person she least wanted to see. He was wearing a cashmere sweater simr in color


    and style to the one he wore yesterday.


    However, she knew it was a different sweater because Kevan had the habit of changing his clothes


    every day, even if they were spotless.


    From the long pants he wore yesterday, he had switched to looser jeans, His hair wasbed neatly


    andy t against his scalp, giving him a clean cut and fresh appearance.


    Kevan came in, carrying a paper bag with a luxury brand logo on it. He approached her slowly and


    ced it on the bedside table.


    ¡°Your clothes,¡± he said in an indifferent one. There was no trace of guilt on his face from forcing himself


    on her yesterday.


    ¡°Oh,¡± Larissa replied with a poker face.


    Inexplicably, Kevan clenched his lists tightly. He continued speaking monotonously, ¡°If you¡¯re awake,


    get up quickly. It¡¯s almost time for lunch. After that we will be going to Uncle Bernard¡¯s house to visit


    him.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Larissa answered,


    Pursing his lips, Kevan turned around and left the room.


    Larissa endured the sore pain in her muscles and changed into the new clothes he had bought for her.


    it was a turtleneck sweater that conveniently covered the red h ickeys on her neck.


    When Larissa arrived downstairs, the television was on, but no one was in the living room.


    However, she heard voicesing from the dining room.


    ¡°Has Lari not woken up yet? Volet spoke.


    ¡°Yes¡± Kevan replied. ¡°She is probably exhausted from the journey. In addition, she was already feeling


    under the weather yesterday.¡±


    Larissa sneered inwardly.


    He sure knew how toe up with excuses.


    ¡°I told you there was no need to force her toe over. Why didn¡¯t you listen? Violet reprimanded him,


    ¡°Larissa doesn¡¯t have any other rtives or friends in Bartham. When she fell sick, you left her all alone


    at the hospital. Tell me, is this something a husband would do?¡±


    Kevan remained silent.


    ¡°Tell me honestly, is your heart still longing for Ruby?¡± Violet suddenly lowered her voice.


    Larissa didn¡¯t expect Violet to question Kevan so directly. Last night, she told her that Kevan and Ruby


    were just filends.


    Larissa was very curious about the answer to this question as well. Unable to help hersell, Larissa held


    her breath and listened attentively.


    Without hesitation, Kevan replied, ¡°Of course not. She¡¯s married, and I¡¯m married too. What else could


    there be between us?¡±


    ¡°Then, why were you so much nicer to Ruby Instead of your wile? Besides, both of you were so close


    in the past. Anyone could have misunderstood!¡± Violet snorted coldly, ¡°Fortunately, Lari isn¡¯t that petty. I


    wouldn¡¯t let you all the h ook so easily if I were in her shoes! A sensible and understanding woman like


    Lari is hard to find. You should treasure her. You¡¯d better not drive her away with your improper


    behavior!¡±


    ¡°The reason she wouldn¡¯t mind is not because she¡¯s sensible Kevan snorted with disdain.


    ¡°Why then? Violet probed further, but Kevan refused to continue.


    Seizing the opportunity, Larissa walked into the dining room, pretending she hadn¡¯t heard anything.


    ¡°Lari!¡± Violet greeted her and asked with concern, ¡°Did you sleep well?


    C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    Larissa replied with a smile. ¡°I slept well don¡¯t worry!¡±


    Violet held her hand and sighed in relief. ¡°I was worried that you wouldn¡¯t get a good night¡¯s sleep!


    Fortunately, you managed to have some rest¡±


    At this moment, Anthony also came downstairs.


    ¡°Dad¡± Larissa greeted him.


    Theer of Anthony¡¯s mouth twitched as he nodded in acknowledgment.


    ¡°Let¡¯s have lunch.¡± he said.

 Chapter 295

    Chapter 295


    Chapter 295


    Since both Arthony and Kevan were reserved and Larissa was too shy to start any conversation, only


    Violet spoke during the meal.


    ¡®Did Kevan tell you that we¡¯re going to Uncle Bernard¡¯s houseter?¡± she said.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Larissa replied.


    you¡¯re not feeling well you should rest at home. Kevan will stay back to take care of you. His father and


    I can go alone,¡± Violet Suggested.


    Being alone with Kevan now seemed like a terrifying idea to Larissa. Although she wasn¡¯t fond of going


    to Berard¡¯s house either, she insisted on going along. Tim fine, don¡¯t worry.¡±


    Bernard¡¯s house was located in a nearby residential arra. It took only a little over ten minutes to drive


    there.


    The three families were gathered once again


    As most of the topics of conversation were exhausted, thedies decided to y a round of poker to


    pass the time.


    ¡°We¡¯re missing one person! WIL For Ruby join us? Mancy sp C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    ¡°Lari, why don¡¯t you y with them? Ruby wilingly gave up her seat. I have to prepare dinner for


    everyone?


    Nancy gave her a thumbs up and praised! ellusively. ¡°Ruby is such a virtuous woman: She¡¯s even


    cooking dinner for us personally!¡±


    Blushing, Ruby smiled. ¡°It¡¯s a rare opportunity for everyone in the family to gather together. Having a


    home-c ocked dinner would add to


    the festive atmosphere.¡±


    ¡°I do hope Paul will mamy someone like Ruby in the future! Then, I can die without any regrets Nancy


    continued.


    Ruby chided yfully. ¡°Aunt Nancy, don¡¯t say that You make me feel embarrassed¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s there to be embarrassed about? I¡¯m speading the truth!¡± Nancy gave Larissa a meaningful


    nce. ¡°Young women nowadays rarely know how to cook! They¡¯re all too pampered andzy¡±


    The two of them continued their banter while Marks istened with a satisfied smile on herce.


    On the other hand, Volet and Larissa ignored the other three women and made no response.


    Larissa knew how to y poker, but she wasn¡¯t good at II. She was no match for the three older


    women who were avid poker yers.


    Before long hall of her poker chips were gone from her drawer,


    Edmund came over and pulled out a chair to sit beside her,


    Maria asked. ¡®Why are you the only one who came up? What about Cody and Kewan?¡±


    ¡°Cody said he fell a bit tired, so he went back to the room to rest. Kevan is watching the television in


    the living room, Fdmund answered.


    ¡°What¡¯s he watching? Violet sounded displeased. ¡°Ering him up herr and ask him to leach his wile how


    to y poker! Otherwise, she¡¯ll lose all her money!¡±


    Maria teased, Viclet, considering how much money kewan earns, it¡¯s not a big deal for his wile to lose


    some money to us!¡±


    Nancy chimed in, ¡°Exactly! For Kevan, this small amount of money is just like a crop in the bucket


    Ignoring their sarcastic remarks, Violet insisted. ¡°Edmund, go and bring Kewan up here!¡±


    Edmund went out obediently.


    A few minutester, he returned, but he was alone.


    Molet astre, ¡°Where is Revan?


    Edmund shrugged his shoulders. ¡°He¡¯s not in the lyng room anymore. I looked around but couldn¡¯t find


    him. Besides, Ruby isn¡¯t in the kitchen rither. I don¡¯t know where they all went.¡±


    Nancy socke up, ¡°I think I heard the sound of a car engine being started downstairs. Maybe they went


    out in the car?¡±


    Edmund walked to the window and took a look, ¡°Indeed, Kevan¡¯s carls gone.¡±


    Violet¡¯s expression froze as she looked at Larissa anxiously.


    Meanwhile. Larissa seemed unppable. She was fully concentrating on the poker cands in her hands.


    After a moment, she announced.¡±


    There was no sign in her voice that she was affected by Kevan¡¯s departure.


    Edmund SM down next to Larissa.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, shall teach you?¡± he said with a smirk.

 Chapter 296

    Chapter 296


    ¡°There¡¯s no need.¡± Larissa declined Edmund¡¯s offer with a reasonable excuse. ¡°It¡¯s just a game to pass


    the lime. Regardless of whether I¡¯m good or bad at poker, as the youngest, I should be the one to lose.¡±


    Her words Immediately gained unanimous praise from Ma and Nancy.


    ¡°What a sensible child!¡±


    ¡°Young people nowadays should have such awareness!¡±


    Frankly, Violet didn¡¯t care whether Larissa lost money or not. Her insistence on having Kevane


    upstairs was to prevent him from spending time with Ruby, but she was a step toote.


    Violet fell a throbbing headacheing on.


    Even though Kevan assured her that nothing was going on between him and Ruby, she was still


    worried that problems would arise. More importantly, she was afraid that Larissa would overthink,


    This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.


    Meanwhile..


    ¡°Thanks for agreeing toe out with me.¡± Ruby said to Kevan,


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Kevan replied with a faint smile as he drove.


    Silently, Ruby stared at his side profile for a long time. Suddenly, she blurted. ¡°Do you The Larissa?¡±


    Kevan raised an eyebrow in surprise. ¡°What?¡±


    He sounded as if he didn¡¯t understand her question,


    Ruby asked more specifically, ¡°Did you marry Larissa because you like her?¡±


    For a moment. Kevan was silent. Then, he put on a deliberate smile. ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re lying Ruby exposed him mercilessly. ¡°You don¡¯t actually like her, do you? The only reason you


    married her was because you had to satisfy your parents¡± wishes


    Kevan continued after some hesitation, if you insist on thinking that way, go ahead.¡±


    Naturally, Ruby assumed that she was on the right track after hearing Kevan¡¯s ambiguous response.


    Biting her lower lip, she dug her long nails into the flesh of her palm, forcing herself to tear up.


    ¡°Kevan ¡­¡± Her voice trembled as if she was close to lears. ¡°To be honest, I haven¡¯t been happy these


    past few years either.¡±


    Kevan pressed his lips into a straight line. Keeping his eyes on the wheel, he asked, ¡°Did he mistreat


    you?¡±


    Ruby lowered her head and wiped the tears away from the corners of her eyes.


    ¡°He has other women on the side. In fact, it¡¯s more than one,¡± she said.


    Kevan narrowed his eyes and said with disapproval. ¡°When we go back, I¡¯ll talk to Cody.¡±


    ¡°No! Ruby looked up in a hurry and grabbed Kevan¡¯s arm desperately, ¡°Don¡¯t let him know about this!


    He will hit me if he finds out thatined to your


    Kevan turned to look at Ruby, his voice growing colder, ¡°What, he dared to hit you?¡±


    Tears streamed down Ruby¡¯s face like an overflowing dam as she couldn¡¯t stop hersell from sobbing.


    She covered her mouth with her hand, trying to stifle her s obs.


    Kevan probed further. ¡°Where did he hit you?¡±


    Trying to stop her tears, Ruby shook her head. ¡°Nol He did not hit me


    Kevan mmed on the brakes and stopped the car side of the road.


    He held Ruby¡¯s shoulders, forcing her to face him.


    Staring into her eyes, he repeated, ¡°Ruby, tell me. Where did Cody hit you?¡±


    His determined gaze calmed Ruby down somewhat as he coaxed her in a gentle voice to tell the truth.


    Ruby slowly unzipped her down jacket and took it off.


    She rolled up the sleeves of her shirt, revealing her bare arm.


    Her arm was covered in patches of blue and purple bruises. It was a harrowing sight.


    Ruby continued, ¡°Not just on my arm, but also here and there.¡±


    She pointed to her stomach, thighs, and back


    ¡°Whenever he¡¯s in a bad mood, he would beat me up to vent his emotions.¡±


    Kevan stared at her in shock. ¡°Ruby, why didn¡¯t you tell me earlier?

 Chapter 297

    Chapter 297


    Ruby squeezed out a bitter smile. ¡°Earlier, haven¡¯t you blocked my phone number and deleted my


    social media ounts? Besides, you¡¯ve been avoiding me.¡±


    Kevan tightened his grip on her shoulder and said in an apologetic tone, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t expect


    things would tum out like this!¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to me yourself. It was my own choice, so I should bear the consequences,¡± Ruby


    said graciously. u n to do?¡±


    Kevan continued, ¡°What do you


    ¡°What else can I do?¡± Ruby¡¯s eyes were filled with sadness. ¡°I have to pretend as il everything is alright


    and continue living with Cody.¡±


    ¡°You can lile for divorce.¡± Kevan suggested.


    ¡°Divorce?¡± Rubyughed mockingly. ¡°Don¡¯t you know how powerful the Rogers family is? If I ruin your


    family¡¯s reputation by divorcing Cody, they will find other ways to destroy me!


    ¡°I will help you,¡± Kevan promised.


    ¡°After get divorced, what then?¡± Ruby asked. ¡°As a divorced woman who would dare to marry me?¡±


    N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    As she spoke, her eyes stared directly at Kevan, shimmering with hope.


    Kevan understood her intentions clearly and knew what was the answer she wanted to hear.


    ¡°I am already married.¡± he said.


    ¡°But you dor¡¯I love her, do you? Ruby probed further.


    ¡°I have to fulfil. my responsibility in this mage,¡± Kevan insisted.


    The light in Ruby¡¯s eyes dimmed down.


    ¡°I understand.¡± She turned away and looked out the car window. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the supermarket. They will


    start suspecting us if we return anyter.¡±


    After they bought groceries from the supermarket Kevan parked the car, but Ruby showed no signs of


    getting out of the vehicle.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Ruby told him after much hesitation, I cant cook ¨C


    Previously, she had announced that she would cook dinner for everyone.


    Kevan sighed he be ssly. I do it.¡±


    When she heard this, Ruby smiled in rellel. ¡°Kevan, you¡¯re being so sweet to me!¡±


    Avoiding her earest gaze, Kevan quickly got out of the car.


    Ruby¡¯s expression darkened as she grudgingly unbuckled her seatbelt


    ¡°Kevan and Ruby are back!¡± Edmund heard the roar of the car engine outside and approached the


    window.


    Larissa was distracted by Edmund and lost the opportunity to y her cards that round. Cursing


    Inwardly, she med Kevan for her loss.


    Violet instructed Edmund immediately. ¡°Go and bring Kevan up here!¡±


    Edmund went downstairs to carry out her orders. Once again, he came back empty-handed.


    ¡°Kevan sald he¡¯s busy and asked Larissa to keep ying. He will reimburse her for the loss when they


    return home,¡± Edmund reported.


    Violet became even more displeased. ¡°He¡¯s on holiday. What could he be busy will?¡±


    ¡°Well Edmund hesitated before continuing, it seems like he is going to help Ruby out in the kitchen. He


    mentioned that Ruby alone. wouldn¡¯t be able to handle cooking for so many people. He said that she


    would exhaust hersell from all the cooking!¡±


    In a rage. Violet discarded her cards on the table. ¡°Is there no household staff around to help Ruby?


    How is it his responsibility to help out in the kitchen?


    Her outburst startled everyone at the table.


    Maria rolled her eyes and said sarcastically. ¡°Violet, it sounds like you¡¯re ming us indirectly! Do you


    mean to say that doing household chores is beneath Kevan? He¡¯s just helping her out with the cooking!


    There¡¯s no reason to overreact!¡±


    Nancy chimed in, ¡°It¡¯s definitely too much for Ruby alone to prepare dinner for everyone in the family!


    Since Kevan¡¯s not doing anything either, wouldn¡¯t it be good for him to help out in the kitchen?¡±


    Larissa stood up and said with finality, ¡°Edmund will y this round. I go downstairs and help Ruby in


    the kitchen.¡±

 Chapter 298

    Chapter 298


    Although Larissa said she would help cut in the kitchen, she had actually led. In fact, she was in the


    living room, ying on her prone to pass the time.


    ¡°Who knows what those two are doing in the kitchen, she thought to herself.


    C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    If she barged in without any warning, she might see them doing something unpleasant.


    Larissa was afraid that it would ruin her appetite for dinner.


    The attemoon passed quickly, and evening fel.


    When all the dishes were ready. Ruby went upstairs to call everyone down for dinner.


    As she passed by the living room, she was surprised to see Larissa sitting alone on the couch.


    ¡°Larissa?¡± She stopped in her tracks. ¡°Aren¡¯t you ying poker with Aunt Nancy and the others?¡±


    asked Edmund to take my ce,¡± Larissa said, ¡°I¡¯m not good at poker and lost too much money.¡±


    I see.¡± Ruby didn¡¯t suspect anything.


    Everyone took their seats at the dinner table.


    It was evident from Violet¡¯s expression that she was in a bad mood.


    Even Anthony, who was usually reserved, asued in concern. ¡°Did you lose all your money?¡±


    Violet remained stent and red at Kevan.


    Confused by Violet¡¯s unusual reaction, Kevan turned to look at Larissa, hoping to get an answer from


    her.


    However, Larissa waspletely focused on shoving food into her mouth, seemingly oblivious to what


    was happening around her.


    ¡°Ruby¡¯s cooking is amazing! It tastes better than any fancy restaurant Maria shifted the atantion back to


    her daughter-inw.


    Since she started the conversation, naturally, everyone else was obliged to continue showering Ruby


    with praises.


    Only Larissa remained silent.


    Seeing that Latissa wasn¡¯t joining in the conversation, Nancy called out to her, saying, ¡°Lar, what do


    you think of Ruby¡¯s cooking?


    ¡°It¡¯s tasty.¡± Larissa said with a smile.


    She deliberately added another jibe. ¡®Hercoolingstes simr to the dishes that Kevan c ocks at home,


    it didn¡¯t know that Ruby made these dishes, I would have mistakenly thought they were Kovan¡¯s


    cooking!¡±


    Ruby¡¯s smile Incre for a moment, but she quickly made up a reasonable excuse. ¡°Kevan gave me


    some guidance while cooking these dishes. It¡¯s no surprise that they taste simr to his cooking.¡±


    Molet¡¯s expression turned even darker.


    Shortly after dinner, Volet announced that she warted to go home. Rubbing her throbbing head, she


    said, ¡°I¡¯m not feeing well. I need to go home and have an early night.¡±


    Everyone expressed concem, but no one insisted that she should say any longer,


    Once they got in the car, Violet ordered Kevan with a stem expression on herce. ¡°Take Lari back to


    Covenlord icmonioa.¡±


    Kevan could guess the reason for Molet¡¯s displeasure.


    He said, ¡°We¡¯re not going back to Covenlord. Larl was just transferred to Bartham, and I¡¯ming over


    to keep herpany.¡±


    Violet was taken aback by this revtion. She could-¡°I meddle in her daughter-inw¡¯s work affairs. So,


    she decided topromise.¡± Alright, you go back and stay in your own house torronow. Don¡¯t show up


    to anyrly gatherings after this.¡±


    She wasn¡¯t going to let him meel Ruby anymore.


    ¡°Sure,¡± Kavan agreed readly. ¡°I¡¯m not interested anyways.¡±


    That night Larissa didn¡¯t dare to take a shower.


    Since Kevan was a clean freak, he would never touch her if she hadn¡¯t showered. However, this meant


    that she couldn¡¯t sleep on the bed.


    Larissa wrapped herself in her down jacket and curled up on the only chair in the bedroom.


    After Kevan finished his shower, he went straight to bed without giving her a second nce.


    Larissa couldn¡¯t fall asleep the whole night.


    Listening to Kevan¡¯s steady breathing, she gritted her teeth, infuriated.


    Larissa wished she could kick him off the bed, but she didn¡¯t have the guts to do so..


    Kevan would definitely think of some other tricks to get even.

 Chapter 299

    Chapter 299


    Three dayster Anthony and Violet had to make a trip to Violet¡¯s parents home.


    Before leaving early in the moming. Violet knocked on Kevan¡¯s bedroom door and reminded him yet


    again, ¡°Dont forget, today you have go back to your own home!¡±


    It was afternoon when Kevan finally changed his clothes and called Larissa to leave with him.


    She attempted to negotiate with him, ¡°Why don¡¯t you go back to your own home, and Ill continue


    staying at the hotel? is that okay with You?


    ¡°No, you can¡±L¡± Kevan refused without hesitat on ¡°You¡¯ve already been transferred to Bartham, so it


    doesn¡¯t count as a business trip anymore. The hotel won¡¯t provide you with free amodation. If you


    don¡¯t want to stay with me, you can rent a house yoursel! However, let me kindly remind you that there


    aren¡¯t any rooms for rent, only whole units al the apartmentplexes near the Regal Dynasty Hotel


    The rental or ces stam from ten thousand drs a month at a minimum. You should cons der it


    carefully before making a decision.¡±


    This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.


    Although Larissa was unwilling, she reluctantlyplied with Kevan¡¯s arrangements.


    Keven¡¯s house in Bartham was simr to the one he had in Covenford


    It was arge penthouse apartment with identical style and interior design, giving Larissa the ilusion


    that she was back in Covenlord.


    They still slet in separate roomTS.


    Larissa¡¯s quest room seemed freshly fumishes. Everything was new, and the fumishings smelt like they


    were just opened up from their packaging.


    However, she didn I have the energy to overthink. After staying up all night, the only thing Larissa


    wanted to do was to get a good sleep. As soon as shey down on the bed, she received a call from


    Ruby.


    Larissa was surprised to hear Ruby¡¯s voice when she picked up the call. They hadn¡¯t exchanged


    contacts during theirst meeting. How did Ruby get her number?


    Ruby sock first. ¡°Do you have some time to tak now?¡±


    Larissa didn¡¯t realy want to chat but refusing to talk to Ruby would make her appear splitul. ¡°What do


    you want to talk about?¡±


    ¡°Keven.¡± Ruby was very straightforward.


    Since she was so direct, Larksa saw no need to brat around the bush either. ¡°I have no interest in


    discussing my husband with other women.¡±


    ¡°Ms. Seymour, Kevan doesn¡¯t like you, He married you just because it was time for him to get mamed.¡±


    Ruby spoke with an air of superior ly, inciting Larissa¡¯s anger inexplicably.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care why he married me. It¡¯s an undeniable fact that he is my husband now. Ms. Cole, orgive


    me for being frank, but aren¡¯t you overstepping your boundaries?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m only doing this out of the kindness of my heart so that you won¡¯t get hurt in the future.¡±


    Ruby¡¯s words sounded like she was being considerate of Larissa, but her pretentious allh.de revealed


    her true intentions.


    ¡°Thank you for your concem, Ms. Cole. Larissa reclied sarcastically. ¡°Even if I do get hurt in the future,


    It has nothing to do with you¡±


    ¡°You!¡± Ruby cursed angrily. My kindness is wasted on the likes of you!¡±


    Kindness?


    Anyone with eyes could see what Ruby¡¯s intentions truly were!


    Her amateur schemes to drive a wedge between Lansta and Kevan were not even hall as canning as


    Lana¡¯s!


    Staring at her phone screen. Larissa suddenly Vel: a lille uncertain. After all, Ruby was previously


    Kevan¡¯s love interest, Perhaps sne shouldn¡¯t have treated her so harshly.


    However, she was ying the role of Kevan¡¯s wife, when faced with a challenge from another woman,


    wouldn¡¯t it be strange if she didn¡¯t act a ley bit upset?


    After mulling over it for a while, she decided to go directly to Kevan and ask his opinion.


    If he had mutual feelings for Ruby, she didn¡¯t want to be an obstacle to their rtionship.


    Kevan wasn¡¯t in his bedroom.


    Latissa went from one room to another, looking for him.


    Finally, she found him in the study.


    Kevan had a Bluetooth headset in his ear, and seemed like he was talking to someone


    Larissa called out, ¡°Am I disturbing you?¡±


    Kevan took off the headset and held it in his hand. ¡°No.¡±


    He let her into the study and asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing serious.¡± Larissa looked him directly in the eye. just wanted to ask what is your rtionship


    with Ruby?¡±

 Chapter 300

    Chapter 300


    Kevan¡¯s dark eyes suddenly lit up. He had a discreet smile at the corners of his lips.


    ¡°Do you want to know?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Of course.¡± Larissa replied. Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t havee to lind him.


    ¡°Why?¡± Kevan stared at her intently, his eyes shining with anticipation.


    Lanssa couldn¡¯t help but think that his reaction seemed unusual.


    1 need to know about your rtionship with her so that I know how to act around her in the future.¡±


    Larissa confessed, ¡°If you genuinely like her, I advise you to divorce me and pursue her openly, I can


    tell that she has some interest in you too.¡±


    Larissa¡¯s advice was sincerely for Kevan¡¯s own good, but instead of feeling touched. Kevan¡¯s


    expression darkened inexplicably, The brince in his eyes gradually faded.


    ¡°Thank you for your suggestion. I will consider it carefully.¡± Kevan said with a forced smile, putting his


    headset back on, ¡°I have other matters to attend to. If you don¡¯t have any other questions


    ¡°You haven¡¯t answered me yet. What exactly is your rtionship with Ruby Larissa interupted him,


    ¡°She is my cousin¡¯s wife, that¡¯s all¡± Kevan replied impatiently,


    He opened the door and showed Larissa out. ¡°Now please leave.¡±


    His answer was so vague that he might as well have not said anything at all


    Larissa still couldn¡¯t figure out what Kevan truly thought.


    After thinking for a moment. Larissa decided to avoid any contact with Ruby so that she wouldn¡¯t have


    to worry about how to act around her in the future.


    Larissa had plenty of free time now that she didn¡¯t need to attend any family gatherings.


    Initially, she assumed she would spend her remaining holidays lounging around Kevan¡¯s home.


    However, an explosive scandal within the entertainment industry was uncovered during the New Year¡¯s


    holidays which kept Larissa preupied.


    The incident started with a social media ount exposing a popr actor. Henry Golem, for evading


    taxes.


    He had signed a dual contract with the productionpany while liming for a movie.


    In that single transaction, he was able to knock off millions of dors inves.


    The whistleblower behind the ount imed that such practices were widespread in the


    entertainment industry. Almost all well-known celebrities have used various means to evade or under-


    dere taxes.


    Actors and celebrities were in the high-ie group. Thus, their tax payments were substantial. If they


    were to evade taxes, the amount of money involved would be a significant sum.


    The government had always been extremely concerned with the issue of taxation andx evasion.


    When news of this scandal was leaked the Tax Bureau immediately formed a special investigation


    team to audit managementpanies and artist studios in the country.


    At the forefront of the investigation was Xavier¡¯spany, Cosanic Entertainment, as it was the


    managementpany in charge of Henry


    There was concrete evidence of Henry¡¯s crime as the social media ount had posted photos of the


    dual contracts. The tim productionpany¡¯s official seal and Henry¡¯s signature were clearly visible in


    the picture.


    There was no way to destroy the evidence, even if he denied it.


    In cases of tax evasion, the government wouldn¡¯t make things too difficult forpanies if they tried to


    rectify the situation by paying up.


    However, Cosmic Entertainment had gone overboard, which forced the authorities to escte the


    situation.


    When the special investigation team arrived at their premises, the ountants refused to hand over


    the financial records, iming they had been stolen.


    This was a deliberate insult in the intelligence of the investigation team and was considered a grant


    challenge to the country¡¯sws.


    Consequently, this incident was charged as ¡°intentional destruction of evidence,¡± All individual¡¯s


    involved in this scheme were taken into custody, ewating Iria


    Although the ¡°stolen¡± financial records were miraculously recoveredter, the deed had been done.


    After the investigation team meticulouslybed through Cosmic Entertainment¡¯s ounts, they


    found that Henry wasnt the only actor who used dua contracts to evade taxes.


    Following the paper trail of contracts led to the investigation of anotherpany. Summer


    Entertainment


    Each dual contract signed by artists managed under Cosmic Entertainment was rted in projects


    helmed by Summer Entertainment


    ording to thew. bothpanies were forced to clear billions of dors in tax smears.


    Fortunately, Cosmic Entertainment had a strong financial foundation, so they managed to weather this


    storm


    On the other hand, Summer Entertainment was already on shaky ground before this scandal Once they


    settled the outstanding tax amears, thepany had to dere bankruptcy.


    The downfall of a once-thriving film productionpany was trulymentable.


    Al at once, the entire entertainment industry was in an uproar over this scandal, Artists shied away from


    press releases that boasted about their high worth, fearing bacsh from the public.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.

 Chapter 301

    Chapter 301


    Larissa lolowed the incident on the news speraticaly, but she didn¡¯t pay much attention to it.


    Apart from cursing the Cole family for their much-deserved tale, she moved on with nordaly is.


    However, she never expected that Jay woulde for her one day.


    That day, Larissa went downstairs to patrol the hole, tooms as usual


    Suddenly, a door to a hotel room behind her opened.


    Larissa turned around instinctively, but before she could take a good look, a hand reached out from


    behind her..


    A damp cloth that emitted a pungent smell was mped over her mouth and nose.


    Larissa struggled to get away, but she quickly passed cut.


    When she rega ned consciousness, she was on the hocal motop.


    Hernands and feet were bound with coa rse ropes and a piece of cloth was stuffed into hermot


    Jay stood in front of her.


    Although he was still well-dressed, he appeared much more haggard than thest time they had mel


    His eye bags droped over his sallow checks, showing how much weight he had lost


    At least his current appearance matched his actual age.


    When Jay saw Larissa open her eyes, he took cut his phone and made a cal


    But it seemed that no one answered the cal,


    The expression on Jay¡¯s face twisted into a ferocious scowl as he paced around, bing more


    restless.


    ¡°Da mn the cursed loudly, venting his frustration by kicking Larissa forcefully.


    She fell to the ground, smashing her shoulder into the hard cement heavily.


    Fortunately, it wasn¡¯t her right shoulder that had sustained multiple injuries.


    However, Larissa winced at the sharp pain that spread down her


    C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    Jay squatted down and rummaged in her pockets, eventually retrieving her phone fr


    ¡°Give me the password!¡± he demanded as he disced the cloth from her mouth roughly.


    Larissa reched a string of numbers which was her shone password.


    in this critical situation, it was best for her to cooperate obediently.tercoat Jay sessfully unlocked her


    phone and searched through her contacts before dialing a number.


    Even without locking, Larissa could guess who he was calling.


    As expected, Jay spoke up a minuteter, Mr. Rogers, it¡¯s me, Jay, Do you remember me?¡±


    A malicious smile spread across Jay¡¯s face.


    ¡°As long as you remember me, that¡¯s good enough.¡±


    ¡°Why do I have Larissa¡¯s phone? Obviously, it¡¯s because Thave her in my hands.¡±


    I¡¯m currently on the reallop of the Regal Dynasty Holel, II you want to save her le,e lieve


    immediately!


    T wat forly one hour. III don¡¯t see you during that time, push Larissa oll the rool and ill mysell as well


    Jay hung up alter speaking and immediately swiched the phone oll.


    He put the phone in his pocket and took out a box of cigarettes instead.


    cing a cigarette in his mouth, Jay attempted to light it up several times, but the cold wind blowing


    against him extinguished the me each time.


    ¡°Da mn it!¡± he snapped the cigarette angrily and repeatedly stomped on it until the cigarette


    disintegrated into ashes.


    ¡°Nothing is going night for me he cursed in frustration. ¡°It¡¯s all that b astard¡¯s fault!¡±


    Jay red at Larissa and kicked her again. ¡°It¡¯s all your fault tool¡±

 Chapter 302

    Chapter 302


    ¡°Are you satisfied now that you¡¯ve ruined our lives? he shouted angrily, his bloodshot eyes red with


    fury.


    Remaining silent, Larissa kept her head down


    She tried to avoid eye contact with Jay so as to not trigger his anger any further.


    Even so, Jay was unwilling to let her off the h ook


    He kicked her repeatedly, leaving bruises and marks on her limbs, abdomen, andce.


    ¡°You bit ch, why aren¡¯t you saying anything? What happened to your sharp tongue and quick wit? Can¡¯t


    say a word now, can you?¡± Jay¡¯s assault became more violent as the expression on his face appeared


    increasingly deranged.


    Larissa could taste the metallic taste of blood in her mouth.


    Her body was screaming with pain, aching at the repeated blows that she endured.


    At that moment, the only thought in her mind was for Kevan toe and save her as soon as possible.


    She waited and waited desperately hoping for Kevan¡¯s arrival


    Finally, the door to the rooftop opened. However, it wasn¡¯t Kevan who appeared, but his assistant.


    Jay dragged Larissa up from the ground and forced her to stand in hont of him, protecting himself with


    her body.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± he asked. ¡°Where¡¯s Kevan?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Rogers has other urgent matters to attend to and can¡¯te at the moment,¡± Kevan¡¯s assistant


    replied. ¡°I¡¯m his assistant and I represent him fully. If you have any requests, address them to me.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s busy? He can¡¯te now?¡± Jay suddenly burst intoughter. ¡°B itch, did you hear that?¡±


    Grabbing Larissa by the hair, Jay forced her to look into his eyes. ¡°It seems like your husband couldn¡¯t


    care less about your safety! Your Gile is less important than his work matters! Don¡¯t you regret


    marrying him now?¡±


    Larissa lowered her gaze and replied helplessly, ¡°Yes.¡±


    Jay let out a maniacaugh. ¡°You deserve this for looking down on my son! My son


    Pausing to take a breath, a sorrowful expression appeared on Jay¡¯sce and he bawled. ¡°My son¡¯s life


    was ruined by y o u, bitch! You¡¯ve destroyed his entire life!¡±


    Larissa couldn¡¯t help but tremble with lear. Jay¡¯s crared state was truly terrifying.


    ¡°Jay!¡± Kewan¡¯s assistant approached them, ¡°State your demands.¡±


    ¡°My demands?¡± Jay stared at him and smirked sinisterly, ¡°I want that b astard, Kevin, dead. Can you


    full that?¡±


    lore practical requests.¡±


    Kevan¡¯s assistant remained calm, ¡°No, I can¡¯t. I sincerely advise you toe up with more


    ¡°Is this how you negotiate with someone? Jay was turned off by the assistant¡¯s attitude.


    Struggling, he camed Larissa and hauled her onto the railing. ¡°You¡¯d better believe 111 push her off the


    rool right now!


    With her hands and feet tied, Larissa was unable to keep her bnce as she sat on the raling.


    She tried to lean back as far as possible so that her body wouldn¡¯t sway.


    heart felt like it would leap out from her chest.


    A slight touch from Jay would tip Larissa over and send her plunging to her death


    ¡°If you kill her, you will have nothing to bargain with me,¡± Revan¡¯s assistant reminded Jar


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to waste any more time negotiating with you! Jay climbed onto the ralling, scrambling with


    his hands and feel. ¡°Tell Kevan that either he dies today, or his wife dies. Make him choose!¡±


    Jay¡¯s stubbornness finally made Kevan¡¯s assistant hesitate.


    He said, ¡°I need to make a phone call to Mr. Rogers.¡±


    C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    ¡°Call him here, immediately!¡± Jay ordered.


    The assistant dated Keyan¡¯s number on the spot.


    Put him on the speakerphone Jaymanded.


    The assistant obediently put the call on the speaker.


    ¡°Hello¡± Kevan¡¯s voice rang out. ¡°Is everything resolved?¡±


    The assistant gave Jay a nce and answered, ¡°Jay said that either you die or Ms. Seymour dies.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s such a simple choice, do you really need to call me for that?¡± Kevan sounded impatient.


    The underlying meaning of his words ¡ª


    Bling her lower lip, Larissa stared intently at the assistant¡¯s phone.

 Chapter 303

    Chapter 303


    Larissa¡¯s chest tightened, almost suffocating her.


    Instinctively, the assistant looked at Larissa, his face filed with distress.


    Such a cruel decision should not be made by him, However


    *Tell Lanssa that I will definitely avenge her, so she won¡¯t have to feel wronged.¡± Kewan¡¯s chilling words


    that sealed herte sounded from


    the speakerphone and crushed Larissa¡¯s hopes into bits.


    *Kevan, you coward!¡± Jay shouted loudly. ¡°How could you let a woman die in your ce?


    This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.


    There was a brief silence on the other end of the call


    ¡°I am not a coward.¡± Kevan¡¯s steady voice seemed unaffected by Jay¡¯s provocation. ¡°By staying alive. I


    can do more things to torture you.


    For example, your son would suffer a fate worse than death inside prison.¡±


    Jay¡¯s eyes widened with shock. ¡°What are you going to do to Reuben?¡±


    He got down from the railing and rushed toward Kevan¡¯s assistant, trying to sn atch the phone away


    from him.


    The assistant evaded Jay¡¯s attack easily and held the phone firmly in his hand.


    ¡°Take a guess,¡± Kevan sneered in a mocking tone.


    ¡°Im warning you, Kevan! Don¡¯t mess around with my son!¡± Jay was truly worried.


    ¡°Mr. Cole, It¡¯s not me who¡¯s messing around.¡± Kevanughed.


    changed my mind Jay shouted. ¡°I don¡¯t want your lives anymore! Just make sure my son will have a


    good life in prison! Promise me!¡±


    ¡°I promise.¡± Kevan said.


    ¡°Finer Jay closed his eyes for a moment. ¡®Remember what you said!¡±


    With that, he ran to the edge of the rooftop and climbed onto the railing once more.


    ¡°Kevan Rogers, if anything untoward happens to my son, I will not forgive you will definitely haunt you


    to your grave!¡±


    Leaving an ominous threat Jay leaped off the building.


    Momentster, Larissa heard teed screamsing from below.


    Kevan¡¯s assistant quickly helped her down from the railing and untied the ropes binding her hands and


    feet.


    Kevan¡¯s call was still connected.


    Suddenly, a woman¡¯s voice was heard on the speaker. ¡°Kevan, how¡¯s Larissa?¡±


    It was Ruby!


    So, Kevan¡¯s urgent work matters were to keep Rubypany?


    Larissa couldn¡¯t help butugh mockingly at herself.


    ¡°Im line,¡± she said.


    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear.¡± There wasn¡¯t a trace of relief in Revan¡¯s stoic tone.


    Without another word of concern, Kevan hung up.


    His assistant helped Larissa to her. ¡°Ms. Seymour, can you walk?¡±


    Larissa look a few steps but the pain was too much to bear


    She shook her head and smiled bitterly. ¡°Can you help me call an ambnce?¡±


    Lanssa sustained a fractured leg, and her body was bruised in multiple ces by Jay¡¯s assault.


    However, since the perpetrator hadmitted suicide, Larissa had to ept that there was no way for


    justice to be served.


    It wasn¡¯t until the evening that Kevan finally appeared in her ward.


    ¡°Don¡¯t take to near the harsh words I said on the phone just now,¡± Kevan said indifferently, as if it didn¡¯t


    matter to him whether she took to heart orcel.


    ¡°understand.¡± Larissa nodded with a faint smile. ¡°I know that you were just trying to dy him.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± Kevan clenched his fists that were hidden in his pockets.


    Maintaining an air of indifference, he continued. ¡°Have a good rest at the hospital. I need is go to the


    police station to hr pcut with their investigation, sc I see you again tomorrow.¡±

 Chapter 304

    Chapter 304


    Jay¡¯s suicide made headlines in the media, and news of him kidnapping Larissa gradually seread.


    Larissa was once again famous for the wrong reasons, which troubled her to no end.


    What irked her even more were the constant messages of condolences.


    She kept receiving phone calls of concern from friends and former colleagues around her


    Even Violet came to the hospital to visit her,


    The whole time, she early admonished Larissa with advice on recuperating and left a thermos of hot


    soup for her.


    Just as she left. Edmund arrived.


    Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.


    He strode into her ward with arge bouquet of champagne roses.


    ¡°Lar¡± Edmund called out affectionately, his eyes filled with concem. ¡°Are you seriously injured?¡±


    Larissa fell a headacheing on.


    ¡°Tm line,¡¯ she replied indifferently, trying to create some distance between them.


    ¡°What do you mean, line? Edmund sized her up. ¡°Look at your face, it¡¯s all bruised! And your leg is in a


    cast!¡±


    He continued his rant angrily, ¡°Luckily, Jay is dead. Otherwise, I would have killed him for what he did


    to you?


    Larissa thought that perhaps instant death was truly the best oue for Jay.


    Edmund put the roses on the bedside table andined bitterly. ¡°What kind of lousy hospital is


    this? They don¡¯t even have vases in their wards!¡±


    ¡°Mr. Rogers, this is a hospital not a hotel Larissa reminded him.


    She was here to recuperate, not for leisure.


    Giving her the side eye. Edmund made a phone call ¡°Hey, go buy a vase and bring it up to me!¡±


    He turned to Larissa triumphantly. ¡°See all done!¡±


    Larissa rolled her eyes, at a loss for words.


    Being filthy rich really spoilt him rotten as he was allowed to do whatever he desired.


    Edmund pulled up a chair next to her bed and sat down.


    He asked knowingly. ¡°Since you¡¯re so badly injured, why isn¡¯t Revan here to apany ¡°you?¡±


    Larissa made up an excuse casually, ¡°He¡¯s busy with work¡±


    Edmund insisted. ¡°But I heard that when you were kidnapped yesterday, he didn¡¯t even show up at the


    scene to save you.¡±


    He¡¯d clearly obtained some inside information.


    ¡°The kidnapper clearly demanded Kevan to save you personally. Why did his assistant turn up in the


    end?¡±


    Using the same excuse. Larissa repeated, ¡°1 said, he¡¯s budy with work.¡±


    ¡°This incident is not something you should dismiss so easily just because he is busy with work!


    Edmund sald stemly, ¡°Luckily, nothing unfortunate happened to you. But what if the kidnapper had


    thrown you off the rooftop because he failed to tum up? is his work more Important than your safety?¡±


    Larissa really wished she could see Edmund¡¯s mouth shut with a needle and thread.


    That way, he wouldn¡¯t be able to say any more stinging remarks that she didn¡¯t want to hear.


    Maybe didn¡¯t foresee that things would escte to that level¡± Larissa prebended to be nonchnt.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if everything turns out well¡±


    *That¡¯s uneptable! Edmund grabbed her hand and asked her earnestly. ¡°Lar, cross your heart and


    tell me honestly. When Kewan didn¡¯t rush to your rescue yesterday, weren¡¯t you hurt about that? Don¡¯t


    you care?¡± She cared.


    In fact she cared too much,


    But she couldn¡¯t admit t


    Furthermore, she certainly shouldn¡¯t admit this to Edmund


    ¡°Well at least he sent his assistant Larissa delended Kevan.


    Edmund snorte coldly. ¡°Stop deceiving yoursel


    Larissa cursed her Ips and stared at the television screen, refusing to have any eye contact with


    Edmund.


    It was clear that she didn¡¯t want to have anything more to do with Edmund, but he just wouldn¡¯t leave


    her alone.


    Edmund continued taking ¡°Let me tell you cha more thing. Last night. Cody and Ruby had a huge light.


    Do you want to guess what it was about?¡±

 Chapter 305

    Chapter 305


    He raised an eyebrow as he waited for her answer.


    ¡°I¡¯m not interested¡± Lanssa replied, refusing to y along with him.


    Edmund clicked his tongue in disappointment Propping his arm on the back of the chair, he slunk onto


    the seat.


    ¡°Well my sister-inw told my brother that she was going out shopping with a friend, but she was


    spotted meeting Kevan at the Microworks Building. She was there for the whole day. Who knows?


    Maybe they were together when you were kidnapped, which is why Kevan didn¡¯te to rescue you.¡±


    Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.


    Larissa wanted to tell him that it wasn¡¯t merely a possibility but that was the case.


    ¡°Cody now suspects that my sister-inw and Kevan are having an affair, After all, they had something


    between them in the past, but she married my brother in the end.¡± Edmund said. His chin was slightly


    raised, and he could hardly mask the pride in his voice.¡± shows that my brother had a stronger appeal


    than even in the past, but not anymore. Now Kevan is wealthier, so women prefer him.¡±


    Larissa didn¡¯t like how Edmund was trying to put Cody on a pedestal by beliling Kevan


    Hence, she chimed in ¡°Women prefer Kevan not just because he¡¯s wealthier.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Then tell me, what do you like about him? Edmund rested his chin on his hand, smirking.


    Although the question was simple, Larissa coulde up with infinite answers.


    ¡°I like that he¡¯s handsome.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m handsome too.¡± Edmund said. ¡°Everyone says that I¡¯m the most handsome Rogers.¡±


    *ke the way he carries himself with an aloof air.¡±


    Edmund immediately put on a straight face. ¡°I can be alcol too.¡±


    ¡°I like that he¡¯s a Taekwondo expert, a wrestler, and a boxer. He can protect me when I¡¯m in danger.¡±


    ¡°Well I have a ck belt in Taekwondo, I can protect you too.¡±


    No matter what Lanssa said, Edmund would find a way to retort.


    Finally, Larissa yed her trump card. ¡°I like that he doesn¡¯t like me.¡±


    This time Edmund couldn¡¯t form a response, Instead, he looked at her with pity in his eyes.


    ¡°Larissa, why don¡¯t you consider liking someone who likes you? Mutual love is much happler than


    unrequited love.¡±


    ¡°No thanks.¡± Larissa rejected the Idea ¡°Marrying the man I love makes me feel blessed.¡±


    ¡°But Kevan likes my sister-in-Law! How can you ept that they are openly having an altar? Edmund


    asked


    Larissa continued her blutt. ¡°My only wish is to marry him. It doesn¡¯t matter that he has other women.¡±


    Despite countless attempts to get through her walls, Edmund failed, which left him frustrated


    ¡°Fine, I won¡¯t say more. Anyway, if you regret it and want to divorce Kevan know that my arms will


    always be open for you!¡± he said.


    With a faint smile, Larissa replied. ¡°Thanks, but that will never happen,¡±


    Edmund had to return to work, so he left after half an hour.


    Around moon, Kevan came over, bringing lunch for Larissa. As soon as he entered the hospital room,


    he spotted therge bouquet of champagne roses in the wase by the bedside.


    ¡°Who sent these?¡± he asked, his squinted eyes emitting a dangerous light.


    ¡°Edmund.¡±


    Larissa didn¡¯t hide from him. Since the hospital had surveince cameras, she couldn¡¯t hide even if she


    wanted to.


    ¡°You¡¯re so close with Edmund now that he even sent you roses, huh? Kevan asked before he could


    stop himself.


    Tehe¡­ alright i guess, Larissa answered. In the heat of the moment Larissa deliberately answered as


    such,

 Chapter 306

    Chapter 306


    Without warning, Kewan grabbed her chin, squishing her lips.


    ¡°How many times have I told you to stay away from Edmund!¡± he asked, his voice hoa rse. ¡°Don¡¯t you


    understand?¡±


    His cold re was intense, Suddenly bing defiant, Larissa pushed his hand away and red back


    at him.


    ¡°You said Edmund would harm me, but he hasn¡¯t done anything to me although I¡¯ve been around for so


    long! On the contrary, when you¡¯re with your beloved, you can¡¯t be bothered even when I¡¯m about to


    dier


    Kevan was taken aback for a moment. Soon, he stood up straight, chuckling.


    ¡°I forgot how blind you¡¯ve always been.¡± He ced the lunch he brought on the table by the bed and


    said. ¡°If you want to get close to Edmund, go ahead. I can¡¯t control what you do, nor do I want to.¡±


    With that he lef


    In the afternoon, the doctor came to inform Larissa that Kevan hadpleted her discharge


    procedures and that his assistant would take her home.


    Keven¡¯s assistant arrived an hourter, It was stil the same assistant asst time.


    He packed up al 5 Larissa¡¯s belongings but left the bouquet of champagne roses on the bedside table.


    ¡°Take these to wel,¡± she reminded him.


    The assistant wore a hesitant expression. ¡°Mr. Rogers doesn¡¯t like flowers. He specificaly instructed me


    not to bring them home?


    ¡°Oh,¡± Larissa murmured, not insisting on bringing back.


    Since her leg was still not fully healed, she still had to rest in bed. The only difference was that lewer


    people could visit her when she was at home.


    Larissa knew that that was Kevan¡¯s true intention. Despite his harsh words, he had secrelly kept her


    away from Edmund.


    Kevan¡¯s mother still visited her daily, finding venous ways to nourish her body with different Soups.


    Larissa was gratet, but she didn¡¯t dare to be too emotionally invested in her rtionship with her as she


    leared that one day his mother would turn cold toward her, just like Kevan¡¯s grancher had.


    Edmund called her and asked why she was discharged so soon and why she didn¡¯t inform him.


    ¡°I¡¯m not obligated to inform you,¡± she answered.


    ¡°Larissa you re so cruel to me.¡± Edmund whined s Larissa was not swayed by his victim act.


    ¡°Exactly,¡± she said. ¡°So, stop bothering me.¡±


    After that. Edmund never called her again.


    Larissa thought she could linally have some peace and silence, but Kevan brought Ruby home. Kevan


    had called in the evening to inform Larissa that he wouldn¡¯t be back for dinner and told her toke care


    of dinner hersel.


    Larissa was preparing Instant noodles for hersed when the door suddenly opened. She was so startled


    that she almost spiled the boiling water on herself.


    ¡°Huh, the TV is still on. Why don¡¯t see anyone? Ruby¡¯s puzzled voice echoed in the living room.


    Suddenly, Larissa¡¯s hand lost its grip, and she dropped the bowl of noodles on the licor, cursing under


    her breath


    As themotion in the kitchen caught their attention, Ruby rushed in ahead of Kevan. Seeing the


    spilled noodles all over the floor, she eximed in surprise,


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Kevan hurriedly rushed in, hisce Med with worry.


    Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°It¡¯s not me¡­¡± Standing by the kitchen door, Ruby pointed at the floor in a loss. ¡°Its Lassa. She spilled


    the noodles


    ¡°You¡¯re having instant noodles for dinner?¡± Kevan asked grullly, his expression instantly darkening.

 Chapter 307

    Chapter 307


    Larissa pursed her lips. ¡°There¡¯s nothing else to eat at home.¡±


    She had secretly bought a pack of instant noodles when she moved in and hid it in her bedroom. She


    had thought it would finallye in handy today, but things turned out differently.


    ¡°If there¡¯s no food at home, don¡¯t you know you can order takeout? You can hop from your bedroom to


    the kitchen on one leg, but you can¡¯t take a few more steps to the door? If you don¡¯t want to move, you


    can even call my mom and ask her to bring you lood¡± Kevan scolded Larissa, leaving her too stunned


    toe up with a retort.


    ¡°Forget it¡± Ruby grabbed Kevan¡¯s hand and said. ¡°It¡¯s line to have instant noodles asionally.¡±


    Kevan nced at Larissa and lellsient,


    Leaning on the kitchen counter, Larissa tried to squal down. However, as soon as she bent over, Kevan


    grabbed her by the back of her cor and lifted her.


    ¡°What are you trying to do?¡± he asked, frustrated.


    Larissapointed at the floor. ¡°I¡¯m trying to clean up the mess.¡±


    ¡°Forget it.¡± He pushed her aside in disdain. ¡°You¡¯re disabled, why bother? Just get out of here and


    order yoursell some takeout.¡±


    Since he was willing to take care of it Larissa didn¡¯t stop him,


    ¡°Well, in that case¡­thank you.¡±


    With that she hopped away with one leg. When Ruby saw her struggling, she quickly went to support


    her, Larissa shook off her hand.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, I can do it on my own.¡±


    Ruby turned around to look at Kevan, chewing on her lip sadly, Kevan stopped what he was doing and


    took a step forward, blocking Larissa¡¯s path,


    ¡°Apologize to Ruby,¡± he said, looking at her condescendingly.


    Larissa was taken aback, feeling just as sad as the expression Ruby had put on. However, she didn¡¯t


    showi


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± she said to Ruby.


    Ruby pretended to be magnanimous.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay! Why are you making her apologize for no reason? Tm fine!¡±


    Larissa didn¡¯t want to stay there and watch the two of them fit and argue. Hence, she hurriedly hopped


    away and she almost tripped in the process.


    Meanwhile, Kevan watched her departing figure, wanting to go and support her but he retracted his


    hand in the end.


    When Larissa was done ordering takeout, the two of them came out of the kitchen.


    ¡°Larissa, how¡¯s your leg healing? Ruby sat next to her, asking with concem.


    ¡°it¡¯s almost healed,¡± Larissa replied nonchntly.


    ¡°Let me take a look. I¡¯m worried that your wound might have reopened when I saw you almost fall just


    now.¡± Ruby reached for her call, wanting to undo her bandages. ¡°I used to be an orthopedic doctor at


    Victory General Hospital but I resigned after my marriage. Don¡¯t worry though, my professional


    knowledge is still pretty sound. I can tell your bones have fully healed with a short diagnosis.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Larissa wanted to avoid her touch. ¡°I have a lolow-up appointment the day alter tomorrow, so


    I see the doctor then.¡±


    She disliked Ruby, so she disliked her touch as well However, Kevan held her shoulder, preventing her


    hom moving away.


    *Let Ruby take a look. In case it has reopened, we can go to the hospital and have it treated in time,¡±


    he said.


    With two of them working against her, she had no choice but to agree.


    Fine.¡±


    Chapter 307


    Following Ruby¡¯s instructions, Larissa ced her injured leg t on the sofa.


    ¡°Kevan, do you have scissors and bandages at home?¡± Ruby asked.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll go get them.¡±


    This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.


    Just as Kevan left the room, Larissa felt a sharp pain in her leg.

 Chapter 308

    Chapter 308


    Instantly, she bicke into a cold sweat. Ichalry sharply, she turned her head to see Ruby sprawled on the


    s, with one hand pressing down on her njuredg.


    ¡®I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry!¡± Ruby quickly got up from the s and knelt on the ground as she hurriedly


    removed the bandage from Larissa¡¯s leg.


    As she had pressed too hard earlier, Larissa gritted her teeth in pain even at Ruby¡¯s slightest touch,


    When Kevan returned from his bedroom, he noticed Ruby¡¯s anxious expression and Larissa¡¯s pale


    complexion. A sense of foreboding rose in his heart.


    ¡°What happened?¡± he asked.


    Ruby burst into tears first.


    ¡°Im sorry, I¡¯m sorry!¡± she repeated incessantly, unable to say more.


    She covered her mouth, crying uncontrobly, tea¡¯s streaking her face.


    Unable to stomach the sight, Larissa instructed Kevar, ¡°Get her some issues to wipe ¡°er lears.¡±


    Kevan quickly grabbed several tissues and stuffed them all into Ruby¡¯s hands,


    ¡°What about you?¡± He lowered his head to look at Larissa¡¯s injured leg and asked. ¡°Did you hurt your


    leg again?¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you a genus? Larissa attempted to lighten the atmosphere. Kevan red at her fiercely in


    response.


    He scooped her up in his arms, bridal style, carefully avoiding her injured leg.


    I take you to the hospital¡±


    He strade out and Ruby rushed after him, wiping away her tears.


    I¡¯m going with you!¡±


    She seemed normal in the car, but as soon as they entered the emergency room, she started crying


    again, leaving everyone in the room baffled.


    ¡°It¡¯s all my.lt. She seemed a little better with her words this time. ¡°When I got up. I wasn¡¯t stable and


    identally fell on her, cressing down on her leg.


    The doctor frowned upon hearing that ¡°How could you be so careless knowing that there¡¯s a patient


    with a fractured leg?¡±


    This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.


    Histore wasn¡¯t particrly harsh, but it camed some reproach. Unable to withstand i Ruby burst into


    tears and ran out.


    Kevan¡¯s gaze tra le aber her until she reached the door before he shifted his focus to Larissa.


    Larissa sighed and said. ¡°Go check on her. Ill be fine on my own.¡±


    Rising to his feet, Kevan said to the doctor. Please have a nurseke care of herter,¡±


    Then he left the emergency room. ording to proloco, the doctor had Larissa get an X¨Cray.


    After handing her the payment slip, he called a nurse to wheel her upstairs in a wheelchair.


    The nurse chatted with her along the way. ¡®Did youe alone?¡±


    Larissa smiled. ¡°Yes.¡±


    The nurse sighed. ¡°You¡¯re really strong.¡±


    A bitter taste filed Larissa¡¯s heart. Without anyone caring for her, what choice did she have but to learn


    to be strong?


    Kevan and Ruby didn¡¯t retum, even after she Inished the X¨Cray. Unsurprisingly, her wound had


    reopened, and it was even more severe than before


    Larissa had a thousand curses, but she couldn¡¯t utter them to Ruby. Without Kevan, she couldn¡¯t leave.


    Hence, she rushed cul in a pank, without her phone and no way to contact them,


    On the cold winter night, she sat along the emergency room lobby. The cold wind rushed in through the


    tiny gaps in the window.


    seeping through her loose clothes.


    in Larissa hugged herself lightly, conserving whatever warmth she had


    She lost count of how many times she had turned toward the entrance, and how many times she had


    sighed. When she thought she was about to freeze to death, Kevan and Ruby finally appeared.

 Chapter 309

    Chapter 309


    Kruan had sessfully calmed Ruby down, Although her eyes were bloodshot all traces of tears had


    been wiped from her face.


    ¡°All done?¡± Kevan asked Larissa


    Larissa tries to nod, but her neck was too stiff to move.


    ¡°Yes,¡± she said, white mist forming in the air when she spoke,


    ¡°What did thector say?


    reopened again, but the doctor fixed it for me again.¡±


    Larissa stopped hersell from saying the injury had worsened. Ruby¡¯s lips trembled, and tears


    shimmered in her eyes.


    ¡®s all my faut-


    This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t do it on purpose.¡± Kevan sald,forting her gently.


    When Ruby camed down, Larissa asked. ¡°Shall we go I¡¯m freezing to death.¡±


    Only then did Kevan realize how thin the clothes she was wearing were.


    Pursing his lips, he took off his coat and draped it over her. The stiff fabric still came his body warmth


    and minty scent. Feeling extremely


    cold, Larissa stopped caring about acting al proper and polite. She pulled the Jackal lighter over


    herself.


    Meanwhile, Ruby watched her from behind, resentment lickering in her eyes.


    Kevan sant Ruby home list


    car pulled up at hop


    She lived in a new residential area near Avenue 3, not at Bernard¡¯s house that Larissa has visitedst


    time, When the carp


    ce, Kevan got out together with Ruby.


    Larissa leaned back in the back seat watching the iwo of them talking outside the car.


    ¡°Shapany you upstairs? Kewan asked


    Ruby shook her head and pointed to the car with her chin. ¡®It¡¯s not safe for Larissa to be alone in the


    car. You should hurry up and go back with her.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Kewan nodded.


    ¡°See you tomorrow! Ruby said, smiling and waving goodbye to them before turning and walking


    towards the building.


    Kevan stood stil, and after Ruby went inside, he raised his head for a moment. Under the dim


    illumination of the streetmp, Larissa sam his tense Jawline and the darkness in his eyes.


    It waspletely different from the gentle demeanor he carried himself with before Ruby. With each


    passing moment, Larissa found him harder to understand.


    On the way back home, Larissa asked him, ¡®When you offered to apany Ruby upstars, weren¡¯t


    you afraid that your cousin would see


    Kevan nced at her through the rearview mirror, seeing her mischievous smile, his grip on the


    steering wheel tightened before he knew IL


    ¡°She¡¯s getting a divorce from Cody, and she¡¯s now lling awsult. That ce is one of my properties. I


    let her stay temporarily, and she¡¯s the only one there.¡±


    He emphasized the words ¡°the only one¡±


    ¡°Ah, I see. Your crush is getting a divorce. Don¡¯t you n to get a divorce too and pursue her?¡±


    She was cungus, and she couldn¡¯t hide the antici


    her voice, Kovan simply ignored her.


    ¡°Hey, listen to me, I¡¯m serious. Larissa grabbed the back of the driver¡¯s seat. ¡°The two of you being


    together every day will stir up rumors. Before, you wanted to marry me because you incught there was


    no hope with her, right? Now that the opportunity hase, you should seize il!¡±


    Kevan¡¯s Jaw tightened. Without warning, he turned on the car radio. Dealening rock music immediately


    filled the entire car, drowning out Larissa¡¯s voicepletely. It helped to dissipate le frustration in


    Kevan¡¯s heart a tile.

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    Chapter 310


    Thanks to Ruby, Larissa¡¯s vacation was extended indefinitely. Fortunately, Kevan never brought Ruby


    back again.


    Larissa did not like sitting idle. Being cooped up at home at day, she had nothing to de except watch


    TV and y with her phone, which made her extremely restless.


    Thankfully, Welet was kind enough to bring Larissa downstairs for a walk asionally when the


    weather allowed it instead of allowing her to suffocate at home.


    On a particr day. Violet took her to the park downstars after lunch. The park was filled with elderly


    people who had taken their children out for some test air. There was hardly anyone Larissa¡¯s age.


    As they cher ran into each other Violet had be acquainted with them and would chat with them


    when they sat together.


    ¡°Is she your daughter?¡± asked a woman next to Violet pointing at Larissa.


    Grinning. Violet answered, ¡°She¡¯s my daughter¨Cinw, as dear to me as my daughter,¡±


    Her words brought Larissa more warmth than the sunlight did.


    ¡°Oh. I see,¡± the woman said, nodding as she continued to make small talk with Violet.


    Ten minutester, a little girl in a pink jacket rushed over to the woman, panting heavily and shouting,


    ¡°Grandma, I¡¯m thirsty!¡±


    The women quickly opened a thermos and handed it to her, reminding her. ¡°It¡¯s still hat, drink slowly!¡±


    After drinking the water, the little girl rushed off, swift as the wind, retuming to her friends to climb a


    structure in the center of the park.Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.


    The woman kept a close eye on her until she safely reached the top, then she put the thermos back in


    her bag.


    Violet asked. ¡°You¡¯re taking care of her?¡±


    The woman ¡®eplied. ¡°Yes, her parents are very busy and often have to travel out of town. They hardly


    have time to take care of the child. Although we hired a nanny at home, you know, recently there have


    been news reports about rannies abusing children! So. I must take care of her. However, since she¡¯s


    mostly at preschool from Monday to Friday where teachers would look after her, it¡¯s only on weekends


    that I get a litte tired.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see.¡± Violet nodded her head, looking at the children ying and trollicking not far away, full of


    my and longing. ¡°It must be fun with a child at home,right?¡±


    ¡°Oh my goodness! The woman made a bitter face and waved her hand. ¡°It¡¯s too rowdy! Let me tell you,


    this one in our family has boundless energy. She wreaks havoc at home all day long! If her parents


    arent at home, she can y until 11 or 12 pm before going to sleep! really can¡¯t control her! But ¡ª


    She looked at her granddaughter who was ying with a gare full of adoration. ¡°When she goes to


    kindergarten on weekdays, something feels missing at home. I feel particrly uneasy.¡± 1


    1see.¡°Violet pursed her lips, sneakily ncing at Larissa without saying a word.


    Noticing that, the woman asked. ¡°Your son and daughter¨Cinw haven¡¯t had a child yet?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right violet smiled. ¡°They just got maried, it¡¯s not time for them to have a child yel.¡±


    ¡°Seize the opportunity! The woman palted Larissa¡¯s shoulder, speaking earnestly. ¡°While you¡¯re still


    young, have a child as soon as possible, youngdy! You¡¯re in good health now, so the recovery will be


    short and you¡¯ll suffer less. Unmantled and chudless women tend to face more discrimination they face


    in the workce the older they gel. Once you¡¯re manied and have children, itll be easier for you to find


    a job in the future,¡±


    Her words made sense. They were much more eptable to Larissa than the way Travis¡® parents


    pressured her to have a child for the sake of continuing the family line.


    s, she had already made up her mind long ago Smiling shyly, she remained quiet


    After a little while. Violet asked Larissa, ¡°Shall we go back?¡±


    Larissa nodded. ¡®Sure,¡±


    On the way back, Violet was silent,pletely different from before.


    Once they entered the house. Larissa asked. ¡°Mom, what¡¯s wrong with you?¡±


    Violet had a conflicted expression on her face.

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    Chapter 311


    She hesitated for a moment before cautiously asking ¡°Larissa, when do you and Kevan n to have a


    child?¡±


    Hurriedly, she added. ¡°Tm not pressuring you to have a child, don¡¯t misunderstand! Im just asking so I


    can be prepared in advance.¡±


    It made Larissa a little embarrassed. ¡°Well ¨C Kevan and I have never discussed it.¡±


    me ns alhaving


    In addition to her own decision, Larissa and Kevan were merely in a contractual marriage for their


    individual gains with no ns children. However, she couldn¡¯t tell Violet about that so she could only


    continue lo stall


    Violet rubbed her hands with disappointment. ¡®Arght¡®


    Violet ved longer than usual that day. Usually, she would return home after visiting the park.


    ncing at Violet, who was busy in the kitchen, Larissa let slightly uneasy. She was afraid that Kevan


    would repeat the mistake of bringing Ruby back home.


    It wasn¡¯t a big deal when he brought Ruby home al other times. Larissa had sessfully convinced


    herself that she harbored no ill feelings of jealousy toward her. However, with Violet around, it might not


    be the best idea to bring her home.


    Thinking of this, she secretly informed Kevan. ¡°Your mother came home today. I think she stay for


    dinner before leaving.¡±


    All Kevan replied was ¡°Okay¡°.


    Perhaps because Violet was around, Kevan came back a little earlier than usual


    ¡°Oh, you linished work early today.¡± Violet was surprised when she opened the door to see Kevan.


    *Larissa said you were here, so I came back early to have dinner with you.¡± Kevan said sweetly.


    Violet patted hisce in satisfaction and proudly praised him. ¡°What a good son you are!


    Kevan smiled helplessly.


    Sitting on the s, Larissa watched the warm interaction between the mother and son and bean to


    smile before she knew it.


    ¡°Larissa, Kevan is back, Let¡¯s have dinner,¡± Violet called, walking over to extend her hand to help


    Larissa up, but Kewan beat her to it.


    He bent down, one hand encircling Larissa¡¯s wast from behind the other hand sliding under her knees,


    scooping her up.


    Violet clucked her tongue as she grinned from ear to ear.


    ¡°You two, stop being so sweet?¡± she teased. ¡°If you make me feel too lonely, I might call your dad


    over!¡±


    ¡°If you want, you can call him right now,¡± Kevan said, not taking her threat seriously.


    He stood up straight, lossing Larissa lightly as he tried to find a morefortable position. Frightened,


    Larissa clung to his neck lightly and refused to let go.


    Kevan nced at her with disdain. ¡°Look at how weak you are


    However, theers of his mouth were raised in a smile.This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.

 Chapter 312

    Chapter 312


    Kevan carried Larissa to the dining room and ced ner in her designated seat. Originally, there was


    no ¡°designated seat in the dining room of his house, and everyone could sit wherever they wanted, but


    Violet was a Assy person. In the past, she wasnt bothered because she rarely visited Now that she


    visited every day, she gradually noticed many things she didn¡¯t like.


    The first thing that caught her eye was the minimalist furniture. To make the house more homey, she


    bought many tiny decorations and omaments, filing the house with her signature louch.


    The dining chairs in Kevan¡¯s house were made of wood, which wasfortable to son in the summer


    but particrly cold in winter. Therefore, Violet covered each chair with a plush cartoon cushion. She


    even designated a seat for each person. Larissa was the rabbit, Kevan was the bear, and she was the


    Intle cat she had always wanted to near but was not allowed to by Anthony.


    Kevan wasn¡¯t a fan of the changes in the house, but since it was his mother who cid the fussing, he


    didn¡¯t dare topain. Larissa on the other hand, thought it was quite nice. Moreover, while arranging


    these things, she became closer to Violet.


    Violet had already prepared the meal, and to wall ler Kevan, she covered each dish with a te to keep


    them warm. Kevan uncovered the tes one bye and took on the task of setting the table.


    Violet propped her chin on her hands, smiling contentedly as she watched Kevan


    ¡°Ch. Kevar has learned to serve others.¡± She teased Larissa with a sly smile and said. ¡°It¡¯s al because


    of his capable wife.¡±


    Blushing, Larissa lowered her head and defended Kevan against her instincts, ¡°Kevan has always been


    good at taking care of others.¡±


    ¡°That may be true for you.¡± Violet said, pursing her liss. Suddenly, she angrily said. ¡®But back at home,


    he always relied on the servants to do these things.¡±


    Bringing the utersils over, he nced coldly at his mother and said. ¡°That¡¯s because we had servants at


    home, so I don¡¯t need to do these things.¡±


    So what if we had servants? After all, I raised you all these years. Can¡¯t you set the table for me?¡±


    Violet said disdainfully


    ¡°I set the table already, alright. Hurry up and eat! Kewan just wanted to end the little soat quickly.


    At the same time, he realized he couldn¡¯t defend himself from his mother¡¯sbs.


    Larissa was pleasantly surprised by Violet¡¯s cooking skills.


    ¡°Right?¡± violet raised her chin proudly and praised herself, ¡°Don¡¯t think that I don¡¯t do anything at home


    now. I know many things¡±


    ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t you have a sweet tooth?¡± he asked Larssa. ¡°Why don¡¯t you bring some cakes over next


    time. Mom?¡±


    ¡°You little brat ¡°Violet scolded. How can you order your mother around?¡±


    Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Wow! You ever know how to bake cakes. That¡¯s amazing, Mom!¡± Larissa said.


    Her praise tiled Violet with joy.


    ¡°Yeah! I had some free time at home before and took a ss for two years, so I can make almost all


    desserts now¡±


    ¡°Great!¡± Larissa eagerly asked, ¡°Mom, can you teach me? I¡¯ve been so bored recently, and it would be


    a great way to pass the lime by


    Teaming something¡±


    ¡°Sure!¡± Violet readily agreed, ¡°I¡¯ll have my materials and tools sent over tomorrow.¡±

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    Chapter 313


    After dinner, Violet showed no intention of leaving. Larissa, who needed to rest and recover, went to


    bed promptly at 8.30 pm every night as Kevan wouldn¡¯t allow her to stay up even for a minute longer.


    Once Larissa was asleep. Violet turned off the TV, patted the empty space beside her, and beckoned


    Kevan toe over.


    ¡°Come and sit here. I want to talk to you.¡±


    Kevan sat down with a puzzled expression. His mother¡¯s serious expression made him feel a bit


    uneasy.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°When do you and Larissa n to have children? Violetasked without beating around the bush.


    Kevan wasn¡¯t mentally prepared at all hence he was stunned into silence.


    After a moment, he answered, ¡°We don¡¯t want children.¡±


    The topic was serious and carried too much weight. He had originally nned to wait until his family


    fully epted Larissa before bringing it up. By that time, even if they weren¡¯t happy about it they


    wouldn¡¯t have the idea of making him give up on Larissa. But he didn¡¯t expect his mother to suddenly


    bring it up.


    He didn¡¯t want to le to her, but he also didn¡¯t want his mother to have any objections toward Larissa


    because of this.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want children,¡± he said, taking all the responsibility upon himself.


    ¡°Why?¡± Volet eximed in shock, ¡°Do you know what you¡¯re saying?¡±


    ¡°I know.¡°Kevan replied, calm despite his mother¡¯s agitation. ¡°I don¡¯t like children. They¡¯re too noisy.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re too young to understand Violet shook her head. ¡°Your father used to have the same thoughts


    as you. He thought children were troublesome and noisy, and gave him a headache! But he wasn¡¯t as


    extreme as you. He just discussed it with me, saying that we should wait a little longer to have children.


    I pretended to agree, butter I used a needle to poke holes in all the condoms in the house and


    sessfully got pregnant with you. When you were just born, you were so ugly that I couldn¡¯t stand it,


    but your father¡­¡±


    Recalling the old memory, she burst intoughter, ¡°He would sit by your cradle every day, and


    whenever you cried, he would pick you up and soothe you. He had much more patience with you than I


    did! At that time, besides breastfeeding, he did everything¨Cchanging diapers. bathing you putting you to


    sleep. He took care of everything and enjoyed it!¡±


    Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.


    It was Kevan¡¯s first time hearing about the secret of his birth and his father¡¯s tender side


    ¡°So, you can¡¯t firmly reject having children just because you don¡¯t like them now. I think. Violet


    pondered for a moment and proposed a solution. ¡°You can discuss it with Larissa and start by raising a


    pet first. Once you get used to the feeling of being a parent, you might not reject children anymore.¡±


    ¡°No pets,¡± Kevan immediately refused without hesitation. ¡°They¡¯re too troublesome and a waste of


    time.¡±


    Violet raised her hand and knocked him on the head. ¡°It¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t want pets, but not having


    children is absolutely not an option! Let me make it clear. If you don¡¯t have children, you¡¯ll stop being


    my son!¡±


    ¡°Even if you want to sever your rtionship with me, I still won¡¯t have children,¡± Kevan said firmly. ¡°I¡¯ve


    made up my mind, so please don¡¯t pressure me.¡±


    Violet was furious. If it weren¡¯t for Larissa sleeping in the room, she would have bealen Kevan


    mercilessly with a mop. Just like when he was a child.


    ¡°Fine, I won¡¯t pressure you! From now on, Til pretend that I don¡¯t have a son like you!¡±


    With those harsh words, she grabbed her bag and coat from the s and walked out.

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    Chapter 314


    After Violet left. Kevan sat alone in the living room for a long time. He knew his mother was just


    speaking out of anger and wouldn¡¯t actually sever their rtionship.


    Based on his understanding of her, she would most likely try to convince Larissa instead since she


    couldn¡¯t get through to him. Hence, he felt it was necessary to give Larissa a heads¨Cup in advance.


    The next morning, during breakfast, Kevan probed, ¡°Has my mother mentioned anything about having


    children to you these past few days?


    Larissa was surprised. ¡°She mentioned it to you too?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Kevan nodded.


    ¡°How did you respond to her? Larissa asked anxiously.


    Luckily, she hadn¡¯t said anything the day before. Il Kevan¡¯s made¨Cup reasons didn¡¯t match, his mother


    would begin to suspect something


    ¡°I told her that I don¡¯t like kids and don¡¯t n on having children,¡± Kevan said.


    That astonished Larissa as she never expected Kevan to shoulder the me himself. She couldn¡¯t help


    but apud his courage.


    ¡°So, how did she react? Did shepromise? Larissa asked.


    ¡°No.¡± Kevan replied as he took a sip of his steaming hot coffee. ¡°Since she didn¡¯t convince me, she¡¯ll


    probably try to convince you instead.


    Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.


    Regardless of what she says, you have to firmly insist that it¡¯s me who doesn¡¯t want children and that


    you can¡¯t change my mind.¡±


    Larissa held her mug, feeling the warmth of the hot milk through the cup, spreading to her palms. ¡°Is


    that really necessary?


    She didn¡¯t fully agree with his approach.


    ¡°We¡¯re bound to get divorced sooner orter. Why don¡¯t you just tell her that we¡¯ll have children in a few


    years. At least it will pacify her for now.¡±


    ¡°As I¡¯ve said it before.¡± Kevan stared at her intently, his sharp gare carrying a clear warning. ¡°We won¡¯t


    get divorced, and you¡¯re not allowed to entertain such thoughts again.¡±


    Larissa scoffed, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that because your lover hadn¡¯t gotten a divorce back then? if you don¡¯t


    get divorced, are you nning to keep dragging her along without giving her a proper answer?¡±


    Kevan didn¡¯t want to continue the conversation with her, Hence, he gulped down his remaining collee,


    scalding his tongue in the process.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to thepany. Remember what I said.¡±


    Normally, Violet would arrive just in time for lunch, but that day she came over more than an hour early.


    That wasn¡¯t the only thing out of the ordinary.


    This time, she brought several people along, each holding arge cardboard box, while she cared a


    pink cage containing a white and brown purebred Ragdoll call


    Wheeling herself to the door, Larissa lell overwhelmed by the grand scene.


    ¡°Mom, what¡¯s all this?¡±


    Violet directed the people to move the cardboard boxes into the kitchen and then ced the cage on


    the floor, gently taking out the quiet little kitten from inside..


    The kitten was probably two months old at most, and the short fur of its small body looked clean. Its


    eyes were as clear and light blue as the sky, beautiful and profound. With just one nce, Larissa fell


    deeply in love.


    ¡°Do you like it?¡± Violet put the kitten on Larissa¡¯sp, bending down to gently stroke its back.


    The little kitteny there, closing its eyes in contentment.


    ¡°I love it!¡± Larissa nodded enthusiastically. ¡°It¡¯s so beautifull¡±


    No one could resist such a cute animal Larissa was the same; she wanted to hold the kitten in her arms


    and squeeze it tightly.


    Violet smiled with satisfaction. ¡°I¡¯m d you like it.¡±


    After Larissa hugged the kitten for a while, she asked Violet. ¡°Are you going to keep it yourself?


    ¡°No.¡± Violet shook her head. ¡°One of my friends has a pair of these cats at home. They recently had a


    litter, and now they¡¯re giving them away. Since you mentioned feeling lonely at home yesterday, I asked


    her for one. It can keep youpany and make you less lonely.¡±


    Larissa was almost moved to tears.


    ¡°Thank you, Mom!¡± She held the kitten even lighter.


    ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡± Violet said with a smile.


    Alter the people put the cardboard boxes in the kitchen, they came back to the living room.

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    Chapter 315


    ¡°Ma¡¯am, we¡¯ve ced everything ording to your instructions.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Violet nodded. ¡°You may go now.¡±


    After they had left, Violet pushed Larissa into the kitchen.


    ¡°These are all my baking equipment¡± she exined. ¡°And there¡¯s flour, cream, and a these other


    ingredients.¡±


    She nced at the built¨Cin oven in the kitchen and ¡°uffed ¡°Fortunately, Revan got an oven here when


    he was renovating. He must have Uved here for three to four years. hmm? Leck at how ewitish She led


    Larissa citral have the courage to say that it was not just the over, but almost everything in the kitchen


    seemed new.


    After lunch, both mother and daughter¨Cinw baked a cake instead of going downstairs for a walk.


    Larissa was fairy talented at cooking, so when valet taught her something, she caught on pretty quickly.


    She only rained one cake base. and made the second one perfectly, just du Violets. Vicket praised her


    for quite a while because of that


    As she was just starting out Violet did not teach her anything tooplicated, so they started off with a


    cream cake. Larissa used up aute some energy to beat the cream, but thenchu by. The result was not


    too bad. After spreading cream to the cake base and chm nd towers, she cut some hesh fruit


    and added trose to remedy the sad flowers.


    Once the cake was finished. Larissa tasted it. It was just as good as the cakes from bakeries out there.


    When one¡¯s It was niched time flew by pretty quickly.


    This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.


    Before Larissa knew it the sky had turned dark


    As it was almost time to eat Larissa invited Violet to stay for dinner, but the ter insisted on leaving.


    With a cold look on herce, she said, ¡®I dont want to see that rullen boy!¡±


    Larissa quessed that she and Kevan had a pretty bad fightst night. With that thought in mind the quilt


    in her heart increased further.


    When Kewan got home, he heard Larksa taking to someone. ¡°Are you hungry? Do you want some


    milk?


    ¡°Aww, why are you so good¡±¡®


    ¡°Such a cute girl¡±


    Her lone was so so that it made him jealous


    A dan look thing through his eyes, he quickly changed his shoes and walked into the being room.


    Larissa was sing in the wheelchair. teasing and lickling the kitten in hetp


    Hang on¨Ckitten?


    Kevan¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°Where¡¯d this cale from?


    The rigidity of his voice made Lanssa shudder. Even the poor. Innocent Liten ed to sense the


    danger, shrinking into her palm


    ¡°Mom brought her over today said she was scared that I might be bored, so she brought her over to


    apany me.¡± As she sco Lanssa gently stroked the baton¡¯s head to soothe.i.


    Sure enough.


    Kevan went over and picked up the kitten by the scull of its neck and led it off Larissa¡¯sn


    ¡°Hey¨CLassa asusly tried to get her back. ¡°Don¡¯t be so rough with I


    His actions Larissa lett sorry for the kitten, Just watching him like that.


    Kevan eered and tamed to head outside.


    Larissa frantically wheeled herself after him. ¡°Where are you taking her?


    ¡°I¡¯m throwing it out Kevan sald coldly, which made Larisa panic further as she wheeled herself faster.


    But the speed of her hands was not as fast as hisrga pace. Senathe was already opening the door


    she suddenly had a thought threw herself to the fron

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    Chapter 316


    ¡°It¡¯s alreadyte. Even if you want to return the kitten, you have to wait till tomorrow, right? Then Her


    hand started to itch again, ¡°Can!


    y with her tonight?


    Her voice was too curtly cautious, and the eageness in her eyes was so obvious-


    Kewan ced the kitten into her lo


    ¡°Just for tonight¡± He said, ¡°If it dirties the houseter, I will throw it out immediately.¡±


    ¡°She won¡¯t Larissa fiercely protected the kitten and promised Kevan on behatoli


    Devan snorted with disdain. He stood up, stuck his hands in his pockets, and asked, ¡°Have you had


    your dinner?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Larissa happily stroked the kitten and responded to him distractedly. ¡°Mambrought over extra


    dishes at noon I heated them up in


    The microwave and ate them.¡±


    ¡°What about me


    Kevin¡¯s sudden question caught Larissa off guard.


    ¡°What about you?¡± She was a little nk.


    ¡°What am I supposed to eat? His eyes nanowed some, and his voice screamed danger.


    Only then did Larissa recall that he did not seem to enjoy leftovers-even if they were not overnight


    leftovers.


    ¡°Um-¡± She thought about it carefully. ¡°There are some mini pancakes in the freezer that Mom brought a


    lew days ago, and there¡¯s a cake


    that I just baked this atemoon in the fridge.¡±


    ¡°You baked cake? Revan raised an eyebrow, disying some interest.


    ¡°Yeah, ¡¯cause Mom said she was going to teach me yesterday, remember? I tried itstes pretty good.


    If you don¡¯t hate sweet things. you can give it a shot.¡± Lanssa was confident in her baking skills.


    Kevan entered the kitchen and did not emerge from it for quite a while.


    Larissa could not be bothered with what he was doing in there. Now her energy waspletely


    focused on the cute little thing in hers


    ¡°You can¡¯t just run off anymore. M uffin, you hear? She booped its nose and pretended to scold it


    harshly. ¡°You have no idea how


    ite


    badly you scared me!¡±


    The kitten seemed to have understood her words and meowed a bit before rubbing its head against her


    hand affectionately


    Larissa felt as if her heart was going to melt from how cute Mutin was, and was even more reluctant


    than ever to let Kevan retum L


    Aber almost hat an hour, Kevan reappeared in the living room. Larissa was still busy ying with the


    kitten and did not even give him the


    slightest nce.


    Prvan¡¯s expression darkened further. He coughed lightly, which finally attracted Larissa¡¯s allention.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s almost time. He waved his phone at her, the screen showing the time clearly as 7:56 pm, which


    meant that it was time for Larissato shower and sleep. But she did not want to move the kitten out of


    herp


    She looked at the kitten, then back at Revan, and tried to negotiate with him, ¡°Can bete for hall an


    hour today?


    ¡°Sure.¡± Revan smiled, which made Larissa happy when she suddenly heard him continue, ¡°You can sit


    there for alle while longer, IL


    send the cat back to my mum righ now.¡±


    He moved as it he was going toe and sn atch the kitten from her, causing Larissa to tighten her


    arms around the animal tuming her


    body warily so that Kevan had no chance of touching her.


    ¡°Tshower right now!¡± she said antically, ¡®Don¡¯t touch her Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.


    Kawan sneered, straightening up as he said c ooly. ¡°Well Go on then.¡±


    Chapter 317


    Larissabi her r lip, carefully cing the kitten on the sofa before standing on one l aes, and slowly


    moving back to the wheelchair.


    ¡°Im going to shower,¡± she mumbled, her low voice showing how down she felt right now. When she


    reached her bedroom door, she fumed and said to Kevin, ¡°Regardless of what she does after, don¡¯t


    raise a hand is here out and deal with it.¡±


    I


    Kevan owned and said impatiently. ¡°Well, hurry up then


    Not dining to weste time, Larissa rushed into her room.

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    Chapter 317


    Chapter 317


    Having left Larissa¡¯sp. The men became increasingly uncertain. This environment waspletely


    unfamiliar to it, and its deep blue


    yes were filled with fear. It memed a few times, looking around for that familiar figure before it curled


    back into its spot in the corner of he sol¨¤ due to not being able to find Larissa


    It looked rather pitiful with the way it tembled in a trance, Kevan seemed to see Larissa as she was that


    night in the emergency hall wating. So he involuntarily went over and picked up the kiten, cing it in


    his ownn. Its tiny body gave off heat so it seemed to resemble an eco¨Cfriendly hand warmer on this


    cold winter day.


    Kevan mimicked Larissa¡¯s movements, stroking state head before slowly moving to the soft fur on its


    back¨Cdoing it again and again He had to admit, stroking a cat like this was quite effective in promoting


    concentration and calming the mind. At least in these low minutes, he felt good¨Cespecialy when the


    little thing started being affectionate around him


    Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.


    He kent imagining the cather


    Maybe¨Cjust maybe¨Che could allow this cat to stay.


    Larissa showered as quickly as possible before rushing out of the bedroom. The imagined chaos in her


    mind did not happen, on the contrary, both man and kitten were coexisting harmoniously in the living


    room. They each sat ory on the ends of the sofa, with arge space left between them. Neither


    disturbed the other.


    Kevan was holding the TV control hipping randomly between channels, while the kitten had aheady


    falen asleep.


    ¡°She didn¡¯t make you angry, did she? Larissa asked carefully


    ¡°No.¡± Kevan replied, and she breathed out a sigh of relet Gently picking up the kitten, Larissa ced it


    back into the cage that Violet brought in. Bopping its mose again, she said quietly. ¡°Good night¡±


    it


    ¡°Tim going to bed.¡± She was rather self¨Caware, and Kevan just grunted in acknowledgment


    Just as Larissa was pushing her bedroom door open, she heard him say, ¡®If you really want to keep it¡¯s


    line.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Larissa thought she was hallucinating


    Kevan turned off the TV and repeated what he said patiently. ¡°So you won¡¯tin about being


    bored every day.¡± He said it as The had


    run out of ways to deal with her. ¡°But-


    His shit made Larissa hold her breath,


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to see a single hair of its fur, nor its waste.¡±


    Larissaquickly I willke


    ¡°Of course!¡± Larissa quickly promised. ¡°I will take care of the sanitation every day!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s best if you do.¡± Kevan said.


    When Violet came the next day she was surprised to see the kitten was mapping on the s


    unharmed. Based on her heartless son¡¯s anitude, she thought he would have gutted and skinned it as


    belore throwing it out the window


    She asked Larissa, ¡°Kewan didn¡¯t do anything to the cat, did?


    ¡°No.¡°Larissarecalled Kewan¡¯s threatstnight and added. He only requested that lickan up L


    e


    ¡°C¡± sour. Having naked her son to adulthood, he stil belonged to someone else. But luckily, her


    daughter¨Cinw was on her side.


    ¡°Since we baked a cake yesterday, we won¡¯t do the same today Violet said. ¡°We must prevent


    ourselves from making too much. We can¡¯t Just leave it here and let it go to w

 Chapter 319

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    Chapter 319


    She opened the refrigerator to take out some eaus, and looked inside for a while before suddenly


    asking Larissa. ¡°Did you Trish eating the cake you made yesterday?¡±


    ¡°No?¡± Larissa wheeled herself over in her wheelchair. Tonly ate a small slice and put the rest in the


    refrigerator, Kevan did not have dinner


    shen he came back at night, so he probably ale some ¡±


    ¡°Then where¡¯s the rest? Wolet corned the refrigerator further so that Larissa could see krherst, Pretty


    much everything remained the same as when she went to put the cake inside, excent for the cake se.


    They even searched every single trash can in the house, but they


    sary cake ¡°umains¡±


    This ¡°mysters¡± was only solved after Kevan got home,


    ¡°Cake? Take it,¡± he said casually,


    ¡°Allefit?¡± Larissa was shocked.


    ¡°Yup.¡± Kevan nedded before asking her in wetum, ¡°Is there a problem??¡±¡±


    It was just The ¡ª


    ¡°Did you leel sick after having eaten so much? Even lor someone like


    who had a sweet tooth, she found hersell sick of the cake


    only eating a small slice. She remembered that he was not particrlynd of desserts.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that bat,¡± Kevan said ¡°Twas probably too hurgy¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    However, on the nord day, Larissa noticed the six tans she made yesterday had vanished from the


    regerator again. As expected Kevan was the one who finished themal


    ¡°Did you eat already? she asked him.


    tLL¡± He was nighteous about it


    The slowing third fourth, and fifth days the stuation remained unchanged. It came to the point that any


    desserts that remained were left on the i-i-ble. Larissa did not bother pulling them in the hidge as it


    would save him the extra step of having to warm us the treats.


    Violet came by every day. Other than giving Larissa caking lessons, she also did not forget to pry about


    Revan¡¯s attitude towards the killen,


    ¡°How¡¯s Kevin with Mullin around


    ¡°He¡¯s alright¡± Lanssa replied. She was not lying anyway-at least Kevan no longer said things like


    sending Mullin away or throwing her out. At most, he just ignored the kitten for the most part. He would


    not take the intialias to be Hendy with her, nor would he botherwi


    ime over is tim


    Violet was satised. She figured that she could carry on with the next step of her n


    ¡°Are you free this Saturday night?¡± she asked Larssa.


    ¡°No¡± revalorbade om leaving the house. Besides, she did not have any friends to hang out with in


    Barham


    ¡°Well that¡¯s just as welltherr Violet pped her hands in delight. ¡°Myskier¡¯s andchild has just turned one


    month old, and she invited us all over for a gathering. We could even bake a cake for the lille ones as


    an extra g11.¡¯


    ¡°Sun!¡± Larissa agreed readily to it. Having stayed at home for so long, she wanted to go outside for


    some air as well as meel pole


    ¡°Then let Kevan know about this, yes?Let hime along too.¡±Violet gave her this task.


    Lassa just took it as her not making up with Kevan yet, and hence her unellingness tomunicate


    with him directly, so she epted


    H.


    When she brought this up with Kewen, he refused hertly. Tim not going.¡±


    Larissa was so silly as to not know his mother¡¯s intentions, but he came out of her womb, how could he


    not know? By then, she would


    certainly deliver all kinds of noisy, fussy kids to him in order to cultivate his ¡°Tatherly instincts¡±.


    Although he was not against the idea of having his own children, he was most certainly averse to fussy


    ones.


    ¡°If you want to go, go by yourself. Don¡¯t drag me along with you.¡±Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 320

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    Chapter 320


    Molet never said that Kevan had to go, so Lerissa was rather calm about it. Since he was not willing to,


    she found no need to force him.


    *Tilbe baking cases for the Little ones on Saturday, I probably won¡¯t have time to make anything else.


    Remember to eat more for dinner.¡± Becaling his recent meal ¡°additions¡±, Larissa made sure to


    remindim.


    Kevan¡¯s expression was dark, looking foralies Lastom wasing.


    ¡°You have ime to bake for a bunch of relevant prope, but you don¡¯t have time to do I for me?¡±


    To Larissa, he was just being unreasonably troublesome.


    ¡°The kid¡¯s just fuming one month old. Mom and are just giving a cake as a token


    ¡°buy a case and deliver it over the ones you bake belong to me! Kevan ordered aggressively.


    Larissa did not want to bother with him. However, Kevan now had a grip on something viatal hers.


    ¡°T you slid want to be able to see your cal afer youe home


    ¡°Okay okay, okay, man. Jez bake you one erissa quickly promised him.


    Kevan, in a rare moment of affection, picked Mulf up and ced her on hisp, stroking her tur like a


    kind father. His eyes were hal- nanowed and a humphant smile was on his Los


    Maltin also imated him by namowing her eyes her expression one of extreme contentmentpletely


    unaware of the dangerous situation she was in


    Larissa was a lupte choked un, what kind of dumb cat was she rearing?


    When Violet ¡°eard that Kevan refused to attend the party, she was unsurprised. Just as Kevan knew


    her well, she knew her son well too


    She just thought that he would have done for Larissa¡¯s sake.


    fat that was line. She would find a way to make him go.


    The party was held in the Regal Dynasty. Only onerge private room containing burtacies was


    booked.


    This was the scope of a family gathering, Violet asa kept telling her that only family members would beN?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    attending so that Larissa would not be nervous. But when they went inside, Lassa saw Lana, who was


    definitely not a part of the family. She wore a red gown, and a silk Shawl was wracped around her


    shoulders. In the crowd of guests in their casualwear she looked overly formal and certa ny out of


    ce.


    Next to her was luces, who was dressed in a siz


    She was hanging off his arm, her signature sweet smile on her face that had thick makeup as she kept


    nodding at the people who passed


    by het.


    In contrast, Lucas¡¯ expressionlessce was zoned out. He seemed to be thinking of something that no


    one else was aware of


    Seeing Larissa staring at the pair, Violet bent down and whispered into her ear, ¡°Are they your hiends?


    Do you need me to push you over to say hello¡±!


    Startled, Larissa sucks maxed her hand and said, ¡®No that won I be necessary.¡± Vort Pen deft it at that


    It was Joely that Larssa¡¯s wheelchair was too conspicuous as everyone soon turned to look at them.


    But their games only stopped brielly on Larissa balone shilling to Violet.


    ¡°V! You¡¯re Inaly here!¡± Violet¡¯s younger sister. Mia Johnson, came over with a smile on her face, and


    she hugged Violet¡¯s arm with


    affection


    They traded pleasantnes for a moment before Ma acted as if she had just noticed Larissa, asking, ¡°Is


    this Keyan¡¯s wife?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±Molel rubbed Larissa¡¯s head with pride as she said, ¡°My daughter-inw, Larissa Seymour.¡±


    Mia craised her politely as well as asking after her injured leg, before finally asking, ¡°Why didn¡¯l Kevan


    come along too?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s busy with work, of course Violet¡¯s be was very natural.


    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Ma did not suspect her sister at all. Hispany is so big she has to be in charge of


    everything. But he¡¯s still rather


    thoughtful because he sent our darling Chris a massive cabelim worried that we won¡¯t be able to finish

 Chapter 321

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    Chapter 321


    ell, he¡¯s the uncle, so even if he¡¯s not here, ut course he would send a gift as a ken of is


    presence¡±Violet¡¯s words wore humble, bul her smile was filled with pride


    Alter Mia, many others sought Violet out to chat Although it was supposedly ¡®chatting¡¯. they were


    actually just trying toss up to her


    Larissa was quit Shoes she was hearing morepliments than she ever had in the past twenty |


    A mind aged cope walked over together.


    ¡®Mrs. Rogers¡±


    ¡°Mr. and Mrs Heres


    They gro eindach cihe


    Violet introduced them to Larissa. ¡°This is the crescent of Torqua Corporation, Mr. Kander Hermes. This


    is his wife ¡±


    Larissaknem Terqua Corporation. If she recalledely


    She nced at Lugas, who was not far off. These two before her must be his parents


    Lucas happened to look over to where they were bon. When he lockedves with Larissa, he immediately


    let out a polite smile, which Larissa also gave in retur


    Lana who was next to him, noticed their inaction, and herecession darkened Cragging Lucas by his


    am, Lana led him to when Violet and Larss) WENT.


    ¡°Mr. Xander, Mrs. Cecilia.¡± She addressed Lucas¡¯ parents first but they were cold to her, only grunting


    quietly in acknowledgment. They did not even look at her


    This made things rather awkward. Larissa and Violet did not dares


    e say a word.


    Biting tripletly, Lana quickly squeezed her way to Larissa crouching next to the wheelchair as she


    called out gevously. ¡°Laissa my deareste der sister


    The moment she addressed Larissathis way, Vinut and Lupas parents looked shocked.


    ¡°Lark when did you have a younger sister? Vicket asked in surprise. She had been with Larissa every


    day recently but she had never heard hermen on mis balore.


    Lana watches Larissa anxiously, her smile was a little sift.


    Looking away. Larissa said ndly, ¡°She¡¯s my aunt¡¯s daughter.¡±


    Seeing that se cic not deny their rtionship, Lana rxed a little. However, Violet¡¯s earession became


    unpleasant


    Larissa had me tioned that her ¡°aunt¡¯ was Yvelle Kander, which meant Seymour family-she may even


    be that ungrateful brat who dared to be


    at this art who called Larissaher elder sister was a child of the unwaverdzal these years ago.


    Lucas¡¯ parents had been soclining in the business sector for years, so they were quite savvy al


    navigating social situations. Hence, they noticed the change in Violet¡¯s mood at once, and they knew


    exactly why the change happened,


    ¡°Lucas ¡°Xander looked over to his son. He gave him a lock, and Lucas immediately knew what he had


    to do.


    ¡°Mana let¡¯s go find Reba¡± Hegged on Lana but did not seed in making her moat.


    Lana broke her of his grip, staring hard at Larssa. What haped to your leg, Larissa¡± she asked with


    great concern. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tellus about 47


    The matter of Jay t ang his own life had caused quite an upmar, and all the news had brought up her


    name, She did not believe that an had not seer L. It was kind ofte for her to start acig in lont ofher


    right now though.


    Larissa did not want to bother talking with her but was ahaid that her overly heatless spay might give


    Violet a bad impression of h Aher all she sit needed to y the part of a good daughter-in


    ¡°It¡¯s just a minor fracture. It¡¯s not serious, so it was not necessary to tell you guys about; in the end, she


    showed her an ample amouricldu-k yN?velDrama.Org owns ? this.

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    Chapter 322


    ¡°Honesty, Larissa, you Lana pouted, her eyes showing a hint of reproach as well as esasperation.


    Larissa was just wondering how to get out of this ¡°deep sisterly affection¡± act when her wheelchair


    automatically rolled back a loof¡¯s distance¨CNo. it was Molet who pulled back the wheelchair for a loot¡¯s


    distance.


    N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.


    Having no warning. Lana, who had been leaning against the wheelchait, nearly pliched over sideways.


    Thankfully, Lucas quickly caught her before she could hit the floor.


    ¡°My apologies, Mr. and Ms. Hermes. Violet smiled with charm. ¡°Lari and I are going to go see the child.


    We¡¯ll talk Later


    Lucas parents muickly said, ¡°Of course, of course! We¡¯ll talkter Once Wolet had left with Larissa


    Xander turned to re coldly at Lucas.


    Knowing he was in the wrong. Lucas looked down with quit his hand lightly gripping Lana¡¯s. He said in


    a low voice. ¡°Let¡¯s go Nana.¡±


    Lana red at Larissa¡¯s silhouette with resentment, nearly crushing her own teeth from all the


    gnashing that she was doing. pulled to aer of the private room by Lucas. The others were either


    gathered around the main star today or gathered around Viole who had the highest social status in the


    room. No one noticed them.


    ¡®Mara, let¡¯s leave early.¡± Lucas said tona in a low?CE.


    ¡°Net Lana rejected his suggestion with agitation, Trefuse to leave?¡±


    ¡°Nana¡± Lucas raised his voice, but when he locked eyes with Lana¡¯s beary ones, he softened up


    instantly. ¡°Listen to me, okay? There¡¯s nothing to do here anyway. We don¡¯t know anyone here. Didn¡¯t


    you say that you wanted to by the newly opened Egronian restaurant at Estonian Street essay? take


    you there now, okay?¡±


    ¡°No! Lana¡¯s wars were like broken parts trickling down her cheeks, causing Lucas to feel so sorry for


    the


    He used his finger to wide away her tears belos cupping her face to kiss her.


    ¡°Don¡¯t crybaby,¡± he soothed her say, ¡°I know you want to be more in touch with my family, but we don¡¯t


    have to make it right here, right now, night? it¡¯s not a big deal for us to move back to Bartham for work,


    you know. You¡¯d have a lot of time to meet up with Reba then¡±


    Lana sniffled. ¡°But my career just took off Herpes showed some unwillingness. Besides, Terry told me a


    few days ago that he might promote me to manager a while.¡±


    Lucas was silent for a moment before he thought of a perfect idea. ¡°How about convince me dad to


    acquire a livestreaming website in


    I Bartham? Then have them per you over to be the manager immediately. How about that? That way,


    you can continue your career and neet my family and hiends bequemly at the same time. You won¡¯t


    have to fly back and forth between Barham and Covenford anymore.¡±


    ¡°But¡ª Lana bit her lip, looking very put on the spot. ¡°Mr. Xander won¡¯t agree, would he? Acquiring a


    company won¡¯t happen overnight ¡ª


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about any of these things. ¡°Lucas pulleder into his arms, stroking her soft long


    hair gently. ¡°Leave it to me. 111


    Lana burled her face into his arms and a smile appeared on her face. ¡°Thank you for all your hard


    work, Lucas.¡± She hugged him back and


    said sweetly, ¡°I love you.¡±


    Lucas started, his eyes gleaming with delight as he smiled brightly, ¡°I love you too, Nana.¡±


    The main star today¨CChristopher Gardner, nicknamed Chris, was currently lying in his mother¡¯s arms.


    Hisrge, dark eyes were watching the adults around him with curiosity.


    Violet pushed Larissa in the middle of the crowd


    ¡°Heba¡± Violet called

 Chapter 323

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    Chapter 323


    Chris¡® mother¨CReba Hermes looked up and lmed with delight. ¡°Aunt Violet¡± and Violi nodded


    reaching out to her. Here, let me hold him.¡± She gaved at the baby in Reba¡¯s arms win warmth in


    her eyes and Reba handed the child over, murmurna ¡°Chris, your grandaunt is going to hold you ¡¤¡¤


    Chris was very well¨Cbehaved; he did not cry even after leaving his mother¡¯s embrace,


    Violet held him, rocking him gently while coping at him at the same time. ¡°Christ Do you know who I


    am? Do you know I¡¯m your grandaunt? Look at you! So well¨Cbehaved! You¡¯re not crying at al!¡±


    N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    Larissa watered quietly at one side, thinking to hersel. ¡°Thank goodness Kevan aid ¡°ole today.¡±


    Otherwise, they would delibey be urged to have children as soon as possible.


    That thought had just entered her mind when Reba assed, ¡®Lanssa when are you and Kevan going


    to have children


    Violet


    used momentarily in her baby entertainment but said nothing. She just watched Larissa carefully from


    her peripheral vision and waited for her to answer this question,


    Larissa sill used her mutipurpose temte and said, ¡°Lost married Kevant probably take a few years.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with just getting married? Ma appeared out of nowhere and looked at Larissa with


    disapproval. ¡°My boy, Kyle, and Reba got pregnant after being married for just a month! Look at


    how cute my daring Chris is?


    Larissa did not know what to say, so she conscientiously shut her mouth,


    Mia continued te nag. ¡°V you need to talk to Kevan! Forget marryingte, he¡¯s not proactive in trying for


    a child at at! To think that he is the oldest of the next generation in the family. All the younger ones are


    following him. They¡¯re all so grown now but they¡¯re stil single! Whenever giricize them even a bit they


    all use Kevan as an excuse! Such cheesy brats! Only my Kyle listened to me. Ona hindai worry less


    Violet was more anxious than she was. But she could not speak of her son¡¯s fauts in lont of Lanesa.


    ¡°They have their own ns! Why should we interfere so much she deliberately said in a carefree


    manner.


    Mehed Larissa¡¯s hand and scoffed. ¡°Don¡¯t lister to your mother¨Cinw¡¯s act here She sees so, but the


    truth is she desperately wants a grandchile! As for you be a good girl and talk to Kevin Hanyup and


    have a child so that your mother¨Cinw will have less to worry about!


    Ma¡¯s words hiline nal on the head for Voel, so she did not argue any longer


    Larissaughed aryly, suddenly regretting agreeing to apany her mother¨Cinw.


    ¡°Lar, why don¡¯t you try holding him? Wolet ced Chris into Larissa¡¯s am


    Larissa hat never held such a tiny child and was afraid that she might hurt him. She did not dare to


    move, and her body was extremely


    Reba lound it funny. ¡°Don¡¯t be nervous, Larissa Ihey don¡¯t get hurt so easly She sld her essentials


    about ¡°sing a bas, then sad ¡°Just hold him for a little while longer. Once you get used to it, you won¡¯t


    feel so scared anymore.¡±


    Lanesa was personally a tim DINK but surpesingy, she was rather good with con. There were many


    guests with chidren in the hotel so she equently helped to take care of the children cl the hotel WPS.


    The children loved her, and after their parents rtnes, they mate reluctant to leave. The same


    happened this time, in which she simply entertained Chls and he could not stop giggling


    Reba masd that her arms would be tiver from holding the baby, so she reached out to take him


    back. The moment Christch Larissa¡¯s arms, he actually posted before beginning to wall loudly,

 Chapter 324

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    Chapter 324


    This was the first time Christopher had cried after leaving the house today. It was also said that this


    was the only time he had ever waled


    with such sadness, apart from the time he emerged from his mothers womb.


    Hearing his loud cries, all the cheerfully chatting adults panicked, especially his grandmother, who


    frantically came over and asked, ¡± What¡¯s wrong with my darling grandson? Did he poopers he


    hungry?¡±


    Reba held back herughter and said.


    ¡°Neither¡±


    She pretended to se at the baby. ¡°He just doesn¡¯t want me to hold him.¡±


    ¡°Mu!¡±¡± Mia was stunned ¡°What happened?


    Reba smiled at Larissa Larissaheld him for some time, so I guess there¡¯s some emotional


    connection there, Speaking of which, Chris has never been spattached to me! I¡¯m kinda jealous, just


    thinking about it!


    Larissa was a little embara ssed by her words. Seeing as the child was still wailing, she quickly took


    him from Reba¡¯s arms. The amazing thing was the moment Chris was in her arms, he stopped


    crying. He gazed at her with hisrge eyes without blinking.


    ¡°Looks like Chris really does like Lant Mia said, ¡°Lari, dear, hurry up and have a child of your own!¡±


    Lanssa pressed her lips tightly together and pretended that she did not hear anything. She smiled at


    Chris and called him gently by his nickname. A grin immediately split across Chris face, and he started


    pipoline.


    An idea struck Violet, and she took out her phone, aiming the camera at the two.


    Meanwhile. Kevan just happened to enter the private room at this moment. Everyone was gathered


    around, looking at something. Thinking of the message Volet sent him, he pressed his lips tightly


    together and hastened his pace.


    ¡°Excuse me.¡± He pushed past the crowd and squeezed his way in. The first thing he saw was Larissa


    holding the baby with a gende smile on her face. His heart melted at once, his eyes staring fiendly at


    her, and his legs refused to move further


    ¡°Kevan?¡± Someone recognized him. Hearing his name, others immediately turned to look


    ¡°Kewan, when did you get here?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you weren¡¯ting?¡±


    ¡°Are you finished with won ?


    The crowd swarmed around him like a hive of bees, and the buzzing noise gave Kevan a bit of a


    headache. But as these people were his family, he could not treat them as he would strangers and


    ignore their greetings.


    Forcing a smile onto hisce, he patiently said hello to each and every one of them before going to


    Violet¡¯s side


    ¡°Larissa fell down, huh?¡± he asked through grilled teeth, using a volume mat could only be heard by


    him and his mother. Violet, however, was not the least bit guilty about having here exposed. On the


    contrary, she wored righteously and asked, ¡°didn¡¯t say so, would you


    havee?


    Kevan hulled coldly. ¡°You know exactly why you made mee. Al any rate, don¡¯t get your hopes up.¡±


    Vickethutted as he did. ¡°Don¡¯t be so sure of yoursell.¡± She jerked her chin at Larissa ¡°Look how much


    Lakes children, Can you really bear to depriveer of the right to have children?


    Kawan naturally saw the love Lanssa had for the batry in her eyes. But


    uttered-


    ¡°If she must have children, I can divorce her and tell her have them with another man.¡± He coldly words


    that were against his own


    heart.


    ¡°You¡± Violet masuous. In the end, she could not hold hersell back and grabbed his cat cursing. ¡°You b


    astard!¡±


    Theirmotion was quite big not to mention that Kevan was already the locus of the crowd.


    Chapter 324


    ¡°What are you two doing?


    ¡®An Violet, please let no! Kewan¡¯s too old for this


    ¡°Vitry to calm down! Even | Kevan needs to be punished, you shouldn¡¯t get physical with him!¡±This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.

 Chapter 325

    Chapter 325


    Chapter 325


    Many people came over Vired at Kewan harshly before vullenly letting go


    Larissa was also matching them with confusion written all over her face. She had no idea what had


    happened.


    Leaving his mother behind Kevan sat on the empty seat next to her


    ¡°Here, your nephew.¡± Larissa lifted Chris before him,


    Kevan stared at him for a while before uttering two words with a frown, ¡°He¡¯s ugly.¡±


    The child¡¯s mother was sitting right in front of them, and he just tantly scored the baby-


    Larissa panicked and humedly apologized on his behall Reba, ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Reba. That¡¯s not


    what he meant ¨C


    Reba was a little panicked too-but of course she was also very much unhappy. But as it was Kevin


    Rogers, she could not show just how unhappy she was


    ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡± She waved her hand forcing hersedia be gracious. ¡°Babies are honestly quite ugly when


    they have just been bam My husband and IInd it quite disgusting, really.


    Larissa naturally know that this was just her trying to be polite, but Kevan-either out of deliberation or


    due to his really low emotional Intelligence-treated this as the truth. ¡°See Even his parents think he¡¯s


    why. That means he¡¯s really ugly.¡±


    Reba¡¯s expression was more unpleasant than ever. She could not even maintain the smile on her


    face.


    Larissa cursed Kevan in her heart and furiously gave him looks to get him to shut up.


    ¡°I think Chris is quite handsome.¡± She looked down at the baby and studied him seriously, her Enger


    gently tracing a line across his cheek, ¡°Look at hisrge eyes! They¡¯re so full of Ute And his soft skin


    and rosy lips. When he¡¯s grown up, he will definitely be a handsome young


    man that attracts the admiration of thousands of youngdies!¡±


    Her words were not Battery but ratherpliments straight from her heart. The smile on her face was


    que sincere, and the warm love in ter eyes was directed at Chris. N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    Kevan mought that if the child she was holding was theirs. He actually longed for it a little, and his


    heartbeat began to quicken.


    Violet raised her phone and snapped a picture of him.


    Hmish, take that!


    Helps curved up in a triumphant smile.


    And here he said he did not like children. Well, he had to eat his words someday.


    Lucas and Lane were just about to leave when they sam Kevan hurrying inside.


    Lana could no longer move-Lucas was in the same conundrum as she was


    ¡°How about¨Cwe leave a littleter?¡± Lucas asked Lana, who wanted just exactly that


    tit


    ¡°Wright¡± She pretended to be unset about it though.


    Lucas hugged her and kissed her several times, soothing her softly, saying, ¡°TL definioly take you to


    that restaurant tomorrow! And that


    lag that you wanted, I bay it for you too, okay?¡±


    Lana nodded, pushing down the delight she felt, and pretended to once herself to acquiesce ¡°Okay¡±


    Lucas Bagerly dragged Lana with him to the middle of the crowd. When he ran into his parents hallway


    through, he ignored the


    confrontational looks from them as the only bad eyes for Kerxan.


    ¡°Mr. Rogers Lucas forcibly sat next to Revan and was about to reach out to him when he remembered


    that he was a clean break, so he pulled back his hand and wiped it awkwardly on his shirt. Smiling


    sheepishly, he said, ¡°it¡¯s been a while since west met.¡±


    Kewan nodded, ¡°Indeed, it has


    Chapter 325


    ¡°I hear that you¡¯re back in Bartham? Lucas asked,


    ¡°Only temporarily for some time Kevan¡¯s expression was nd, with a slight hint of distance, but it


    would not seem impolite to others.


    ¡°Which means that you¡¯ll be back in Covenford after a while? Lucas caught onto the main point.


    ¡°Yes¡±


    ¡°Oh is that so-Lucas could not hide his disapointment.


    Lara¡¯s heart also skipped a bAL

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    Chapter 326


    ¡°Bro, why do you care about Kevan so much?¡± Reba covered her mouth whileughing as she


    teased him. ¡°You cant possibly have Teelings for Kevan, can you?¡±


    Lucas red at her. ¡°What nonsense are you spouting?¡±


    Reba pursed her lips. ¡°Well the way you looked earlier, you certainly looked like il!¡±


    Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°You¡¯re already a mother now, why are you stil se indecent? Aren¡¯t you afraid of influencing your child


    negatively?¡±


    While Lucas was criticizing his younger sister, Lana had herself stered next to Larissa again.


    ¡°Larissa!¡± She hugged Larissa¡¯s arm and asked, ¡°Are you also ying in Bartham for only a while?


    Probably.¡± Larissa gave a wagur answer. The truth was that she was not sure hersell. She did not know


    if she would ever b


    be transfened


    back


    Lana was very disappointed to not find the information she needed from Larissa. She discreetly


    nced at Kevan before deliberately praising the kid in Larissa¡¯s arms with great exaggeration. ¡°Wow!


    Little Chris is so cute!¡±


    But she only attracted the attention of Reba.


    Kevan looked at Chris with a frown. No one knew what he was thinking of.


    ¡°Can I held himra bit? Lana asked Reba.


    ¡°Sure.¡± Reba agreed graciously. ¡°But She reminded Lana, ¡°Chris might cry, you know.¡±


    Lana did not wait to Reba to finish speasing and just look the baby from Larissa. Almost


    immediately. Chris shut his eyes and mouth and began walling once more.


    Startled. Lana¡¯s arms shook, and she nearly dropped the baby, which was nerve-wracking for the


    crowd.


    Reba no longer cared to let her hold her child immediately taking the boy from her. Showing all of


    her displeasure into her heart, Reba forced a smile and said. ¡°I guess Chris only wants Lari now.¡±


    Larissa held cut her arms and said. ¡°Should I held him for a little while longer then?


    ¡°It¡¯s alright!¡± Reba was embarrassed to keep troubling her. ¡°You¡¯ve held him for quite a while now.


    Have some rest first.leed him.


    if it gets better.¡± With that said, she left with the baby in her arms.


    Without the baby, the atmosphere became more awkward than ever among the remaining people.


    ¡°Lucas! Comel¡± Xander waved at his son, beckoning him over. Hisce was dark and story, so it could


    not be anything good.


    Lucas nervously followed him out of the private mom


    Standing in the corridor outside, Xander asked. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you to take Lana away? Why are you still


    here?¡±


    ¡°I was the one who wanted to try establishing fam lianty with Mr. Rogers,¡± Lucas admitted


    ¡°Well you should be doing that ording to the asion, shouldn¡¯t you? Can¡¯t you tell that Mrs.


    Rogers doesn¡¯t like Lana? His mother already holds that altitude, how far do you think Kevan¡¯s opinion


    would be from hers? And you even brought Lana to him? Are you


    establishingm liarty like this? You¡¯re pushing Kevan away!¡± Xander barked at him whic stabbing a


    linger in his face. I told you to break up with Lars, but you refused to. Fine, I respect your decisions.


    You can live in Coven lord with her; your mother and I are just fine with you two out of sight and out of


    mind. We can just pretend that we don¡¯t know anything. But if she ruins the rtionship between us


    and the Rogers, I don¡¯t care how much you beg me then I will never allow you to marry her!¡±


    Lucas¡¯ head was bowed down, it got so low that one would think that it was going to get buried under


    the floor.


    ¡°I understand¡± he said. ¡°I take her away now.¡±

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    ¡°Do not bring her before us ever again! And never bring her with you to attend family gatherings such


    as this!¡± Xander said.


    Because she nearly dropped the baby, the looks from the crowd were filled with reproach and


    resentment.


    Lana had never experienced such humiliation before, so she felt a little indignant while ming Larissa


    for everything again.


    ¡°Larissa.¡± Her eyes were all teary and she was pouting, looking for all as it she was the most pitiful one


    in the world.


    ¡°I was startled. I didn¡¯t mean to She seemed to be exining hersell to Larissa, but she was actually


    trying to say it to Kevan instead.


    Larissa¡¯s reaction was very nd. ¡°I know.¡±


    There were no words offort.


    Kevan¡¯s reaction was even colder. He did not say anything, much less look at her.


    Lana was gritting her teeth again, her fists were clenched so tightly that veins had popped out on the


    back of her hands.


    ¡°Larissa.¡± She sat next to Larissa once more, reaching out to take her hand. ¡°When are you and Mr.


    Rogers going back to see Mom and Dad again?¡±


    As she spoke, she kept sneaking looks at Kevan.


    ¡°We¡¯re not going back.¡± Larissa removed her hand from hers, and her voice was frigid. ¡°Lana, I


    remember quite clearly what you and your family have done to me.¡±


    Reba had left with the baby, so most of the adults crowded around had dispersed. Molet was


    currently speaking to Mia at a different table, so she did not notice the things going on over there. That


    just meant that Larissa no longer had to pretend to have a good rtionship with Lana.


    ¡°I will never go back to the Seymour family, so don¡¯t think of including me in any of your schemes.¡±


    Lana paled. Digging her nails into the soft parts of her palm, she forced a few tears out of herself.


    ¡°Larissa, the thing with Reuben from before really has nothing to do with


    Seeing that she was still fubilely trying to distance herself from the incident, Larissaughed coldly.


    ¡°You know all too well whether or not that incident had anything to do with you. I know myself too,


    Lana. I have long known what kind of person you are. You don¡¯t need to actin front of me. I¡¯m not st


    upid, nor am I a saint. I will not cooperate with you all the time.¡±


    Lana was still struggling to make things work. ¡°Larissa, you¡¯ve really misunderstood me I¡¯m not that


    kind of person at all


    ¡°Enough.¡± Kevan, who had been watching coldly nearby, could not bear to hear more. ¡°You¡¯re noisy.¡±


    The disdain in his eyes was quite obvious. ¡°If you don¡¯t want Cosmic Entertainment to end up like


    Summer Entertainment, you¡¯d better not appear before Larissa with your family ever again.¡±


    Lana froze, staring at him nkly as if she could not believe that he would say such a harsh thing. The


    wetness in her eyes increased further, but this time, she did not need to do anything to lonce such a


    reaction,


    This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.


    ¡°Mr. Rogers ¨C How could you treat me like this. Her tears began to fall. ¡°How can you treat my family


    like this. We didn¡¯t do anything


    Larissa took a deep breath and said to Kevan, ¡°Push me somewhere else. I don¡¯t want to see her


    again.¡±


    Kevan stood up. ¡°Okay.¡± But Lana blocked the wheelchair, gripping the armrests firmly.


    ¡°Larissa.¡± Her body was trembling non-stop as if she had suffered a grievous wrong. ¡°I really want to


    make things up with you. Mom and Dad wish for you toe home every day You did note back


    for the New Year, and they kept asking about you. But you¡¯ve cklisted all of our contact methods, so


    we can¡¯t find you Larissa, how could you be so heartless? Do you really not want your family anymore?


    Regardless of how bad my parents have been, they¡¯ve raised you for twenty years ¨C How could you


    just leave when you want to, and cut ties with us when you want to?¡±

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    Everyone had the heart for some gossip, and everyone loved watching some family drama


    The chattering crowd quieted down, and all kinds of looks were thrown over at Larissa, who felt their


    gazes stabbing into her back.


    ¡°We can talk about our matter next time.¡± Pushing down the anger she felt, she reminded Lana, ¡°This is


    a baby¡¯s party. Do not ruin everyone¡¯s spirits.¡±


    Lana had been spoiled since young, so she always put herself first. How could she care about this sort


    of thing?


    To her, Larissa¡¯s attitude in looking at the bigger picture screamed guilt to her, so she refused to let her


    off, digging her ws furiously into her. ¡°If we hadn¡¯t met here, how on earth was I supposed to see


    you? You refuse to answer my calls and my texts, and you even refuse to let me into your house when


    I try to visit¡­¡±


    Seeing that she was going to cry again, Larissa amodated her helplessly. ¡°Fine. If you have to talk


    about it now we¡¯ll go out and do it


    alone. Let¡¯s not affect the others here.¡±


    ¡°Why should we go out? We¡¯ll do it right here and let the others judge. Isn¡¯t that nice? Lana made up


    her mind to humiliate Larissa in front of Violet and her rtives. She was so very jealous of Violet¡¯s love


    for Larissa, especially once she thought of how Lucas parents treated her during this period her


    resentment increased further.


    ¡°And what are we supposed to judge?¡± Violet spoke in the midst of the silence. She walked over,


    eyeing Lana coldly. ¡°Ms. Seymour, this is not a courtroom. No one has the obligation to solve your


    family disputes.¡±


    Lana panicked a little when Violet criticized her with such vehemence. She just wanted to drive a


    wedge between Violet and Larissa, not give Violet a bad impression of herself. After all she still hoped


    to be a Mrs. Rogers.


    ¡°My¨Cmy apologies,¡± she said timidly. ¡°I got too agitated and couldn¡¯t control my emotions.¡± She looked


    at Violet while biting her lip, looking as pitiful as she could.


    But Violet had met too many two¨Cfaced people like Lana.


    ¡°Ws. Hermes,¡± she called Cecilia who was trying to hide as discreetly as possible. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be


    disciplining your future daughter¨Cin-w? Coming to another person¡¯s family gathering to rave and rant


    ¨C Her gare grew cold, which actually made her look like Kevan, ¡°I makes her look rather uncivilized.¡±


    Having been named by her as well as being looked at with curiosity, sympathy, or disdain, Cecilia


    thought that she no longer retained any sence of dignity. ring at Lana with hatred, she immediately


    did her best to disassociate from her. ¡°Mrs. Rogers, you misunderstand, This Ms. Seymour is not my


    future daughter¨Cinw! She¡¯s just a regr friend of Lucas


    However, anyone who was not blind could see Lana and Lucas intimacy from before. Besides, to be


    able to attend a family least like this with Lucas meant that she could not possibly be just a regr


    friend.


    Cecilia¡¯s lie was terrible, but the guests could understand how she felt. If they were in her shoes, they


    would never acknowledge Lana as their daughter¨Cinw either.


    Xander and Lucas just happened to return to the private room at this time.Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.


    Cecilia reacted as if she had found her savior, and she frantically waved at Lucas. ¡°Lucas! Hurry up and


    take your friend away!¡±


    Lucas was stunned for a moment when he heard ¡°friend¡± because no one here tonight was his friend.


    But when he saw Lana next to his mom, he reacted at once, Larissa¡¯s, Kevan¡¯s, as well as Voler¡¯s


    unpleasant expressions, made him realize that Lana had likely caused Some huge trouble.


    He had no energy to think of anything else, stepping up quickly to grab Lana¡¯s hand. ¡°We¡¯ll leave right


    now. Have fun, everyone.¡±


    Lana was forcibly dragged out by Lucas.


    ¡°Why did you take me away! She pulled hard at his hand, but she could not break free of his grip.


    Lucas no longer looked as affable as he had before.

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    Chapter 329


    ¡°Can¡¯t you tell that my mom¡¯s angry?¡± he asked coldly.


    ¡°Of course, I can!¡± Cecilia¡¯s anger was obvious. Anyone could tell, Lana included. ¡°But I haven¡¯t dealt


    with my thing with Larissa yet! I can¡¯t nor She dragged Lucas back toward the private room


    ¡°Do you even know what the asion is? And youe here to deal with your thing with Larissa?


    Lucas did not know if Lana was really innocent or stupid. ¡°Can you have a little bit of observational


    skills?¡±


    N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    With the way he shouted at her, Lana froze. Lucas froze too.


    Ever since they got to know each other. Lucas had never spoken harshly to Lana. She had always


    been his precious little princess. Even she was unreasonable on multiple asions, he was always


    gently tolerating her.


    Lana was struck speechless in an instant, her eyes filled with tears once again,


    ¡°You¡¯re shouting at me ¨C Her voice was so soft and filled with endless grievances, which immediately


    caused Lucas to go soft.


    He quickly pulled her into his embrace and coed. ¡°Sorry, sorry I didn¡¯t mean to I¡¯m just really stressed


    out these days. I didn¡¯t manage to control my temper


    His stressrgely came from his parents. Because of the crisis that Cosmic Entertainment was in, they


    no longer agreed to his rtionship with Lana. Other than that, his career progress was not going well


    either¨Call the projects he invested in behind his parents¡± backs were making heavy losses. His savings


    were almostpletely gone.


    But Lana kept making him tip those two anchors managed by her as well as buying all sorts of branded


    clothes and bags for her.


    He did not dare let her know that he was going to run out of money soon, afraid that she might


    him and leave him,


    Lana cried for a good while before pretending to let Lucas seed in soothing her. He promised. ¡°I will


    make sure to create an opportunity for you to meet Larissa.¡±


    After Lana left, the atmosphere in the private room could no longer go back to the way it was, Even Mia


    did everything she could to change the subject and get people involved with chatting, and even If the


    guests did their best to cooperate with her, it was awkward. When they looked at Larissa, their gazes


    would have a hint of curiosity.


    Larissa thought to herself, ¡°Lana still got what she wanted.¡± The only fortunate thing was that Violet


    never changed the way she treated her¨Cexcept for taking her with her whenever she went for fear of


    Larissa being bullied by someone else.


    Lucas¡® parents also came over to apologize to her. ¡°Lucas brought Lana here. We have the


    responsibility to bear any mistakes that she has made.¡±


    Larissa did not fuss with them over this. She could tell that they were not happy with Lana either.


    So, the party ended on this rather strange note. Before leaving. Larissa held Chris for a bit, which got


    him attached to her all over again. and she could not let go. Later, she barely managed to get him to


    sleep. Only then could Rebake him away.


    On their way home, Violet rode in the same car as them.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think that you¡¯d be so popr with childrent Violet deliberately eximed.


    arissa smiled and said. ¡°It¡¯s kinda amazing. But to be liked by kids like this really does put one in a


    good mood.¡± ¡°Indeed!¡± Violet patted her hand and praised her. ¡°You will most definitely be a good


    mother in the future!¡±

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    After Violet got down from the car, Larissa let out a sigh of relief. Prior to that, there were several


    instances in which she did not know how to pick up after Violet¡¯s conversations. Moreover, Kevan


    disyed a demeanor of indifference and detachment, only focusing on driving even when her


    awkwardness was so obvious. He never once helped rescue her from her predicament.


    Seeing the discreet re Larissa was giving him through the rearview mirror, Kevan¡¯s lips twitched


    upward.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to be troubled by my mother, don¡¯t ever attend this sort of event with her again,¡±


    Kevan admonished.


    Having learned her lesson, Larissa would naturally not make the same mistake. ¡°But Chris is pretty


    cute,¡± she said sincerely. ¡°I guess it¡¯s worth the nagging from Mom¡±


    N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    Kevan was intrigued, and he deliberately asked her jeeringly, ¡°What you want to have children now?¡±


    Larissa denied it at once. ¡°Nor


    Entertaining someone else¡¯s kid was one thing raising one¡¯s own child was another. She was able to


    separate these two matters very clearly. 50. she would never randomly have baby lever and do


    something stupid like trying for a child.


    The tiniest bit of hope that had begun to spark in Kevan¡¯s heart was extinguished immediately by her,


    and right at this moment, Larissa was terribly unobservant, Not only could she not tell that he was


    unhappy, she even added fuel to the fire and said. ¡°Speaking of which, Mom really wants to have a


    grandchild! Even if it¡¯s for her sake, you should hurry up and divorce me and find a proper wife to have


    a baby.¡±


    Kevan firmly held back the urge to throw her out of the car. He ordered coldly. ¡°Shut up. Your concern


    for me in this regard is very much unnecessary.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Larissa timidly shut herself up.


    When they were almost home, Kevan answered a call His phone was connected to the car¡¯s Bluetooth,


    so Ruby¡¯s frantic, fearful voice filled the vehicle. ¡°Kevan! Cody is here again! Hurry up ande over!


    He¡¯s pressing the doorbell right now. I''m so scared!¡±


    Larissa had only been stunned for a moment before she turned to look out the car window as if she had


    not heard anything.


    Kevan nced at her through the rearview mirror and saw her cold side profile, and he bit his lip lightly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid.¡± He gentlyforted Ruby. ¡°Til be right over.¡±


    ¡°Okay, pleasee at once!¡± Ruby sobbed even as she urged him,


    ¡°Something¡¯se up on my end. I hang up first and call you backter.¡± he said politely to Ruby.


    ¡°Can you not hang up first? Ruby¡¯s voice was small and filled with temor. ¡°I want to hear your voice


    Kevan was just hesitating when he suddenly heard the sound of the car door opening at the back. He


    turned to see that Larissa already had one leg out. In a moment of panic, he shouted, ¡°Sit still and stop


    moving!¡±


    Ruby was confused. ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t talking to you.¡± When Kevan spoke to Ruby, he reverted to his gentle tone from before.


    Larissa, however, did not listen to him. She gestured and mouthed to him at the same time. ¡°Go on


    ahead. I can go up by myself.¡± She stood on one leg, bracing herself against the car as she hopped


    back to the trunk of the car in order to get her wheelchair.


    Kevan humedly got out of the car after her and got to the wheelchair before she did, opening it up


    before carrying her onto it. As he pushed her into the building, Larissa asked, ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to look


    after Ruby?¡±


    ¡°Sending you upstairs won¡¯t take too long.¡± Kevan¡¯s expression was Tarlyt


    ¡°I really don¡¯t need you to send me up.¡± Although Larissa did not like Ruby, she was also worried that


    something might happen to her.¡± Hurry up and lind Ruby before she really freaks out.¡±

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    Kevan locked down at her with a re, ordering her once again to ¡°Shut up!¡±


    After Kewan had sent Larissa home, he rushed over to where Ruby was staying. When he arrived,


    there was no one at the door. But there were several obvious foot imprints on the dark brown anti¨Ctheft


    door, and it was clearly from a man.


    He did not press the doorbell but called Ruby directly and told her, ¡°Ruby, I¡¯m here, Corn the door.¡±


    Two minutester, the door opened, and Kevan was about to walk in when Ruby rushed but, crashing


    into his arms, Her arms were


    wrapped tightly around his waist, her body shaking like a lear


    ¡°Kevan¡­ You¡¯re finally here


    Her tears well his chest causing him to frown in difort. Kevan raised his hand to pat her back


    gently.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡± He soothed her over and over. ¡°Cody¡¯s gone. You¡¯re alright¡±


    Ruby sniffled and sobord for a while before she slowly recovered. They entered the house together and


    Kevan poured her a ss of warm water. He sat next to her, with only a few inches al space between


    them. Ruby was still trembling, a lew droplets of tears still clinging to her eyshes. She picked up the


    ss and look a little sip.


    ¡°Kevan, he knows about this ce now. It¡¯s not sale,¡® she said. ¡°I can¡¯t live here anymore. He wille


    and find me again.¡±


    Kevan went along with her and gave a noise of acknowledgment. ¡°I have a few other houses I bought


    as an investment. TII take you to have a look tomorrow, and you can pick whichever one you like.¡±


    ¡°Kevan Ruby tugged on his hand, pouting pitifully and helplessly. ¡°No matter where I move. Cody will


    find me. The moment he has a chance, he will ¡®nd me ¡± Kevan said nothing, waiting for what she would


    say


    ¡°Could you leave me alone keep on apanying me?¡± Ruby lung herself into his arms again, her


    hands clutching at the front of his clothes. ¡°Don¡¯t


    Please I¡¯m scared


    Kevan stroked her hair and said, ¡°I have work so I cant possibly apany you all the time. If you re


    truly afraid, I can find a trusted bodyguard for you, and make sure that she shadows you at all times.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want a bodyguard! I only want you¡± Ruby got more and more agitated as she buried herce


    into his chest shouling. ¡°I only trust you! You¡¯re the only one Cody can¡¯t briber


    ¡°Ruby, listen to me.¡± Kevan¡¯s voice became a little stem.


    Ruby stiffened but slowly stopped crying. She did not leave his arms though


    ¡°I cannot possibly abandon my job for you. Desides, a professional bodyguard would be able to protect


    you better than I can. Kevan rasoned with her.


    N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    Ruby immediately changedck. ¡°Okay, I want the bodyguard. Out¡± She lifted her tear¨Cstained cheeks


    and gazed at him with hopeful eyes. ¡°Can youe and apany me to work?¡±


    Kevan was silent for two seconds. ¡°Okay,¡± he sad.


    Ruby smiled through her lears. ¡°You¡¯re still the best to me, Kevan!¡±


    Kevan smiled. ¡°Of course,¡±


    Ruby gazed at him intensely, before her smile vanished all of a sudden. It was as if she had made a big


    decision as her eyes became determined, and she straightened up abruptly, closing her eyes to kiss


    Kevan on the lips.

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    Chapter 332


    Kevan reacted very quickly. Almost at the moment she closed her eyes, his hand came up and blocked


    off her lips. When Ruby¡¯s lips pressed against his cold palm, the rough skin of his palm caused her to


    open her eyes with panic.


    She stared at his hand for quite a bit stunned before looking up into his deep, dark eyes.


    ¡°¡­ Why?¡± she asked with frustration


    ¡°I¡¯m a clean freak¡± Kevan showed an expression of apology as he exined, ¡°You know that I can¡¯t be


    overly intimate with someone else.¡± Kevan¡¯s crazy clean freakishness was well¨Cknown by others. Even


    with her, he could just barely manage to hold hands and hug.


    Ruby thought that alter so many years, his germaphobia would have gotten better. She certainly did not


    expect it to remain unchanged. ¡°Then you and Larissa. She really minded this. Even though she knew


    Kevan had no feelings for Larissa, they were still a legally married couple. Married couples would


    definitely do those things.


    ¡°Larissa and I never did anything.¡± Kevan soothed her. ¡°We sleep separately as well¡± This was actually


    the truth.


    ¡°You¡¯d better not lie to me.¡± Ruby pouted, her linger gently poking his chest.


    ¡°How could I lie to you?¡± Kevan smiled, but it did not reach his eyes.


    Kevan did note home for the whole night, but Larissa was not the least bit surprised. The mango


    mousse cake that she baked yesterday afternoon remained untouched in the ridge. In the end, it


    became her breakfast


    Larissa had not finished her slice when the door opened. She found it odd.


    This time was toote for Kevan, who had stayed out all night and it was too early for Violet, who would


    come by to deliver lunch to her.


    Larissa put down the fork and wheeled herself to the living room, finding Violet who was taking her coat


    off.


    ¡°Mom, howe you¡¯re so early today?¡± she asked in confusion.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Violet¡¯s smile was a little stift. ¡°I bought some snacks for Muffin and wanted toe over earlier


    to see her.¡±


    Larissa did not suspect anything else and happily summoned Mutin over. ¡°Muffin You¡¯re going to have


    delicious lood today!


    Violet took out the cat snacks from the bag she brought and gave them to Larissa. ¡°Go ahead and leed


    her. I need to go to the toilet.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Larissa picked Muffin up and ced her in herp, ripping open a packet of dried fish kes


    before feeding the kitten while ying with it at the same time.


    N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    Violet took the opportunity to slip into Kevan¡¯s study while Larissa was not paying attention to her and


    unplugged the Inte cable before returning to the living room as II nothing had happened.


    Both mother and daughter¨Cinw yed with the kitten for a while. Araid that Violet would get bored,


    Larissa turned on the TV or her. But the TV only disyed the ¡°No signal¡± message.


    ¡°Huh ¡ª7 Larissa was clueless when it came to repairing electronic devices. She kept pressing the


    remote for a while, but it did not change the ¡°No signal situation.


    ¡°Did something happen to the Inte?¡± she muttered to herself


    Violet was on guard at once. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± she said. ¡°If there¡¯s no signal, it¡¯s line Il we don¡¯t watch! It¡¯s


    not like we have to watch TV!¡±


    Although this was fine. Larissa could not help but mind it a bit. She went to her room to retrieve her


    phone, the settings showed that it was connected just line to the Wi¨CFi at home, but when she tried


    opening any applications, none of them loaded.


    ¡°Looks like the Inte really broke down.¡± Larissa was now certain. ¡°But I don¡¯t know where the


    modem and the router are in the house.


    After all, this house was not hers, not to mention that such issues had never happened before. So,


    even II she had the thought to fix things, she did not know where to start.

 Chapter 333

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    Chapter 333


    Molet quietly let cut a sigh of relief.


    ¡°Never mind then, I n to teach you how to make manga millefeuille today.¡±


    Larissa¡¯s attention was drawn away by her quickly. ¡°Sure!¡±


    They kept working until the evening. Lunch was a chilton cake that they baked.


    In the midst of tal, Violet even pushed Larissa downstairs for some air, and they even look a nap in the


    afternoon together.


    Kevan returned at his usual time. When he entered the house, he keenly noticed a cair of unfamiliar


    leather shoes in the entrance hall- based on the brand, it likely belonged to his mother.


    The living room lights were on, but there was no one there.


    He walked into the kitchen, and sure enough, his mother and Larissa were at the kitcher counter doing


    who knew what.


    Hearing the noise, Larissa looked up first. ¡°You¡¯re back.¡± She smiled at him, her tone surprisingly soft


    and gentle. She had no choice but to


    y the role of a virtuous and considerate wife when she was in front of Violet


    Kevan prunted lightly before moving closer to ask, ¡°What are you guys making?¡±


    Larissa answered. ¡°Mom bought some chicken, and she¡¯s teaching me how to cut it property to make


    chicken tried steak.¡±


    Kevan nodded and assed again, ¡°Do you need my help?¡±


    Larissa had not yet replied when she heard Vibel say coldy. ¡°No. Get out.¡±


    Both Kevan and Larissa were shocked by her attitude, but they did not think too much of it thinking that


    she was stil mac at Kevan about the matter of having a child. Worried that she might get angrier at his


    presence in the kitchen, Kevan leh the space obediently.


    Larissa sensed the gloomy aura around Violet, and her voice became quieter than bre.


    Holding the knife, Violet chopped the chicken hard, her expression was not pleasant either. It seemed


    as if she was using this opportunity


    to vent the anger in her heart.


    Larissa watched her with terror, but she did not dare ask only helping her silently by the side. Whatever


    Violet wanted, she would pass it


    over at once.


    ¡°Alright, wash the chopping board.¡± Violet ced the chopped chicken pieces into a basin.


    Larissa saw that the recently bought chopping board had now gained several deep marks. Oiling her


    lip, Larissa hurriedly went over to the


    N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.


    sink to wash of the bloody water.


    Dinner was made really soon. Violet told Larissa to wall in the dining hall while she brought out the


    dishes. When the pasta was finaly brought out she only brought two tes and ignored Kevan, who


    could only go and get himsell a portion, However, Violet was not done making things difficult for him


    ¡°I made all these dishes. You¡¯re not allowed to eat them!¡± she ordered aggressively.


    Kevan put his cutlery down, his face showing some helplessness.


    ¡°Mom, it¡¯s been a while. Even if you¡¯re still angry things should¡¯ve been fine by now¡±


    ¡°Fine my ass ¡°Violet threw her own cutlery at him, her eyes wide from ring. ¡°You rollen bral! She


    mmed her palm against the table


    so hard that everything rattled.


    Larissa quickly stood up and tried to smooth things over, ¡°Mom! Please don¡¯t be angry! The issue of not


    wanting children was something Kevan and I discussed together. It¡¯s not his idea. If you really want to


    ce me, please me me as well


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare speak for him, Larl! Violet was so angry that herce was red. Jabbing a linger at


    Kevan, she said, ¡°Come with me to the

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    Violet and Kevan entered the study. Larissa folowed out of concem, but Violet stopped her.


    ¡°Lar, this is between me and Kevan. It has nothing to do with you.¡± Violet said.


    Larissa stopped timidly and watched as the study doo wa d mmed shut in herce. She had a


    feeling that Kewan was really in lorit this time. Yel Kevan himsell did not seem to feel the same way. He


    sat down on the study¡¯s s ath his legs crossed, meeling Violet¡¯s enraged are openly as he said


    calmly, ¡°Even if you throw a bigger temper tantrum, I would not change my mind.¡±


    Violet¡¯s anger burned brighter than ever. She grabbed a folder on the study table and threw it at him.


    The folder tell straight into his arms.


    ¡°Tim not going to talk about the matter of you having a childr


    Kevan caught the folder, and he was stunned. He could not think of any other reason that she could be


    so angry with him, other than the issue regarding child-rearing.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t tell you during the New Year that you should stop being with Ruby? Wolel¡¯s rage was so great


    that she was trembling. ¡°What the hell did you do with herst night?¡± She threw set another lolder at


    him as this was the only way she could vent out her dissatisfaction.


    Kevan caught the folder swiftly once more while a milion questions exploded in his hrad.


    How did his mother know that he was with Rubyst night? Was It Larissa who spiled the bears? But


    based on her reaction earlier, it did


    not seem to be the case.


    ¡°Who told you that I was with Rubyst night?¡± he reloded. He naturally could not admit that he still had


    ties with Ruby in front of his


    mother.


    ¡°Do leven need someone to tell me? Violets voice suddenly became shrill so much so that Larissa


    could hear the angry roar from inside the study, which shocked her so much that she started.


    This time, Vicle; threw her phone at Kevan.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you f ucking take a look for yourself! The Inte is led with news about you and Ruby!


    Even the pictures are taken clearly! Do you still dare lie to me?¡±


    Kewan actually panicked for a moment. He had bean locused on work for the whole day today. so he


    did not have time to reas the news online. His subordinates also know the way he did things. No matter


    how big the rumor gat, they would never report it to him-because it was unrted to work, not to


    mention that he did not care about it himself.


    But just because he did not care did not mean that others fell the same way.


    The truth was, Vclet did not care either. On the contrary, she used to be pleased to see them, but after


    Kevan get married. she became sensitive to the gossipy news that was about him-so much so that she


    was more sensitive than Larissa.


    Kevan used his own phone to ess the news. Other than the entertainment and finance and


    economics sections, the other parts of the news application had headlines about the rumors regarding


    him and Ruby.


    N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.


    He did not know who managed to capture the Image of sim entering the house that Ruby was


    temporarily staying in as well as the image of Ruby before he entered the house. The reporter who


    wote the news said, ¡°Aller they went inside. they did note out for the whole night.¡±

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    Everyone knew what a man and a woman would do together when they were alone in a house.


    Very few people knew about Kewan¡¯s marriage, but Ruby and Cody¡¯s divorce was the biggest topic of


    gossip in Bartham recently.


    Regr people may not know about the rtionship between Kevan and Cody, but as long as Ruby


    was not yet divorced, she would be considered a married woman.


    Kevan spending the night with a married woman was more than enough for him to be a target of


    condemnation. There were even people who spected that the reason Ruby wanted to divorce Cody


    was because she had set her sights on Kevan, who was wealthier and more influential


    Beneath the news, most of thements were tearing into the ¡°adulterous couple, and many people


    felt sorry for the ¡°c uckolded¡¯ Cody 100.


    Kevan scanned the news before making a call with a frown. ¡°Take down all of today¡¯s news.¡±


    Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Do you think taking them down now wil help? Violet was still shouting ¡°Everyone has already seen it!


    It¡¯s fortunate that I came here early today and disconnected your inte cable, so Lari is still kept in


    the dark about it! You tell me right now-what exactly is your rtionship with Ruby?¡±


    She was determined to get an exnation from Kevan


    Kevan knew that it was not so easy to beat around the bush with his mother, so he mixed in some truth


    with the lie. ¡°Ruby wants to divorce Cody, but he doesn¡¯t want to. They¡¯re in the middle of awsuit right


    now.¡±


    ¡°I know that? Violet interrupted him imitably. ¡°Get to the point¡±


    Kevan bit his lip. ¡°Cody has violent tendencies. Ruby is afraid that he¡¯ll take revenge on her, so she


    called me for help. Hence, I bomowed one of my empty properties for her to live in.¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t Ruby find someone else but you?¡± Violet was extremely dissatisfied with his reasoning.


    ¡°Also, you let her stay in your house. but why did you spend the night there? Did you do that thing or


    not?¡±


    ¡°She sought my help because I am the only one who isn¡¯t afraid of offending Cody. He went therest


    night and nearly broke down the door. I just went over to check on her. She was afraid of staying there


    alone, so I stayed behind to apany her. Nothing happened between us, and we slept separately


    last night, Larissa knows all of this. If you don¡¯t believe me, you can ask her.¡± Kevan sald.


    ¡°What?¡± Violet¡¯s face was very red, and she was so angry that a little incoherent. ¡°Lari knows?! How


    could you let her know?! knows that you went to And Ruby and did note home for the whole night


    and she did not say anything?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± When Kevan uttered this word, his expression was a little mncholy.


    Violet stepped forward and whacked Kevan on the forehead. ¡°Do you have any sense at all? Lari didn¡¯t


    say anything because she is sensible and gracious! But this isn¡¯t an excuse for you to be at ease with


    yourself! Do you even know what she truly thinks about this? Did you even bother to ask?¡±


    Of course, Kevan did. But he realized that her heart was just the same as the way she acted-no matter


    whether or not he had a woman out there, or if he had any women, she did not care, Ultimately, it was


    all just because she did not like him at all. That was why she would


    Just let him be as he was.


    To Molet, Kevin¡¯s silence represented his guilt. So, she threw out another p, causing Kevan to hiss in


    pain.


    ¡°Go out and apologise to Lari right now!¡± Violet ordered him.


    Kevan wanted to refuse, but when he saw her raised hand, he chose to appease her.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    He rose up from the s and followed Violet out of the study.


    Larissa had been doing her best to eavesdrop, so she had not been expecting them toe out so


    quickly. Unable to hide herself in time.


    she was caught in the act. Smiling awkwardly at them, she asked, ¡°Are you finished talking?¡±


    Violet dragged Kevan by his arm and pulled him before her. She said to Larissa, tan, Kevan has


    something to say to you.¡±

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    Larissa looked up at Kevan nkly, ¡°Huh?¡±


    Kevan had not even opened his mouth yet when the back of his arm suddenly stung harshly-It was his


    mother who did that to him.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± he said.


    Larissa was more confused than ever. ¡°Huh?¡±


    Forst night¡± Kevan borated,


    His words had no beginning nor an end, so Larissa did not understand,


    ¡°What happenedst night?¡±


    Violet took in her reaction and genuinely felt sorry for her daughter-inw. Her love for her grew deeper.


    ¡°Kevan went to help Rubyst night and was photographed by reporters.¡± Violet exined on his


    behalf.


    The pained expression on her face surprised Larissa as well as made her nervous.


    ¡°Why would he need to apologize to me for having his pictures taken by reporters? Larissa could not


    figure it out


    ¡°He¡¯s not apologizing for that. He¡¯s apologizing for going to Ruby¡¯s yesterday and spending the night


    there.¡± Violet red at Kevan as she spoke. ¡°He¡¯s really gone too far this time. Lari, don¡¯t be polite. Il


    you want to get physical or scream at him, leel free to. Mom is on your


    Get physical or scream at Kevan? Larissa did not have the courage to even it Violet was backing her


    up.


    ¡°Mom, don¡¯t me Kevan.¡± She pretended to be considerate and gracious as she took Violet¡¯s hand.


    Palling itfortingly, she said, ¡± When Ruby called himst night. I was right there with him. I heard


    everything. Things were urgent at that time, and we were both worried that something would happen to


    her. Kevan had been hesitating then, afraid that I would get jealous so he did not n to help. But I was


    the one who advised him to go. Il my leg hadn¡¯t been injured. I would have gone with him. After that I


    was also the one who told him to apany Ruby, in case her husband goes back to find her.¡±


    Seeing that she had taken responsibility hersell, Violet could not say more.


    ¡°This thing got blown out of proportion pretty bad. I¡¯m worried that it may affect you.¡± She held Larissa¡¯s


    hand too, her eyes lilled with


    concem.


    Larissa smiled. ¡°I¡¯m staying home all day long, what kind of effect could it possibly have? By the time


    my leg injury has healed and I¡¯m back at work, this would have passed then.¡±


    Besides, no one else other than Edmund knew that she was Kevan¡¯s wife at the hotel. This was more


    than enough for her to stay out of


    things.


    ??


    Violet sighed while shaking her head helplessly. ¡°Honestly, my dear child¡± With the way Larissa


    prolected Kevan, she did not know if she should be delighted or worried. After she had reconnected the


    Inte cable. Wolet threw a few more harsh words at Kewan belone


    leaving his home.


    Larissa had not eaten much. Once Violet had left, she was more rxed and thus fell hungry.


    ¡°Do you still want to eat?¡± she asked Kevan, who was stunned, as he was not expecting the first thing


    she said to be this.


    A self-deprecating smile appeared on hisce. She truly did not care at all. He clearly knew this, but


    seeing her behavior in person made


    him sad still.


    Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.


    Larissa did not know what he was thinking, she only saw his darkened visage and his quiet


    countenance, so she assumed that he was still angry with Violet¡¯s criticisms.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to eat, I¡¯ll go ahead and eat myself. With that, she turned and wheeled hersell away


    into the dining hall Kevan followed


    her and sat on his seal.


    The thermostat was sufficiently turned on. Even if the dishes had been left for quite a while, they still


    had some warmth.


    1/2


    ¡°For what?¡± she asked in confusion


    Kevan ced another piece of potato onto her te. ¡°Thank you for speaking up for me in front of my


    mother.¡±


    Today¡¯s Bonus Offer

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    Larissa smiled without much care. ¡°Isn¡¯t this the purpose of our marriage?¡±


    Kevan pressed his lips tightly together as he looked down, concealing the raging emotions in his eyes


    They had not yet finished their dinner when Ruby called.


    ¡°Kevan, have you seen the news We have she stammered, her voice trembling as if she had been


    crying, or was going to cry.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Kevan said, looking up to see Larissa focusing on her food. He said, ¡°I already got someone to


    take down the news.¡±


    ¡°But Cody must have seen it Ruby was tenilied. ¡°I¡¯m worried that he wille and find me


    ¡°He won¡¯t figure out your new residence so quickly.¡± Kevan had already arranged for someone to help


    her move. ¡°Besides, you have a bodyguard with you right now. He can¡¯t hurt you.¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯m still scared Kevan


    Ruby sobbed. ¡°I miss you I want to see you


    Can youe over and apany me?¡±


    ¡°Im afraid not,¡± Kevan said. N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.


    Larissa¡¯s movements in toying with her pasta paused. His answer actually surprised her.


    ¡°My mom saw that news too.¡± Kevan¡¯s gaze swept past Larissa¡¯s expressionless face before looking


    away. ¡°She came over to find me today. So I probably won¡¯t be able to see you for some time.¡± His


    voice was gentle with a hint of regret.


    Ruby asked in shock and surprise, ¡°Then what about me? Kevan, if I can¡¯t see you, I won¡¯t be able to


    sleep from fear!¡±


    ¡°My apologies.¡± Kevan was not moved. ¡°I can¡¯t ignore my mom.¡±


    Larissa only found out now that Kevan was such a filial son. She once thought that he was unafraid of


    everything, including his own parents and other elders.


    Ruby was silent for two minutes before shepromised. ¡°Alright. Then She raised a solution to her


    conundrum. ¡°Can I video call you every night?¡±


    Kevan agreed to it easily. ¡°Sure.¡±


    Seeing that Larissa was watching him, he coldly looked over and added. ¡°As long as Larissa doesn¡¯t


    tattle to my mom.¡±


    Larissa frantically shook her head to show her loyalty to him.


    Kevan Shorted coldly at her bootlicking behavior with .


    After dinner, Kevan video-called Ruby in the living room, Larissa did as she always had and yed with


    Muf fin nearby. He did not even bother to think of avoiding her, and tantly cheated on her. Somehow,


    it was the ¡°cu ckolded Larissa who felt somewhat awkward.


    Ruby continued to cry to Kevan about her difficulties as well as expressing her yearning for him while


    Kevan continued to soothe her in gentle tones, saying some cheesy expressions of love.


    Their conversation was so shallow that Larissa could not bear to hear more. It it was not for thect


    that Kevan had restricted Mu ffin¡¯s activity space to the living room to prevent her from going


    elsewhere, she would have brought her back to her bedroom long ago.


    Maybe Muttlingot used to her new environment for she got more and more lively as well as more


    courageous. She used to just lie down wherever she was or curl up into a tiny ball. Now, she was


    bounding about the ce, and even bit at Kevan¡¯s slippers and the hem of his trousers-though of


    course, Kevan would chase her away imitably.


    This time remained the same.


    She yed well with Larissa until she got bored of being entertained, tuming to pounce at Kevan¡¯s


    slippers instead. She bit and meowed happily at the same time. Hearing its cries, Ruby finally stopped


    crying and asked, ¡°Kevan, you have a cal?¡±

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    Only then did Kewan divert some of his attention to Muttin. Frowning slightly, he raised his foot which


    made Muttin fall from his slipper to the floor.


    He did not Ift his foot too high, so Mu ffin was not hurt. After rolling herself up, she went straight to


    nibble at his slipper again. Kevan decided to pick her up and ce her on hisp betere aiming the


    phone camera at her, He introduced the kitten to Ruby, ¡°This cat is Larissa¡¯s.¡±


    Ruby froze for a moment before she smiled with cy. Her gaze fixed on Mu ffin, she praised. ¡°This kitten


    is so cute!! really want to have a Ragdoll killen like this too! But She looked down despondently. ¡°Cody


    never let me have pets in the house.¡±


    ¡°If you realy like it can send this cat over to you tomorrow.¡± Kevan did not even bother discussing


    himsell.


    Shocked, Larissa was about to refuse when she realized she could not interact the conversation. So,


    she could only wave her hand


    repeatedly at Kewan to show her stance on the matter,


    Kevan jonored her though, his eyes did not even move as they remained fixed on his phone screen.


    ¡°That¡¯s really okay, is it?¡± Ruby did not ept at once even though her eyes shownd desire. ¡°The


    kitten belongs to Larissa after all.


    you want to give her to me, you have to get her agreement on it


    ¡°Strictly speaking, this cat was a gift from my mom to us, so I have hall custodial rights too.¡± Kevan


    used hisrge hand to cover his face


    he secrelly peeked in Larissa¡¯s direction. As expected, he saw the look of panic on herce. He grew


    more unhappy than ever.


    Not only did she say nothing with regards to her husband being stolen away by Ruby, but she was so


    anxious over a stu pid cat


    Was he notparable to a cat in her heart?


    Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.


    Gritting his teeth, Kevan roughly rubbed M uff in¡¯s head, who meowed in difort as she tried to


    avoid his ¡°evil¡± hand. Looking back at


    the screen. Kevan finished his sentence. ¡°So, I have the right to decide what happens with this cat too.¡±


    Larissa could not reallyin if he really wanted to send the kitten away. Besides, he never wanted


    Mu f in in the first ce. But she really could not bear to be separated from it


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you buy me another one? Ruby said after a moment of hesitation. ¡°If you give me this kitten,


    Larissa would definitely be upset¡±


    Larissa¡¯s scorching gare


    ne was fixed on Kevan. Even if he was not looking at her, she nodded twice anyway.


    Kevan was silent for a moment before he forced himself to agree. ¡°Alright 11l have someone take you


    to buy one then.¡±


    Having protected Mutin, Larissa sighed in relie


    Seeing this. Kevan huffed coldly, picking up M.If by the scruff before throwing it to the corner of the


    s. Muf fin fed in a spr ead-ea gled manner before climbing up in contusion, mrowing sadly at him.


    Kevan naturally ignored her.


    Lanssa carefully wheeled herself over as she did her best rol to disturb the two video calling before


    bringing Mullin into her ownp. She rubbed its back soothingly andforted it softly, it¡¯s okay, baby.


    You¡¯re alright now-


    Kevan gazed at her with daggers in his eyes, and Larissa turned around at once, moving as far away


    from him as she could. ¡°We won¡¯t y with him anymore, okay? She lowered her voice to the lowest it


    could go, but Kevan sill heard her anyway.


    ¡°It¡¯s too troublesome to buy a cat, i think it¡¯s better if I give you the one I have right now.¡±


    His words made Larissa tense up again, and she whipped around to see Kevan smiling provocatively


    all her.

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    Chapter 339


    Larissa could tell that he was doing it on purpose, so she returned a simr smile of provocation before


    saying loudly. ¡°Nope! The kitten¡¯s mine. It has nothing to do with you. If you dare give it to someone


    else behind my back, I will call your mother at once?


    On Kevan¡¯s phone screen, Ruby¡¯s smile froze, though whether or not it was due to Larissa¡¯s words or


    due to the Inte¡¯sg, one could not tell, Kevan did not keep her threat in mind though.


    ¡°Go on,¡± he said. ¡°Call her. Don¡¯t think that be afraid of you just because you threatened me with my


    mom.¡±


    Biting her Sp. Larissa used the final trump card that she had. ¡°I will even tell her that you contacted


    Ruby again!¡±


    Kevan¡¯s face darkened at once. ¡°You¡¯d dare?!¡± he snarled through his teeth, his rage seemingly


    suffused in these two words alone.


    ¡°Just watch me!¡± Larissa straightened up and did her best to stand up against his domineering aura.


    ¡°You can¡¯t have forgotten what you promised your mother today, can you? Do you need me to remind


    you?¡±


    Kevan pressed his lips tightly together and said nothing for quite a while. In the end, it was Ruby who


    persuaded him. ¡°Never mind, Kevan, I don¡¯t want that cat anymore. Let Larissa have it


    Kevan red at Larissa coldly, a sneer on his face as he praised her strangely, ¡°Well done, Larissa.


    You did very well. I hope that you can continue to do as well as you did today.¡±


    N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    Larissa smiled back. ¡°I will.¡±


    This was not the first time they had ended things badly, Larissa was not worried about what Kevan


    would do to her, but she was worried that he might do something to Mu ffin-like giving her away when


    she was not looking.


    So whenever Kevan was at home, she would guard Mullin at all times, afraid that something might


    happen to her. But she did not expect her ¡°ident¡± toe sooner than Mu ffin¡¯s. Although she called


    it an ¡°ident¡±, it really could not be considered one.


    The next morning the doorbell rang.


    Larissa found it odd because the only people who woulde here were Kevan or Violet. And neither


    of them would ring the doorbel She had never bought anything online either.


    Larissa connected the calling device, and a surprising face appeared on the screen. It was Lucas!


    Lucas said. ¡°Hello? Is that Larissa?¡±


    Recalling the things that happened during Christopher¡¯s party, Larissa only felt down. She did not want


    to meet anyone who had rtions with Lana. So, she disconnected the device without saying anything.


    But Lucas persisted in calling though. The doorbell was too loud. Even when she had hidden hersell in


    her room, she could still hear the monotonous melody ringing again and again.


    Unable to bear the disturbance any longer, she finally connected the device again. ¡°Do you need


    something?¡± she asked in annoyance.


    Lucas was very polite. ¡°I am deeply sorry for what happenedst time. So, I specially came to


    apologize to you in person.¡±


    ¡°No need,¡± Larissa said. ¡°Consider yourself forgiven, I guess.¡±


    ¡°That won¡¯t do.¡± Lucas said righteously. ¡°If I don¡¯t apologize to you properly, will feel bad. Besides. His


    voice became smaller. ¡°Td Uke to apologize to Mr. Rogers too He seems to have quite an impression


    of me now because he refuses to see me even when I went to Microworks to find him ¡ª¡±


    Larissa thought to herself, ¡°I guess that¡¯s the real reason why he came,

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    Chapter 340


    Larissa never opened the door for Lucas, In the end. She had suffered too much under the hands of


    the Seymours. Now that Lucas was considered a hall Seymour, she naturally could not let down her


    guard.


    ¡°Then you¡¯d better wait for Kevan toe back I guess.¡± She used this excuse to refuse him. ¡°He¡¯s not


    at home now. There¡¯s no point


    even if you came all this way now.¡±


    Lucas was going to say something else when Larissa disconnected the call and unplugged the calling


    device¡¯s power. At any rate, no one else but Lucas would use this.


    Larissa thought that this matter was over, but in less than two hourster, she received a call from


    Violet


    Violet asked her, ¡°Lari, are you home right now?¡± Her voice was a little odd it sounded both apologetic


    and ttering.


    Larissa guessed that she probably still minded the news about Kevan and Ruby being together.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m home,¡± Larissa replied with a smile, her voice was just as gentle as before. ¡°When are you


    coming over today?¡±


    Violet stammered for a moment and said, ¡°I won¡¯t be going over today. I send a driver to pick you up.


    You¡¯ll being over to our ce


    here instead.¡±


    Larissa did not think too much into this and said readily, ¡°Sure.¡±


    The Rogers driver arrived hall an hourter.


    Larissa had plugged in the calling device¡¯s power prior to that, but Lucas never called on her again-


    probably because he had rung her too many times only for her to not respond, so he slunk away.


    Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.


    After she got into the car, she asked the driver curiously, ¡°Have visitorse to visit? Otherwise, she


    could not think of any other reason that would prevent Violet from leaving to the point that she needed


    to call her over.


    The driver thought about it and nodded, ¡°Indeed, two visitors in fact.¡±


    Larissa let out an ¡°Oh,¡± of acknowledgment before she began to take care of her clothes and outward


    appearance. Thankfully, she had thought of this before leaving the house, so her dressing was still


    decent. She would not embarrass Kevan¡¯s parents when she arrived at


    their home.


    Yet another half an hour passed, and the car finally arrived at the Rogers family vi.


    Larissa was weed enthusiastically by the household staff, and she immediately caught sight of


    Violet, who was sitting in the middle of the sofa, while Yvette and Lana were sitting on each side of her.


    Larissa¡¯s hands, which had been wheeling her wheelchair, stilled. Her heart plummeted in her chest.


    She could not guess why Yvette and Lana came here, but it did not take much for her to figure out that


    whatever it was-it could not be good.


    Seeing her, Violet waved her over with a smile. ¡°Larl,e.¡±


    The household staff pushed her over to Violet, and Larissa greeted her mother-inw belore greeting


    Yvette, ¡°Aunt Yvette.¡±


    Yvette¡¯s expression looked unpleasant. ¡°Come to me, Lan,¡± she ordered tly, but Larissa did not


    move.


    ¡°Howe you found the time toe. Aunt Yvette? She asked as I she were catching up with her,


    acting like she had not heard her speak


    Yvette¡¯sce became more thunderous than ever.


    ¡®I came due to your marriage with Kevan, of course.¡± Her voice was chiling, and her gaze at Violet was


    even worse.

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    Violet avoided her gaze and reached out for Larissa¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Your Junt saw yesterday¡¯s news too, Violet exined in a low voice.


    Well it would¡¯ve been odd it Yvette had not seen the newsst night considering how big it had gotten.


    ¡°And?¡± Larissa asked mildly as if she did not care about this matter at all


    ¡°Your step-uncle and I are very angry.¡± Yvette nearly sloped up but was able to lumn things around


    before it was toote. She did everything she could to maintain an expression of displeasure as she


    continued. ¡°Your uncle has too much to do at thepany, so only Mana and I are here to have an


    exnation from you.¡±


    Larissa did not understand. ¡°What kind of exnation are you expecting from me?¡±


    Her dismissive attitude confused Yvette and Lana. They thought that she would be angry and sad right


    now.


    Yvelle asked, ¡°Kevan¡¯s cheating on you, and you don¡¯t mind at all?


    Lana also helped embellish the conversation. ¡°Larissa. I thought you hated chealing men? I remember


    when your list husband cheated on you, you insisted on divorcing him. After that, he jumped off a


    building and died over this, didn¡¯t he?¡±


    There was so much Information in those three sentences thal Violet could not process it all in such a


    short amount of fire.


    First husband?


    What did she mean by jumping off a building and dying over divorce?


    She looked at Larissa, feeling a headache beginning to form.


    On the other hand, Larissa anticipated that these two were here to cause trouble for her. But they had


    miscalcted. What they were trying to do was to incite Kevan and her to divorce, but they did not


    know that this was exactly what she wanted for a long lime.


    There were some things that Larissa could not say to Violet, but as they were the ones who int Violet


    know. Kevan could not me her it he got angry over this.


    Larissa pretended to nce at Violet out of panic while keeping an eye on the mother-daughler pair¡¯s


    expressions-They were indeed secretly rejoicing like she thought they would be.


    ¡°That news isnt real¡± she said to Yvette and Lana. ¡®Nothing happened between Kevan and that woman.


    He just went to help her yesterday.¡±


    ¡°Only you would believe such a lousyke excuse!¡¯ Yvelle scolded her. ¡°Even if he wanted to help, why


    on earth did he go at night? Kevan is an adult now. There¡¯s no way he would not know about this so


    doesn¡¯t he know that he should avoid this sort of thing?


    Woint interrupted her with a frown, ¡°Mrs. Seymour, I have already exined to you what happened the


    night beforest. If you refuse to believe me. I can¡¯t do anything about it. It¡¯s true that Kevan was wrong


    in this matter. I never denied that. I have already chaslised him and made him apologize to Lari. If


    you¡¯re still dissatisliec, you may name your terms.¡±


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    She had no intention to protect Kevan. Otherwise, she would not have been so angst beforest. But


    she aso beleved that her


    son did not do something so ridiculous, so she was a little annoyed and displeased with Yvelle¡¯s over-


    the-top ciliicism,


    ¡°I am someone who cannot tolerate even the sightest hint of betrayal.¡± Yvette was sitting up straight,


    herce strangely cold and dark. ¡°I raised Lar, and her personality is as ferocious as mine.¡±


    Larissa nearly spat out a ¡°Bullshit!¡±, but was thankfully able to control hersell.


    ¡°It¡¯s a fact that Kevan and that woman were photographed together. It doesn¡¯t matter if we believe or do


    not believe that they had a rtionship together. What is important is that the Inte is spreading the


    fact that Kevan is a homewrecker. Just in these couple days. my friends are all asking me what was


    going on. They feel angry on Larl¡¯s behall and put her, Yvelle was indeed a once-famous actress. She


    yed the role of an aunt seeking justice for her nice very well Even her voice was tailored perfectly to


    the role and made her sound all emotiona.


    Larissa herself was close to getting affected by her emotions, and she felt the strong urge to apud


    her. hope that the Rogers family may release Lari.¡±


    Before that Violet thought that these two Seymours were here for money. After all, Cosmic


    Entertainment had run into the biggest


    obstacle ever, and she had already witnessed the disgusting ugliness of the Seymours many years


    ago.


    She did not expect Yvette to be so stubbor.

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    Violet panicked.


    Larissa was the second woman Kevan had proactively wanted to marry. If she let her go, Violet had no


    idea how many years she would have to wailler her next daughter-inw, Most importantly, Violet really


    liked Larissa after having spent time with her during this period. and she really treated her as if she was


    her own blogical daughter.


    ¡°Marriage is not a game.¡± Violet¡¯s face darkened as well I can understand your anger, but this is


    ultimately Lari and Kevan¡¯s life, and they should be the ones to discuss and solve this matter.¡±


    ¡°Discuss?¡± Wertie aughed coldly, her gare at Lar ssa helding love that never existed before. ¡°There is


    such a huge gap between Lari and Kevan in terms of social status. To marry into your family, won¡¯t she


    just be bullied and pushed around by your people? I don¡¯t believe that Kevan would really want to


    discuss and solve the matter with Lari!¡±


    if this was under normal circumstances, Larissa would have lost her temper and thrown their words


    back in their faces. But she needed to use the Seymours right now to achieve her goal so she


    pretended to protest weakly, ¡®It¡¯s not like that. Aunt Yvelle


    Yvette shut her down unhappily. ¡°Shush!¡± She exhaled, probably realizing that her lone was too


    aggressive, and some kindness appeared on herce. ¡°Don¡¯t wemy Larl I will support you. Just speak


    of any grievances you have suffered at the hands of the Roge¡¯s family!¡±


    Larissa replied. ¡°Aunt Yvette, I really havent suffered any grievances at all


    The way she looked right now, to Yvette and Lana, really seemed as if she had suffered with the


    Rogers family. On the other hand, to Violet she did not dare to speak with confidence due to Yvette¡¯s


    tyranny.


    Violet lightened her grip on Larissa¡¯s hand slightly bre saying seriously to Yvelle, ¡°I can assure you


    upon my own dignity that none of us had ever looked down upon Larl and we would never bully her


    either. If you really want an exnation, I can call Kevan toe over and give his promise to Lari


    before you.¡±


    ¡°No need.¡± Yvelle said. ¡°Anyone can act. Even if he promises before us, it doesn¡¯t prove that he would


    not bully Lari behind our backs.¡±


    ¡°Kevan isn¡¯t the kind of person you think he is Larissa Interrupted in a small voce.


    Yvette red at her, and she hunched over. looking down as if she knew she should obey her ¡°aunt¡±.


    ¡°Mrs. Seymour.¡± Violet could not bear it any longer and said. ¡°Lani has already forgiven Kevan. Why do


    you have to force them to divorce?


    Yvette did not answer her question, but turned to Larissa and said earnestly, ¡°Larl, you can¡¯tst look at


    a man¡¯s money when marrying.¡±


    The hidden meaning in her words was quite obvious-Larissa married Kevan for his money..


    Violet frowned but said nothing.


    Lanssa was likewise calm, She was even somewhat eager to hear what Yvette would say next


    ¡°You weren¡¯t like this before. You weren¡¯t the kind to ept less than ideal solutions when you have


    been mistreated.¡± Yvelle sighed. expressing her supposed pity for Larissa¡¯s great ¡°change¡±. ¡°As Nana


    said, you¡¯re actingpletely different from when your former husband cheated on you, Lari you must


    know that even if you lie to yoursell this time and forgive Kevan this matter will always be a thom


    Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.


    your heart. And no amount of money will make it disappear. From this day on, you wil not Ive happily


    ever aller.¡±


    Larissa was well aware of Yvetle¡¯s astounding skills in dming someone indirecty. She did not know if


    Lana also inherited her mother¡¯s genes, or if she picked it upter from her mother, for she utilized this


    skill perfectly too.


    ¡°Yeah, Larissa.¡± Lana echoed Yvette¡¯s sentiments. A twenty-million-dor dowry car buy many things,


    but it cannot buy true love.¡±


    Violet was still unaware of the twenty-million-dor dowry, Now that Lana had suddenly exposed this,


    Larissa was a litle nervous. She had not touched the money in order to return it to Kevan aller the


    divorce. She was only alraid of how Violet would see her now, that she would mally think of her as a


    shallow gold digger and look at her with disgust

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    Luckily, Violet¡¯s face remained expressionless, and she did not confront or criticize her bre the


    Seymours.


    Larissa was now forced to the edge of the proverbial cliff by them. Her ¡°dark history¡± has been exposed


    bit by bit by the Seymours, and Violet was the only person who could decide if she would fall into the


    abyss. However, Violet ced the decision¨Cmaking power into her hands. ¡°Lari what are your thoughts


    on this¡±


    This question was hard to answer.


    If she said that she wished to divorce, then it would prove that her words about believing Kevan from


    before were lies: if she said she did


    not want to divorce. Violet may think that she was only refusing because she wanted to hang on to


    Kevan¡¯s money.


    Larissa stammered for a long while before throwing this hot potato at Kevan, who was not present.


    111 let Kevan decide.¡±


    Her answer did not satisfy the Seymours.


    Yvette acted frustrated as she said, ¡°Nana and I have given you so many reasons, but you insist on


    being stupid and staying with Kevan for the rest of your ?


    Larissa bit her lio and said nothing.


    Yvette angrily smacked the s and stood up abruptly. ¡°Tine, do whatever the hell you want! Pretend


    Nana and I never came here, and never said anything!¡±


    She dragged Lana out with her, walking very quickly despite wearing almost 4¨Cinch heels.


    Aber exiting the gardens of the Rogers family home, Yvetle and Lana¡¯s angry expressions vanished


    and were reced by triumphant grins,


    ¡°With what trouble we¡¯ve stirred up here, Kevan¡¯s mother must be pissed as heck. She must be forcing


    Larissa to divorce Kevan right now! * A sh of hatred passed through Yvette¡¯s eyes. ¡°That ingrate,


    she¡¯s fortunate that leven bothered to raise her. Forget being grateful, but she even constantly creates


    trouble fur us and ruins cur ns! If I knew this would happen, I would never have given birth to her!


    She¡¯s just like her brose assther, disgusting and a bringer of misfortune!¡±


    Lana held her arm and rubbed her back, trying to calm her down.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be angry, Mom. Without the Rogers family backing her up, she won¡¯t be able to go against you


    anymore! By then, you can punish her however you like!¡±


    Yvette hulfed coldly. ¡°By then, I will marry her off to a guy worse than Reuben! Without Kewan to save


    her, I¡¯d like to see how arrogant she would be!


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    Lana¡¯s smile grew bigger, her joy could no longer be concealed.


    ¡°However ¡ª Yvette¡¯sce crumpled as she watched Lana with pity. ¡°Now that we¡¯ve strained our


    rtionship with the Rogers family, you and Kevan ¡ª won¡¯t be possible anymore.¡±


    Since they had decided to cause trouble with the Rogers family, Lana was already prepared to give up


    being with Kevan, When she thought of that man who promised her everything, her smile grew even


    more radiant.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like I have to have Kevan! Besides, Kevan¡¯s career might not always be so smooth!¡±


    While Yvelle was releved with how carefree her daughter was, she was also curious and confused.


    ¡°Kevan turned Microworks into such a big business, his career can¡¯t possibly copse even it isn¡¯t


    going smoothly, right?¡±


    Lana lifted a finger and wagged it mysteriously. ¡°That might not be true.¡±

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    After Yvette and Lana left, the atmosphere of the Rogers family home living room became awkward,


    now that Larissa and Violet were the only ones Ich.


    ¡°Mom¡­¡± Larissa spoke first, ¡°Please don¡¯t take the nasty things my aunt and sister said to heart.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Violet nodded, smiling as sheforted her. ¡°I¡¯m alright. They were just worried about you


    too. I can understand that.¡± But her smile was not as natural as it would normally be, Larissa could tell


    that Violet was already swayed by the Seymours. She just needed to give it a little bit more¡­


    ¡°Mom, actually, there are some things I need to confess.¡± She kept her head down, herce was one of


    quill.


    Hearing this. Violet straightened up subconsciously as her smile gradually vanished.


    *As you¡¯ve heard my aunt and sister say, you can probably already tell that I was married once before.¡±


    Larissa¡¯s voice was very light her hands gripping the armrests of the wheelchair tightly. She did not look


    up at Molet, not even once.


    Divorced women were still ostracized by society, especially older women like Larissa. As a wealthy and


    influential family, the Rogers family¡¯s requirements for their daughters-inw would be much higher


    than an average person. Now that Anthony and Violet knew the truth, they would not admire her any


    longer. However, Violet did not get angry as she imagined her to. As a matter of fact, there was an


    added hint of pity in Molet¡¯s gaze toward her.


    ¡°Why did you get divorced? Because your former husband cheated on you?¡± Violet could guess a little


    based on what the Seymours had


    ¡°Yes.¡± Larissa bit her lip before letting out a bitter smile.


    ¡°Then why did your former husband jump off a building to kill himself? Violet finally asked a question


    she had been suppressing for a long time.


    ¡°I¡¯m not too clear about the exact reasons why. I¡¯d already broken off contact with him by then. But


    before that, he was involved in a serious car ident and was paralyzed from the waist down. He had


    been in the hospital then. At ater period, his family could not even pay for the medical fees


    Violet would find out about all these things if she sent someone to ask at the hospital so Larissa found


    no need to conceal this.


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    Pressing her lips together, Violet¡¯s voice became gentler. ¡°Then none of this has anything to do with


    you. You don¡¯t have to me yourself nor worry that I will see you differently.¡±


    Larissa¡¯s head snapped up as her eyes widened in surprise. The way things were developing It was not


    going the way she expected at all!


    Her expression amused Violet so much that sheughed. In mock anger, Violet asked her, ¡°Am I really


    such a stulty person who can¡¯t distinguish between truth and lies to you?¡±


    ¡°¡­No.¡± Larissa shook her head nkly.


    Violet was always open-minded, so she never put on the airs of a mother-inw and treated Larissa


    like she was a close friend. But ¡°open -minded¡± did not mean that she would be able to tolerate


    everything. Even Larissa hersell thought that her and Kevan¡¯s lies to Violet were too much, but Volet


    seemed to not mind and evenforted her.


    Larissa¡¯s heart was aching, both from gratitude and gull.


    ¡°However-¡°Violet¡¯s words took a turn, and Larissa tensed up.


    ¡°I can¡¯t say that I don¡¯t mind entirely that you were married before.¡± Violet was very honest. ¡°Alter all,


    parents would want their child to find a perfect marriage partner, as defined by general society as a


    whole. But anyone knows that ¡®perfect¡¯ doesn¡¯t exist. If this was back then. and Kevan told me that he


    wanted to marry a divorcee, I would never have agreed. But with the way he had been dragging things


    all these years, I was able to see the various mariages of my friends¡¯ children, and they are never


    happy. I also frequently heard many rich womenin that their daughters-inw were not good, so


    I changed my way of thinking.¡±


    Every sentence she uttered was spoken with great sincerity.


    ¡°My requirements for a daughter-inw are no longer so high. First, she must be someone Kevan likes;


    second, her character must not be daughter-inw to me.¡±


    Her words caused Larissa to be quite shaken.


    ¡°You are also my ¡°perfect¡± mother-inw.¡± She, too, spoke from her heart. She really did wish that she


    could have a mother-inw like Violet.

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    Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.


    Sadly, she would never be able to be with Kevan until the end.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t intend to get divorced. I will not tell Kevan about what happened today.¡± Violet said, ¡°Of


    course, if you wish to get divorced, I will not stop you. I just hope that you can think it through seriously


    and discuss it with Keyan, Don¡¯t act rashly just because your aunt demanded you to do it.¡±


    Larissa was once again left in a dilemma.


    She wanted to get divorced, but she also did not want to upset Violet.


    In the end, she said. ¡®Til discuss it with Kevan.¡±


    Her response disappointed Violet a little, but she did not say anything else.


    ¡°Good. Once you¡¯ve decided, remember to let me know-no matter what the oue is.¡±


    Violet got Larissa to stay for lunch before letting the driver take her home. The trunk of the car was


    stuffed full of snacks and supplements by Violet, so that Larissa could consume them slowly back


    home.


    At the foot of the building, Larissa met Lucas, who was pacing like a ghost. She slowed down her


    actions of getting out of the car. wondering if she should go back inside ande back a few hours


    later. But the driver had already prepared the wheelchair and reached out in order to support her.


    Larissa steeled herself and got out of the car. She figured that she had the driver with her, so she


    should not fear anything that Lucas might do to her.


    Lucas rang the doorbell again, waiting until the calling device hung up automatically, and still no one


    answered. The moment he turned around, he saw Larissa, who was being pushed over to where he


    was by the driver.


    His eyes brightening, Lucas rushed over and shouted, ¡°Larissa!¡±


    The volume of his shout caused Larissa¡¯s head to hurt a little. Rubbing her temples, she asked. ¡°Why


    are you still here?¡± She had not seen him when she went out and thus, thought that he had left.


    ¡°How can I leave when I have not apologized to you and Mr. Rogers?¡± Lucas spoke with such


    righteousness.


    ¡®For goodness¡¯ sake, I¡¯ve epted your apology.¡± Larissa had no energy left to tango with him. ¡°Please


    leave! I need to go back for a nap, so I don¡¯t have time to entertain you.¡±


    ¡°Nor Lucas stuck to her like a lizard and followed her into the building.


    The Rogers family driver was quite alert, halting immediately to ask Larissa, ¡°Young Mrs. Rogers, do


    you wish to call the police?¡±


    Larissa took the chance to threaten Lucas. ¡°You heard that? If you don¡¯t leave, we¡¯ll call the police.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t leave even if you do!¡± Lucas resorted to holding on to her wheelchair. ¡°Larissa, consider this as


    me begging you.¡± He suddenly changed his demeanor and pleaded, ¡°Call Mr. Rogers and get him to


    meet with me, please!¡±


    Lucas¡¯ sincerity caused hints of hesitation to grow in Larissa. She pulled out her phone and said, ¡°I can


    help you call, but i cannot decide if he will meet you.¡±


    ¡°Of course, of course¡± Lucas eximed with desperate excitement.


    Larissa called Kevan¡¯s number, and he answered it quickly.


    ¡°Need something?¡± His tone was cold, just as the way it usually was.


    ¡°Lucas is here to find you, sald he wants to apologize to you.¡± Larissa had just finished speaking when


    Lucas snatched her phone.


    ¡°Mr. Rogers! I have something very important to tell you! Truly! Very, very, very important

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    It was only after Kevan promised that he would return from thepany as fast as he could that Lucas


    returned Larissa¡¯s phone to her.


    Larissa led Lucas upstairs-After all, many residents woulde and go, so to stay at the entrance of


    the building was a little too jarringly obvious.


    The Rogers family driver did not leave. He remained dutifully by Larissa¡¯s side, his eyes fixed steadily


    on Lucas.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you wanted to apologize to Kevan? Why did it change into needing to find him for


    something important?¡± Larissa asked. She thought that ¡°something important¡± was just Lucas¡¯ excuse


    for getting Kevan toe back home. She did not expect him to say, ¡°My true purpose ofing over


    today is to tell Mr. Rogers about this important matter. When I said I wanted to apologize, I just wanted


    you to open the door for me. But I didn¡¯t expect you to be so cautious against me too.¡± He lowered his


    head, smiling bitterly.


    Larissa did not know if he was telling the truth or a lie right now, so she naturally did not dare to be


    honest with him.


    ¡°If you¡¯re looking for Kevan, why are you here and not at Microworks?¡± she asked curiously.


    ¡°Uh¡ª¡°Lucas hesitated for a few seconds. ¡°We¡¯ll talk about it after Mr. Rogerses back.¡±


    When Kevan got back home, two hours had passed. When he came in and saw Larissa sitting there


    without a scratch, he immediately breathed out a sigh of relief.


    Hearing the sounds of the door, Lucas leaped to his feet and turned to look. ¡°Mr. Rogers he eximed


    excitedly, just like he always did before whenever he saw him.


    ¡°Mm.¡± Kevan¡¯s reaction was distant, mirroring his usual attitude toward Lucas. He slowly walked into


    the living room and asked Lucas, ¡± What is it?¡±


    Lucas opened his mouth but noticed Larissa and the driver in his peripheral vision, so he asked


    carefully. ¡°Mr. Rogers, may we speak in the study?¡±


    Kevan was not afraid of him trying anything. ¡°Very well¡± He led Lucas to the study while instructing the


    driver, ¡°You are to remain here before we leave the study.¡±


    The driver nodded quickly. ¡°Yes, sirl¡±


    Kevan and Lucas entered the study, where thetter closed the door, even going as far as to lock it.


    Hearing the sound of the lock, Kevan turned back sharply and asked, ¡°Why are you locking the door?¡±


    N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.


    Lucas smiled sheepishly and said. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that someone might barge in


    ¡°This is my home.¡± Kevan asserted. ¡°Do you think that someone will suddenly barge in?¡±


    Lucas froze awkwardly before rubbing his nose, turning around to unlock the door when Kevan said.


    ¡°Forget it. Sit.¡±


    They sat across from each other at the study table. Kevan¡¯s hands were ced on theble¡¯s surface,


    his expression calm and casual. ¡±


    Go on, speak. He gazed straight at Lucas, who got inexplicably nervous from it. The weather was


    rather cold that day, and the thermostat in the study was not on, yet a thinyer of sweat began to coat


    his nose.


    ¡°It¡¯s about Lana. He looked down, staring fixedly at a point on the table, his voice strained.

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    ¡°And?¡± Kevan patiently waited for him to continue.


    ¡°I think ¡ª Lana is cheating on me.¡± Lucas pressed his lips together lightly as a hint of mncholy


    flickered through his eyes.


    Kevan chortled. ¡°What has Lana cheating on you got to do with me? Are you perhaps hoping that I


    would help you gain some kind of Justice?¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Lucas denied it at once. ¡°The point is not that she cheated on me, but who she¡¯s cheated on me


    with¡± He lifted his head and secretly peeked at Kevan. When his gaze met Kevan¡¯s sharp one, he


    looked down again. ¡°The one she¡¯s cheating on me with seems to be Ruby Cole¡¯s husband.¡±


    Kevan¡¯s gaze became cold. ¡°Why are you telling me this?


    ¡°I saw the news.¡± Lucas began to stammer, ¡°About you and Ruby I thought


    ¡°You thought I was cheating with Ruby?¡± Kevan asked with a strange smile that was not quite a smile


    on his face, but his voice was dangerously trigid.


    Lucas was so scared that he jerked once. His voice was smaller than ever. ¡°N-No His head was


    lowered further.


    ¡°Il I really had cheated with Ruby, what is your purpose in telling me this?¡± Kevan asked again.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t I be happy that Lana and Cody got together?¡±


    With his reminder, Lucas finally got his logic all sorted out. He had not really thought too deeply into it.


    Maybe this matter delivered quite a huge blow to him that it left his brain in a muddled state for the


    most part. He only knew that Lana was cheating on him with Ruby¡¯s husband, and Ruby seemed to


    have that kind of rtionship with Kevan, which was why instinctually thought that he should let Kevan


    know about this.


    Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    ¡°My apologies!¡± Lucas said with guilt. ¡°It¡¯s my fault for wasting your valuable time¨C¡±


    Kevan did not say that he epted nor refused his apology, he just asked. ¡°Do you have anything else


    you¡¯d like to say?¡±


    Lucas shook his head hard. ¡°No! I¡¯m finished.¡±


    ¡°Then leave.¡± Kevan said. ¡°Today never happened, and you will not tell anyone that you came here.¡±


    Watching Lucas leave hurriedly with a look of anxiety on his face. Larissa¡¯s suspicions grew. After


    Kevan dismissed the driver, she could not help but ask him, ¡°What did Lucas find you for?¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡± Kevan sat next to her, his long legsfortably stacked on the coffee table as he loosened


    his tie before turning to ask her,¡± You went to my mom¡¯s today?¡±


    Larissa was stunned before she retorted, ¡°How did you know? Did Mom call you?¡±


    Kevan chortled, ¡°I do still recognize my mom¡¯s driver.¡± Besides, Larissa had changed out of her usual


    casual wear and was dressed a little formally, so she definitely went out.


    Larissa finally reacted. She nodded.


    ¡°What did you go there for?¡± Kevan¡¯s gaze swept across the boxes of supplements on the floor. ¡°It can¡¯t


    have been just as simple as getting all of that nonsense back, can it?¡±


    Larissa had just been about to use this as an excuse to ludge things over with him. Sensing her


    thoughts, Kevan¡¯s smile grew bigger event as the mockery deepened too


    If it¡¯s just for this, my mom would deliver it in person to you. She would have not made someone like


    you with reduced mobility to specially go over.¡± He still knew Violet well to some degree. ¡°You¡¯d better


    tell me the truth, or I will go to my mom¡¯s and ask her.¡± He threatened her in a low voice.


    Larissa gave up trying to think of excuses. was not as it today¡¯s events were something that she could


    not say anyway.


    *My mom and Lana went to your mom¡¯s to create trouble. Because of the news about you and Ruby,


    my mom wanted us to get divorced.*


    1/2


    Those two. It seemed that they had not yet leamed their lesson.

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    ¡°You agreed?¡± Kevan studied Larissa with narrowed eyes. He knew that she had been wanting to get


    divorced since the day they¡¯d gotten married. Now that there was such a good opportunity before her,


    she had no reason to not hold on to it. The moment he thought of that. his heart began to make its way


    up to his throat, and he unconsciously slowed down his breathing.


    Larissa fell a numb, tingling sensation from his stare, and she lumed away gully.


    Kevan¡¯s face darkened further as he sneered. ¡°Happy now?¡±


    Larissa¡¯s hands, which were in herp, clenched lightly together, and chills ran down her spine. She


    licked her dry lips before answering his first question, ¡°I didn¡¯t agree.¡±


    Her answer seemed to be out of Kevan¡¯s expectations. He was stunned for two seconds and his heart


    began to race.


    Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Why?¡± Hisce remainedut as his smile became a jeer. ¡°Didn¡¯t you always want to divorce me?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because I knew you wouldn¡¯t agree, eps hit.¡± Larissa could only keep such words deep in her


    heart. She would never ever dare to say them out loud. She had originally hoped that Violet would


    pressure Kevan, but Violet was too understanding, which caused her n to derail


    Letting out a dry chuckle. Larissa said, ¡°I was trying to help you and Ruby, but you refused to


    appreciate it.¡± Sensing Kevan¡¯s cold gaze, she shuddered and looked down again.


    ¡°My mom and Lara are hoping that we¡¯ll get divorced bet that they¡¯re trying to sell me off to another rich


    sleazy as shole. The more they mor for it, the more I refuse to let them have what they want.¡±


    The reason she got married to Kevan was because she wanted to avoid the Seymours from forcing her


    into a marriage. He would not suspect her 7 she used this excuse, but he would be unhappy for sure.


    Kevan moved his stare to his toes and he asked expressionlessly. ¡°What did my mom say?¡±


    ¡°Your mom said that we should decide for ourselves, but she hopes that we don¡¯t get divorced.¡±


    Kevan did not expect his mother to be able to stomach this, considering her explosive temper.


    ¡°Also, your mom knows everything about me from before now, About me being a divorcee, and that my


    former husband kiled himsell, all that.¡± Larissa was very much thankful that the Seymours had not


    exposed her ¡°great¡± light with her former mother-inw on the Inte. But she guessed that Violet


    would absolutely check her background now after today, which meant that it would not be long before


    her past waspletely exposed before Violet. She did not know it Violet could still be as


    understanding as she was today after she found out about everything.


    ¡°Your mom and Lana sald at?¡± Kevan asked.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Larissa nodded.


    Kevan pressed his lips together thoughtfully. ¡°I will help you exin to my mom. As for everything else,


    you don¡¯t have to worry.¡± He rose up from the sofa and smoothed out the wrinkles in his shirt. He had


    just taken a step forward when a ball of fur rolled over to his loot.


    ¡°Meow¡± Mullin rubbed her head against his slipper while she kept calling out affectionately. Larissa


    stared at this scene and was somewhat perplexed.


    She was the one who led Mullin every day, took care of her waste, and even yed with her every day,


    but she had never ever tried to get 50 overly affectionate with her like this before. Was it that even cats


    now were charmed by one¡¯s looks?


    She stently decided to reduce the amount of lood that Mullin would get tonight


    Kevan looked down, recalling what he promised Ruby yesterday when he saw Mullin. He gently used


    his loot to move the kitten away and warned Larissa. ¡°Take care of your cat, or send it away.¡±


    Larissa was shocked. His threat fromst night stik haunted her. She quickly leaned down and brought


    Muttin into herp. ¡°I will definitely take good care of herl

 Chapter 349

    Chapter 349


    Chapter 349


    Kevan snorted coldly before walking to his study. Closing the door, he made a call. ¡°Buy a Ragdoll


    kitten and deliver it to Ruby. It must be done today.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter what it looks like. The more expensive, the better.¡±


    ¡°Also, keep a sharper eye on Cody.¡±


    Ruby video called again after dinner.


    Kevan still answered the call in the living room, in full view of Larissa. He still did not wear any audio


    equipment so Larissa could not even pretend that she could not hear Ruby¡¯s voice, which came


    through clearly through the phone¡¯s speakers.


    ¡°Kevan! The kitty¡¯s here!¡± Ruby was hugging a Ragdoll kitten that was about the size of Mu fin, and she


    lifted one of its paws to greet Kevan.


    Kevan smiled and asked her. ¡°Do you like it?¡±


    ¡°Um¨C¡°Ruby was a little hesitant


    Kevan¡¯s smile faded a bit. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You don¡¯t like it?¡±


    ¡°I do, but Ruby paused. ¡°I feel that this kitty isn¡¯t as cute as yours, you know? Besides, it also looks


    dumb and slow


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll have someone buy you another one.¡± Kevan did not hesitate.


    ¡°No! It¡¯s okay!¡± Ruby waved her hand to refuse. ¡°Ragdolls are really expensive, don¡¯t waste your


    money! Having one kitty is enough, I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t take care of so many if there are more.¡±


    ¡°You really don¡¯t want another? Kevan asked with a raised eyebrow.


    Ruby said. ¡°Really! But could you bring your kitty over and let me see it? I really, really like how it


    looks!¡±


    Hearing this, Kevan immediately turned his gaze to Larissa.


    M uffin was currently lying on Larissa¡¯sp, licking the fur on her back, and she had not sensed the


    impending danger.


    Larissa really did not want to hand M uffin over, but Kevan¡¯s aura was too strong, and she did not dare


    to cause trouble. Kevan picked M uffin up by her scruff and raised it next to his face.


    Ruby stared at it fixedly and asked Kevan, ¡°What¡¯s its name?¡±


    Kevan replied, ¡°M uffin.¡±


    Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°That¡¯s so cute! Larissa named it didn¡¯t she?¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡± Kevan nodded.


    Ruby called the kitten through the phone. ¡°M uffin, baby!¡±


    Muttin looked over curiously, her pretty eyes wide and alluring.


    ¡°Aw.her eyes are so pretty!¡± Ruby continued toment. ¡°It¡¯s so much prettier than mine! That


    shade of blue is soo pure!¡±


    She gazed at M uffin in mesmerization, the love in her eyes overllowing.


    ¡°Since you like it so much, let¡¯s switch,¡± Kevan made his decision quickly.


    Ruby and Larissa froze


    Ruby had the same reaction as before. ¡°That¡¯s not really okay, is it? Larissa will definitely be upset


    ¡°They¡¯re both Ragdolls, what¡¯s the difference? Kevan eyed Larissa coldly but looked away quickly


    when he saw the disappointment and despondency on herce. actually gets the better deal¡±


    Larissa was long since used to Kevan¡¯s double standards when facing Ruby as well as being treated


    like dirt. But she really could not bear to part with Mullin. Even if she got another recement that


    looked exactly like her, she was not willing to trade.


    ¡°They¡¯re both Ragdolls. What¡¯s the difference even if Ruby switches with me? She did not care that


    Ruby was still on the line, and snapped back. ¡°Why should my kitten be given to her simply because


    she likes her? She likes you too, you know, Why don¡¯t you divorce me and marry her instead then?¡±

 Chapter 350

    Chapter 350


    Chapter 350


    Larissa¡¯s words were like ascell, causing silence to the Eving room at once. It was broken by the loud


    sound of something smashing against the floor.


    Staring, Larissa saw that Kevan¡¯s phone was lying on the floor, not far from where he was. It was facing


    up, and the screen was now ck, with spidery cra cks spreading through the ss.


    ¡°Don¡¯t ever let me hear you say the word ¡®divorce¡¯ ever again.¡± Kevan advanced upon her leaning down


    as he used two fingers to grip her chin to force her to look at him,.


    His eyes had darkened a great deal, as if it had heen covered by ayer of shadon.


    ¡°Our maniase is a transaction,¡± Kevan bit out thest word. ¡°There is no reason for you to gain what


    you want from me only to walk away after.¡±


    Larissa retorted. ¡°You can still achieve your goal even if you marry Ruby! Besides, she¡¯s the one you


    truly like,


    ¡°My family doesn¡¯t like her.¡± Kevan¡¯s eyes narrowed, the dangerous aura radiating off of him causing


    Larissa to back away but Kewan puted her back over. ¡°But you gained my mom¡¯s approval¡±


    His nose was less than an inch away from her. She only needed to move a little and she would touch


    him


    Swallowing nervously, Larissa asked, ¡°Then do you n to just keep her hanging like this?¡±


    She actually really wanted to ask. ¡°Then do you n to just keep me hanging like this?¡± but she had no


    right to ask this question. This was a choice that she made in the beginning-even if she had not noticed


    that she liked Kevan at that time, and did not mind being with a man


    not love for the rest of her le


    this was purely a transaction, she would not have any regrets. But when this transaction had leelings


    mixed into it¨C


    No matter how hard she tried, she could not truly Ignore Kevan and Ruby¡¯s intimacy, and she definitely


    could not control the jealousy she tell which hurt her heart,


    ¡°She does not care about statu Kevan stared at Larissa his gare never shi tting away on her. ¡°She just


    wants me.¡±


    Larissa suddeny pressed her los really tightly together in the next second, she raised her right hand


    and pped Kevan hard.


    ¡°F ucking as shole!¡¯ she screan


    Kevan¡¯s puplis dted, but his body never moved.


    ¡°No woman would be willing to be some man¡¯s secret lover, especially when she¡¯s deepy in love with


    said man!¡± Larissad not I ke Ruby. But at this moment, she really felt bad for her. ¡°If your parents don¡¯t


    like her, you should try everything you can to change their views of her,


    nd not simply marry another person to deal with them. The choice you made is unfair to everyone!


    Her chest was heaving from her rage, and her face was red too.


    N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.


    Kevan watched her for a moment before he suddenly smiled. It was lighteningly cold, and there was a


    heavy sense of irony in it.


    ¡°No. you¡¯re the one who is bring unfair to me, Lanssa. His voice was very low, and a little muddled as


    well as hoa rse. Throwing me away after using me, and you even found a lofty reason for yoursel!¡±


    Lar sse¡¯s heart skoped a beat as she frantically sorted, ¡°I did not¡ª


    Kevan¡¯s index linger pressed on her lips, preventing her from exining further. His smile grew bigger


    even as his voice grew more rigid than ever. ¡°Remember this. You had ight to begin this transaction,


    but I am the only one who can end IL¡±

 Chapter 351

    Chapter 351


    Chapter 351


    After M uffin had been given to Ruby, Kevan brought back Ruby¡¯s kitten for Larissa aspensation.


    Objectively speaking, Ruby¡¯s kitten was quite pretty and cute too, it was the one who came to the


    house first. Larissa would have loved it as if it was her own son. But this hypothesis was disproved as


    Larissa only had Mullin in her heart for a long time now. So, she treated this new kitten very rdly.


    Of course, she would not mistreat it but that was the extent of it. She would not take the initiative to


    y with it or bring up into herp to love on. When it came over to her, meowing with affection, she


    would deliberately distance herself from it to reduce any close interactions.


    In contrast, Kevan loved this kitten more than he loved M uffin. It was probably because they had terms


    of attitude, and he became her instead.


    ded ces-she became Kevan in


    Larissa did not know what caused Kevan¡¯s sudden change-was it that this kitten once belonged to


    Ruby, or was it because he bought it with his own money?


    But regardless of what it was, she did not care.


    A weekter, Volet came to their house again.


    ¡°I didn¡¯te because I wanted to give you guys enough time to think about it.¡± She exined why it


    took her so long to show herself again. ¡°But it¡¯s been a week, and you didn¡¯t call me. I couldn¡¯t wait any


    longer, so Her face was filled with anxiety. ¡°Hurry and tel. Mom what your decision is?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯re not getting a divorce.¡± Larissa smiled. Kevan was so firm with his words that day,


    she could only give us on her n.


    Only then did a smile appear on Violet¡¯s face. ¡°Wonderful! That¡¯s amazing!¡± She patted Larissa¡¯s hand


    and let out a sigh of relief. ¡°I can finally sleep we


    Larissa continued to maintain a polite smile.


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    The kitten, which had originally been locked in its cage, somehow escaped it and walked over slowly to


    Larissa¡¯s leet. I rubbed its head affectionately on her call, meowing soltly.


    Larissa nced at the kitten but ignored it. Violet followed her gaze.


    ¡°Wait¡± Confusion appeared in her eyes. ¡°Why is the lur different?¡±


    Mu ffin¡¯s ears and face had a darker brown color, while this kitten was a light gray, which allowed Violet


    to notice immediately that something was not right. She picked up the cal and studied it carefully. ¡°Even


    the eye color is different! This kitten¡¯s eyes were a deeper blue, they were not as crystalline as Mullin¡¯s.


    Larissa naturally could not tell Violet the truth.


    ¡°It¡¯s my fault.¡± She looked down as if she was ming herself. ¡°A couple of days ago, I ordered some


    food delivery. When I opened the door to get it, Mutlin suddenly ran out. I called her for a long time but


    she never came back. Alter that I got the deliverer to help me find her, but he couldn¡¯t find her either


    after almost hall an hour. Kevan was alraid that I would be too sad, so he bought another kitten of the


    same breed. But when I see this one, I keep thinking of Mullin, and wonder if she¡¯s doing okay, it she¡¯s


    eating wel, il anyone has caught her and abused her


    The more Larissa spoke, the sadder she became. Il gol to the point that she actually got choked up,


    and her eyes were sparking with tears.


    Violet put down the kitten and pulled her into her arms. Palling her back, shefarled her, ¡°Mullin


    definitely has a new owner who loves her too. Don¡¯t worry! You may be crying with such grief, but that


    little ingrale might be snoring on a s after having a good meal now!¡±


    This possibility was quite big.


    Larissa snillled and did her best to calm down. She finally said something that she had been dying to


    say since Violet came here. ¡°Can you take this kitten back and rear it for me for a while? I¡¯ll onlyke it


    back aller I stop missing Mullin so much. Is that okay?¡±

 Chapter 352

    Chapter 352


    Chapter 352


    Violet took the kitten away, just as Larissa wished.


    When Kevan got home that night, he did not hurry to eat, but circled the living room and called ¡°Mu


    ffin!¡± anxiously. He¡¯d named that kitten M uffin too.


    Larissa never used that name due to her feelings of displeasure.


    Kevan did not find the kitten, so he hurried to check the bedroom and the study, before finallying to


    the dining hall where Larissa was.


    She was eating her dinner quietly. Ever since Mullin was sent away, she rarely initiated conversation


    with him.


    Kevan asked her. ¡°Have you seen Mu ffin?¡±


    ¡°M uffin?¡± A mocking smile appeared on Larissa¡¯s face. ¡°Didn¡¯t you give her to Ruby?¡±


    Kevan was struck momentarily speechless by her, and hisce darkened as he said coldly. ¡°I meant my


    M uffin.¡±


    Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    He deliberately emphasized the word ¡°my¡±.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Larissa was dismissive. ¡°I got Mom to take it back with her.¡±


    The coldness in Kevan¡¯s eyes grew stronger.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you discuss it with me before doing that?¡± He confronted her.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you do the same when you sent mine away?¡± Larissa chuckled with contempt. ¡°I¡¯m just returning


    the favor.¡±


    Kevan¡¯s face went through several shades of color due to how livid he was. He spun around abruptly


    and went out quickly. When Larissa finally reacted, she only heard the main door mming shut. When


    Kevan came back again, it was two hourster, by then of which Larissa had already showered and


    gone to bed.


    An hour ago, she received a call from Violet, who said apologetically, ¡°Kevan ignored my advice and


    took the kitten back.¡±


    Larissa honestly did not expect Kevan to be so obsessed with that kitten.


    The next day, Violet specially came over to apologize to Larissa, who only smiled and said, ¡°It¡¯s line.


    Kevan probably likes this kitten a lot, so he could not bear to have it sent away. I was too hasty in


    asking you to take the kitten away yesterday.¡±


    Violet was very surprised. ¡°You¡¯re saying Kevan likes this kitten?¡± In her memory, Kevan would never


    take the initiative in touching furred animals who would shed. The first Mullin, ording to Larissa had


    never gotten anything from him.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Larissa nced at the sleeping kitten in the cage,plicated emotions engulling her. ¡°Kevan


    started looking for it the moment he came homest night. Before that, he would y with it for a very


    long time each night.¡±


    Violet was over the moon, Although she did not know what changed Kevan, she was delighted to see


    such changes. In a brief moment. she seemed to see a healthy, chubby baby boy calling her ¡°Granny.¡±


    ¡°i Kevan really likes it, I really can¡¯t rear it for you then.¡± Violet said with ¡°regret¡±, ¡°Even if I bring it back


    a million times, he will do everything he can to bring it back here.¡±


    Larissa knew this too, so she did not make things difficult for Violet.


    ¡°He can rear what is his. I just don¡¯t want to see it.¡±


    Violet still felt bad for Larissa.

 Chapter 353

    Chapter 353


    Chapter 353


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we go shopping?¡± Violet suggested. ¡°It¡¯s spring now, so it¡¯s also time to buy some clothes


    ording to the changing of the seasons.¡±


    Larissa wanted to go out too, but shopping-


    ¡°Would it be inconvenient for you. seeing as I¡¯m like this?¡± She looked down at her leg.


    ¡°What¡¯s Inconvenient about that?¡± Violet was unfazed. ¡°Besides, today is Monday. There shouldn¡¯t be


    anyone in the malls.¡±


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    Larissa thought about it and figured that Violet was right, so she followed her out with ease.


    Violet brought Larissa to the most high-end mall in Bartham. The brands established here are all


    famous international brands. Few people came to this mail so there were even fewer people during


    weekdays. Other than the stall, there were not many patrons there.


    Violet was a regr here. A few shop assistants from some high-end brands knew her. The moment


    they saw her, they rushed over and treated her as if she were their own mother, hugging her arm and


    trading pleasantries at once with smiles on their faces.


    ¡°I¡¯m not buying clothes for mysell.¡± Violet interrupted the assistant¡¯s never-ending rmendations


    and pointed at Larissa, who was in her wheelchair. She said. ¡°See if there are any clothes suitable for


    my daughter-inw and let her try them.¡±


    Receiving the ¡°order¡±, the shop assistant studied Larissa carefully and asked her for her height, weight,


    and her favorite style of dress. Then, she took down around ten or more sets of clothes from the rack


    and brought her to the fitting room.


    Unlike Kevan¡¯s pickiness, Violetplimented Larissa for every single item she tried on. She also


    bought everything she tried onter. Seeing the shop assistant¡¯s crinkled smile, Larissa felt a strong


    sense of unease. If she was truly the Rogers family daughter-inw, perhaps she would simply ept


    such a luxurious gilt, but she was not. So ¡ª


    ¡°Mom, don¡¯t spend so much like this,¡± she murmured to Violet. ¡°I can¡¯t wear them all if you buy


    everything.¡±


    ¡°Says who?¡± Violet took all the bulging bags of clothes into her hands. ¡°Wear a set each day! Change


    your clothes for new ones every day. You¡¯re my daughter-inw, a member of the Rogers family. If you


    don¡¯t dress well, you¡¯ll be embarrassing the family!¡±


    Larissa was struck speechless by her.


    Later, Violet took her and ¡°raided¡± a few other shops, buying anything from lingerie to outerwear. She


    bought so much that Larissa lost count of how many sets she had now. As there were too many for


    them to carry, Violet could only get the shop assistant to have the excess items delivered to Larissa¡¯s


    home.


    It was finally lunchtime when they were done with shopping.


    Violet was the one paying, so she naturally went to the most high-end restaurant in the mall. Their


    seats were close to therge floor-to- ceiling window. When Larissa finished ordering, she turned and


    caught sight of Ruby, who was passing by the shopidors with a kitty cage. Who else could be in


    that cage but Mu ffin?


    Larissa suddenly was a bit panicked. If Violet was not present, she probably would have run after Ruby,


    Sensing her oddness, Violet turned and followed her gaze, but she could only catch a vague silhouette


    of a person.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Violet asked her, ¡°You don¡¯t look so good. Are you okay?¡±


    Larissa did not dare mention Ruby as Kevan had said that Violet did not like her.


    ¡°I just saw someone passing by carrying a Ragdoll made me think of M uffin.¡± Larissa looked down with


    a bitter smile.


    Violet watched her worriedly before letting out a soli sigh.


    ¡®Let¡¯s order some cakes, alright? You¡¯ll feel better alter eating something sweet. Violet proceeded to


    order live to six cakes. Larissa missed Mullin dearly, so she savored all the cakes. Watching her, Violet


    was really anxious, but she did not know how else tofort her.


    After lunch, Larissa asked Violet, ¡°Are there any pet shops here? Or ces like 17¡å


    Cats did not need to be walked, so the only reasons she could think of Ruby bringing Multinout was


    either to go to the vet or to have her groomed. that shop.¡±


    Larissa eagerly began wheeling hersell. ¡°Then let¡¯s check it out!¡±

 Chapter 354

    Chapter 354


    Chapter 354


    The pet shop on the third floor was as big as two luxury brand stores, unlike other malls where they


    could only upy a tinyer of the building. The walls outside were filled with painted pet cartoons,


    and the interior was decorated cutely too.


    The moment Larissa went inside, she was attracted by the cat disy section, which wasrge enough


    to upy a huge amount of


    space.


    ¡°Those are the kitties that customers have left here to be pet-sat! A young girl wearing a cat ear


    hairband as well as a kitty apron came over and reminded her gently. ¡°If you¡¯d like to buy a cat, please


    follow me here! She indicated the door nearby.


    Larissa rejected her well-meaning gesture. ¡°It¡¯s alright. I¡¯m just looking around.¡±


    The girl did not chase her away nor disy any annoyance. ¡°Sure! Go ahead!¡± She remained


    agreeable.


    It was probably because this pet shop was quite famous because there were a lot of cats being pet-sat


    here. Larissa looked over every cat before finally finding a Ragdoll kitten that looked exactly like Mu ffin


    in thest cubby of the ss cab. The ss door had a few


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    words: M uffin, Cole, 3/1300XXX


    The date was today¡¯s date.


    Larissa got emotional as she patted the ss door twice, calling, ¡°Mullin!¡±


    Mullin had seen her already, and she was also pressing her face to the door and meowing at her. The


    strangeness of both human and kitten naturally attracted the attention of others in the shop. The young


    girl from before came over and asked in confused wonder. ¡°Do you


    know the owner of this kilty?¡±


    Larissa was just about to reply when she noticed Violet next to her.


    ¡ª


    No.¡± She pulled her hand back and said despondently. ¡°It¡¯s just that this kitten looks like the one I lost


    not long ago, and even the name is the same. So, I couldn¡¯t help myself.¡±


    The girl worked in the shop, so she naturally loved pets and cats. Therefore, she could understand


    Larissa¡¯s feelings. She gave Larissa a cup of water from the water dispenser at the reception counter.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, you can leave me your contact number. I can help you ask after the owneres


    over to retrieve the killen at night, and see if it¡¯s the one you lost.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Larissa smiled a little. She was certain that this was her Mu ffin, so such an unnecessary act


    was not needed. Tugging on Violet¡¯s hand, she said, ¡°Let¡¯s go, Mom.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Violet pushed Larissa out of the shop.


    Before they left the shop entirely, Larissa turned back to look at the kitten in the ss cab again.


    They did not go shopping in the afternoon but went to a beauty salon that Violet frequented for a full


    body treatment. After that they had dinner before Violet sent Larissa home.


    Having had fun for a whole day. Larissa was a le tired. She was preparing to sleep after her shower


    when she remembered there was still a kitten in the house. Before leaving, she had filled its bowl with


    cal food, but it was only enough for one meal. It must be starving its head off at this point.


    The kitter was sleeping quietly in its cage, surprisingly not meowing its hunger out loud. Larissa


    became gentler and quieter, refilling its bowl without disturbing it. After that, she went to sleep with


    assurance.


    After some time had passed, she was woken up by a loud m. Startled, Larissa sat up in her bed,


    blinking blearily as she saw someone standing by her bedroom door.


    ¡°Larissa Seymour! Do you even have a conscience?!¡± Kevan¡¯s sudden sharp questioning dispersed


    any sense of fatigue she had.


    ¡°What the hell is going on now? Her voice was hoa rse from sleep.


    ¡°Muttin is, and you can still sleep so well!¡± Kevan sneered and turned to leave


    Larissa quickly got out of bed. She did not even have time to put on her slippers as she followed him


    with her injured leg.

 Chapter 355

    Chapter 355


    Chapter 355


    ¡°What did you say? Muttin is? Which Muttin?¡± she asked anxiously.


    The kitten in the cage had been brought out by Kevan, and it was c currently lying on the sofa


    motionlessly, just as dead as Larissa when she was asleep. Even if her brain was muddled right now,


    Larissa could sense that something was wrong.


    ¡°When did it get sick?¡± she asked Kevan. She only got another sneer from Kevan.


    ¡°You don¡¯t even know having been at home for the whole day, how would I know?¡±


    With that, he brought the kitten into his arms and headed anxiously to the entrance hall Larissa


    followed him closely. When Kevan was changing his shoes, Larissa randomly pulled out a pair of winter


    boots from the shoe cab too, and put them on,


    ¡°What are you doing? Kevan asked her.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to send it to the vet? I¡¯m going with you.¡± Larissa gazed at the motionless kitty. Even if


    she sidelined the kitten, her heart


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    was anxious over its current condition too.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you hate it?¡± Kevan¡¯s hand dropped onto the doorknob. ¡°Stay home! It¡¯s enough for me to go


    alone! Pushing open the door, a walt


    of cold wind breezed in, causing Larissa to shiver. She was only wearing a thin nightgown, which was


    clearly unable to block off the cold.


    ¡°Wait for me, I¡¯ll grab a down jacket!¡± She stripped off her boots before running into the house, but


    Kevan had no intention to wait for her.


    After he was out, he mmed the door shut. Hearing that Larissa froze in her steps. She hurriedly


    turned around to see the shut door, and


    her anxiety cooled off in an instant. Her heart also strangely felt empty.


    Down jacket wrapped around her, she went to the balcony. That familiar car downstairs just happened


    to get started, and it soon vanished


    into the darkness.


    After Kevan left with the kitten, Larissa could no longer sleep. She sat in the living room and turned on


    the TV, flipping the channels over and over before starting from the top again. The current time period


    was a golden hour for every big TV station to fight for views. But none of the dramas or reality shows


    could draw her attention.


    She then used her phone to go through Instagram as well asbing through the hundreds of


    messages in the group chats in WhatsApp. But after quitting both apps, she did not remember what


    she saw not what anyone said in the group chats.


    Larissa would go to the balcony once every ten or so minutes. After almost an hour, she finally waited


    for Kevan¡¯s car to return. She went to open the door and waited in the entrance hall,


    Ten minutester, Kevan appeared by the elevator doors with the kitten. When he saw her. Kevan froze


    for a bit before entering the house with a cold aura about him. He went past her after changing shoes


    without even looking at her.


    Larissa asked with concern, ¡°So, what¡¯s the problem?¡±


    Kevan did not answer. He gently ced the kitten on the sofa and grabbed a first aid kit from his room.


    Seeing this, Larissa was a bit


    anxious.


    ¡°Is it really bad?¡± she asked.


    Kevan still said nothing. He mixed a bag of herbal medicine and led a needleless syringe to the brim


    with it. Then, he forced the kitten¡¯s mouth open and injected the medicine into it.


    Seeing this, Larissa could guess. ¡°Did it catch a cold?¡±


    After feeding the kitten, Kevan gave her a cold stare. He had a strange look on his face, where his


    smile did not quite resemble a smile. ¡°It¡¯s not a serious illness, hence it will not die. Sorry for


    disappointing you.¡±

 Chapter 356

    Chapter 356


    Chapter 356


    Kevan¡¯s voice was so much more chilling than the piercing cold wind outside.


    Larissa¡¯s heart became colder, her expression smoothing out into calm,


    ¡°I went out with Mom today and only came back around 6 pm or so. When I did, I showered and went


    straight to bed. Then, you woke me up,¡± she said, ¡°I admit that I don¡¯t like this kitten and that I¡¯ve never


    cared about it. But I swear that I have never thought of wishing that it would get ill or die.¡±


    Kevan stared fixedly at her, trying to catch any hints of lies from herce, but there were none. He


    knew all too well that if she wanted to find an excuse to escape ountability, she did not need to drag


    his mother into it. Knowing that he had misunderstood her, Kevan fell a little guilty. But when he heard


    her admit that she did not like this kitten, he was sill rather displeased with her.


    ¡°Is it because once you¡¯ve decided on that call all other cats cannot hold a candle to it? His eyes


    darkened, containing a kind ofplicated emotion that Latissa could not understand.


    His erratic thought process confused her, but she still answered honestly. ¡°Yes.¡±


    Kevan¡¯s body jolled noticeably. Looking down, his messy bangs fell against his forehead, covering


    those fathomless eyes of his. ¡°I get it now.¡± His voice was very soft, and it sounded despondently


    bittersweet. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for raging at you earlier.¡± He picked up the kitten and continued. ¡°Once it gets


    better, I will send it to my mom¡¯s.¡± He would not let it be an eyesore for her.


    ¡°Hang on.¡± Larissa blocked him off though,


    She did not know why he was suddenly so depressed, but the way he looked right now made her sad


    too. It felt like a thousand needles were stabbing into her heart, delivering a dense wave of pain


    throughout her body.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Kevan¡¯s chest nearly touched her arm. He hated his steps, his gaze moving up to lock with


    hers.


    ¡°If you like this kitten, feel free to keep it and rear i Larissa said seriously. She had seen Kevan¡¯s efforts


    towards this kitten. Even though he had heartlessly sent away her Mullin, she could not bear to do the


    same to him precisely because she knew what it was like to lose something that she held very dear.


    ??


    She gazed at the kitten in his arms. ¡°Will try to ept IL¡±


    Try to ept?


    Kevan looked down again as the ironic smile on his face grew bigger.


    ¡°No need.¡±


    He did not want to force her to ept things that she did not like. Like this kitten, for example, Like ¨C


    him.


    ¡°When are you avable? Let¡¯s go through the divorce procedures.¡±


    When he was waiting for Mutin¡¯s diagnosis at the veterinary hospital, he thought of a whole lot of things


    by himself. Although he had forcefully expressed his adamance in not divorcing her before, he was the


    only one who knew that he was scaring her. He had always had a soft spot for her. If she had forced


    him to divorce her, to the point that she would ignore all consequences¨Cor even if things did not reach


    that point he would have agreed to it


    He did not want to let things be dragged out to that extent, and he most certainly did not want to be like


    this kitten, overlooked, ignored. and treated coldly all the time. If he was destined not to receive her


    love, then he wanted to leave with some of his dignity intact.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Larissa did not understand how they went from talking about the kitten to divorce. She only


    knew that this matter, of which she had been waiting and hoping for, did not bring her any joy at all. In


    fact, she was actually a little panicked and spumed the thought of it.


    Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°I thought you wanted to divorce? Kevanughed. ¡°I will full your wish.¡±


    Fulfill her wish?


    Larissa was a little pissed at that. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t it be fulling things for you and Ruby?¡± she retorted.


    Kevan¡¯s smile grew colder, ¡°I guess so.¡± he said. ¡°So, when are we going to divorce?¡±


    ¡°Any time is fine.¡±

 Chapter 357

    Chapter 357


    Chapter 357


    Larissa¡¯s answer caused Kevan¡¯s heart to sink into his stomach, He had dared to hold on to some


    hope, wishing that she would say a few words to convince him otherwise. But reality dealt atal blow


    to him anyway.


    ¡°Tomorrow, then,¡± Kevan¡¯s voice was deliberately casual


    It would be good to end this rtionship faster because it meant that he would not have to dream about


    something so unattainable ever again.


    Watching his relieved expression, Larissa clenched her fists. ¡°Sure.¡± She forced a smile onto herce.


    ¡°I won¡¯t need your money. It¡¯s not Like our marriage was real anyway, so to take hall of your money at


    this stage would not make any sense. But¡ª¡± She licked her lips.¡± Could you please return my Mullin to


    me?¡±


    Her somewhat humble plea caused Kevan¡¯s heart to shudder. However, he did not wish to change the


    kitten back, regardless of whether or not it was because of the current situation or due to his own


    selfishness.


    ¡°No,¡± he said tly, his face dark.


    Although this refusal was within Larissa¡¯s expectations, hearing it from him really turned her heart to


    ice.


    Okay then.¡± She did not press the issue. T¨Cgo back to my room and sleep. See you tomorrow morning¡±


    Kevan was faster than her though, returning to his room with the kitten in his arms.


    Staring at the closed door for quite a while, Larissa finally limped her way back to her room.


    Kevany on the bed while the kitteny on his chest. He raised one hand to block off the light that was


    too piercing for his eyes.


    ¡°Larissa- really did not love me, huh?¡± He smiled bitterly as he spoke. He seemed to be mumbling to


    himself while also seemingly speaking to the kitten who was sleeping lethargically from its cold.


    Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.


    I¡¯m honestly so blind and stupid to have been in love with her for so many years.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to love her anymore.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s so hard. It¡¯s too hard.¡±


    ¡°You must feel the same too, huh?¡±


    ¡°You knew that she didn¡¯t like you, that she didn¡¯t care about you, but you still wanted to show yoursell


    to her to make her notice you and


    ke you, right?¡±


    ¡°Do you know how pitiful you are like this?¡±


    ¡°Ha. pitiful Indeed.¡±


    Kevan chuckled quietly to himself until the sound gradually faded away.


    Larissa did not sleep that night, She got up from the bed with dark circles under her eyes. Worried that


    Kevan would notice that something was amiss, she applied a thickyer of foundation on her face, and


    even put on unprecedentedly thick makeup. When she walked out of the bedroom, Kevan was already


    sitting in the living room. He did not dress any differently from his usual style, and his hair was perfectly


    brushed.


    People would think that he was going to get married, not divorced.


    When he heard the noise, Kevan turned to look. Unlike her fragility, he looked line and filled with


    energy. Larissa¡¯s despondent mood vanished in an instant. He could finally be with his dream girl after


    all this time, he was probably Jubnt or something! And here she was, being all sad about it, what a


    total do


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± she looked away and sald with much frigidity.


    They were waiting for the elevator when Kevan¡¯s phone suddenly rang. He took it out and saw that it


    was Dn calling.


    Kevan picked up the cal, and Dn¡¯s lively voice came through. ¡°Kevan! I¡¯m in Dartham! Come on and


    pick me up from the airport!¡±

 Chapter 358

    Chapter 358


    Chapter 358


    Kevan and Larissa both froze.


    If this was before, Kevan would have rejected Dn¡¯s unreasonable request and had him take a cab to


    come over, but today¡­


    He looked down at Larissa and asked for her opinion with his eyes.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go to the airport then.¡±


    The moment she said that both of them breathed quiet sighs of relief. The elevator happened to arrive


    right at this moment too.


    Kevan asked Larissa. ¡°You want toe along?¡±


    She nodded and said. ¡°Sure.¡± Ever since she came to Bartham, she rarely contacted her friends in


    Covenford.


    After the new year, Dn¡¯s career seemed to take of She frequently saw him posting on Instagram in


    the dead hours of the night, creating stories about how he was still up reviewing case files. Afraid that


    she would disturb him, Larissa never took the initiative to contact him.


    The truth was, she missed him quite a bit..


    Naturally, Dn heard them talking. ¡°Are you with Larissa?¡± he asked Kevan, who grunted in


    affirmation.


    ¡°She¡¯sing with me to pick you up.¡±


    This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.


    ¡°She doesn¡¯t need to be at work today? Although Dn was happy, he was also confused.


    Larissa did not announce her broken leg to the world, and Kevan was not someone who talked much,


    so Dn only knew of her kidnapping by Jay Cole through the news, but nothing of the details of the


    kidnapping.


    Kevan just grunted again as a response, and he said. ¡°The signal¡¯s not good in the elevator. I¡¯ll call you


    again once we get to the airport.¡±


    They did not say anything on the way to the airport. They were afraid that the moment they opened


    their mouths, one of them would bring up the subject of divorce. So, they could only pretend and lie to


    themselves this way while keeping themselves on tenterhooks.


    They had specifically left at a time to avoid peak hours, but they were still stuck on the highway for


    quite a while before reaching the airport two hourster. Following Dn¡¯s instructions. Kevan found


    him quickly. Dn was wearing a thin, long parka, shivering in the cold


    winds.


    *You¡¯re finally here!¡± He tossed his luggage into the trunk and went to the backseat of the car out of


    habit, but saw Larissa smiling at him from there. He asked in confusion, ¡°Howe you¡¯re sitting in the


    back?¡±


    ¡°My leg is broken, and there¡¯s more space in the back,¡± she replied.


    ¡°So, the wheelchair back there was yours? Dn had found it odd, thinking that Kevan waspletely


    fine, so why would he need to have


    a wheelchair in the car?


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Larissa nodded.


    Dn looked down at her leg and asked with concern. ¡°How did you break your leg? Howe I don¡¯t


    know about this?¡±


    Seeing that their conversation was going to get potentially longer, Kevan frowned and interrupted them


    with annoyance. ¡°Chat when


    you¡¯re in the car. I can¡¯t park here.¡±


    Dn quickly shut the door for Larissa before getting into the passenger¡¯s seat. Once he was inside,


    he could not help but rub his arms and exim, ¡°Bartham¡¯s really cold, man! Covenlord¡¯s temperature


    is going back up. It¡¯s already around 68¡® Fthese two days, and it actually feels hot over there in this


    getup! Who knew that it¡¯d be freezing over here!¡±


    Kevan¡¯s face was still cold, but he adjusted the temperature in the car so that it was higher. Watching


    his actions, Larissa suddenly felt sad. She knew that Kevan was a warm and gentle man, but he would


    never treat her that way. He never even treated her as his friend.


    Dn chattered away for some time before he finally remembered to ask about Larissa¡¯s leg. ¡°So how


    did your leg get broken?¡±


    ¡°Well, it was when Jay kidnapped me and he kicked my leg fill it broke,¡± Larissa casually wrote her own


    injury off without mentioning how Ruby worsened it.


    ¡°Did he kick you that hard?¡±


    It was already a month, and she still needed to sit in a wheelchair?

 Chapter 359

    Chapter 359


    Chapter 359


    Larissa smiled calmly. ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Kevan nced at her through the rearview mimor and pressed his lips lightly together, not ultering a


    single word.


    *Speaking of which, I haven¡¯t asked.¡± Larissa changed the subject. ¡°What are you doing in Bartham?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Kevan c¡¯t tell you?¡± Dn eyed sad man in confusion before turning to look at Larissa again.


    ¡°Kevan has a friend who wants to get a divorce. Thewyer hired previously suddenly quit and let so I


    got called back.¡±


    A ¡°end¡± of Kevan¡¯s who wanted to get a divorce Larissa could only think of Ruby. If she could be


    considered his ¡°friend¡± loo, well, she


    was probably another one who wanted to get a divorce too


    ¡°Oh.¡± Larissa did not show any visiblecial changes. ¡°I heard about that.¡±


    Hearing no changes in her voice. Kevan¡¯s grip lightened on the steering wheel.


    ¡°Then, where are you staying?¡± Larissa asked.


    ¡°My home, of course! Dn replied matter¨Cof¨Cfacily.


    Larissa suddenly realized her question was a little dumb.


    ¡°My home is one floor below yours, just like in Covenlord,¡± Dn added.


    Larissa did not know about this.


    ¡°But I have to stay at your ce for a night. My ce isn¡¯t quite cleaned up yet so I can¡¯t sleep there.¡±


    He smiled sheepishly, before looking at Kevan with a smirk. You will take me r, right?¡±


    Kevan eyed him with his peripheral vision and asked coldly. ¡°I said no, would you go somewhere else?¡±


    ¡°Nope!¡± Dn did not hesitate.


    Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.


    Dn went home with them. The moment he entered the apartment, he yelled in surprise. ¡°You have a


    cat!¡±


    His voice was incredibly loud.


    ¡°Is this kitty afraid of people?¡±


    ¡®Does it bile?¡±


    ¡°Can I y with?¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t scratch me, right?¡±


    ¡°Is it vinated?


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t carry any diseases, does it?¡±


    He crouched before the cage, yammering away without stopping.


    Kevan grabbed his cr and pulled him up, his face thunderous even as he growled, ¡°Get out.¡±


    Dn easily escaped his clutches and crouched down again, carefully bringing the killen out.


    Kevan had fed it another shot of herbal medicine, and the kitten¡¯s energy was better than yesterday. At


    least it would not keep sleeping again today, and it meowed at Dn, whose heart was pretty much


    melting at how cute It was. He refused to let it go for a very long time.


    Keven urged him, ¡®Hurry up and move your things into the quest room. We still have something


    important we need to do.¡±


    Dn did not even look at him, grumbling, ¡°I just got here! Can¡¯t I rest for a bit before I do anything


    else? Didn¡¯t you say that it wasn¡¯t urgent?¡±


    Kevan turned to nce at the dining hall. Seeing that Larissa was not out yet, he kicked Dn¡¯s leg. be


    sleeping with your parents tonight!


    ¡°Fine, line, fine! I¡¯ll go, rigor Dn got up reluctantly just as Larissa came out with a mousse cake that


    she made the day before. Seeing that they were about to leave, she was a little surprised.


    ¡°Are you leaving so soon?¡± she asked.


    Dn saw the cake and said hurriedly. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like I have to go now, this cake¡­¡±


    He had not finished speaking when Kevan yanked him back to the entrance hall ¡°Do you want to go


    home? Kevan threatened him in a low voice. Dn pouted but followed him out of the door.

 Chapter 360

    Chapter 360


    Chapter 360


    Dn noticed keenly that Kewan did not seem to be in a good mood. The moment he got into the car,


    he retrieved his sunsses from the glovepartment and put them on, his aura screaming ¡°stay


    away from me!¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡± Dn poked his arm and asked, ¡°No new developments with Larissa?¡±


    Kevan¡¯s lips were pressed even more lightly together, and his eyes narrowed with displeasure behind


    the sunsses.


    ¡°She doesn¡¯t like me. What developments are there to be had?¡± His voice was cold, but Dn could


    hear some bitterness in it.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you that she had feelings for you?¡± Dn¡¯s frustration was palpable.


    ¡°Only that.¡± It did not mean that she liked him. Otherwise, why would she constantly mention fulfilling


    him and Ruby Cole?


    ¡°You need to work hard to turn ¡®having feelings for your into liking your Dn knew without even


    needing to think that Kevan could not lower himself to woo Larissa, but waited for her to get close to


    him instead. Although his face could cause many women to fall for him. with Larissa- it was more


    complicated.


    Kevan made noment about this.


    Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.


    Dn hulled coldly. ¡°If you continue to be so cold and distant, Larissa may just divorce your


    This sentence punched straight into Kevan¡¯s sore spot. He mmed his foot on the brake, and Dn


    pliched forward without warning. If it were not for the safety belt, he would have mmed his head


    against the windshield.


    ¡°Get out!¡± Kevan snarled, his re obvious even through the sunsses. Dn naturally did not take


    his words seriously and remained in the car without shame. However, he wisely stopped talking about


    the previous subject.


    When Kevan got angry, nothing he said would be of use as he would simply be ignored. With how


    many times this had urred. Dn would not bother to embarrass himself.


    He fidgeted in boredom. When he opened the glovepartment, two folded pieces of cardstock


    paper slipped out of it andnded on hisp. Looking down, Dn was able to see the contents


    vaguely through the open sides of the papers. ¡°Marriage certificates?¡±


    Stunned. Kevan nearly did not step on the brake and ran the red light. Once the car had stopped nicely


    on the line, he snatched the papers and shoved them back into the glovepartment.


    ¡°Don¡¯t fucking touch that he snapped in a low voke.


    Dn found it odd. ¡°I thought you guarded your marriage certificates zealously. Why did you just leave


    them in the car?


    ¡°Is it any of your business where I put those certificates? Kevan grew more and more imitable by his


    question


    His cranky reaction caused Dn¡¯s suspicions to deepen.


    ¡°You and Larissa- can¡¯t possibly be thinking of getting a divorce, right?¡±


    Dn was awyer specializing in divorce. It was easy for him to think in this vein when things came


    up. Seeing that Kevan was quiet with no retort in sight, he eximed loudly. ¡°I actually guessed it


    right?¡±


    The light turned green and Kevan hit the gas pedal driving the car forward. He stared straight ahead


    and said quietly, ¡°Larissa and I were going to have the divorce procedures started today, but you


    came.¡±


    ¡°Thank fuck I camer Dn rubbed his chest and said with relief, ¡°Rx, as long as I¡¯m in Bartham, you


    will never get divorced!¡±


    Kevanughed coldly. ¡°You being in Bartham has nothing to do with whether or not we¡¯ll get divorced.¡±


    Picking Dn up at the airport was an urgent matter, so Larissa had agreed to dy their divorce. Now


    that Dn was here, he had no other excuses

 Chapter 361

    Chapter 361


    Chapter 361


    Kevan suddenly found himself being ridiculous again.


    He had already decidedst night to end things decisively, but when things really got down to It, he


    withdrew once more.


    Dn sneered back at him and said, ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate me! Let me have a good chat with Larissa


    first during these two days. Don¡¯t do anything rash¡±


    ¡°I


    ¡°No need.¡± Kevan refused his good intentions. I was the one who spoke of divorce first. My two cousins


    they¡¯re getting restless again.¡± His hall¨Cnarrowed eyes were gleaming coldly.


    Although Dn was notpletely pity to his family matters. he was aware of a good deal of it.


    Hearing him say that Dn¡¯s heart rose up into his throat. ¡°They¡¯ve made a move on Larissa?


    ¡°Cody tried to pursue her, but talled,¡± Kevan sad.


    ¡°Holy fuck, cade! Dn was really disgusted. ¡°Car your cousins honestly change theirctics in lighting


    you? They just keep trying to steal yourgr. lc give you some setbacks. It¡¯s lucking lowman!¡±


    Kevan smiled mockingly. ¡°Considering how stupid they are, they can only think of interiorctics like


    this.¡±


    ¡°But this time, they really dealt you a blow, didn¡¯t they?¡® Dn¡¯s gaze on Kevan had sympathy in them.


    He knew how much Kevan loved Larissa, and knew that if Kevan was not out of iceas, he would never


    take the initiative in raising the idea of divorce.


    ¡°Last time you were soft on them letting them all for the sake of your grandpa. This time, are you gonna


    linish them off for good?¡±


    Kevan¡¯s smie grew bigger, but his gaze was chiling. ¡°Of course,¡± he said.


    Kevan brought Dn to Ruby¡¯s new ce.


    ¡°So, your ¡°bird who needs a divorce¡® is Ruby Cole? This was the truth that On lound out aller arriving


    below Ruby¡¯s new residence.


    ¡°Yep,¡± Kevan answered in a low voice.


    ¡°Really?¡± Dn could not believe It Wasn¡¯t she the one who said that she loved Cody to death? How


    many years has it only been, and she already wants to gel divorced?


    ¡°She said Cody brat her,¡± Kevan remarked mildy, and Dn asked. ¡®Do you believe her?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Kevan replied.


    He had taken Ruby to the hospital to check for her wounds, none of them were fake, and ording to


    the doctor, her injuries were not light.


    This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.


    ¡°Cody is a violent psychopath.¡±


    Although Kevan had let off his cousins then, he had been moniloring their families without stopping all


    these years. He knew exactly what


    kind of person Cody was.


    le¡¯s an alcoholic, and gets violent whenever he¡¯s drunk,¡±


    As his wife¨Csomeone he¡¯d married in order to give Kevan selbacks, Ruby was naturally his first target


    to vent his anger to


    ¡°Well serves Ruby right!¡± Dn sald gleefully. He still remembered how Ruby humiliated Kevan all


    those years ago¨Ceven Kevan had not minded because that was a scheme he had dev sed himself. But


    Ruby¡¯s twoced personality was ingrained deeply into his memory. which made him feet revolled


    every time he thought about il.


    Kevan did not deny Dn¡¯s words, but only reminded him. Later when you¡¯re in front of her, don¡¯t make


    any cold remarks. You must be caring, sympathetic, and willing to help her.¡±


    Dn stared at him hard and asked in a low voice.¡°What are you nning now? He was not stupid


    enough to think that the rumors on The Inte were true. Kevan has only ever liked that one person


    from bellors up III. now. Even il Larissa did not exist, just with how much of a clean freak Kevan was, he


    would never ever like someone like Ruby, who was absolutely tainted in body and soul

 Chapter 362

    Chapter 362


    Chapter 362


    ¡°I tell you the details next time.¡± Kevan keyed in the passcode of the apartment¡¯s door.


    Hearing the beeps that signified the door opening. Dn was shocked. ¡°How do you know the


    passcode?¡±


    ¡°Ruby¡¯s living in my ce.¡± Kevan¡¯s expression remained unchanged, and his movements were


    natural. ¡°It¡¯s more secluded here, so it¡¯s not that easy for Cody¡¯s people to get in here.¡±


    The picture¨Ctaking incident from before, after Kevan looked into itter, was done by people at Cody¡¯s


    behest. Getting Ruby to move over was a way tofort her, and on the other hand, Kevan also did


    not want the same thing to happen again¨Cin case his mother caught him and started raging at him


    again.


    ¡°Howe I didn¡¯t know that you had a ce here? Dn looked around curiously, Kevan had never


    brought him here before.


    ¡°Before moving to the floor above you, I bought a lot of properties.¡± Kevan sald mildly. That was when


    Microworks had yet to grow and develop, and his work focus remained on Soaring Corporation. That


    was the time period when the infighting amongst the Rogers was at its highest peak. His father had


    stepped down from his elevated position then, so the other two families set their sights on him. They


    used everyctic possible, going asr as to hire hilmen to kill him.


    This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.


    In order to live and protect himself, he bought several properties on different stretches ofnd. No one


    knew which home he would go back to every night. After Microworks surpassed Soaring Corporation,


    he finally had the money and capablity to deal with his two uncles. Once they had quieted down, he


    and Dn bought a ce together and settled downpletely.


    Tsking, Dn teased. ¡°Are you bragging right now?¡±


    Kevan eyed him from the corner of his eye and retorted. ¡°Bragging about the fact that I have to change


    my home of residence every day because my two uncles are trying to kill me?¡±


    Dn shut his mouth at once.


    Kevan did not tell Ruby beforehand that he wasing. When he entered the apartment, he saw


    Ruby¨Cwho was unkempt disheveled, and wearing a nightgown¨Clounging on the sofa, yawning widely


    without any care for her Image. When her gaze locked with Kevan¡¯s, her mouth was still open, and she


    could not close it due to her shock.


    When she finally reacted, it was already half a minuteter.


    ¡°devan? Why are you here?¡± She hurriedly got to her feel, anxiously tugging at the hem of her


    nightgown while deliberately turning away so he would not see her without makeup.


    *Thewyer I¡¯ve hired for you arrived in Bartham today, and I directly brought him over.¡± Kevan calmly


    retrieved a pair of slippers from the shoe cabinel as if he had not noticed her panic.


    Dn revealed himself from behind him, having put away his casual attitude and disying one of a


    professionalwyer.


    ¡°Hello, Ms. Cole.¡± He dipped his head lightly with a smile.


    Seeing a stranger Ruby was even more panicked than ever. ¡°Uh, hi Hello? She greeted Dn with a


    forced smile on her face before spinning around to head back to the bedroom. ¡°Let me get changed,


    please take a seal!¡±


    The coffee table in the living room was filled with empty takeout boxes, and the trash can seemed to


    have some food waste in it. There was the smell of greasy food hanging in the air, causing Kevan to


    frown.


    Dn snickered quietly with glee. ¡°I guess you won¡¯t be able to live in this apartment even if you


    wanted to! With how slovenly Ruby was. she was likely to fuck up Kevan¡¯s apartment so badly that it


    would be beyond repair. However, Kevan did not get mad as he anticipated.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been nning to sell these properties anyway.¡± It was just that he had a lot of other things going


    on that dyed this n, so he had not been able to do so on time.


    ¡°Clear up this trash.¡± Kevan indicated the takeout boxes as he gave Dn the order, while he himself


    went over to open the balcony doors.

 Chapter 363

    Chapter 363


    Chapter 363


    The cold air blew in causing the temperature of the apartment to drop, but it also cleared up the greasy


    air in the room.


    Dn was not a clean freak, but that did not mean that he was willing to clean up after someone¡¯s food


    trash. He would not mind it so much if it was a close friend, but it just had to be Ruby, who he hated


    greatly.


    ¡°Hell no.¡± He dumped himself on the s, his expression one of extreme candidness. ¡°Ruby can take


    care of it herself when shees


    out.¡±


    Kevan red at him, but he did not force him to coil.


    Ruby said she was going to get changed, but when she emerged from the bedroom. she had washed


    and dried her hair as well as put on makeup. On was no longer confused then as to why she needed


    to spend one and a hall hours to get changed.


    Having ¡°armed¡® herself, Ruby was clearly calmer than before, and more confident too, Bul when she


    noticed the trash she left on the coffee table, she freaked out again, quickly going ever to throw


    everything into the trash can. Once she was certain there were no other issues, she sat next to Kevan


    with relief.


    ¡°Kevar!¡± ste simpered sweetly, though there was some amount of displeasure in It. ¡°Call me before


    coming over next time, hmm? That way I can clean up. Otherwise, it¡¯s so embarrassing¡±


    Kevan answered ndly, ¡°Sure.¡±


    Ruby¡¯s gaze moved over to Dn. ¡°How shouldddress you. Mr, Lawyer? she asked smilingly.


    Dn replied, ¡°Shields. Myst name is Shields.¡± His altitude was mild.


    Ruby let out an ¡°Oh,¡± belore naturally holding Kevan¡¯s left hand with her right. ¡°Theard that you


    specialize in divorce cases. Mr. Shields. Kevan te ls me that you have never lost a case since you


    started?¡±


    Dn stared at their hands and nearly shouted out ¡®What the freaking luck?¡±


    This woman was bold as hell!


    However


    the inside. A devil would naturally


    Sneaking a look at Kewan and seeing his deliberately carefree expression, Dn was a little smug on


    th have a devilsh tormenter of their own. This was extremely satisfying!


    ¡°Mr. Rogers is giving me far too much credit.¡± Dn waved his hand disingenuously, it¡¯s not that I¡¯ve


    never lost a case, but more like I¡¯ve been lucky to win more cases than I lose.¡±


    ¡°Then I can be at ease.¡± Ruby seemed to sigh in relief. ¡°To be honest, my situation ¡ª quile difficult. An


    averagewyer can¡¯t deal with it


    well¡±


    ¡°On? Dn disyed great interest and continued, ¡°Please tell me in detail Ms. Cole.¡±


    The difficult bit about Ruby and Cody¡¯s divorce case was Cody himself. Rich, powerful and viciously


    ruthless, anyone who oflended himBelongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    would not have a good end.


    ¡°Sc, please be prepared to be threatened by anyore he sends, Mr. Shields. Of course. Il you¡¯re unable


    to ept this, you may leave now too,¡± Ruby sald


    ¡°This is a minor issue for me.¡± Dn was not the least bit afraid, With Kevan protecting him, Cody¡¯s


    people would probably have trouble even trying to get close to him.


    Ruby¡¯s garellickered with something. She smiled after a moment of being caught all guard and said,


    ¡°Wonderful, then.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve still got something to deal with at thepany.¡± Kevan suddenly stood up, his hand slipping out of


    Ruby¡¯s. ¡°Take your Ilme and talk things over, if you need me, call.¡±


    ¡°Wait¨CRuby wanted to stop him, but her lingers had only touched his fingertips when he swilty avolded


    her. Seemingly unaware of her attempts to stop him, Kevan walked away from her without looking back


    as he headed toward the door.

 Chapter 364

    Chapter 364


    Chapter 364


    Ruby watched as Kevan shut the door behind him, darknessshing momentarily through her eyes as


    her fists clenched, and she nearly ground her own teeth to dust. Her little actions did not go unnoticed


    by Dn, but he remained as cool as a cucumber and acted as if he saw nothing


    ¡°Ms. Cole. Mr, Rogers said that you had suffered seriousestic abuse? He continued the subject


    from before.


    ¡°Yes¡± The moment Kevan left. Ruby¡¯s attitude toward Dyan became cold at once. She did not even look


    at him while she spoke. Her attitude cid not surprise Dn, even though he fell difited with it. But


    it was precisely because he know what sort of person she was that he was able to ept it. He thought


    with some amount of dark glee. ¡°I wonder what sort of attitude or expression she will show when she


    finds nul Kevan and are best friends?¡±


    ¡°Could you provide me with the details and informat on you gave to the previouswyer?¡± Dn asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have them with me right now.¡± Ruby denied him at once. ¡°If you want them, find Mr. Rogers.¡±


    With that, she did not care how Dn would react standing up and dismissing him at once. ¡°I¡¯m a little


    tired. Mr. Shields. Il there¡¯s nothing else, please leave at once. We can talk about the divorce at ater


    date.¡±


    If he did not reed to maintain his professionalwyer image, Dn would have snapped back long ago.


    Tired? She did nothing all day long¨Cjust lying on the s and cating takeout. Just how tired could she


    be?


    Internally rolling his eyes. Dn maintained a polite smile and said. ¡°Of course, I will take my leave


    then.¡± He dug out a business card and left it on the coffee table. ¡°Please make an appointment with me


    beforehand should you wish to discuss the matter of the divorce.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Ruby was very offhand about it


    Dn was about to leave when he suddenly heard ant, soft meow. That sound clearly came from a


    kitten. He suddenly recalled the Ragdoll in Kevan¡¯s home. ¡°You have a kitten as well Ms. Cole? He


    asked in surprise.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Ruby frowned, standing in ce as she surveyed the room, seemingly cosing for that kitten.


    However, the animal only meowed out loud every now and then but never showedct. Ruby grew


    irritated.


    Ill see you of Mr. Shields. Huby dismissed him once more


    Even if Dn was really curious about that kitten, he could not remain any longer. The door nearly


    scraped against his back as it closed. Dn had only waked away a few steps when he heard the


    woman inside shrieking as if she had gone mad. ¡°Cut Get out here you fucking shit of a cal!¡±


    heart Date the


    Something cold mped around Dn¡¯s elevator arrived, he quickly went inside.


    Kevan¡¯s car was still parked downstairs.


    Dn went over with some hope, and just as he expected, Kevan was inside, a cigarelle pinched


    between the lingers of his right hand. Kevan¡¯s expression was despondent, his eyes hall¨Cnarrowed. He


    was staring nky at something, something clearly on his mind. When he heard Gyan opening the car


    door, he finally came back to himsell


    ¡°Howe you¡¯re back so soon?¡± He stubbed out the cigarette, surpriseshing through his eyes.Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Psh!¡± Cyan snorted coldly. ¡°You don¡¯t even know how quickly Ruby changed her attitudel The moment


    you lett, she didn¡¯t want to talk to me anymore. I¡¯m seriously suspecting if she even wants to get a


    divorce.¡±


    Kewan¡¯s mocking smile was just the same as his. ¡°Who knows?


    *Oh, yeard By the way.¡± Dn rubbed at the nonexistent goosebumps on this arms and asked


    carefully, ¡°Does Huby have some sort of mental illness?¡±

 Chapter 365

    Chapter 365


    Chapter 365


    This question of his really stumped Kevan. Thinking it through carefully, Kevan sald uncertainly. ¡°I don¡¯t


    think so? seen her acl cut when I was with her.¡±


    ? Anyway, Eve never


    ¡°But earlier. Dn told Kevan everything he had heard, which made thetter frown deeper as a hint of


    panic eared on hisce.


    ¡°You¡¯re saying ¡¤ she was looking for a cal?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Dn nodded. ¡°She doesn¡¯t seem to like that cat. Just kept yelling as she tried looking for it.


    She sounded near hysterical Im telling you, just like she has bipr disorder or something.¡±


    The moment Cyan finished speaking, Kevan was already out of the car.


    ¡°Hry Where are you going?¡± On also ustered his seat belt and hurried down alter him too.


    Kevan had returned to Ruby¡¯s ce, and she had found the kitten. When Kevan went inside, she saw


    her strangling Multir¡¯s reck with one hand, a twisted, hideous smile on herce. Mullin was meowing in


    agony: her voice was so pitiful even as her four limbs failed in the air.


    Kevan¡¯s breathing stopped for a second, and his heart nearly forgot to beat. He nearly rushed over and


    saved Muffin, but rationality st won over recklessness, Backing all the way up to the entrance hall he


    pretended to havee in again and called, ¡°Ruby?¡±


    Ruby froze and quickly hugged the kitten to her, pulling away her hideous expression before turning


    around slowly.


    ¡°Kevan?¡± Her surprise was not faked. I thought you went back to thepany? Why did youe


    back?¡±


    ¡°I remembered that Mr. Shields came over from Covenlord, so he is not so familiar with the roads in


    Bartham. Hence, I came back to pick him up.¡± Kevan used Dn as his excuse as he pretended to look


    around inside and asked, ¡°Where¡¯s Mr. Shields?¡±


    ¡°He just let Ruby smiled tightly. ¡°He probably hasn¡¯t gone veryr. How about calling him and asking?¡±


    Just at this moment, a huffing and puffing Dn came in, having taken the elevator after Kevan¡¯s. The


    two people in the apartment turned to look at him. Having just arrived, Dn had no idea what was


    going on, so he did not bother to speak, just trading stares with the other


    ¡°Mr. Shields?¡± Kevan¡¯s eyes widened just the right amount, expressing his surprise. ¡°Did you follow me


    up because you saw meing


    Dn nodded. ¡°Indeed.¡±


    Kevan then asked deliberately. ¡°But why did you leave so early? I thought you were going to have a


    long chat.¡±


    Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    The moment he said that Ruby¡¯s face turned pale. She watched Dn nervously, worried that he might


    say something that made her look bad. Dn, on the other hand, did not ¡°disapport¡± her,


    ¡°Ms. Cole said that she was tired and wanted to rest. so she had me leave first, I saw that she had no


    intention of continuing the conversation, so I did not find it appropriate to y.¡±


    Kevan had not yet spoken when Ruby hurriedly exined, ¡°I¡¯m really tired. This cute here- She showed


    them Muffin, ¡°Gave me trouble for the whole right yesterday, so much so that I didn¡¯t sleep well. Then it


    hid in the morning and made me find it for a good while. Look, I Just managed to catch it.¡±


    Mullin did not coborate with her lie. Her eyes were wide with lear, and when she saw Kevan, it was


    like she had seen her sawlor, meowing frantically as she tried to jump over to him.

 Chapter 366

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    Chapter 366


    Kevan went over and brought M uffin into his arms. Ruby watched him anxiously, her smile extremely


    stiff.


    1 guess Mullin misses you.¡± She found a suitable excuse for Mullin¡¯s strange behavior.


    ¡°Seems so.¡± Kevan rubbed Mu ffin¡¯s head as it he had not seen through her lie, his expression


    remained unchanged.


    Ruby sighed in relist.


    When Muttin was in Kevan¡¯s arms, she immediately became obedient so much so that one would think


    that it was a plush cat She rubbed her lurry head into his palm, and her mecws sounded much more


    normal now. It definitely sounded like she was bring


    affectionate with him.


    Kevan sat on the sofa with the kitten in his arms, and Ruby followed him.


    As awyer who was not familiar with them ball, Dn naturally did not get involved with all that. He sat


    to one side quietly and waited for


    Kevan to finish his business


    ¡°Naughty tile thing!¡± Ruby leaned against Kevan¡¯s shoulder as she reached out with a finger to poke at


    Mullin¡¯s head with displeasure. But before she could pull her hand back. Mur wed at her. At almost


    the same moment, Ruby¡¯s scream of pain shattered into existence. ¡®Aht *


    She whipped her hand back, and Kevan looked down to see three obvious scratch marks on the back


    of her hand. The Ragdoll breed meant that M uffin¡¯s personality was one of clingy obedience. Although


    she liked ying with humans, she would never bite or w at others like mischievous domestic cats.


    This was the first time she had done it ever since her birth.


    Kevan¡¯s heart sank at once. He knew that he had not treated Mullin in the best way, but she still clung


    to him as if she did not know how to hold aandae. He honestly sometimes thought that she was st upid,


    but for her to treat Ruby Ik e this


    Kevan could not imagine what Ruby had done to it within these two short days. Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.


    Kevan


    Ruby¡¯s eyes were already filled with tears. She gazed at him in a pouty manner, wanting to throw


    herself into his arms to seekfort, but was also alraid of the kitten who was staring at her guardedly


    from hisp. She did not dare to be too close to him,


    Kevan frowned and asked with concern, ¡°Does it hurt bad?¡±


    Mullin¡¯s attack had been pretty harsh. Ruby¡¯s ssin had been broken through, and blood was dribbling


    non-stop from the scratches.


    ¡°Yes!¡± Ruby nooded, tears cascading down her cheeks, causing dark tracks to appear on her thick


    layers of foundation.


    Kevan¡¯s frown deepened, the difort he was feeling was making him want to get away from her-but


    he firmly repressed it.


    ¡°Mullin has already been vinated, so there shouldn¡¯t be any problems with her scratching at you. All


    you need to do is to stop the bleeding,¡± he said as he rose. ¡°There¡¯s a first aid kit in here. Wall for me,


    I¡¯ll get it for you.¡± He never let Mu ffin go through all this.


    First aid kils s were a must in every single one of Kewan¡¯s properties.


    ¡°Do it yoursell, hmm?¡± He ced the first aid kit before Ruby before pointing at M uffin. ¡°Il keep a hold


    on her, so she doesn¡¯t attack you


    again.¡±


    No matter how upset Ruby was, it was nothingpared to the lear she lell about Mu ffin. She


    disinfected the scratches hersell and


    stopped the bleeding, taping on some gauze al Ine site of the injury. Aller doing all of this, she was still


    worried. ¡°I still feel ake i should go and gel a rables vine at the hospital, just to be sale.¡±


    Seeing the deranged look of the kitten when it scratched her, she was really scared that it had some


    kind of infection.


    Kevan did not stop her.


    ¡°Get the bodyguard to take you. I need to send Mr. Shields back to his residence before going back to


    deal with business at Microworks. I don¡¯t have time to apany you. As for this killen-¡± He used his


    aim to nudge Mullin. ¡°It¡¯s not suitable to leave her here anymore. I¡¯ll take her back to Larissa and let her


    keep an eye or iL¡±


    ¡°Kevan


    Ruby¡¯s eyes were tearing up again. ¡°I¡¯m scared to go to the hospital alone She lugged on his sleeve


    piteously.

 Chapter 367

    Chapter 367


    Chapter 367


    Seeing her handing over. Mutlin¡¯s eyes fixed themselves on it as she shifted into a crouch,


    preparing herself to pounce.Ruby immediately let go out of fear.


    ¡°The bodyguard¡¯s with you. Don¡¯t be afraid.¡± Kevan smiled, soothing her gently.


    Dn looked at his watch and spoke up just at the right time. ¡°Mr. Rogers, I have a video call


    appointment with a client at 1:30 pm. Could you please send me back to the hotel first?


    ¡°Of course.¡± Kevan agreed at once. He said to Ruby with some helplessness, ¡°Well we¡¯ll be going then.


    After you¡¯re done at the hospital call me.¡±


    Ruby reluctantly said. ¡°Okay.¡±


    The moment he was in the car, Kevan cumped Mullin on Dn¡¯sp, which startled the hell out of the


    latter. He leared back, arms held safely out of the way as he eximed tearfully. ¡°Could you please put


    it in the backseat?


    Kevan eyed him and chortled. ¡°Scaredy-call¡± He then added. ¡°This car¡¯s st upid. It wont w at you at


    random.¡±


    ¡°Who are you kidding?!¡± Dn red as he used him, ¡°Do you think I¡¯m blind? I saw how it wed


    at Ruby for sure!¡±


    The moment he said that, M uffin looked up and meowed at him twice. Her deep blue eyes showed


    cluelessness as if she was wondering


    what he was talking about. Dn looked down at her and held his breath out of fear. But she did not go


    crazy after a long wait.


    M uffin licked her paws before curling up in hisp, going to sleep peacefully, which conlused the heck


    out of Dn.


    ¡°What the hell is going on?¡± He asked Kevan.


    ¡°I told you-it won¡¯t w at you at random Kevan¡¯s gaze remained fixed on the front as he drove


    steadily.


    ¡°Then why did it w at Ruby? Dn was still shaken up from the memory of that scene.


    ¡°You¡¯d have to ask her. A cold glint appeared in Kevan¡¯s eyes.


    ¨C


    ¡°But speaking of which- Dn stared at M uffin for quite a while. ¡°This cat is the same breed as the one


    you have at home, right? To be honest, though, it looks prettier than the one you have.¡±


    Unable to hold himsell back, Dn carefully reached out and stroked Mullin¡¯s back. Seeing that she did


    not react, he stroked her with more force, before rubbing her back. M uffin remained fast asleep.


    Kevan could not bear to hear people speaking badly about his kitten, so he mocked Dn for being


    blind. Dn did not bother squabbling with him as a cal¡¯s beauty was a rather subjective malter.


    Everyone had their own opinion on beauty after all,


    ¡°What did you mean when you said that you were going to take this cat back to Larissa? Is this


    Larissa¡¯s cat? Dn then asked again.


    ¡°It¡¯s a gift from my mom to Larissa. Ruby liked it so I gave it to her.¡± Kevan pressed his lips lightly


    together.


    ¡°Are you insane?¡± Agitated, Dn failed to control his volce¡¯s volume. ¡°Have you ever thought that you


    will only push Larissa lurther away from you like this?


    Of course, he did. but he had no choice.


    ¡°This is Ruby¡¯s way of testing me,¡± Kevan said.


    She was testing him for whether or not he had her or Larissa in his heart.Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 368

    Chapter 368


    Chapter 368


    At this moment, Larissa was trying to coexist with that new kitten. Kevan¡¯s reactionst night had


    scared her while also making her reflect


    upon herself. Had she been too cold to this kitten?


    She still had a lot of snacks that were meant for Mullin, so she ripped one bag open and brought the


    kitten into herp, feeding it carefully. Its cold seemed to have gotten better. Last night, it was still ill


    and refused to eat anything, but now it was nibbling a tiny cookie, finishing


    it in a couple of bites or so.


    After it was finished eating. It looked up at Larissa, eyes lilled with want. Amused. Larissa booped its


    nose, which led the kitlen to rub itself against her with affection. The soft meows of the kitten melled


    Larissa¡¯s heart entirely, and she gently rubbed its head apologizing solly


    to iL Tm sorry, little one.¡± for her previous neglect


    This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.


    Kevan and Dn returned in the evening.


    Larissa was in the midst of preparing dinner when she heard the noise, so she went to the living room


    and saw that Dn was holding a


    kitten in his arms.


    The ¡°Mullin¡¯ at home was still around, and it was currently going round and round Kevan¡¯s legs with its


    tail straight up.


    ¡°This kitler is?¡¯ Larissa suddenly recalled the matter of Ruby leaving her kitten to be pet sat in the pet


    shop yesterday. Could it be ¡ª that she got tired of Mullin in just two days and gol Kevan to bring her


    back?


    ¡°Your Mullin from before.¡± Dn replied, which caused a radiant smile to appear on Larissa¡¯sce at


    once. She quickly wheeled herself to Dn and lock Mullin from him, kissing her face over and over.


    Kevan saw her actions from theer of his eye, and his heart was rile with jealousy. Bending down,


    he picked up the other kitten and stroked it as if he wasforting it.


    He did not expect Larissa toe to him so quickly with M uffin raised up, letting both kitlers face each


    other, ¡°C ockle!¡± This was Larissa¡¯s name for the kitten that Kevan bought ¡°Your sister¡¯s home¡±


    Her eyes hac crinkled up into a smile, and one could amost see the stars in them. Kevan was


    mesmerized by what he saw, and he stared at her without moving for a long while. Off to one side.


    Dn was watching him, and he shook his head helplessly.


    Honestly, this guy¡­.


    The two kittens seemed to be very interested in each other as two pairs of blue eyes stared at each


    other for a long while. Cookie stuck its head out first, snilling Mullin¡¯s nose for a bit before sticking out


    its pink little tongue and licking Mullin¡¯s face.


    M uffin responced in the same way.


    Larissa suggested to Kevan. ¡°Let¡¯s put them on the floor and let them y by themselves,¡±


    Kevan said nothing but put Cookie down even as Larissa ced Mullin next to Cookie. It did not take


    long for both killens ¡°brawl¡± with each other. Larissa watched them go at it before she noticed that


    something was off. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Mu ffin¡¯s hind leg?¡±


    When Mu ffin ran, her right hind leg kept dragging weakly against the floor, but she was line belore


    leaving this house. Kevan also happened to notice this issue now.


    Dn was the one hugging her on the way home, so she did not need to walk by hersell at all.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± His eyes narrowed, and his voice was chilly. ¡°I take it to the veterinary hospital now.¡±


    Larissa and Dn lollowed them.


    The vet gave Mullin an X-ray and thally concluded from the diagnosis that ¡°Her leg Is broken.¡± Larissa


    immediately confronted Kevan. ¡°What the hell did Ruby do to her?¡±

 Chapter 369

    Chapter 369


    Chapter 369


    The cat had been with Larissa for over a month without any issues. However, it relumed with a broken


    leg after spending only two days with Ruby, Larissa couldn¡¯t believe that this had nothing to do with


    Ruby at all.


    Kevan was also clueless. As he saw Larissa¡¯s using gaze, he felt both sad and slightly angry, Alter


    all Larissa thought that he and Ruby were on the same side. Did she really think he was responsible for


    all of Ruby¡¯s wrongdoings?


    ¡°Quit looking at me like that,¡± he said coldly. ¡°I will ask Ruby about the cat and make sure to give you a


    satisfactory answer.¡±


    Larissa clenched her lists. ¡°I hope so.¡±


    The doctor reattached M uffin¡¯s leg but didn¡¯t allow her to go home. ¡°Let¡¯s keep her here for observation


    for a while. If the owners can¡¯t take care of her properly at home, the leg might break again,¡± he said,


    ncing at Larissa¡¯s still-casted injured leg. ¡°I¡¯m sure you understand


    this very well,¡±


    She couldn¡¯t bear to leave M uffin behind, so she stayed with Mullin at the hospital for a while before


    leaving the hospital with Kevan and Dn. Neither she nor Kevan spoke, and the atmosphere in the


    car was particrly awkward.


    Dn tried to console her, saying, ¡°The doctor said Mullin¡¯s condition isn¡¯t severe. Don¡¯t worry too


    much.¡±


    Well she wasn¡¯t particrly worried about her cat. Instead, she just couldn¡¯t contain her anger.


    Once they returned home, Kevan immediately dialed Ruby¡¯s number in front of Larissa.


    ¡°Kevan.¡± Ruby¡¯s sweet voice came through, but Kevan interrupted her, asking, ¡°Mullin¡¯s leg is broken.


    Do you know what happened?¡±


    His abrupt question caught Ruby off guard. After a brief pause, she pretended to panic and asked.


    ¡°What? Her leg is broken? I didn¡¯t know about that! Which leg is it? Is it serious?¡± Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    ¡°The right hind leg, and it¡¯s quite serious,¡± he replied.


    Ruby thought for a moment and said. ¡°Maybe it happened when she jumped off the windowsill in my


    room yesterday¡­ I didn¡¯t see her for a whole night. So, I wasn¡¯t aware that she had injured her leg.¡±


    Larissa couldn¡¯t help but yell ¡°That¡¯s impossible! You must have done something to her!¡±


    Larissa had a good guess about how high the windowsill in Ruby¡¯s room was. M uffin had jumped from


    even higher ces in their own home before, and she was always fine. So, did this mean that Ruby¡¯s


    floor happened to be harder than theirs?


    Ruby paused upon hearing Larissa¡¯s voice and then took on a guilty tone as she responded, ¡°I¡¯m sorry,


    Larissa. I feel terrible about your cat¡¯s injury. I know you¡¯re upset and angry right now, and if ming


    me can make you feel better, I¡¯m willing to ept your baseless


    usations.¡±


    Her attempt to shift the me infuriated Larissa. Kevan also defended Ruby, saying, ¡°Larissa, let¡¯s not


    make unfounded ims, Ruby loves


    M uffin and wouldn¡¯t intentionally harm her.¡±


    The way both of them were supporting each other only made Larissaugh in anger.


    ¡°She loves Mullin? Fine, let¡¯s say Mullin really did break her leg after Jumping from the windowsill. She


    didn¡¯t notice it for a whole day, and she didn¡¯t rush Mullin to the hospital in time. Is that what you call


    love? Kevan, remember how you scolded me when we discovered


    Cookie was sickst night!


    Kevan recalled his own misdeeds from the previous night after being reminded by her. He knew that


    Larissa would despise him even more if he continued to lie or deliberately protect Ruby in this situation.


    So, he simply remained silent and didn¡¯t uller another word.

 Chapter 370

    Chapter 370


    Chapter 370


    Ruby anxiously shouted, ¡°Larissa, if you want to me someone, me me, not Kevan! He has


    nothing to do with this. Direct your anger


    at me!¡±


    Direct her anger at that woman? Indeed, Larissa felt the urge to act aggressively and confront Ruby,


    perhaps even pulling her hair, forcing her to apologize to M uffin. But what would that aplish?


    Kevan would still believe Ruby, protect her, and help her deflect the me.


    leaving Larissabeled as a ¡°jealous wife.¡±


    So, what was the point?


    In that instant, the thought of it made Larissa¡¯s anger dissipate, and it was reced by a profound


    sense of exhaustion and


    powerlessness.


    ¡°I¡¯m tired,¡± Larissa finally said. ¡°I¡¯m going to bed.¡±


    After she left. Kevan¡¯s phone call continued.


    Ruby asked, ¡°Kevan, do you believe me?¡± Her voice was tense and trembling, revealing her


    nervousness.


    Kevan¡¯s eyes darkened, and his face grew increasingly gloomy. However, his voice remained soft and


    melodious, akin to a cello. ¡°Of course, I believe you.¡± Dn, sitting beside him, pursed his lips and


    silently mourned for Ruby in his heart.


    Ruby and Kevan talked for a while longer, and she reluctantly ended the call after he mentioned his


    tiredness.


    Dn clicked his tongue a few times before asking Kevan, ¡°Are you nning to divorce Larissa


    tomorrow?¡±


    Kevan merely red at his friend, rose to his leet, and retreated to his room.


    In the following days. Kevan and Dn were out early and returnedte. Larissa asked Violet for a


    driver to take her to the hospital every day, where she would bring Cookie to apany Mu ffin for at


    least half a day.


    Somehow, Edmund caught wind of the situation and conveniently bumped into her at the pet hospital


    multiple times. On each asion. he would bring her thetest updates on Kevan and Ruby while


    urging her to divorce swiftly and free herself from misery. Larissa ignored him as usual and remained


    focused on visiting the doctor¡¯s office daily to inquire about M uffin¡¯s discharge.


    ¡°Do you know that my brother and sister-inw are getting divorced?¡± he asked.


    She wasn¡¯t surprised by the news. Although the matter had dragged on for a long time, the oue


    seemed inevitable. Moreover, it would likely be resolved swiftly with Dn¡¯s involvement. She silently


    spected that Kevan would broach the topic of divorce when he returned


    that night.


    Their previous attempt at getting divorced couldn¡¯t be finalized, and she didn¡¯t feelfortable raising


    the issue while Dn had been living with them. s, Kevan¡¯s relief from the marriage was imminent.


    However, Larissa maintained herposure in front of Edmund. ¡°Is


    that so? That¡¯s truly unfortunate.¡±


    He stared at her for a prolonged moment, appearing puzzled by her reaction, ¡°Why aren¡¯t you worried


    at all? My brother is divorcing his wille, and now that she¡¯s single, aren¡¯t you afraid Kevan will divorce


    you and marry her?¡±


    ¡°Why


    y should I be worried? She smiled. ¡°You¡¯ve beenying the groundwork for me all these days, trying to


    prepare me in advance, right?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± he vehemently denied. ¡°I just wanted you to see Kevan¡¯s true colors.¡±


    ¡°What true colors¡±? We¡¯re talking about your cousin here she scolded him. ¡°You¡¯re even considering


    pursuing me and constantly pressuring me to divorce your cousin. How is that any different from


    Kevan?¡±


    Edmund was momentarily stunned, his expression disying a hint of dejection. Alter a while, he found


    an appropriate excuse. ¡°I¡­ I only wanted to save you from my disloyal cousin, Il Kevan had been moreText ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    faithful to you, I wouldn¡¯t have considered pursuing you.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need your help,¡± she retorted coldly. ¡°I am a capable adult who knows how to manage my own


    marriage. Regardless of what happens between Kevan and me in the end, it¡¯s my own business, and I


    don¡¯t need anyone interfering.¡±


    He pursed his lips. ¡°Alright then,¡± he said. ¡°Just don¡¯t me meter for not warning you.¡±


    Larissa waited al home for some time, anticipating a divorce request from Kevan. However, what


    arrived was a wedding invitation. Kevan brought back the invitation, which featured his recently


    divorced cousin, Cody, and her long-absent sister, Lana.

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    The unexpected pairing left Larissapletely bewildered. She couldn¡¯tprehend how these two


    individuals had ended up together.


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± She shook the wedding invitation in her hand, waiting for Kevan to provide an


    exnation.


    Kevan¡¯s response was concise butcked emphasis, as always. ¡°Cody and Lana are getting married,


    as you can see.¡±


    She suppressed the urge to roll her eyes and asked patiently. ¡°How did they ¡­ end up getting


    married?¡±


    ¡°Lana is pregnant.¡± His answer sent shockwaves through her,


    ¡°But isn¡¯t she with Lucas? How did she suddenly be pregnant with Cody¡¯s child?¡± What else had


    she missed while she was in


    recovery?


    ¡°Not sure,¡± he lied with remarkableposure. ¡°I¡¯m not close with Lana, after all¡±


    Content held by N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± she thought. Lowering her head, she stared at Lana¡¯s embossed name on the invitation,


    rubbing the paper¡¯s corner with her


    thumb, contemting the intricacies of the situation.


    Given Lana¡¯s behavior, Larissa was confident that her rtionship with Cody must have been driven by


    his wealth. But what did Cody see


    in Lana? It couldn¡¯t be that simple.


    Kevan asked her, ¡°Are you going?¡±


    She looked up, her face filled with confusion. ¡°Go where?¡±


    He gestured toward the invitation she held with his chin. ¡°The wedding, of course.¡± The wedding was


    scheduled to take ce in half month, likely hastily arranged to conceal Lana¡¯s pregnancy.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going,¡± she replied without hesitation.


    She was about to divorce Kevan, so there would be no further ties between her and Cody, and she had


    no intention of involving herself


    with Lana any further.


    ¡°Cool¡± He nodded, indicating his understanding of her decision.


    ¡°Oh, by the way,¡± she said. ¡°Don¡¯t you have anything to say to me?¡±


    He raised an eyebrow. ¡°About what?¡±


    ¡°Cody and Ruby are getting divorced.¡± she reminded him.


    Only then did Kevan realize what Larissa meant. ¡°So?¡± He feigned ignorance.


    ¡°Since they¡¯re getting divorced, don¡¯t you n to divorce me too?¡± She didn¡¯t beat around the bush and


    went straight to the point.


    ¡°Now is not the time. If I divorce you, my mom will definitely think it¡¯s because of Ruby.¡±


    She wanted to retort that that was precisely the case, but in the end, she held back.


    ¡°Wait a little longer,¡± he said. ¡°At least until Dn is gone.¡±


    ¡°Suit yourself.¡± Sheughed nonchntly. ¡°After all, time is on my side, not yours.¡±


    He nced at her, struggling to maintain his expressionless face. ¡°I¡¯m not impatient,¡± he said. ¡°The idea


    of divorce has always been. brought up by you. I¡¯m simply amodating your wish.¡±


    Although what he said was true, it infuriated Larissa. It seemed like he was shilling all the me onto


    her while absolving himself entirely.


    ¡°Fine, then,¡± she said, seething with anger. ¡°Let¡¯s continue like this and not get divorced?¡±


    His hands trembled as he involuntarily clenched his fists. ¡°Okay,¡± he said.

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    Time passed quickly, and it was already hall a monthter, Larissa had recovered from her leg injury


    and returned to work at the hotel. Edmund would visit her office every day, finding seemingly legitimate


    excuses, but everyone on the top floor could see the difference in


    his treatment of her.


    Rumors started spreading throughout the hotel, but she pretended to be oblivious. She bought a simple


    wedding ring and wore it on her finger, indicating her married status. Nheless, her n to divorce


    Kevan had not materialized. Since that day after she¡¯d made her strong statement, Kevan never


    brought up the topic of divorce again, and she had been enduring it to save face.


    Meanwhile, Kevan¡¯s rtionship with Ruby became more public. He started taking her to various


    formal and informal social events. In order to spend more time with her, he even gave her a fictitious


    secretarial position. The only limit he set was not spending the night with her, and the Rogers family


    was aware of these amangements.


    Content held by N?velDrama.Org.


    Violet caused a scene once when she confronted Kevan, but his attitude waspletely different from


    before. He neither exined nor denied anything but simply stated, ¡°Regardless of what happens


    between Ruby and me. Larissa is still your daughter-inw.¡±


    Violet was so enraged by his response that she pped him hard on the face and stormed out,ter


    apologizing to Larissa over the phone, crying and ming herself for not raising her son properly.


    Larissa didn¡¯t know how tofort her.


    Cody and Lana¡¯s wedding took ce on a small ind in Kymin. They had booked the entire ind,


    and the wedding guests arrived directly on the Rogers family¡¯s private ne.


    Yvette called Larissa multiple times under the pretense of inviting her to the wedding but ended up


    bragging about Cody¡¯s extravagance. Larissa yed along and pretended to be envious, which only


    made Yvette feel prouder, Yvette praised Cody even more and said, ¡°Having such a wonderful son-in-


    law is truly a blessing from my past life.¡±


    Larissa agreed. ¡°Yes, so Lana must cherish him.¡± However, she firmly held onto her excuse of being


    busy with work and declined the invitation to attend the wedding. She wasn¡¯t foolish enough to willingly


    subject herself to humiliation.


    Two days before the wedding. Kevan went to the ind with other guests. Larissa noticed a figure


    simr to Ruby standing next to Kevan in papa raz zi photos that circted online. She admired Ruby¡¯s


    audacity. Not long ago, Ruby was avoiding Cody due to the drama surrounding their divorce


    proceedings, but now she was confidently approaching him. Perhaps things were getting serious


    between Kevan and Ruby, which gave her more confidence to do so.


    Dn didn¡¯t return to Covenford. Even though Ruby¡¯s divorce had been settled, he still stayed in


    Bartham and lived just below Larissa. He woulde home every day and crash at her ce to y


    with the cat


    The two of them watched thetest news about Cody and Lana¡¯s wedding together. As Kevan¡¯s best


    friend, Dn was well aware of Kevan¡¯s affairs and his rtionship with Ruby. Hence, he didn¡¯t show


    any signs of surprise when he saw Ruby in the photos. Instead, he secretly nced at Larissa to gauge


    her reaction, but she remained expressionless, making him slightly uneasy.


    ¡°I actually wanted to go to the wedding with Kevan. The ind has beautiful scenery, which is perfect


    for a vacation.¡± He awkwardly started a conversation in an attempt to shift the topic. ¡°But I¡¯m not


    familiar with the bride and groom, so I didn¡¯t want to impose.¡±


    ¡°We can n a trip together another time! She browsed through pa paraz zi photos of the wedding


    venue and felt a slight temptation. The blue sky, white clouds, and beach resembled scenes from her


    dreams.


    ¡°Sure!¡± He quickly seized the opportunity to divert her attention and began looking at travel guides,


    putting the topic of the wedding aside.


    Meanwhile, on the small ind across the ocean, Kevan spent the entire afternoon in his holel room,


    allending remote video conferences with thepany¡¯s executives. Alter a grueling meeting, he took


    off his headphones, closed hisptop, and leaned back, wearly massaging his temples.

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    The doorbell rang, and Kevan, who got annoyed, furrowed his brows and walked to the door. He asked


    in a cold and displeased tore. ¡°Who


    is it?¡±


    Ruby¡¯s sweet voice came through the door panel ¡°Room service.¡±


    He briefly closed his eyes, pushing aside his aversion. In no time, he put on a gentle smile and opened


    the door, allowing her to push in a


    food trolley.


    ¡°I bet you¡¯re hungry,¡± she said. ¡°I ordered your favorite dishes. Come and try them,¡±


    Although the hotel had a fancy restaurant, it only served typicalre like steak and pasta. He didn¡¯t


    have much of an appetite and only took a few bites before setting down his utensils.


    Content held by N?velDrama.Org.


    She looked slightly worried as she observed him. ¡°Con¡¯t you like it?¡±


    He smiled and shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m not that hungry.¡±


    ¡°Well then She raised the ss next to her, ¡°How about a drink?¡±


    Due to past experiences of being drugged, he was particrly wary in su been working a.. afternoon,


    and I have a slight headache.¡±


    such situations. ¡°I¡¯m good,¡± he replied, rubbing his temples. ¡°Ive


    She showed a disappointed expression. ¡°Alright.¡± She bit her lip, forcing a smile.


    ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯d like to take a shower and go to bed.¡± He politely dismissed her.


    She opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something but ultimately refrained. In the end, she


    merely said, ¡°Okay, then. Rest well. I¡¯ll


    make a move now.¡±


    She was about to push the food trolley out but was stopped by Kevan. ¡°Just leave them here. I¡¯ll have


    someonee and collect them


    later,¡±


    She nced at Kevan¡¯s ss nervously upon hearing that, holding onto the handle and refusing to let


    go. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll put them in my room first so you don¡¯t have to wait for the staff toe.¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t take long.¡± Kevan embraced her waist, hall-forcing her toward the door. ¡°Goodnight.¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡± She still wanted to enter the room, but he unceremoniously shut the door.


    After a minute or two, he could hear her footsteps gradually fading away. He stopped smiling the


    moment she left and made a phone call.¡±


    Come to my room.¡±


    Indeed, Ruby had drugged the wine. Kevan held the overnight test results in his hand, and his


    expression was the coldest it had ever been. Not because Ruby had drugged him, but because he was


    angry that Larissa was not present, and he couldn¡¯t use the same scheme asst time. Il he had


    known, he wouldn¡¯t have cared about Larissa¡¯s feelings. He would have tied her up and brought her


    along, even lil


    she didn¡¯t want to see Lana.


    The assistant standing in front of Kevan trembled. Mr. Rogers, should we do something about Ms.


    Cole?¡±


    Since he had dealt with simr incidents in the past, such as the one involving Karin, he knew the


    methods Kevan would employ against women who drugged him.


    ¡°No need,¡± Kevan said. ¡°Pretend you know nothing about this.¡±


    The assistant was surprised but nodded. ¡°Mr. Rogers, one more thing.¡± His expression lurred grimmer


    than before. ¡°Leslie from the security team just reported that on this ind¡­¡±

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    Larissa¡¯s eyelids had been twitching since she woke up in the morning on the day of Cody and Lana¡¯s


    wedding. She felt a sense of unease, as if something was about to happen. It was to the extent that


    she made two mistakes while absentmindedly filling out a report. leading to a scolding from the deputy


    general manager who was temporarily handling the hotel affairs in ce of Edmund.


    The wedding officially started at 11 am. So, she sneakily scrolled through Twitter for a while. There


    were blurry photos taken by undercover journalists on the Intemet capturing the silhouettes of the bride


    and groom. After about half an hour, her phone suddenly rane. It was Dn.


    Dn rarely called her during work hours, so she was startled, and her heart started beatingster


    involuntarily. When she answered the call her hands trembled. But before she could even speak, she


    heard Dn urgently say, ¡°Something happened to Kevan!¡±


    Her mind went nk in that instant, and she didn¡¯t know how long it took for her to find her voice. ¡°W-


    What happened?¡±


    Her throat felt extremely dry, perhaps due to dehydration.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to the hotel to find you now. I¡¯ll fill you inter.¡±


    He immediately hung up the phone, and she felt as if all her strength had been drained away. She


    slumped into her office chair. The words on theputer screen appeared to be double-elched.


    Dn¡¯s words kept echoing in her ears, making her restless and unable to find any relief.


    Fortunately, Dn arrived quickly. She hurriedly packed her things and went downstairs as soon as she


    received his call When she got in the car, he reminded her to ask for leave from the deputy general


    manager. His car then turned onto the freeway.


    ¡°There was an ident at the wedding. Kevan was seriously injured and has been taken to a local


    hospital for treatment.¡± Dn tried to make his voice sound calm, but there was still a slight tremor in it.


    Larissa¡¯s vision went ck. ¡°What kind of ident can happen at a wedding?¡± She couldn¡¯t imagine


    what had happened: the small ind was a popr tourist destination, and in all these years, there had


    been no natural disasters or idents. So, what kind of ¡°ident¡± could Kevan possibly be in to be


    seriously injured?


    ¡°Well, the news on the ind is currently sealed ott. Kevan¡¯s assistant didn¡¯t give me any specific


    detalls, just asked me toe over. I didn¡¯t dare to inform his parents. I¡¯m bringing you there in case


    there are any surgical procedures requiring an immediatemily member¡¯s


    consent.¡±


    Dn gripped the steering wheel tightly, pressing the elerator to the maximum, overtaking the cars


    in front of them one after another. She knew that Kevan¡¯s parents didn¡¯t attend the wedding. She


    overheard Kevan¡¯s phone call with his mother, where his mother said that as long as he dared to bring


    Ruby with him, she and her husband would never go. Nheless, Kevan still brought Ruby along.


    Since there were no direct flights, Larissa and Dn had to travel to the capital of Indie.sana first, the


    country to which the small ind belonged, and then took a boat from the port to the ind. They


    arrived on the Ind a dayter after all the has sle. Luckily, Dn had contacted Kevan¡¯s assistant in


    advance, and the assistant sent a car to pick them up at the dock, taking them directly to the hospital


    where Kevan was staying.


    Indieloana was a backward country, and its public infrastructure, including hospitals, fell below the


    international average-this included


    the hospital.


    Thergest hospital on the ind was onlyparable to a small county hospital. Larissa became


    even more anxious when she saw the rundown building. Dn wasn¡¯tring any better. They both


    quickened their pace and went up to the top floor¡¯s ward.This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.

 Chapter 375

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    Chapter 375


    Kevan¡¯s ward was surrounded by muscr bodyguards dressed in ck suits. Larissa immediately


    sensed that something was wrong


    upon seeing the presence of these bodyguards.


    Kevan¡¯s assistant, who was waiting at the door, seemed confused when he exchanged greetings with


    Dn. He looked at Larissa and


    asked, ¡°Who is this?¡±


    Larissa felt a sense of awkwardness, uncertain whether she should leave or stay. Dn fell the same.


    However, he couldn¡¯t afford to worry


    about such things at the moment and gave a brief introduction, saying. ¡°This is Larissa, Kevan¡¯s wife.¡±


    The assistant¡¯s eyes widened in astonishment, as if he had never heard of her before.


    Dn then pointed toward the room and Inquired. ¡°How is he doing?¡±


    The assistant¡¯s expression immediately turned grave, and the atmosphere grew heavy.


    He replied, ¡°He just underwent surgery, and the bullet has been sessfully removed from his body,


    but he hasn¡¯t regained.


    consciousness yet.¡±


    Larissa eximed upon hearing this, ¡°Bullet? What exactly happened?¡± It was just a wedding. How


    could it tum so dangerous?


    The assistant led them to an empty ward next door, and after ensuring there was no one


    eavesdropping, he exined, ¡°An old enemy of Cody¡¯s did this. He intended to kill Cody, but instead,


    Mr. Rogers got injured.¡±


    Dn furrowed his brow and questioned. ¡°Are you certain it was an ident?¡±


    The assistant pursed his lips and replied. ¡°The assassin has been captured, and he ims it was an


    ident. However, the authenticity of his statement remains doubtful.¡±


    Dn further inquired, ¡°Were there any other injuries besides Kevan?¡±


    The assistant responded, ¡°Cody sustained minor injuries but didn¡¯t require hospitalization. Apart from


    that no one else was injured.¡±


    ¡°Where are the others?¡±


    The assistant replied. ¡°They are all staying at the hotel waiting to fly back home.¡±


    ¡°And Ruby?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s also at the hotel.¡±


    Dn sneered and remarked, ¡°Kevan is in critical condition, yet Ruby hasn¡¯t evene to see him


    once.¡±


    The assistant did notment and remained silent.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go and see Kevan,¡± Dn said, signaling Larissa to follow him.


    Kevan was staying in the best single-patient room in the entire hospital although the conditions were


    worse than in an ordinary ward in their home country. The room was devoid of any furnishings except


    for a bed.


    Kevan was surrounded by numerous tubes, as he was lying on the bed with closed eyes. His


    complexion was pale, and even his thin, red lips had lost their color. He appeared lifeless.


    Larissa¡¯s body swayed when she saw Kevan¡¯s state, but she managed to steady herself by holding


    onto the wall. Step by step, she approached him and looked down at him.


    At that moment, a feeling of d¨¦j¨¤ vu washed over her. She had seen a simr scene somewhere


    before-many years ago, a young man she had found by the roadside had alsoin quietly on a hospital


    bed. Only the fluctuating lines on the bedside vital signs monitor indicated that he was still alive.


    Dn turned to the assistant and asked, ¡°Did the doctor mention when he¡¯d wake up?¡±


    The assistant gave an ambiguous response, saying, ¡°It could be the next second, or it could take


    several days. The doctor is uncertain. After all the medical capabilities here are limited¡­¡±


    Dn was eager to bring Kevan back to their home country for treatment, so he inquired, ¡°When can


    he be transferred to another hospital?¡±


    1/2


    days. Il everything goes well they will arrange for the transfer.¡±


    Dn and the assistant left together, mentioning that they were going to meet with the local police to


    learn more about the incident Larissa was left alone in Kevan¡¯s ward. Before departing, the assistant


    brought her a reclining chair from somewhere so she could rest on


    It considering she hadn¡¯t slept all night. However, sleep eluded her.Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 376

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    Chapter 376


    Larissa couldn¡¯t ent this reality. Despite Kevan¡¯s numerousws, she had always viewed him as a


    formidable, powerful and invincible figure. The idea that he would one day lie weak and Helpless on a


    hospital bed, barely cinging to lile with injected nutrients, was unimaginable to her.


    She reached out and touched hisrge, bony hand. Despite the perpetual summer on the ind, his


    hand remained as cod as ever causing her heart to ache.


    After struggling to hold back her tears for a long time, she finally let them low and fell onto the snowy


    white sheets, leaving dark stains behind. However, she bit her ip to stifle any sound, afraid that her


    crying might disturb him. Dn, who stood at the door, caught a glimpse of the liqure huddled by the


    edge of the hospital bed trembling uncontrobly, he silently withdrew his hand from the doorknob.


    Due to thenguage barrier, the police couldn¡¯t gather much information from the shooter, despite


    capturing him. The dis provided by Kevan¡¯s assistant were confessed by the shooten msall when he


    was initially apprehended by the bodyguards. The only contribution from the police was obtaining the


    survence lootage from the crime scene.


    The shooter had disguised himself as a hotel water, blending in with the crowd. When Cody walked


    with Lana down the red carpet passing by Kevan, the shooter drew his concealed gun from his pocket.


    However, when the shot was fired, it was Kevan who lell not Cody.


    Amidst the ensuing chaos, numerous ck-d bodyguards rushed in from all directions. not only


    subduing the shooter but also carrying Kevar away through the crowd, but their destination was


    unknown,


    Nheless, several suspicious points emerged from the incident upon reviewing thee.


    For instance, Cody had walked past the shooter prior to that standing only a few feet away, yet the


    shooter didn¡¯t take action at that moment. Furthermore, after Kevan was hit, everyone at the scene


    panicked and fled in fear of bing the next target. However, Cody, the intended victim, remained


    remarkablyposed. He even took the time to check on Kevan¡¯s injuries.


    Additionally, despite realizing that he had killed the wrong person, the shooter didn¡¯t fre another shot at


    Cody. When the poiceter inspected his gun, they found three bullets remaining. Moreover, when


    confronted by Kevan¡¯s bodyguards, the shooter made no attempt to escape or resist, he simply stood


    there, waiting to be apprehended.


    Dn rubbed his chin, finally piecing together some deductions in his mind,


    ¡°When will the police from our country take over?¡± he asked the assistant. Since this case involved a


    Caldor shooter and a Caldor victim, it would naturally be handed over to the police in their home


    country.


    The assistant replied. ¡°They are on their way.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± A cold glint shed across Dn¡¯s eyes.


    In the blink of an eye, three days had passed since Kevan¡¯s incident, yet he remained unconscious.


    The doctor stated that he had passed the critical period and could be transferred to another hospital at


    any time. However, wher he would regain consciousness depended solely on his own willpower. Such


    abstract words didntoller much hope; instead. they deepened Larissa¡¯s despair,


    The Rogers family¡¯s private jet transported the newlyweds and other quests back to their home country


    before returning once again. Larissa apanied Keyan as they traveled to the airport in an


    ambnce. It was a unique experience, but she had no desire to relive it.


    Upon their return, Kevan was admitted to the Inest military hospital in Bartham. Somehow, Dn


    managed to secure Dr. Hilton as Kevan¡¯s altending physician, the most renowned and experienced


    doctor at the military hospital.


    Alter a series of examinations, Dr. Hilton delivered a disheartening prognosis. Although Kevan¡¯s


    surgery had been sessful, the bullet had caused severe nerve damage, which was challeng ny to


    heal. Consequently, there was a possibility that Kevan would remain ha vegetalize stace for the rest of


    his life.


    ¡°You need to be me ntally prepared,¡± Dr. Hilton signed.This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.

 Chapter 377

    Chapter 377


    Chapter 377


    It felt as if the entire sky hade crashing cown. Larissa¡¯s head throbbed as it struck by a heavy


    object leaving her feeling dizzy and slightly sore. The only sound she could hear was a continuous


    buzzing in her ears, and her vision gradually became blurred, Suddenly. everything went ck, and


    she lost consciousresspletely.


    When she reganed consciousness, she found herself lying in a bed. The scent of disinfectant in the air


    reminded her that she was still the hospital. She turned her head and saw Kevan lying motionless on


    the bed next to he resembling alleless, delicate puppet. Her nose Lingled, and lears weled up once


    again


    After some time, she managed to calm herself down. She peeked out from under the covers and


    noticed that Dn was also present. She hastily used the back of her hand to wipe away the remaining


    trar stains on her face. She sniffled and asked him, ¡°When did you get here?¡±


    ¡°About three or four minutes ago,¡± he replied, his eyes lilled with sympathy, pity, and empathy as he


    looked at her. ¡°Don¡¯t be too upset. The doctor mortored that there¡¯s still a high probability of Kevan


    waking up.¡±


    She sat up and stared nkly at Kevan, but there was no indkation of him waking up at all. She


    couldn¡¯t muster the same optimism as


    Dn,


    ¡°Hey Dn sat down at the end of her bed and asked tentatively, ¡°Do you actually have feelings for


    Kevan?¡±


    Ever since Kever had been shot she had remained by his side without leaving for a moment. She had


    cried uncontrobly at the thought of him not waking up. Although Dn himself had never experienced


    a serious rtionship, he could sense that she harbored feelings for Kevan Unfortunately, Kevan was


    in aa and therefore unable to personally witness her love for him.


    His sudder question caught her off guard, causing her heart to race, and herce lushed instantly. She


    lowered her head nervously. fearing he would detect something amiss.


    ¡°Who told you that I like him? I don¡¯t like him she retorted stubbornly. ¡°I just feel sorry for him! He


    attended his cousin¡¯s wedding with such joy, only to end up like this..


    ¡°Is that so? Cn narrowed his eyes and observed her carefully. He didn¡¯t miss the llecting panic in her


    eyes, the reddening of her ears a il about to burst, and the tension and trembling in her voice. It was


    evident she was lying. On one hand, he felt happy for Kevan, but on the


    other hand¡­ He inwardly sighed. He wondered when Kevan would awaken, allowing both him and


    Larissa to contess their true feelings to


    each other.


    Larissa remained steast by Kevan¡¯s side, and in turn. Dn stayed by Larissa¡¯s side. Dn insisted


    that she eat, sleep, and asionally go outside for fresh air, fearing that her health would deteriorate


    faster than Kevan¡¯s.


    However, her condition showed no signs of improvement. Her insomnia worsened, and she could


    hardly sleep through the night. Consequently. Dn had no choice but to seek assistance from a


    doctor, who discreetly prescribed sleeping pills for her and advised him to mix them into the warm milk


    she drank before he left each night.Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.

 Chapter 378

    Chapter 378


    Chapter 378


    Larissa¡¯s sleep quality improved significantly. Nearly every night around 11 pm, she would begin to feel


    drowsy, and within a couple of minutes cl closing her eyes, she would fall into a deep, dreamless


    slumber. She would wake up to the warm glow of daylight, lealing refreshed and rejuvenated.


    Yet, there were moments when she experienced an odd soreness in her body. At first, she suspected


    that someone might have vited her while she was unconscious. However, with Kewan¡¯s bodyguards


    stationed outs de the ward and Kevan himsel in a vegetative state. such an assumption couldn¡¯t hold


    true. She could only attribute it to her own exhaustion and desire. After all she was approaching her


    thirties.


    Once Kevan¡¯s condtion stabilized to some extent. Larissa returned to work at the hotel. On her first day


    back, Edmund paid her a visit, but this time he didn¡¯t approach her forcefully. Instead, he inquired about


    Kevan¡¯s condition.


    ¡°My brothe¡± and are genuinely concerned about Kevan. The situation was incredibly critical that day,


    and before we could react his group of bodyguards had already whisked him away. We went to the


    hospital aberward but the guards wouldn¡¯t allow us inside.¡± His voice carried a hint of resentment. ¡°So


    how is Kevan do ng?¡±


    ¨C


    She recalled the words Dn had deliberately emphasted to her the day before and wore a sorrowful


    expression, trying to appear devastated. Keven.. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she didn¡¯t need to


    pretend because the emotions were already gh. ¡°He hasn¡¯t


    regained consciousness yeL¡±


    Edmund¡¯s eyes widened in astonishment, ¡°What?¡± He seemed unable to believe it, ¡°Is he seriously


    injured?¡±


    She binked, allowing tears to stream down her cheers. ¡°Yes.¡±


    She reached for a paper towel to dab at the corners of her eyes, shifted twice, and choked up as she


    spoke. ¡°The doctor sad there¡¯s a


    possibility that he may never make up again.¡±


    Edmund pondered this news for a moment, pursing his libs, and offered her gentle constion. ¡°Don¡¯t


    be too upset. He¡¯ll surely wake up.


    Good things happen to good people.¡±


    She mustered a Iorced, bitter smile. ¡°I hope so.¡±


    She rarely utilized her privilege as a department manager. However, this time, she made sure not to


    schedule herset for any night shifts for the entire uing month. Regardless of whether her work


    waspleted or not, she would leave the hotel at precisely 6:30 pm and head straight to the matary


    hospital.


    She wildly remembered how Kevan had a penchart for cleanliness. So, she would mellculously wipe


    his body every night with a wet towel. Every few days, she would a bo convince Dn to assist in


    washing Revan¡¯s halt, ensuring hisfort when he eventually regained.


    consciousness.


    On this particr day, she headed to the hospital as usual after finishing her work. But before she


    reached the ward, she was greeted by at cacophony of shrill cries.


    ¡°Move aside! I want to go in and see Kevant do you even know who I am? How dare you stop me?


    Kevant Kevan! I¡¯m here to see you! Kevan, it¡¯s me. Huby! Can you let me in, please?


    The voice belonged to Ruby, and Larissa couln¡¯t help but feel annoyed. She didn¡¯t want to confront


    Ruby directly, but her voice was simply too loud. She was concerned about d¡¯sluiting other patients on


    the same four, and so, she reluctantly made her way loward themotion despite the difort in


    her heart.Content held by N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 379

    Chapter 379


    Chapter 379


    ¡°Ms. Cole, Larissa called out to Ruby.


    Ruby turned around, looking surprised, ¡°Larissa? What are you doing here?¡±


    Larissa chuckled at the question. ¡°My husband is lying inside, so why wouldn¡¯t be here?¡±


    ¡°What ¡°husband¡±?¡± Ruby nced at her with disdain and said, ¡°Kevan told me that you two are just in a


    contractual marriage, using each other for your own purposes!¡±


    Larissa was taken aback by Ruby¡¯s words. Although she was somewhat surprised, she didn¡¯t find it


    entirely unexpected. Of course. Kevan had to rity their rtionship to Ruby, otherwise, he risked


    misunderstandings jeopardizing his chances with his dream girl


    However, even though Kevan¡¯s heart was no longer hers, Larissa couldn¡¯t let herself lose face. So, she


    straightened her back and smiled lightly, saying, ¡°Kevan and are legally married even so. Is there a


    problem with me calling him my husband?¡±


    ¡°Whatever. Call him whatever you want.¡± Ruby didn¡¯t even spare Larissa a nce, as if she didn¡¯t care


    that the so-called ¡®official wiie¡¯ was present. ¡°Kevan ignores you, and it¡¯s you who¡¯s embarrassing


    yourself!


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind. After all I have the right to enter the ward, so it¡¯s not me who¡¯s causing a scene and


    embarrassing herself here.¡± Larissa retorted smugly, boldly entering the ward in front of Ruby.


    Ruby¡¯s anger fared, and she almost bit her lip in frustration. As soon as Larissa entered the ward and


    closed the door behind her, the tall ck-d bodyguards once again blocked the entrance, effectively


    sealing it off.


    ¡°Move aside!¡± Ruby shouted, her anger surging. She disregarded her own image as she kicked and


    punched at the bodyguards, even


    attempting to bite them.


    However, her tantrum had no effect on the resolute bodyguards. They quickly restrained her, and one


    of them coldly advised, ¡°Please leave. Mr. Rogers is recuperating and won¡¯t have any visitors.¡± Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Visitors?¡± The word further incensed Ruby. ¡°You dare call me a visitor? I am his girtiend! I am his


    future wife! That Larissa who just went in is the real visitor! I will go to Kevan andin about you


    and he will have you fired on the spot!


    The bodyguards remained silent, unaflected by her threats. She pushed against them forcefully, but


    they stood their ground.


    ¡°Kevant Kevan Answer mer she shouted in a hoa rse voice. She sounded pitiful and as if she was on


    the verge of crying. ¡°I¡¯m here, Kevan! I came to see you! Open the door and let me in!


    Yet, her pleas were met with silence.


    At that moment, a cold male voice sounded from behind her. ¡°Ms, Cole, it¡¯s been almost hall a month


    since Kevan was shot, and now you


    finally remember him?¡±


    Ruby jolted and instinctively turned around. Dn stood just two steps away, wearing a mocking smile


    on hisce, his eyes gleaming with


    sharp, cold light behind his sses.


    Ruby lowered her head in a gully way and tightly sped her hands hidden in her sleeves. ¡°I was afraid


    before. Every time I closed my eyes, I would relive the ident. I was afraid to visit him at the hospital,


    afraid that the doctors would tell me he couldn¡¯t be saved..¡± She searched for excuses, wiping away


    some tears as she spoke.


    Dn¡¯s smile tumed even colder, his narrowed eyes emanating a dangerous aura. ¡°And now you¡¯re not


    afraid anymore?¡± he questioned.


    ¡°I¡¯m still scared,¡± she replied. She then raised her hand to touch her belly, forcing a loving smile. ¡°But¡­


    I have to being our child to see his


    father.¡±

 Chapter 380

    Chapter 380


    Chapter 380


    Dn stood there, stunned. His mouth was slightly agape, and his pupils Involuntarily dted.


    ¡°What¡­ did you say?¡± He finally managed to find his voice after some time. His gaze slowly shifted


    down from Ruby¡¯s face andnded on her still imperceptible small belly.


    Ruby ced her hand on her stomach and drew two circles. ¡°I¡¯m pregnant with Kevan¡¯s child,¡± she said


    proudly, Dn couldn¡¯t believe it. Kevan would never have been intimate with her.


    ¡°Ms. Cole, you shouldn¡¯t being to the hospital since you¡¯re pregnant. There are many viruses and


    bacteria here, and pregnant women have weaker immune systems. It would be troublesome if you le


    II,¡± His immediate thought was to persuade Ruby to go back and avoid


    any encounter with Larissa.


    N?velDrama.Org owns all content.


    Larissa¡¯s reaction would be different from his. If she found out that Ruby was pregnant, she would


    undoubtedly assume the child belonged to Kevan. And it would be toote by the time Kevan woke up.


    But the more he leaned something, the more it seemed to be


    Before he could say anything more, the door to the ward opened once again. Larissa held the


    doorknob with one hand and said


    expressionlessly to Ruby. ¡°Come in,¡±


    Though she was angry that Ruby hade to see Kevan after such a long time. Ruby was still


    someone he deeply cared about. If he were awake, he would probably forgive her without a second


    thought. Not to mention, she was now carrying his child. Larissa believed Kevan would definitely want


    to see her.


    Dn¡¯s eyes widened even further. He didn¡¯t expect Larissato amive before him. Did that mean she


    had heard their conversation? Panic


    set in as he envisioned the storm Kevan would face when he woke up.


    The bodyguards, who had been blocking the door obediently moved aside, creating a path for Ruby to


    enter after hearing Larissa¡¯s


    command.


    Ruby felt annoyed when she saw Kevan¡¯s bodyguards following Larissa¡¯s orders. As she passed by


    them, she couldn¡¯t help but re fiercely, but the bodyguards paid no attention to her they remained


    indifferent, looking straight ahead.


    Once inside the ward, she rushed to Kevan¡¯s side and grabbed his hand. ¡°Kevan!¡± She held his hand,


    calling out to him in a lingering and gentle voice,pletely different from her earlier tantrum at the


    door. Tears rolled down her cheeks andnded on the nket covering Kevan. Larissa frowned as she


    observed the scene.


    *Don¡¯t lean on him he has a chest injury.¡± she audibly reminded Ruby. Ruby sniffed and turned, giving


    Larissa a disdainful look but responded. ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Her voice carried a sense of victimhood and


    sorrow.


    Unfortunately, only Larissa could appreciate her exceptional acting skills; there was no one else in the


    room


    ¡°Kevan,¡± Ruby called out once again as she straightened her body. As expected. Kevan¡¯s eyes


    remained tightly shut. His breathing was even but weak, Ruby waited for a while, but there was no


    response. She shook his hand and continued to act spoiled. ¡°Kevan, wake up!


    I¡¯ve brought our child to see you!¡±


    The tubes attached to him also moved as Ruby shook his hand, Larissa suppressed her annoyance


    and the urge to kick Ruby out of the ward, and coldly said. ¡°Stop yapping. He¡¯s unconscious: he can¡¯t


    hear you.¡±

 Chapter 381

    Chapter 381


    Chapter 381


    Ruby abruptly halted her actions and asked Larissa in a daze. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s severely injured and unconscious and requires someone to care for him around the clock. Larissa


    swiftly packed her belongings into her suitcase, ¡°Initially, it was my responsibility to take care of him,


    but since you¡¯re here, leave it to you.¡±


    Ruby appeared taken aback by Larissa¡¯s unexpected announcement ¡°Wait!¡± She hurriedly stopped


    Larissa. ¡°What do you mean by ¡± unconscious?¡±¡±


    ¡°Exactly what it sounds like.¡± Larissa attempted to push her away but hesitated due to her pregnancy.


    She took a step back and went around Ruby. ¡°You need to remember to clean his body every day, sh


    ave his beard when it grows, wash his hair when it gets oily, change The urinary bag when it¡¯s full, and


    seek assistance from the nurses when the IV drip is finished. Figure out the rest on your own, and ask


    the nurses if you¡¯re unsure of anything. I¡¯m leaving. Let¡¯s never see each other again.¡± Larissa waved


    at Ruby


    Ruby¡¯s mind ceased to function properly. The lengthy list of tasks filled her with panic.


    ¡°But I¡¯m pregnant¡± she indignantly eximed. ¡°How can you ask me to do all of this? What if something


    happens to the child? Will youke responsibilty?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not my child, so why should I take responsibility?¡± Larissa coldly retorted. ¡°You can choose whether


    to perform these tasks or not. As


    you mentioned. I have a contractual marriage with Kevan. Therefore, whatever happens to him is none


    of my concem,¡±


    ¡°Your Ruby was left speechless, trembling with anger,


    However, Larissa disregarded her own concerns, forced a smile and departed without looking back,


    Dn, who stood outside the door, intercepted her and asked with a hesitant voice, ¡°Are you really


    leaving?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± she replied and smiled. ¡°I¡¯ve taken care of him for so many days. I¡¯ve fulfilled my duty.¡±


    He wanted to persuade her to stay, but he couldn¡¯t find the right words to convince her, given the


    current situation,


    Thandle things here as soon as possible,¡± he assured her. ¡°Kevan can¡¯t manage without you.¡±


    She chuckled self-deprecatingly upon hearing that. ¡°He doesn¡¯t need me he needs Ruby. At best. I¡¯m


    only a useful caregiver.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not true¡­ Dn couldn¡¯t speak on behalf of Kevan due to his predicament, but his hesitation


    led Larissa to misunderstand.


    ¡°Goodbye!¡± She waved casually and walked away with her suitcase, passing throughyers of


    bodyguards until she disappeared a


    at the


    elevator entrance.


    Dn entered the hospital room with a stern expression. Ruby remained in the same spot, seemingly


    trying to process the words Larissa


    had just thrown at her.


    ¡°Is it true that Kevan won¡¯t wake up?¡± she asked, her eyes faintly hopeful,


    He provided an ambiguous response. ¡°It¡¯s possible.¡±


    A glimmer of joy flickered across her face, but when she caught Dn¡¯s cold and stem gaze, she


    quickly lowered her head again. A few pecondster, as she raised her head once more, tears Illed her


    eyes.


    ¡°How could this happen?¡± she murmured. ¡°I don¡¯t believe it. Something must have gone wrong


    somewhere. I¡¯ll go lind the doctor and


    demand an exnation.¡±


    She was about to rush out, but Dn grabbed her arm.


    ¡°No need to go,¡± he said, ¡°This has been confirmed. The answer won¡¯t change even you ask the doctor


    a billion times.¡±


    ¡°What should we do then? Are you suggesting that I just stand by and watch Kevan lying here without


    taking any action?¡± Ruby questioned, her emotions escting


    Dn smirked upon hearing that, his smile carrying a deeper meaning. ¡°Well besides consulting the


    doctor, there are many other things you can do. Like what Larissa suggested-wiping Revan¡¯s body, sha


    ving his beard, washing his hair, and changing the urinary bag.¡± Ruby¡¯s face instantly paled, devoid of


    any color,Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.

 Chapter 382

    Chapter 382


    Chapter 382


    The night was cool and tranquil Larissa retrieved a bottle of red wine from Kevan¡¯s wine cab and


    poured herself a full ss. Her two cats nestled beside her, contentedly purring with closed eyes. She


    took a sip of wine and gently stroked the cats. If she were to share thi kind of life on the inte,


    countless people would probably envy her, but bitterness and loneliness still lingered within her.


    The doorbell rang. It was Dn. As he entered, he noticed the bottle of red wine on the coffee table.


    ¡°Enjoying the wine alone?¡± he teased.


    She smiled and asked. ¡°Care to join me?¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± he readily agreed. She got him a ss and poured half a ss of wine. They lightly clinked


    sses and finished the wine in one gulp.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get to the point.¡± Larissa smiled faintly as she took a napkin and wiped away the traces of wine


    from her lips.


    ¡°No rush. I came here to pick something up. I can still have a lew drinks with you.¡±


    Dn refiled their sses, and she didn¡¯t decline. It was rare to have someone to talk to, especially


    when it made the room feel less bleak and deste. After a few sses, her consciousness began to


    blur


    ¡°Wait here for a moment. I go to Kevan¡¯s study and get something.¡± he said. He rose to his feet and


    gradually disappeared from her sight. He returned shortly after andid out a document in front of her..


    ¡°What¨Cwhat is this?¡± She struggled to open her eyes as she attempted to decipher the contents of the


    document. However, everything appeared blurry, and she was too dizzy to read the words clearly.


    Dn replied. ¡°This is the divorce agreement prepared in advance by Kevan. I personally drafted it and


    all the conditions are in your favor. Sign here if you trust me.¡±


    He handed her a pen and pointed to a nk space on the paper, Larissacked the strength to ponder


    why Dn suddenly brought out the divorce agreement. The moment she heard the word ¡°divorce,¡± her


    initial reaction was that Kevan finally wanted to rid himsell of her and be with Ruby.


    ¡°I trust you!¡± she dered with slurred speech. ¡°Il help them get what they want! She ignored the rising


    feelings of disappointment and sadness within her and decisively signed her name on the document.


    Dn took back the pen, switly closed the document, and held it close to his chest. ¡°I¡¯ve gotten what I


    need, so I¡¯ll take my leave now. You should get some rest¡±


    Larissa reclined on the couch and tell into a deep slumber, intoxicated by the alcohol. The next day,


    she was awakened by her two cats. She experienced a splitting headache worse than staying up all


    night. She pressed her temples firmly, and the memories of the previous night gradually became clear.


    Dn came, apanied her for a drink, went to Kevan¡¯s study to retrieve something, and it seemed


    like he even made her sign¡­a divorce agreement?


    She was shocked, but after she recalled what had happened, she could only muster a bitter smile.


    Since she had already signed it, there was no point in regretting it- was only a matter of time. However,


    she needed to find a new ce to live and move out as soon as


    possible.? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.

 Chapter 383

    Chapter 383


    1.


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    3.


    4. ?


    5.


    Sweet Subterfuge By Trina Duo Chapter 383


    Posted by AdminD, ? Views, Released on September 6, 2023


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    Chapter 383


    ¡°Severe injuries Rander Microworks Corporation¡¯s President Kevan Rogers in Coma, Chances of


    Permanent Vegetative Condition.¡±


    This headline dominated all major websites after someone leaked the information. Que to this, the


    shares of Microworks Corporation plummeted by 10% in a single day. While Larissa was not worked for


    Kevan, she anticipated a tumultuous situation at the Rogers household. As expected. Violet gave her a


    call in the allernoon.


    ¡°Lari, what¡¯s going on with Kevan? Is the news true? Violet¡¯s anxiousness and worry resonated through


    the phone.


    Larissa couldn¡¯t hide it from her. ¡°It¡¯s true.¡±


    Molet fell stent for a while, and Larissa could hear her breathing quicken, growing heavier. Soon, her


    voice broke with tears. ¡°Kavan


    Where is he now?¡±


    After that Larissa told her the hospital address and ward number. Before she coulri Visel, the


    call was disconnected. Larissa


    pursed her ips and put the phone back in the drawer.


    When Larissa got home after work, she pushed open the door to see the room lit up. Shocked, her


    eyes widened, and her heart skipped beat. Soon, she noticed a pair of heels that she rgnized as


    Violets. The excilement in her heart turned into a sense of loreboding, as


    dark clouds had gathered within.


    Violet was feeding the cat. When she saw Larissa, she put down the can and got up.


    ¡°Larissa,e. Take a seat.¡± She pulled her over to the couch. Her voice was a little hoarse, and her


    eyes were red and swollen. She must


    have cried at the hospital


    ¡°A¨CAre you okay? Larissa asked, her own distress evident in her voice.


    I¡¯m fine.¡± Velet forced a smik.


    ¡°I¡¯m that Kevan is alive, and I find sce in that,¡±


    Distressed, Larissa held her hand tightly,


    Violet adjusted her emotion, looking somewhat embarrassed. ¡°I came here to talk to you about Kevan.


    I¡¯ve just found out that Ruby is


    pregnant with his child.¡±


    Larissa knew that Violet had long awaited the arrival of a grandchild, and now, her wishes had finally


    come true. However, as Larissa looked at Volet¡¯s face, she couldn¡¯t detect a trace of joy on her face.


    ¡°I chose to ignore it when Kevan and Ruby were getting close. It was a selfish decision on my part. I


    had hoped that Kevan woulde to his senses one day and your marriage with him wouldst. But


    now Heel ashamed¡± Violet admitted, her head lowered unable to meet Larissa¡¯s gaze.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like Ruby, and I never allow her into the Rogers family. However, she¡¯s camping Keyan¡¯s child,


    the heir to the Rogers bloodine. 50. I can¡¯t forsake the child and let it suffer with Ruby. Also, I won¡¯t ask


    you to endure it and raise another woman¡¯s child. Lail, why don¡¯t you Consider divorting Kevan? I¡¯m


    afraid he may never wake up, and you deserve to break free and pursue true happiness for yoursell.¡±


    Violet


    was sincere..


    Larissa could understand her sorrows and held no resentment toward her. She lowered her gaze and


    said, ¡°I signed the divorce papers Last night, Dn gave it to me and said Kevan had prepared it in


    advance.¡±


    Violet was taken aback and looked at Larissa with quilt. ¡°Tail-¡±


    Knowing what she would say. Lanssa interrupted her, ¡°Immol angry, and I don¡¯t hate Kevan, So you


    don¡¯t need to apologize. My only regret is that I met Kevan toote, and i¡¯m saddened that I can¡¯t be


    your daughter¨Cinw.¡±N?velDrama.Org owns all content.


    Every word Larissa spoke came straight from her heart. She finally felt the motherly love and allection


    of a loving family she had longed for and was truly reluctant to let go of such a good mother¨Cinw.


    Unfortunately-


    I would love to take you in as my goddaughter, bul¨CViolel smiled wistfully.


    Tim worried you might think of the failed marriage with Kevan every time you see me. So lorget about


    that However, you will always be wee to visil me whenever you miss me. I prepare a table lilled


    with your favorite dishes.¡±


    With a heavy heart, she called out to Violet onest time, her voice filled with sadness and gratitude.


    ¡°Mom, goodbye.¡±

 Chapter 384

    Chapter 384


    Chapter 384


    Larissa soon found a new home and moved out of Kevan¡¯s house. Although Dn had informed her


    that the house she was living in had been one of the properties Kevan had granted her in the divorce


    settlement she fell no achment to it. She packed her belongings and


    left without locking back.


    The news of Ruby¡¯s pregnancy with Kevan¡¯s chid spread rapidly within the Rogers¡¯ Cick. Meanwhile,


    Edmund began frequenting Larissa¡¯s office. He would send her flowers, gifts and ask her on dates,


    employing various tactics to pursue her. However, Larissa remained interested.


    In the end, feeling overwhelmed by the situation, she handed in her resignation letter. However, this


    decision wasn¡¯t something she had Just thought of. She had always disliked Barthem. It lett Eke this


    city had been a backdrop for all her lowest moments in Ife and it seemed to conscire against her at


    every turn.


    Larissa knew she would never be transfered back to Covenford, The only way to leave this pace was


    via a resignation. Edm.rd¡¯s persistent pursuit had broken down herst line of delense, and she was


    willing to let go of the three-month rent she had just paid.


    ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    Unsurprisingly, Edmund rejected her resignation letter and made a sincere plea lorter to stay. ¡°The


    Regal Dynasty Hotel will be doomed


    without you.¡±


    When Lanssa heard his exaggerated words, she couldn¡¯t help butugh. ¡°The Regal Dynasty Hotel will


    continue to thrive. It will survive no matter who lell. Someone will soon fill in my position,¡±


    ¡°But that someone might not be as good as you¡± Edmund insisted leaning over the officeble and


    gripping her hand tightly. His gaze


    was intense. filed with deep affection.


    Larissa lowered her head to dodge his gaze and pulled her hand away. She sighed. ¡°Mr. Rogers. I just


    be frank. Whether you approve my resignation or not, I¡¯m leaving. If you choose to approve it I continue


    for another month and get all the work sorted out before leaving. If you don¡¯t I wente to work


    starting tomorrow. Im prepared to forgo this month¡¯s sry¡±


    Edmund stared at her for a long time and realized she wasn¡¯t joking. Only then did he return to his seat


    and be serious, ¡°Okay, 11. inform the HR Department to begin the necessary procedures for your


    resignation.¡±


    The person who took over Larissa¡¯s position was the deputy manager. She had been on leave to


    recuperate at home. It was also because she took charge of the position that everything went smoothly.


    In just a week, the handover waspleted, and Larissa officially resigned.


    Not sure how Dn got wind of her resignation, he went to her new house to find her. His face wore a


    stem expression as he questioned her, ¡°if I don¡¯te to you, how long are you nning to hide this


    from me?¡±


    Regardless of Larissa¡¯s guilt, she mustered the courage to be honest with Dn. ¡°Until the day I can¡¯t


    hide it anymore.¡±


    Her answer only made him furious. ¡°Have you ever treated me as a friend?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s precisely because you¡¯re my friend that I don¡¯t want to tell you about it.¡±


    Larissa hated goodbyes. The emotional farewells filled with lears and reluctance were something she


    detested. It was just like when she left Wendy, it was an experience she vowed never to relive.


    Her exnation Carey convinced Dn, but he eventually calmed down and as sed, ¡°So, where are


    you nning to go next?


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± sheughed. She had no specific n for the future but was sure of only one thing. ¡°I


    will not stay in Bartham,¡±


    Dn wasn¡¯t surprised at all by her response. He then asked. ¡°Are you going back to Covenlord?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± answered Larissa truthfully as she shook her head

 Chapter 385

    Chapter 385


    Chapter 385


    Larissa didn¡¯t want to return to that city as it was filed with memories of her and Kevan


    ¡°I want a new change in environment. Start hesh,¡± Larissa said.


    ¡°No matter where you go, you¡¯ll have my full support. I just have one request aher you¡¯ve settled


    everything you must contact me,¡± Dn


    ¡°Okay,¡± she agreed.


    It was rare for Larssa to be free, so she asked him to stay for dinner. However, he rejected her. After


    looking at the time, he said helplessly. ¡°It¡¯s Late, I have lo ap to the hospital. Let¡¯s make an appointment


    sometimeter at noon if you want to treat me to a meal¡±


    ¡°Why are you going to the hospital? Larissa asked cur cusly. There was no way he would apany


    Ruby Tke he had apanied her,


    N?velDrama.Org owns all content.


    like right? They didn¡¯t have such a close rtionship.


    Dn pouted and said, ¡°I¡¯m going to be the caretakerr Kavan, What else do you think I can do?¡±


    Larissa was even more puzzled. ¡°Isn¡¯t Ruby there to care for him?


    ¡°Heh!¡± Dn sneered. ¡°She¡¯s carrying the only bdine of the Rogers. How could she do heavy work?


    Kevan has althese pecr requests, and since Ruby is unable to fufill them, am I not the only one who


    can help him? I genuinely suspect that I may have wronged him in my previous ile, which is why I have


    to see him in this one.¡±


    However, these matters were no longer rted to Larissa, so she couldn¡¯tment on them. She


    patted Dn¡¯s shoulder and said Sympathetically. Well, thank you for your hard work.¡±


    Later that evening. Larissa was on a video call with Wendy, and she told her about her resignation.


    Wendy asked. ¡®Do you want toe


    here to study?¡±


    Amber Larissa had divorced Travis, Wendy had always asked her to study abroad with her. At that


    time, Larissa had the opportunity to Secure a full schrship to lurther her studies upon graduation.


    However, she opted to prioritize earning more money to support hersell declining her teacher¡¯s offer


    even though her teacher had high hopes for her. Wherever she thought of this matter a slight twinge of


    regret would surface, but she never truly regrelled it.


    ¡°You have encugh savings and work experience from a renowned hotel i ke the Regal Dynasty Hotel a


    leader in the industry. Even after two years, youll still have plenty of opportunities. So why not take a


    two-year break and rx? You can enrich yourself while


    apanying me.¡± Wendy tried her best to persuade her.


    ¡°The main point was thest part of the sentence, huh? Larissa remarked


    Wendyughed and nodded. ¡°Oops! You caught me. You have no idea how lonely I feel here.¡±


    ¡°I seriously consider your suggestion. Although Larissa had the idea of furthering her studies, she was


    scared of going abroad. First of all she was concerned about thenguage barrier. She worried she


    might not survive abroad.


    Larissa had been cooped up in her house for a few days, relying on takeout meals. However, once she


    grew tired of the nearby food options, she finaly mustered the motivation to freshen up. She nned to


    go out for a meal and watch a movie to pass the time.


    Unexpectedly she met Lana. She had heard about Lana getting pregnant before marriage and her


    noticeably round belly confirmed it. However, Larissa was taken aback by just howrge Lana¡¯s belly


    had be. It seemed that Lana might be further along in her pregnancy than 1.st three months


    pregnant. Yet three months ago, Lana was still in ar, onship with Lucas,


    Larissa couldn¡¯t help but feel sorry for Lucas. Not only had he been cheated on, but he had also


    foolishly given money to two anchors


    under Lana¡¯s supervision.


    ¡°Larissa!¡± Lana caled out before she could evade tier. Larissa quickly turned away. However, Lana


    didn¡¯t care about the fact that she was pregnant and simply dashed forward to Lariss.


    Then, she pulled Larissa¡¯s arm and smiled, ¡®Larissa what a coincidence.¡±

 Chapter 386

    Chapter 386


    Chapter 386


    Lana weren¡¯t pregnant. Larissa would have mercilessly yanked away her hand. As Lana slood in her


    way. a few bodyguards appeared and sumounded her.


    ¡°Miss, please be careful¡± All of the bodyguards loosed visibly worried, as if they wished to hold her


    hand and provide support as she walked.


    Tmbine. Don¡¯t worry.¡± Lana waved them away in annoyance.


    Then, sheined to Larissa, feigning annoyance. My husband can be so overbearing. I told him I


    wanted to go shopping, and he goes and sends a whole baltalion of guards to tal me. He¡¯s constantly


    worried Imight stumble, calling me every ten minutes. I¡¯m not a three¨Cyear¨Cold, for heaven¡¯s sake. Why


    does he worry so much?¡±


    Larissa could see the pride in Lana¡¯s gaze, and she hade here to unt it all


    ¡°Your husband is so good to you, Larissa said and was happy.


    best to look envious. She knew that she would never get to leave unless Lana


    ¡°What¡¯s good about that? Lana chuckled, voicing herint


    Then, She raised her hand to show her bracelet. ¡°Just look at this. It¡¯s so old¨Cfashioned. He insisted on


    buying it for me and spent over six


    million on it.¡®


    Not being well¨Cversed in such matters, Larissa coudn¡¯t determine if it truly justified the ¡°elty price tag. It


    doesn¡¯t look old fashion to me, I


    think it looks nice.¡±


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    ¡°Realy?¡± Lana tock off the bracelet and forcefully ced it in Larissa¡¯s hand as she socke


    ¡°Since you like you, you can have it as a gift. I don¡¯t like it anyway.¡±


    Usually, Larissa would never ept such an expensive gilt but it was different when it came to the


    Seymours.


    ¡°Okay, Larissa took it and wore it on her wrist. Lana was shocked by her actions.


    Following that Larissa deliberately raised her hand and jingled the bracelet. ¡°It looks nice. The more I


    look at it, the prettier it is,


    Lana¡¯sce was tushed with anger, and she grilled her teeth. Nevertheless, she had to maintain an air


    of generosity. ¡°As long as you don¡¯t mind that it¡¯s something I don¡¯t want.¡±


    *Not at all Why would I mind? if you have anything you wish to throw away, you can give it to me.¡±


    Larissa¡¯s eyes twinkled, and two dimples appeared on her face when she smiled.


    Stunned, Lara suddenly looked at her with pity. ¡°Larissa, your life has been hard, huh?¡±


    Larissa was caught off guard. Her head hung low as if Lana had touched a sensitive nerve. She


    responded faintly, though the smile on


    face had turned bitter.


    Contrary to expectations, Lana smiled and suddenly took her arms before letting out a sigh. ¡°I¡¯ve heard


    about the situation with Kevan and Ruby. I¡¯ve always felt that Kevan isn¡¯t a good guy. Otherwise, Mom


    and I wouldn¡¯t have made such a hugemotion at the Rogers¡®. It¡¯s a shame you were banded by


    love and misunderstood our good intentions.¡±


    Larissa quietly listened and didn¡¯tment on anything else. Then, Lana tugged her forward. ¡°Larissa,


    I will let you in on a secret known only among us women; the only way to the a man down is by having


    his child.¡±


    Lana ced a hand on her hely before continuing. ¡°Ruby was epted by the Rogers family because


    she¡¯s pregnant with Kavan¡¯s child, Isn¡¯t she? Lose at you, Larissa. Two of your marriages fell apart


    because you refused to have children.¡±


    Larissa didn¡¯t think Lana¡¯s words made any sense, but a sudden realization struck her. Both of her


    mariages had indeed ended due to the emergence of pregnant mistresses. Were they merely


    coincidences? Or was she destined to be entangled with such people?

 Chapter 387

    Chapter 387


    Chapter 387


    ¡°If you get a third chance at marriage, you should try to get pregnant as soon as possible.¡± Lana


    advised.


    ¡°At your age, it bes increasingly difficult to conceive the longer you dy, and the risks are also


    higher.¡± Every word she spoke carried an air of sincerity, although she was subtly adding salt to


    Larissa¡¯s wound. However, Larissa didn¡¯t mind it at all and yed along. She nodded and gave a faint


    response.


    As they approached the esctor, Larissa prepared to step onto it when she suddenly felt a strong jolt


    on her arm. Lana, seemingly lost in her thoughts, had missed a step. With that, she fell forward and


    pulled Larissa along with her. Larissa managed to grab onto the handrail to steady herself, while Lana


    ended up falling onto the esctor,


    ¡°Ah! Lana cried out in pain, promoting her bodyguard to swiftly stop the esctor. They immediately


    helped her up from the ground. Tears streamed down Lana¡¯s face as she red at Larissain disbelief.


    Amidst her tears, she used, ¡°Larissa, why did you push me?¡±


    Larissa¡¯s mind went nk for two seconds, and upon regaining her senses, she realized everything


    had been a trap set by Lana. Nevertheless, she remainedposed and calmly stated, ¡°I didn¡¯t push


    you.¡±


    Lana¡¯s tears continued to flow unabated. ¡°Larissa, I don¡¯t think I have ever done anything to offend you.


    I¡¯m not the one who caused your cument misery, so why did you treat me-


    The bodyguards swiftly intervened, shielding Lana from any further confrontation. ¡°Madam, you should


    go to the hospital and let us deal with this.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Lana waved her hand dismissively, then turned her aggrieved gate toward Larissa.


    Addressing the bodyguard, she added. ¡°My sister didn¡¯t do it on purpose. I go to the hospital now. Don¡¯t


    tell my husband about this.¡±


    The bodyguard looked perplexed. ¡°What if he asks-


    ¡°Just say that I fell on my own.¡± Lana ¡°generously shifted the me onto herself,


    Larissa watched as Lana departed, apanied by her entourage of vignt bodyguards. She


    suddenly lost all her appetite even though She was hungry just now. In the end, Larissa didn¡¯t eat or


    watch a movie. Instead, she got a taxi home.


    When Larissa arrived home, she received a call from Yvette. ¡°You ungrateful bra!! Lana was kind to you


    and even gited you a six¨Cmilion- dor bracelet How could you push her onto the esctor? Larissa


    what is your heart made up of, huh? I really regret giving birth to


    someone like you!¡±


    Larissa ended the call and blocked her number. Yvette¡¯s call was a sign that her peaceful life was about


    to end. It didn¡¯t take long before Violet called her. ¡°Lan, did you push Lana?¡±


    Violet knew that Larissa and Lana weren¡¯t on good terms. However, she never inquired much about it.


    While Violet had faith in Larissa¡¯s character, she couldn¡¯t entirely rule out the possibility that Larissa


    had been angered by Lana, causing her to take action.


    *I''m not suspecting your Violet was worried that Larissa would misunderstand and hurriedly took her


    side.


    Then, she continued, ¡°It¡¯s just that Lana¡¯s pregnancy appeared to be unstable, so Bernard and his


    family came to us, demanding an exnation.¡±? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.

 Chapter 388

    Chapter 388


    Chapter 388


    Larissa decided to visit the Rogers, fully aware that she was the one responsible for the trouble that


    had arisen. She understood that it wouldn¡¯t be fair for Kevan¡¯s parents to bear the me for her


    actions.


    Bemard and Maria were in the living room with gloomy expressions. As soon as they spotted Larissa,


    they lunged toward her in a frenzy. You vicious bitch! anything happens to my grandson, I make sure


    you pay with your life!


    Maria, with her long nails, swiftly left three bloody marks on Larissa¡¯s face in a split second. Violet


    couldn¡¯t act fast enough and was only able to pull Larissa away after thetter had covered her face.


    ¡°Calm down! Listen to what Lari has to say.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s there to say? Will she admit to what she did? I¡¯ve never seen such a vicious woman. Nana is


    her sister! How could she do that to her?¡± Maria red at Larissa.


    Larissa maintained a resolute gaze and replied. ¡°I did not push Lana. She fell on her own, you truly


    wish to debate this matter, I actually pulled her to prevent her from falling of the esctor. Otherwise,


    she would already be experiencing a miscarriage rather than just an


    unstable pregnancy.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re lying! Maria shouted at her. Her high¨Cpitched voice made Larissa¡¯s ears hurt.


    ¡°If I had known that saving your grandson¡¯s life would result in me ending up like this. I should have let


    go of Lana. At least it would have been worth enduring your beatings and scoldings then. I suppose


    none of you really care about what the truth is. You only want me to shoulder the me. If that¡¯s the


    case. I won¡¯t waste my time here. Just think whatever you want. I don¡¯t care. I just want to remind you


    that I¡¯m divorced from Kevan, so if you want to find me, don¡¯te here.¡± Larissa smiled, but there


    wasn¡¯t any joy in her eyes.


    Everyone in the Rogers household was shocked. They couldn¡¯t discem whether it was Larissa¡¯s


    unwavering determination or the revtion of her divorce from Kevan that had taken them aback.


    Then, Larissa bowed toward Kevan¡¯s parents and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry for causing you two trouble.¡±


    When she rose from her bow, she turned toward Maria, pointed at the wound on herce, and said.


    ¡°This is my gift to you as your daughter, a way for you to release your anger. If you remain unsatisfied


    with the oue, you can get Lana to make a police report. I¡¯m willing to confront her in court.¡±


    ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    Without caring for their reactions, she straightened her posture and walked out of the Rogers


    residence. On the way back, she called Wendy, ¡°Get prepared. Once my visa is approved. I¡¯ll be


    coming to you.¡±


    Wendy¡¯s screams echoed through the phone, but once she calmed down, curiosity took over. ¡°What


    made youe to this decision?¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡± Larissa said. She just wanted to escape from that environment, so it didn¡¯t matter where she


    went. She thought going to where Wendy was might make her feel better.


    Wendy found a suitable localnguage academy and emailed her resume to the graduate supervisor of


    her university¡¯s hotel management major. Half a monthter, Larissa¡¯s visa was approved.


    During this period, she never left the house other than going to the embassy. The Rogers family did


    attempt to contact her, but she had cklisted their phone numbers, Since she had decided to bid


    farewell to her past, she didn¡¯t want to bother herself with any more troubles from the previous chapter


    of her life.


    When Lanssa lett, it was May. The atmosphere mimored her somber mood on that particr day with a


    light rain. Her tax was stuck in traffic, so the driver struck up a conversation with her, ¡°Miss, where are


    you heading?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to study abroad, Larissa answered


    ¡°That¡¯s great? The driver looked at her through the rearview minor and couldn¡¯t help but express his


    doubts, saying, ¡°But are you going alone to the airport? Aren¡¯t your family going to see you off?¡±


    At the mention of family, Larissa smiled wryly and said, ¡°No, they¡¯re busy.¡±


    The driverined on her behalf. ¡°No matter how busy they are, they should make time to send you


    all, shouldn¡¯t they? After all you might not be back for a few years once you leave, right?¡±

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    Chapter 389


    Chapter 389


    ¡°Yes,¡± Larissa said ncing out of the car window. The rain slid down the ss. blurring the city she


    had harbored disdain for over two


    decades. In a way, it was a wee obstruction.


    The driver continued to babble on, but she didn¡¯t hear a thing he said. Due to the trafic congestion.


    Larissa had to dash across the airport to make it to her flight. When the ne was about to take off, the


    air stewardess gerty reminded the passengers to turn off their phones.


    In the end Larissa sumbed to her desire and sent Kevan a text. ¡°Goodbye. I hope that you¡¯d be


    happy with


    It was uncertain whether he would evere across this text¨Cwhether he would only see it yearster


    or remain forever unsten.


    However, Larissa didn¡¯t mind. Forher, this act held a profound significance. By biddingnewed to him,


    she could have closure and finally


    leave her past behind.


    The long fight had left her farling drowsy, and the incessant walls of a child in the economy seat gave


    her a headache. Seeking respite from the chaos, Larissa rose from her seat and made her way to the


    restroom. Unexpectedly, she saw a middle¨Caged men convu sing on


    the floor.


    As a hotel manager, Larissa had received the most basic form of first aid training. Assessing the


    situation and observing the white foam forming at the mouth, she concluded that this person was


    having a seizure, Acting swiftly, she knelt down, removed her jacket and twisted it into a makeshit rope


    so that he could bite onto it. At the same time, she wiped away the foam from theer of his mouth.


    ¡°Do you have any medication with you?¡± Larissa assed in a panic.


    The middle¨Caged man hadn¡¯tpletely lost consciousness. With trembling hands, he pointed toward


    his pocket with great difficulty. Larissa cuicky lound a smal medicine bottle and ced a pill into his


    mouth.


    An air stewardess who happened to pass by was shocked by the scene. When she finally calmed


    down, she asked. ¡°What happened? Do you need help?¡±


    ¡°This passenger experienced a seizure. He has taken medication. Stay here and keep an eye on him.


    Don¡¯t let him bite his tongue.¡± Larissa


    told the air stewardess what to do before rushing to the washroom.


    When Larisa was done, the people outside were gone, and the mess had been cleared. It seemed that


    the patient had returned to normal. She breathed a sigh of reliel, went back to her seat, and took a


    short nap. Later on, the pilot announced that they would soon bending.


    Still in a dane, Larissa gathered her belongings and disembarked the ne alongside the other


    passengers. As she approached the shuttle bus, a voice called out from behind. ¡®Wiss!¡±


    ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    However, Larissa dismissed the notion that the person was calling to her, as she no longer associated


    herself with that term from years¡­ ago. Just as she stepped onto the shuttle bus, someone pulled her


    arm.


    ¡°Miss A hoarse vakce sounded in her ear.


    Larissa was taken aback and tumed to see a strange yet familiar face. ¡°You¡¯re that guy on the ne


    Before she could finish, the middle¨Caged man interrusted her. ¡°Yes, yes! It¡¯s me! I would have died on


    this ne if it weren¡¯t for you!¡±

 Chapter 390

    Chapter 390


    Chapter 390


    The middle-aged man sat on the shuttle bus with Larissa, and after his passionate Introduction, Larissa


    found out his name-Gary Logan. He worked at Blur Star Shipping an internationally renowned


    company. Due to workmitments, he had to travel back and forth between Caldor and Aldovia


    ¡°Usually, my as s start would be with me, however, he had some family problems, so he couldn¡¯te


    on this trip. Who woud have thought such an nc dent would happen? Fortunately, you were there,¡±


    Gary said, still visibly shaken.


    Then, he see Larissa for her business card. ¡®I have to deal with somepany affairs today. I will treat


    you to a meal some other day to


    asked


    thank you for saving my life.¡±


    Larissa smiled apologetically. ¡°I¡¯m here to study. I just arrived.¡±


    Gary¡¯s response was barely audible as he furrowed his brows, saying, ¡°Isn¡¯t university registration at


    the end of August? Why are you here so early¡±


    Larissa lowered her head in embarrassment and exined. ¡°I came over to brush up on mynguage


    skills first. I¡¯m not good at speaking it so I¡¯m worried I might not keep up if I started studying


    immediately.¡±


    Gary nodded. ¡®Have you taken care of everything?¡±


    Perhaps it was because she had saved his life carlier that he expressed concem about her situation.


    ¡°Have you found a school and a


    ce to y? is there familying to pick you up? Do you need me to arrange a driver for you?¡±


    Larissa poitely declined his kind offer. ¡°I have a friend here who has already helped me arrange


    everything.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Gary looked disappointed. Then he retrieved a pen from his pocket and gently hed Larissa¡¯s


    hand, writing a line of numbers on her


    palm


    ¡°This is my phone number. Once you have a local phone number, remember to contact me.¡±


    Larissa closed her palm and smiled politely before nooding. ¡°Okay.¡±


    Alter Gary exited the airport, two foreign men in suits weed him and took his suitcase. Gary then


    gestured to one of the men. ¡°H her with her luggage, he instructed, indicating Larissa.


    Larissa promptly declined. ¡°Nott¡¯s fine! I can do it myself


    As soon as the nended Wendy had already shared her location with Larissa and instructed her to


    find her after arising.


    Im going to lind my friend now¡± Larissa said, waying goodbye to Gary. Then, she opened her GPS and


    walked away, feeling the weight of


    Gary and his bodyguards¡¯ intense ganes


    Fortunately, the GPS guided Larissa smoothly, and it didn¡¯tke her long to locale Wendys car. Wendy


    was leaning against the vehicle. ying with her phone. Over the past few years, Wendy had matured,


    exuding a more relined anddylike demeanor.


    Larissa recaled how Wendy used to sport short hair, but now her locks cascaded in long curls. In the


    past, Wendy would often be seen in casual T-shirts, jeans, and sneakers. But now she was wearing a


    chess that showed of her curves, and she had even palies II with elegant heels, Wendy, who used to


    have a bare face, now wore makeup. That was why Larissa didn¡¯t recognize her at Frst nce, Larissa


    called out tentatively, ¡°Viendy?¡±


    Immediately, Wendy looked up. When Wendy caught sight of Larissa, herce it up with the same


    unchanged, radiant smile she always


    ¡°Land¡± Wendy eximed, noll minding the three-inch heels she was wearing, as she rushed over to


    give Larissa a big fog.


    ¡°The missed you so much!¡±


    Larissa almost cried but managed to hold them back, mindful of their public surroundings. Then, she


    said. ¡°I¡¯ve missed you so much too!¡±


    They hugged each other for a while until they noticed the curious nces from passersby. Only then


    did they let each other go, abelt unwillingly. Wendy helped Larissa ce her sulcase in the trunk beforeThis text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.


    getting into thecar.


    Wendy asked, ¡°Are you red?¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s go to my ce and rest first. I had nned to take you to the supermarket to get some


    essentials.¡± Wendy made a decision.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. We can go and shop first. I can manage.¡± Larissa tried her best to stay awake, although her


    eyelids were drooping.

 Chapter 391

    Chapter 391


    Chapter 391


    ¡°Why are you still as stubbom as you were in the past? Wendy chuckled, finding Larissa¡¯s


    determination amusing.


    ¡°Why do you still enjoy exposing me like you always did in the past? Larissa pouted and red at her.)


    Their eyes met and both of them couldn¡¯t help butugh.


    ¡°This is great. It feels just like old times.¡± Wendy sighed contentedly,


    ¡°Yes, does,¡± Larissa agreed with a nod


    Although time had passed and they both had changed, their friendship remained unchanged.


    In the end. Wendy drove them home. She lived on the outskirts, so there weren¡¯t many tall buildings.


    Every house in this area was a vi with a huge courtyard. It was the same for Wendy¡¯s house.


    Wendy had bought the house in full payment with her savings. This ce cost me about as much as a


    restroom cubicle in Bartham.¡±


    Larissa was envious and even more so when she entered Wendy¡¯s house and saw her garage, game


    room, and gym. She could also afford these things butcked such a big house.


    ¡°The only benefit of this ce is the housing prices. The outskirt is really deserted. The hospital


    supermarkets, and other facilities are miles away. After eight in the evening, there are no cars or


    people on the street. It can realy be unnerving, Wendy sighed.


    ¡°You have no idea how scared I feel living alone here. Every night, I worry that someone might break


    in, rob me or even murder me. Now that you¡¯re here- Wendy suddenly hugged Larissa and gave her a


    kiss before continuing. ¡°I don¡¯t have to be scared anymore


    Larissa couldn¡¯t help but suspect that Wendy had asked her over for precisely this reason. The room


    that Wendy had arranged for Lanssa was just next to hers


    ¡°This was originally a guest room. Sometimes my friends or ssmates would stay over, but it¡¯s been


    quite rare. That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t decorate it. I¡¯ve changed the new bedding and nket for you. You can


    do anything you like in this room. It¡¯s yours anyway.¡± 1


    However, Larissa didn¡¯t have the energy to do anything. After taking a shower, she crawled into bed


    and sumbed to sleep. She didn¡¯t have time to unpack her suitcases.


    Later, she was roused from her slumber by Wendy. Despite having rested, Larissa still felt tired and


    couldn¡¯t open her eyes


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    ¡°How can you be such a good sleeper? It¡¯s already eight in the evening.¡± Wendy remarked, her tone


    laced with helplessness. They had arved before noon, so she already had a long nap


    ¡°Get up and eat. You haven¡¯t had anything to eat all day. I¡¯m afraid you might starve to death.¡± Wendy


    tugged her nket away and dragged her off the bed. Larissa, who hadn¡¯t felt hungry before falling


    asleep, now realized the pangs of hunger intensifying with Wendy¡¯s reminder.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing delicious in this small town, so just eat what we have. Don¡¯t you darein.¡±


    Wendy had already prepared dinner. consisting of a simple steak apanied by a bowl of vegetable


    and fruit sd.


    Larissa was famished so she devoured the steak in just a few bites, and most of the sd had also


    been eaten by her. is there something else to eat? I don¡¯t feel full at all¡± Larissa asked Wendy while


    wiping her mouth with a tissue.


    Wendy was taken aback by Larissa¡¯s request but willingly offered her the remaining steak and sd.


    ¡°Take it. You can finish it I¡¯m on a det anyway, so I don¡¯t mind eating less.¡±


    to ept the additional food but si found the Turisasted.


    ¡°Lan, are you sir? Wendy couldn¡¯t help but ask.

 Chapter 392

    Chapter 392


    Chapter 392


    Larissa was caught off guard by her question and instinctively denied it. ¡°Well I haven¡¯t eaten for a day,


    so it¡¯s not unusual to be starving. right?¡±


    ¡°That makes sense.¡± Wendy nodded and epted her exnation.


    However, the situation persisted into the next day. Larissa once again found herself being pulled out of


    the bed by Wendy. They had toplete the admission procedures at thenguage academy, so they


    had to get up early. Larissa had set the rm but was so deep in her sleep that she didn¡¯t hear it.


    Wendy couldn¡¯t help butin, ¡°Are you a pig? You were asleep the whole day yesterday. How


    could you still sleep at night?¡±


    Worried that Larissa might be experiencing jetg, Wendy had nned to stay up all night chatting with


    her. To her surprise, when she returned from taking a shower, she found


    Larissast asleep in her room.


    With a sleepy yawn, Larissa admitted, ¡°I might actually be one.¡±


    Wendy prepared breakfast. There was toast fried eggs, bacon, and a cup of milk. Although it was a


    normal serving, Larissa wasn¡¯t full Ultimately, she finished all the white bread with jam at Wendy¡¯s


    house.


    ¡°There¡¯s definitely something going on with you. Let me take you to the hospital for a checkup once


    we¡¯re done with the admission.¡± Wendy looked worried.


    Larissa was not afraid of seeing doctors, and she did, as a matter of fact feel something strange too.


    However, she just thought it was simply because she wasn¡¯t used to being in a new environment, so


    she believed going to the hospital was unnecessary.


    However, Wendy didn¡¯t care and ultimately look her there. Larissa wasn¡¯t good with thenguage here,


    so she left the talking to Wendy. Larissa sat on the side, listening to


    Wendy chatting with the doctor, and was in a dane. Though she couldn¡¯t grasp the exact details of the


    conversation, she could sense Wendy¡¯s shock and observed aplex gaze directed toward her.


    Larissa panicked and asked, ¡°What did the doctor say?¡±


    Wendy ignored her question and asked. ¡°Did you have your period this month?¡±


    Larissa thought about it and answered, ¡°Not yet.¡±


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    Larissa had been upied with work in the past few years, often workingte into the night. Her


    irregr sleep schedule took a toll on her overall heath, asionally dying her menstrual cycle for


    up to two months.


    Also, she had no intention of getting pregnant, and there weren¡¯t any major issues with her health


    during her annual medical checkups, so she never took it to heart.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that the increased eating and sleeping are due to me being pregnant?¡± Larissa chuckled


    at her own spection.


    ¡°Don¡¯t joke with me. I don¡¯t even have a sex ide. Can I get pregnant by myself? Larissa waved her


    hand dismissively, her tone resolute enough to momentarily cause Wendy to pause in doubt.


    ¡°The doctor said you have a high chance of being pregnant. I still think it¡¯s safer to go for an


    examination.¡±


    Soon, the ultrasound result came out, and the doctor congratted Larissa with a smile. ¡°You¡¯re


    pregnant.¡±


    Larissa was dumbfounded, as well as Wendy.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you didn¡¯t have a sex life? Wendy asked.


    ¡°Impossible. I can¡¯t be pregnant.¡± Larissa denied it agitatedly.


    ¡°Could it be a mistake?¡± she asked the doctor


    The doctor was stunned and checked the ultrasound again before telling her, ¡°No. You¡¯re indeed


    pregnant.¡±


    Larissa frove, and her mind went nk. She had lost all her ability to think. She couldn¡¯t wrap her head


    around what had gone wrong.

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    In her memory, she had indeed been celibate for a long time. Wendy grinned her hand, her expression


    slowly getting serious. ¡°Do you want this child?¡± asked Wendy.


    ¡°No!¡± said Larissa without a moment¡¯s hesitation. There was no way she could birth this child that had


    come into her life out of the blue. and she didn¡¯t even know who its father was. There was no way she


    would allow her own tragedy to befall her child. She wasn¡¯t Yvette and couldn¡¯t bear to do such a cruel


    thing.


    Wendy told the doctor Larissa¡¯s decision, and the smile on the doctor¡¯s face faded into a regretful


    expression, ¡°I will schedule your surgery as soon as possible,¡± she said. ¡°But you need to undergo a


    comprehensive pre-surgery examination.¡±


    After almost an hour of ha ssle, the doctor said. ¡°You aren¡¯t in a fit condition for surgery.¡± She handed


    Larissa a bunch of medication and said. ¡°Go home and tune yourself back to health ande back for


    another checkup in a week, I also hope you can reconsider your decision seriously during this time, on


    whether you really don¡¯t want this child.¡±


    On the way back, Larissa and Wendy didn¡¯t speak. It was so silent in the car that they could hear the


    sound of each other¡¯s breathing. Wendy was the first one to break the silence. ¡°It¡¯s the right decision to


    abort the child. You¡¯ve just turned over a new leal in life. You can¡¯t let this child ruin everything.


    Besides, it will hate you in the future if you choose to give birth and can¡¯t give it aplete family.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Larissa¡¯s decision never swayed. She was just wondering who the child¡¯s father could be.


    ording to the timeframe, the child should have been conceived during the few days she had stayed


    at the hospital Casting her thoughts back, could someone have snuck into Kevan¡¯s ward and done


    something to her, which exined why she had felt sore in the mornings during that period? But no


    matter what, there was no way she could be sure.


    ¡°You know what? There¡¯s a very powerful tarot reader in my town.¡± To lighten up the mood, Wendy


    changed the topic of conversation and said in a carefree tone, ¡°Let¡¯s goter and let her predict your


    future


    Larissa didn¡¯t believe in things that didn¡¯t have scientific proof, but seeing Wendy¡¯s enthusiasm, she


    agreed, thinking she could take it as a chance to experience something new.


    It was indeed more happening in town than on the outskirts where she lived. Wendy led Larissa to a


    smal corner shop, but the shop didn¡¯t


    have a name or windows to disy its goods. From the outside, only a mundane-looking door could be


    seen, it was nearly pitch-ck inside the shop. A doorbell hanging above the door made an eerie ¡°ding¡±


    and Larissa got goosebumps all over her arms. She rubbed her arms and pulled Wendy over, saying, ¡°I


    think we should go home.¡±


    The moment she said that, an ethereal female voice sounded in the dark. ¡°Wee.¡± Then, a faint light


    from a candle it up two feet away from them. A deathly palece loomed in the candlelight, looking all


    the more ghostly. Larissa gripped Wendy¡¯s hand, nearly letting out a scream. With a smile, Wendy


    greeted the messy-haired woman, who looked like a ghost. ¡°Hi Barbara.¡± She sounded as it she was


    very familiar with the woman. Barbara smiled back, but her smile looked terrifying to Larissa, who broke


    out into cold sweat and retreated a


    small step.N?velDrama.Org owns all content.

 Chapter 394

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    Chapter 394


    Larissa failed to escace because Wendy held her still and quickly pulled her into a chair opposite


    Barbara. A small round table separated them, adored only by a candbra bearing a lit candle and a


    thick stack of tarot cards, ¡°This is my best friend. Larissa.¡± Wendy made the introductions.


    ¡°Nice to meet you, Larissa,¡± said Barbara faintly.


    Every time she spoke, a chill would go through Larissa, ¡°Hi,¡± said Larissa while forcing a smile.


    All rights ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Barbara picked up the tarot cards. In the dim candlelight, Larissa saw that Barbara¡¯s hands were


    completely tattooed in weird pictures or to be more urate, symbols


    *What would you like to ask?¡± asked Barbara, Wendy answered in Larissa¡¯s stead. ¡°She came here


    from Caldor recently, wanting to forget the past and start a new life. Can you help predict if her new lile


    will go smoothly?¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Barbara nodded and spread the tarot cards across the table, gesturing for Larissa to pick out


    five cards.


    Larissa didn¡¯t believe in the divine at all Her sole focus was onplying as quickly as possible in


    order to make her exit. She picked out five cards randomly.


    Barbara ced the five cards in the shape of an ¡°X¡± and turned the first card over.


    ¡°Oh, the magician in reverse! Barbara covered her mouth exaggeratedly and looked at Larissa


    worriedly. ¡°My dear, it seems like you¡¯ve made a wrong decision recently.¡±


    The word ¡°recently¡± was a very vague indicator. It could refer to a minute ago, an hour ago, or even a


    month ago. Moreover, everyone would inevitably make countless wrong decisions in their lifetime.


    Larissa controlled herself and did not give Barbara any reaction.


    However, Wendy gripped Larissa¡¯s shoulder with a worried expression. Barbara started interpreting the


    second card. ¡°An upright wheel of fortune. You must currently be at the lowest point in your life. You


    might not be able to ept this, but my dear, this is the best opportunity for you to grow. The things


    you¡¯re going through in terms of your rtionship are breaking you down, but you never lost your trust


    and passion in love. Although a bumpy road lies ahead, you will see the light at the end of the tunnel


    you don¡¯t give up.¡±


    Everything she said resonated with Larissa¡¯s current situation, except the ¡°you never lost your trust and


    passion in love¡± part. Because of that part, Larissa tell that everything else she had predicted was just a


    wild guess. Barbara moved on to the third card. ¡°The hanged man in reverse. Your previous


    rtionship ended because you ran away. You think you¡¯re making a sacrifice for the other person¡¯s


    sake, but in reality, that type of sacrifice is meaningless. Combining this card and the wheel of fortune. I


    think you¡¯re still in love with that man.¡±


    Larissa¡¯s heart gave a wild thump, and she denied it instinctively. ¡°I¡¯m not.¡±


    Barbara gave an unfathomable smile and said. ¡°My dear Larissa, pleasece what your heart truly


    feels. My tarot cards don¡¯t lie.¡± She turned the fourth card over, which was an upright star card. Barbara


    covered her mouth again, but her expression was one of surprise.

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    Chapter 395


    ¡°Larissa, it tums out you¡¯re pregnant. Congrattions¡±


    Larissa¡¯s initial reaction was to turn to look at Wendy and demand with a re. ¡°Were y


    you gesturing behind my back? Wendy balled her hands with a lock of innocence. ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything!


    I already told you Barbara¡¯s very urate, and you didn¡¯t believe me!¡¯ eximed Wendy.


    ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    ¡°You wil have a bright future and a happy rtionship. The child in your belly wil be the source of your


    strength, your motivation to push forward, and thepass that points you in the right direction,¡± said


    Barbare, not knowing what they were taking about. The filth card was the death card in reverse. ¡°This


    card echoes the wheel of fortune. Good luck wil retum to you soon and give you a birth¡¯ At the same


    time you will reconcile with your old me, which refers to the man you still leve. You and he will end up


    together.¡±


    The moment Barbara finished speaking. Larissa got up and left without looking back. They shouted


    Wendy, and she quickly paid Barbara, then chased after Larissa. ¡°What the matter?¡± asked Wendy.


    Larissa snorted and said. ¡°I don¡¯t want to stay another moment longer at a scammer¡¯s slice.¡±


    ¡°Barbara isn¡¯t a scammert Wendy continued delending Barbara. ¡°Everything she said about me that


    hadn¡¯t happened yet al came into fruition after that! I wouldn¡¯t lie to you even if my life depended on ill


    Besides, I have friends who came for readings here, and they all said she¡¯s da mn u¡¯ale!¡±


    ¡°She forms her sentences in a way that she can cover up for herself no matter what. Besides, the


    people who have gone for readings would definitely think that whatever happened to them was a


    prophecy. Don¡¯t all fortune telers y the same tricks? retorted Larissa.


    ¡°Then how do you exin how she knows you¡¯re pregnant? Besides, she doesn¡¯t form her sentences


    the way you say she does. Didn¡¯t she say that you¡¯ll reconcile with your old me in the end? You only


    have two old mes, Travis has already died from suicide, which leaves. Kevan. Isn¡¯t it very obvious


    who she means?¡±


    Larissa would never admit to Wendy that she had walked out in panic exactly because Barbara had


    said that. She would also never admit that she seemed to have be brainwashed by Barbara and


    thought what Barbara was trying to tell her was that she shouldn¡¯t have lett Kevan.


    ¡°Lari.¡¯ Wendy held Larissa¡¯s hand with a sudden look of hesitation. ¡°I was thinking. She licked her lips,


    making her lipstickter.¡± Shouldn¡¯t you keep the child?¡± said Wendy Larissa lound it ridiculous. ¡°You


    want me to keep this child I don¡¯t even know whothered just because of some gibberish from a


    random scammer? Wendy, when have you be so weird?¡±


    ¡°It worries me that Barbara said you made a wrong dec slon,¡± said Wendy gravely. ¡°Besides, she said


    that the child will be the source of your strength. So I¡¯m thinking that it¡¯s not toote to make the right


    decision.¡±


    Wendy¡¯s steast belet in Barbara made Larissa feel very helpless. Larissa didn¡¯t want to waste her


    breath on her anymore and was firm in her own opinion. ¡°I will not keep this child. Even if it¡¯s the wrong


    decision. I won¡¯t regret it.¡± She wasn¡¯t as reckless as putting herself and her child at risk just because of


    some scammer¡¯s prophecy, but Wendy was the total opposite of her,


    ¡°If you¡¯re afraid of following in your mum¡¯s footsteps, then let me raise the child after you give birth, Can


    you? I promise 111 let him grow up happily and healthily,¡± asked Wendy.


    ¡°How can you guarantee that?¡± asked Larissa. ¡°What il your future husband doesn¡¯t agree to raise the


    child? Are you going to send him back to me? Or just abandon him?


    ¡°I won¡¯t have a husband, I never nned to marry, Besides. I already started making ns to adopt a


    child two years ago.¡±

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    Chapter 396


    Larissa was stunned, but she also felt guilty. She and Wendy had bren best friends for a long time, but


    Larissa had rever seriously much attention to Wendy¡¯s love life. No doubt, she had no idea that Wendy


    had nned such a future for herself.


    *Back then, I gave up my high-paying job and went overseas to study without turning back because I


    wanted to escape the pressure of my parents rushing me to marry every year,¡± Wendy gwr a sell-


    deprecatingugh and said. ¡°They can argue about anything, but studies are the only thing they can


    agree on.¡± Wendy was a Covenford local and studied at a local university, but she never went home on


    weekends. During summer break every year, she would be thest person to leave the domitory and


    the first person to return.


    Larissa had asked her out of curiosity before and found out that Wendy¡¯s parents had divorced when


    she was in high school. Each of them had farmed arew family and had new children of their own,


    Larissa guessed that Wendy¡¯s cecision to remain unmarried was likely strongly intuenced by her family


    background.


    ¡°I made up my mind a long time ago that I would be a spinster. You know how well I live alone too, but I


    still can¡¯t fight my traditionalist thoughts of wanting a child to take care of me when grow old and take


    my inheritance. Il the child is yours, then that makes it even better. *said Wendy.


    Larissa¡¯s decision swayed for a moment, but her rationale still won. ¡°You must bear in mind that this


    baby¡¯s father could possibly be a despicable rapist.¡±


    ¡°But its mother is my best friend and a very nutstanding person, I believe in your genes and in myself. I


    won¡¯t let the chid go astray,¡± said Wendy solemnly while holding Larissa¡¯s hand.


    ¡°You¡± Larissa hung her head and said softly, ¡°Give me a few days to think it over.¡± Wency didn¡¯t push


    her and said, ¡°Okay, think about it carefully.¡± When they got into the car. Wendy said, ¡°On by the way,


    Barbara asked me to tel. you after you left that you might run into a long -lost close rtive or friend in


    recent days. That person will be your lucky star, so you must appreciate them.¡±


    ¡°Bulls hit!¡± Larissa felt even more certain that Barbara was a scammer, ¡°How could I have any long-lost


    friends or rtives?¡±


    ¡°Tut, long-lost are just my own words! What she means is that you guys haven¡¯t met in many years and


    haven¡¯t been keeping in contact¡± exined Wendy.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have anyone like that either.¡± said Larissa frmly. If she had to think of someone she had lost


    contact with for a very long time, it would be her father, whom she had never met. But there was no


    way he could be her lucky star! He was more like a bene!


    Very quickly, Larissa started studying thenguage She still had a grasp of the basics and an average


    knowledge of its vocabry, but her biggest problem was she couldn¡¯t speak it lluently. Wendy often


    invited her ssmales and friends over to the house so that Larissa couldmunicate with them


    more and improve hernguage skills.


    One week passed in the blink of an eye, and a call came from the hospital asking Larissa to go for a


    checkup. Larissa nced at Wendy, who was watching over her from the side and felt a Ittle hesitant.


    ¡°Okay, I got it,¡± said Larissa. After she hung up. Wendy asked. ¡°Have you decided whether you¡¯ll keep


    the child?¡±


    While studying during this period. Larissa kept thinking about this question. It consumed her thoughts


    so much that she began having vivid dreams every night. In these dreams, she would envision a plump


    little boy hugging her legs and calling her mommy. His voice was crisp and pleasant. Larissa would


    dash forward in fear, but the boy would chase her on al lours and catch up to her effortlessly. Then, he


    would look up at her and ask miserably, ¡°Mommy, are you abandoning me? Looking into his eyes that


    gleamed with tears, she would slowly lose the courage to nod.


    ¡°You really want the child?¡± she asked Wendy, Wendy answered without hesitation, ¡°Very much.¡±


    Larissa gritted her teeth and said. ¡°Then I¡¯ll give birth That night, she dreamt about the little boy again.


    He snuggled down in her arms and Laughed joyfully.N?velDrama.Org owns all content.

 Chapter 397

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    Chapter 397


    Larissa smiled in her sleep. After deciding to keep the child, she would have to deal with the difficulties


    that came with pregnancy, Lucky for her, the child was well-behaved and didn¡¯t bring her much trouble.


    Aside from experiencing an increased appetite and constant drowsiness, Larissa didn¡¯t feel much


    different than usual, it was just that it became more cumbersome for her to move about as her belly


    grew bigger with each passing day.


    In the middle of July, Larissa received an email from a lecturer at Wendy¡¯s university informing her that


    she had been epted into a master¡¯s course. At the end of August, she officially went to university.


    When the lecturer saw her pregnant belly, he didn¡¯t disy any signs of shock or surprise; instead, he


    treated it like something he saw every day. He even advised her to take care of her health and not to


    overexert hersell.


    Life as a postgraduate student was undoubtedly busy, but it wasn¡¯t too hectic. Of course, this was


    because the lecturers helped her out a little on purpose. Most of her days were upied with attending


    sses and discussing her research with her tutor and fellow group mates. She would also hang out in


    the library, where she would spend time reading journals or working on her thesis.


    I was almost New Year¡¯s again in the blink of an eye. The baby was expected to arrive at the end of


    January. Wendy checked the horoscope and found that the baby would probably be a Capr. If only


    the due date was a littleter, then your baby would be an Aquarius! Wendy expressed, with a tinge of


    disappointment.


    ¡°What¡¯s so special about being an Aquarius?¡± Larissa responded, ring at Wendy.


    ¡°Aquarius babies are absolutely adorable!¡± Wendy huffed and pouted, then said meekly, ¡°But Capr


    babies are pretty cute too. think I¡¯d better prepare two gold nes for the baby anyway!¡±


    ¡°Oh, please calm down!¡± Larissa eximed, feeling helpless. ¡°Gold nes aren¡¯t necessary. Why


    would you need to get the baby two off them?


    Over the course of the past eight months, Wendy diligently prepared for the arrival of the baby. She


    had not only cleared out a room for the baby but also bought everything a child needed from being aAll rights ? N?velDrama.Org.


    newbom till it was three years old. Among the numerous purchases, Wendy had bought clothes, shoes,


    diapers, milk powder, and more. However, at the moment, she was fussing over a gold ne.


    ¡°My child, my money, so I can do whatever I want. It¡¯s none of your business! Almost every time


    Larissained, Wendy would shut her up with these words, and every single time. Larissa would


    be left speechless.


    When the contractions began, Larissa was discussing her thesis with her ssmates in her tutor¡¯s


    office. When the pain hit her all of a sudden, she clutched her belly and doubled over, letting out a


    moan of agony. The other students called for the tutor in panic, and everyone worked together to help


    Larissa downstairs. Then, the tutor drove her to the hospital and helped her inform Wendy.


    Wendy wanted to stay with her in the delivery ward, but Larissa relused. She suffered alone inside for a


    few hours and finally gave birth to a chubby baby boy of about 15 pounds amidst the doctors¡¯ and


    nurses¡¯ words of encouragement. The baby¡¯s cries pierced through the exhaustion that had nearly


    lulled Larissa into sleep,pelling her to forcefully open her weary eyes.


    As Larissa gazed upon her baby¡¯s wrinkled face, tears streamed down her face. How ugly,¡± she


    thought. However, a profound realization followed-that the baby was her child. She had camed this


    child within her for nine arduous months and given birth to it after so much pain. For a fleeting moment,


    she actually didn¡¯t want to part ways with him.

 Chapter 398

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    Chapter 398


    Five yearster, in Bartham, Calder.


    spacious backseat sat a woman


    Ack Mercedes was speeding along the highway from the airport to the city center, and in its spac


    apanied by a young boy who was approximate y four or five years old.


    The woman sported a pixie cut and was dressed in a Chanel suil. Her impable makeup and attire


    exuded an aura of elegance and professionalism.


    Content held by N?velDrama.Org.


    There was aptop on herp. Even while traveling at high speed, she seemed engrossed in her


    unfinished work.


    The young boy next to her was dressed in a preppy style. He wore a white shirt a red bow tie, id


    shorts with suspenders, and a pair of shiny ck shoes. The little boy was every inch a young


    gentleman,


    With his nose pressed against the car window, his eyes were wide open as he stared without blinking


    at the passing scenery.


    ¡°Mommy, is this your hometown?¡± the boy curiously inquired. His voice was as clear as the ingle of


    silver bells.


    Larissa tore her eyes away from theplex reports on herputer screen and revealed a faint


    smile. Gently, she answered. ¡°Yes.¡±


    The boy eximed. ¡°The sky looks much more beautiful than Westonia


    Westonia was a city where Larissa had worked after graduating with a master¡¯s degree. It was a


    famous metropolis filled with towering and mocem skyscrapers. The beautiful blue sky was usually


    blocked from view, especialy from inside the car.


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Larissa nced at the window, but her gaze was indiferent.


    After years of traveling around, she never thought she would relum to Bartham.


    Although Lanssa didn¡¯t know how long she woud be staying this time, her only hope was that she


    wouldn¡¯t get involved with those people from her past again.


    Fortunately, they arrived at the amodation arranged by herpany in just one hour as there


    wasn¡¯t any traffik.


    Larissa shut herptop and opened the car door.


    When she got cut, she froze on the spot.


    This apartment-


    Her heart raced, and a surge of panic swept over Larissa.


    To her astonishment, this ce turned out to be the very:


    apartment where she had once lived with Kevan.


    ¡°Mommy!¡± a tiny nand teathed out and grasped Larissa¡¯s, causing her to startle and snap back to her


    senses.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? The boy¡¯s eyes widened, reflecting his confusion.


    Larissa squeezed cut a smile. She shook her head, saying, ¡°It¡¯s nothing, Let¡¯s go upstairs.¡±


    Luckily, the apartment they were staying in was a distance away from the one they had lived in belote.


    One was closer to the main entrance, while the other was nearer to the side entrance.


    That meant that the probability of them crossing paths would be significantly low. Larissa felt a sense of


    rellel wash over her at that thought


    Threerge sullcases filled with their belongings had been delivered to their apartment a few days ago.


    This time. Larssa only brought a small carry¨Con,


    Dragging the luggage with one hand, she held the little boy in her other hand.


    ¡°Aster, are you hungry?¡® Larissa asked as they entered the elevator.


    Aster was a nickname given by Wendy to the tile bay. She named him after the Star card from


    Darbara¡¯s tarot readings,


    Aster rubbed his little belly and nodded woefully


    1/2


    ¡°What are you craving? I will order some takeout for you.¡± Larissa hadn¡¯t cooked in a long time since


    she was busy with work. Besides, there weren¡¯t any ingredients in the apartment.


    Aster Usted a few dishes Wendy cooked at home during the holidays.


    After he was done, tears welled up in his eyes. ¡°I miss Godma.¡±


    Larissa pursed her lips and replied in a low tone, ¡°I miss her too.¡±


    Bending down, she wiped away the tears from Aster¡¯s eyes andforted him lovingly, ¡°After we finish


    unpacking, shall we have a video call with Godma?


    Aster snitted and answered ruefully. ¡°Alright.¡±


    Larissa¡¯spany had provided the apartment free of charge to senior management members who


    were permanently stationed in Bartham


    Before Larissa, someone else had lived here.

 Chapter 399

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    Chapter 399


    As someone had lived in the apartment before Larissa, it came fully furnished, although the furnishings


    were slightly dated.


    Larissa didn¡¯t mind. With her busy schedule, she would only return home to sleep. Everything else was


    of no use.


    She made the beds in the two bedrooms and hung up their clothes in the closet one by one. Aster ran


    around happily and helped Larissa cut by handing the clothes to her.


    After she Enished unpacking, thekecut she ordered arrived.


    Larissa set herptop on the table and made a video call to Wendy, who was on the other side of the


    world.


    After a moment, Wendy¡¯s face appeared on theputer screen.


    Aster greeted her cheerfully. ¡°Godmal¡±


    Tears welled up in Wendy¡¯s eyes as soon as she saw him. ¡°Aster, my dear! I missed you so much tool


    ¡°Don¡¯t cry, Godma!¡± Aster turned to Larissa helplessly, slightly panicked at Wendy¡¯s tears.


    Larissa threatened her nonchntly. ¡°If you¡¯re going to cry. I¡¯ll hang up immediately!¡±


    Through her tears. Wendy gave Larissa a pointed re. ¡°You took my godson away! How could you


    refuse to let me tak to him?¡±


    Larissa stared back, equally stubbornly. ¡°It was your fault that you went on a business trip this month


    and couldn¡¯t take care of Aster! Who was it that forced me to bring him along?¡±


    If it weren¡¯t for Wendy¡¯s trip, Larissa wouldn¡¯t have brought Aster with her to Bartham


    Apart from having a close group of friends. Aster had gotten used to life over there.


    Although Larissa wasn¡¯t happy to be working alone in another country, she couldn¡¯t bear seeing her


    son abandon his life overseas and


    start all over in Caldor


    Wendy¡¯s indignant expression disappeared, and she turned to Aster, apologizing, ¡°Aster, I¡¯m so sorry


    for leaving you.¡±


    Aster caressed Wendy¡¯s face on the screen andforted her. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Godma


    Wendy cupped her mouth, ready to burst into tears again.


    ¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough,¡± Larissa relented and said. ¡°After your business trip. I find time to send him


    back.¡±


    Aster looked at Larissa in surprise. ¡°What about you, Mommy?¡±


    ¡°I have to stay back here for work.¡± Larissa patted his head regretfully. ¡°However, when you start


    elementary school in a lew years. I will return.¡±


    Herpany had sent her to serve as general manager for the first Winston Hotel in Caldor.


    N?velDrama.Org owns all content.


    When her superior first approached her to helm this position, she had turned down the opportunity.


    After all, Lanssa had worked so hard to escape from Bartham. Naturally, she had no thoughts of


    reburning.


    Nheless, her superior advised her to take up the position earnestly time and time again.


    Furthermore, it was revealed that this work opportunity at Bartham was a performance assessment


    conducted by the headquarters.


    || Larissa passed the test, she could return to the headquarters after a few years and be promoted to a


    higher position.


    However, the exact period of how long she would have to work in Bartham was still up in the air,


    depending on the upper management¡¯s decision.


    At this juncture, Larissa had no reason to refuse.


    She was no longer young and did not have time to waste on a dead¨Cend job. In addition, the cost of


    living in Westonia was one of the highest in the world.


    ¡°Mommy!¡± Aster hugged her tightly and refused to let go. ¡°I¡¯m not going! I want to stay with you!¡±


    His voice was trembling as he tried to stifle a sob


    When she saw this, Wendy pouted, tears streaming down her cheeks as she said, ¡°You ungrateful brat!


    Are you abandoning me for Mommy?¡±


    Larissa cuddled Aster tightly and hissed before hanging up the call. ¡°We¡¯ll talk about it next time.¡±


    She gently patted Aster¡¯s back to calm him down and tried to hold back her own tears that were


    threatening to spill over.


    ¡°Aster, don¡¯t you want to go back to school? Your friends are still waiting for you! Didn¡¯t you all agree to


    go to Disnind together next month


    However, Aster shook his head and hugged her tighter. ¡°I don¡¯t want to go to school! I don¡¯t want to go


    to Disnind! I just want you. Mommy!¡±

 Chapter 400

    Chapter 400


    Chapter 400


    Larissa spent a long time coaxing Aster before he finally calmed down.


    After he had eaten and taken a shower, Aster put himself to bed.


    He was mature for his age because Larissa and Wendy often traveled for work. He had to learn to


    manage himsell since preschool.


    Massaging her throbbing temples. Larissa copsed on the sofa and made another video call to Wendy


    again,


    Seeing as Larissa was alone, Wendy asked, ¡°Is Aster asleep?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡°Larissa sighed. ¡°He refused to leave without me.¡±


    ¡°Give him some time. He¡¯lle to terms with reality in a couple of days.¡± Wendy had spent more time


    taking care of Aster, thus, she understood his personality better than Larissa.


    ¡°I hope so, Larissa pursed her lips.


    ¡°When do you start work? Wendy continued.


    ¡°Tomorrow.¡± Larissa had just sent an email to Winston Hotel¡¯s senior management, informing them of a


    meeting in the conference room at 9 am sharp.


    ¡°So soon? Wendy was somewhat surprised.


    Looking disapproving, she chided Larissa. ¡°Aren¡¯t you pushing yourself too hard? You don¡¯t even have


    enough time to get over the jetg and time difference


    ¡°I¡¯m line.¡± Over the years. Larissa had grown ustomed to workingte nights. She found little


    difference between working in the day orte at night.


    Wendy often urged her to take better care of herself and not take her health for granted, but Larissa


    never took her advice seriously.


    ¡°You¡¯re not fine at all! Look at your dark circles in the mimor!¡± Wendy eximed, frustrated that she


    couldn¡¯t do anything about Larissa¡¯s stubbomness.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright. I just have to put on more foundation.¡± Larissa said nonchntly.


    Exasperated, Wendy silently wished that she could book the next flight over and put Larissa to sleep


    personally. Taking a deep breath to calm herself down, Wendy continued, ¡°So, are you doing okay?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Larissa didn¡¯t understand what she was referring to. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Wendy licked her lips and asked cautiously. ¡°I mean, are you okay aftering back to Bartham?¡±


    Larissa smiled faintly. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±


    Wendy still couldn¡¯t put her worries to rest. ¡°Remember to tell me at once if anything bad were to


    happen to you. If you find it too hard to continue in Bartham,e back immediately. Even with my


    sry alone, I can support both you and Aster!¡±


    Her grandiose promise made Larissa chuckle heartily, ¡°Sure.¡±


    They chatted for a while longer before Wendy noticed the time and urged Larissa, ¡°It¡¯s gettingte, go


    to sleep now!¡±


    After ending the video call, Larissa remained on the sofa. She opened her emails and finished her work


    one after another. Unknowingly, the sky had already turned dark outside


    Larissa took a shower, changed into casual clothes, and woke Aster up from his sleep. ¡°Do you want to


    go to the supermarket with me?¡±


    Yawning, Aster rubbed his tired eyes and mumbled in a sweet voice, ¡°Yes.¡±


    At the main entrance of the apartmentplex was arge supermarket chain. Coincidentally,


    residents from the nearby residential areas got off from work at this time, so the supermarket was quite


    crowded. Long queues could be seen at the checkout counters.


    It was Aster¡¯s first time seeing so many people milling about. He looked around excitedly, fascinated by


    the hubbub.


    ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    just ced arge pint of fresh milk in the cart when she heard a familiar voice. ¡°Larissa?


    Larissa¡¯s heart skipped a beat,


    She slowly locked up and saw Dn¡¯s astonished expression.


    ¡°You¡¯re back?¡± Dn took a few steps forward and grabbed her wrists in delight.


    Previously. Larissa had left the country in a hurry.


    By the time he learned about her departure, she was already halfway across the ocean.


    Dn had tried calling her and sent her numerous messages, but he never received a reply.


    He never expected to meet Larissa at the supermarket of all ces.

 Chapter 401

    Chapter 401


    Chapter 401


    Larissa had the exact same thought. She assumed Dn had returned to Covenford.


    ¡°I¡¯m in Bartham for a business trip, so I will be leaving in a few days,¡± Larissa said with a polite


    smile as she discreetly pulled her hand out of his grasp.


    The hope that ignited a me in Dn¡¯s eyes faded quickly. I see¡­¡±


    Trailing off, he shifted his gaze onto Aster, who was sitting in the shopping cart


    Although he was still little and not yet fully grown, his facial features strongly resembled


    Larissa¡¯s.


    A sudden thought popped into Dn¡¯s head.


    His eyes widened, and Dn pointed at Aster incredulously. ¡®Is he your son?¡±


    Larissa made up a lie unflinchingly. ¡°He¡¯s the son of my best friend and also my godson. His mom is on


    a month¨Clong business trip and entrusted him into my care. However, I suddenly received an order to


    go on a business trip as well on short notice; that¡¯s why I had to bring him along.¡±


    Dn had his doubts about her exnation. It was impossible for her best friend¡¯s son to


    resemble her so closely


    Larissa didn¡¯t want to have any more contact with Dn ¡°I¡¯ll make a move first as I have other


    things to buy.¡± She quickly pushed the shopping cart in the opposite direction.


    Dn caught up to her in a hurry. ¡°Are you still living in the same ce as before?¡± he asked.


    Larissa shook her head. ¡°Mypany had arranged for amodation in the neighboring


    apartmentplex.¡±


    Dn seemed disappointed.


    ¡°Have you had dinner? I nned to get some groceries and steak for my meal. Since we¡¯ve run into


    each other, why don¡¯t you join me?¡± He invited her cheerfully.


    Without hesitation, Larissa declined the offer. ¡°We¡¯ve already eaten ¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡± Dn struggled to find another reason to tag along with them. ¡°What do you need to buy?


    I¡¯ll carry the bags for you!¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need,¡± Larissa insisted, ¡°I¡¯m just going to buy a box of oatmeal. It¡¯s not heavy at all.¡±


    She strode to the imported goods section and grabbed a box of oatmeal. Then, Larissa tossed it into


    the shopping cart before heading toward the checkout counter


    In actual fact, she had many more things to buy. She decided toe backter in order to shake


    Dn off her trail.


    On the other hand, Dn ignored her continuous protests and refused to pay any mind to her aversion.


    He insisted on paying for her shopping and grabbed the bags, carrying them for her


    ¡°Let me walk you home. It¡¯s toote at night, and it¡¯s not safe for both of you to walk alone,¡± Dn


    argued.N?velDrama.Org owns all content.


    Finally, Larissa lost her patience. Annoyed, she warned him seriously, ¡°Dn, I do not want to


    have any connection with anyone from my past, even you. Do you understand?¡±


    The smile on Dn¡¯s face slowly faded. Behind the lenses of his sses, the usual glint in his


    eyes was nowhere to be seen. Instead, his eyes were filled with sorrow.


    ¡°Are you saying we¡¯re no longer friends?¡± he asked.


    Larissa involuntarily clenched her fists, and her heart felt as if it was getting pricked by needles. The


    stabbing pain spread throughout her body as Larissa bit her lower lip hard.


    After a moment, Larissaposed herself and looked up at Dn indifferently. ¡°Yes,¡± she said coldly.


    The disappointment on Dn¡¯s face was evident.


    ¡°Alright.¡± He returned the shopping bag to her.


    Taking the bag, Larissa pulled out her wallet and retrieved a hundred¨Cdor bill. She handed it to him.


    ¡°Here¡¯s the money I owe you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s all right.¡± Dn tucked his hands into his pockets and smiled bitterly. ¡°Consider it a gift for the


    child *


    To avoid any further conversation, Larissa kept the bill.


    ¡°Thank you so much.¡± She nudged Aster. ¡°Say thank you to Uncle Dn.¡±


    Aster gave Dn a timid stare and mumbled softly, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Dn patted his head and replied, ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡±


    Holding the shopping bag in one hand, Larissa held Aster¡¯s hand with the other.


    She feared that her lies regarding where they lived would be exposed, so Larissa intentionally walked


    in the direction of the neighboring apartmentplex.


    When they arrived at the main entrance, she turned around and discovered that Dn was still


    following them!

 Chapter 402

    Chapter 402


    Chapter 402


    Startled, Larissa almost dropped the shopping bag she was holding.


    ¡°Why are you following us?¡± she demanded, her eyes wide. Larissa raised her voice intentionally to


    mask the guilt she felt with anger.


    ¡°Huh?¡± In response to her question, Dn expressed an appropriate amount of astonishment.


    Aggrieved, he exined himself, I¡¯m not following you. I have a friend who lives in this


    apartmentplex, and I¡¯m going to his ce for dinner.¡±


    Larissa exposed his lie with a straight face ¡°Aren¡¯t you cooking steak for dinner tonight?¡±


    Dn shrugged and pulled out his hands from his pockets.


    Showing her his empty palms, he continued, ¡°Can¡¯t you see that I haven¡¯t bought anything?


    There¡¯s nothing to eat at home, so I have to have dinner at my friend¡¯s ce.¡±


    Larissa certainly didn¡¯t believe him.


    Aster in tow a


    She turned around with Aster in tow and tried to leave. ¡°I just remembered that I forgot to buy


    something


    ¡°Perfect timing.¡± Dn grinned. ¡°I¡¯ll go buy the ingredients I need for dinner.¡±


    Exasperated, Larissa halted in her tracks and stood her ground. ¡°That¡¯s enough. I¡¯m not going to


    buy anything, and I don¡¯t live in this apartmentplex either.¡±


    Staring into Dn¡¯s eyes, she demanded, ¡°There¡¯s no need to continue pretending. Tell me


    honestly, why are you following us?¡±


    ¡°I have to escort you home safely,¡± Dn replied earnestly.


    ¡°Fine,¡± Larissa knew she couldn¡¯t shake him off, so she decided to let him tag along.


    When they arrived at the apartment¡¯s main entrance, she said to Dn, ¡°Thank you. You can go


    back now.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Dn nodded, but he didn¡¯t go home just yet. ¡°You two should head inside first.¡±


    Waving at Aster, he said, ¡°Goodbye!¡±


    Aster responded innocently, ¡°Goodbye, Uncle Dn!¡±


    Once Larissa and Aster disappeared behind the door, Dn took out his phone and made a call.


    Larissa is finally back, and she brought a child with her.¡±


    Because of Dn¡¯s interference, Larissa wasn¡¯t able to buy most of the items on her shopping list,


    except for milk and oatmeal.


    Naturally, she couldn¡¯t make avish meal for Aster as nned. She poured milk into the oatmeal and


    heated the bowl in a microwave for three minutes.


    ¡°There¡¯s only oatmeal for dinner,¡± she apologized to Aster, ¡°I will bring you out to eat something


    delicious tomorrow.¡±


    Aster scooped a spoonful of oatmeal and put it in his mouth, smiling sweetly at Larissa as he did


    1. so. ¡°This is tasty enough!¡±


    Larissa¡¯s heart melted at his adorable response. She leaned forward and nted a kiss on his


    chubby cheeks ¡°Mommy loves you very much,¡± Larissa said affectionately.


    Aster chimed in loudly, ¡°I love you too, Mommy!¡±


    Perhaps Larissa had endured the hardships of carrying Aster for ten months and went through.


    theborious process of birth; she didn¡¯t feel any aversion to Aster when he was finally born.


    All rights ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Day by day, as he grew in height and stature, Larissa realized that she couldn¡¯t live without him


    Thanks to Wendy, who had stopped her in time, Larissa was so grateful that she didn¡¯t insist on


    getting her own way. Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t have experienced the happiness she enjoyed right


    now.


    On her first day of work, Larissa was worried about leaving Aster alone at home, so she brought


    him to the hotel.


    It was her first visit to the hotel. Upon arrival, she discovered that the hotel was adjacent to


    Microworks Corporation¡¯s headquarters in Bartham.


    ¡°What a coincidence,¡± she thought to herself.


    A group of people was waiting for her at the hotel entrance. As soon as Larissa got out of the car,


    they quickly flocked around her.


    ¡°Hello, Ms. Seymour!¡±


    ¡°Wee, Ms. Seymour!¡±

 Chapter 403

    Chapter 403


    Chapter 403


    Their enthusiastic greetings startled Larissa, causing her to develop a splitting headache.


    Aster clung to Larissa¡¯s clothes, shrinking back into the car behind her.


    With a polite smile, Larissa nodded to them in acknowledgment.


    ¡°Hello, everyone.¡±


    Maintaining her aloof demeanor, she helped Aster out of the car and entered the hotel amidst the


    onlookers curious gazes.


    ¡°Do we have a y area for children in the hotel?¡± she asked the assistant manager beside her.


    ¡°Yes, we do.¡± He nodded and turned to Aster. ¡°Shall I have someone escort the young man to the


    children¡¯s y area?¡±


    Larissa didn¡¯t hesitate. ¡°Yes, please ¡±


    N?velDrama.Org owns all content.


    The assistant manager called over a lobby attendant. ¡°Take the general manager¡¯s son to the children¡¯s


    y area and take good care of him. Make sure he doesn¡¯t get hurt, understand?¡±


    The attendant replied nervously, ¡°Yes, I understand.¡±


    Larissa handed Aster over to the attendant and squatted down to his level. ¡°Have a good time


    ying in the children¡¯s y area. Call me if you need anything


    Aster had a phone inside his teddy bear backpack. He knew how to operate it as he had been


    using it ever since he started kindergarten,


    Aster nodded obediently. ¡°Okay.¡±


    He followed the attendant and walked away without making a fuss.


    The Winston Hotel was a five¨Cstar hotel, fully equipped with all kinds of facilities. The children¡¯s


    y area was free for hotel guests and took up an entire floor,parable to those in shopping


    malls.


    Aster yed on the slides for some time and then with building blocks.


    After the go¨Ckart tracks were open, he watched enviously on the sidelines as other children and


    their parents raced around the tracks.


    ¡°Do you want to y?¡± Aster heard a cheerful voiceing from above.


    Aster looked up, his eyes widening in confusion. ¡°Uncle Dn? Why are you here?¡±


    Dn ced his hands on his knees and bent down.


    ¡°I happened to pass by outside and saw you standing there. You seemed eager to try.¡±


    He nced at the go¨Ckarts zooming by. ¡°If you are willing, I can y with you. What do you think?¡±


    Aster¡¯s eyes shone with excitement, but he hesitated when he remembered his mother and


    godmother¡¯s advice. They had warned him countless times that he shouldn¡¯t talk to strangers nor


    ept anything given by them.


    However, Uncle Dn wasn¡¯t considered a stranger, right?


    ¡°Are you my mom¡¯s friend?¡± he asked Dn.


    Aster vaguely remembered hearing him mention ¡°friend¡± to his mother yesterday


    ¡°Who is your mom?¡± Dn asked deliberately.


    Since Larissa hadn¡¯t coordinated their stories in advance, Aster gave an honest answer. ¡°My mom is


    Larissa! The woman who was with me yesterday!¡±


    Dn pretended to exim in surprise and exined to Aster, ¡°Oh! I used to be very good friends with


    your mother. However, after she went elsewhere, our rtionship wasn¡¯t as good as before.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see!¡± Aster caught on quickly. ¡°It¡¯s the same with Toby! Toby was my best friend in kindergarten.


    However, after he moved to Manleigh, he never called me again¡±


    He pouted, seemingly a little disappointed


    Dn gently patted Aster¡¯s head,forting him, ¡°Don¡¯t be sad. You can still be friends with Toby in


    the future, just like your mom and me!¡±


    ¡°Is it true?¡± Aster blinked innocently at Dn.


    ¡°Of course it¡¯s true!¡± Dn smiled sincerely. ¡°So now, do you want to y with me?¡±


    Asterpletely believed that Dn was a friend of his mom.


    ¡°Yes!¡± Without hesitation, he pulled Dn¡¯s hand and dragged him towards the go¨Ckart tracks.


    Dn drove him around the go¨Ckart tracks for almost half an hour until Asterined that he felt


    dizzy.


    They found a ce to sit down and rest.


    Dn opened a bottle of mineral water and handed it to Aster.


    ¡°By the way.¡± Dn asked casually, ¡°did you go on a business trip with your mom and leave your dad


    alone at home?¡±

 Chapter 404

    Chapter 404


    Chapter 404


    Aster held the bottle of water with both hands. As he was about to drink from the opening, he


    froze on the spot when he heard Dn¡¯s question. The sparkle in his eyes disappeared for a moment,


    but he quickly regained hisposure.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have a dad,¡± he said calmly with a nonchnt expression. There was no hint of sadness or


    regret in his voice. ¡°Instead, I have two moms. I have a very happy family.¡±


    He intentionally emphasized thest sentence


    Dn couldn¡¯t help but feel a pang of sadness in his heart when he heard this.


    ¡°I see.¡± Dn patted Aster¡¯s hair affectionately and discreetly plucked a strand from his head.


    While Aster was distracted, he put the strand of hair into a small sealed bag and carefully tucked


    it into the hidden pocket of his suit.


    The two of them yed together for the entire morning.


    As lunchtime approached, Dn knew Larissa would soone looking for Aster, so he quickly


    bid farewell.


    ¡°I have to leave now, but we¡¯ll definitely have the chance to y again in the future. When you


    meet your momter, do not tell her I came.¡±


    Aster asked in confusion, ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because I haven¡¯t made up with your mom yet.¡± Dn cooked up a cock and bull story to exin


    his actions. ¡°If she found out that I secretly spent time ying with you, she would be furious!¡±


    Puzzled, Aster nodded. He even made a pinky promise with Dn to keep this a secret from


    Larissa.


    Once Dn got into his car, he took out his phone and made a call, ¡°I managed to get the child¡¯s


    hair. I¡¯m going to deliver the sample to the researchb right now.¡±


    Larissa brought Aster to the hotel for work the next few days.


    As Wendy had predicted, Aster quickly grew tired of the hotel¡¯s y area and began to miss his


    friends from kindergarten


    However, whenever Larissa suggested sending him back to Westonia, he kicked up a fuss and


    ¡°If he really doesn¡¯t want to go back to Westonia, I¡¯ll have to find a suitable kindergarten for him here as


    soon as possible.¡± Larissa expressed her dilemma to Wendy during a video call


    ¡°Honestly, I don¡¯t want him to stay here in Bartham.¡±


    She knew it would take at least three to five years for her to be transferred back to the headquarters.


    By that time, Aster would already be in elementary school.


    The primary education between schools in Caldor and overseas was significantly different.


    Larissa was worried that Aster wouldn¡¯t be able to adapt to a new environment by then.


    More importantly, it was inevitable that children from single¨Cparent families would face more


    discrimination in Caldor, regardless of whether their parent was a sessful career woman or not.


    While Aster was growing up, Larissa and Wendy protected him from the cruel reality and


    showered him with love so that he wouldn¡¯t feel the absence of a father.


    She didn¡¯t want Aster to feel hurt because of his background.


    ¡°But if you force him to return to Westonia, neither he nor you will be happy, right?¡± Wendy


    understood her well


    ¡°Yes¡± Larissa sighed 111 observe him a little longer. Hopefully, he wille to terms with it.¡±


    Larissa took a day off from work and brought Aster to thergest amusement park in the city.


    From the moment they left home, Aster was unusually excited and couldn¡¯t sit still in the car.


    His eyes shining brightly, Aster pressed himself against the car window and asked Larissa,¡± Mommy,


    how much longer until we get there?¡±


    She patiently answered his question each time.


    Meanwhile, Larissa felt a little guilty. This was the first time she had taken Aster for an outing


    Content held by N?velDrama.Org.


    since he was born.


    The amusement park was located on the outskirts of the city, about a two¨Chour drive away.


    Larissa couldn¡¯t help feeling drowsy, but Aster remained as energetic as ever.


    As soon as the car pulled to a stop, he unbuckled his seatbelt eagerly and got out of the car.


    He ran over to the driver¡¯s side and waited impatiently for Larissa.


    ¡°Mommy, hurry up!¡± Aster urged, stomping his feet.


    Aster ran around like a wild horse inside the amusement park, dragging Larissa after him.

 Chapter 405

    Chapter 405


    Chapter 405


    ¡°Mommy, I want to y this! Aster eximed, pointing at a ride.


    ¡°Mommy, that looks really fun!¡± he said, pointing at another attraction.


    ¡°Mommy, let¡¯s go wait in line!¡± he shouted excitedly.


    Aster was a fearless child who was willing to try out all the rides. Unfortunately, Larissa did not


    have the courage and physical stamina to keep up with him.


    After apanying him on a rollercoaster ride, Larissa felt dizzy and nauseous even after taking


    a long break.


    Aster was bothered by Larissa¡¯s difort and refused to go on any mare rides.


    Seeing his worried expression, Larissa felt even more guilty for ruining the mood for Aster.


    She forced herself to stand up and said, ¡°Aster, what else do you want to y? I will keep you


    his he


    However, Aster shook his head. He pulled Larissa down on a seat to rest. ¡°I don¡¯t want to y


    anymore. I just want to sit here for a while.¡±


    Although Aster said he wanted to sit down, Larissa knew very well that he was doing it for her


    sake.


    Tm fine. You can go and y by yourself,¡± she said, trying to reassure him.


    Suddenly, Dn appeared out of nowhere.


    Before Larissa could react, he had already grabbed Aster¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Alright, you stay here and rest. Aster, Uncle Dn will y with you!¡±


    Aster was obviously tempted by Dn¡¯s invitation, but he was caught in a dilemma. Biting his


    lower lip, he hesitated out of concern for Larissa.


    Larissa couldn¡¯t bear to see him unhappy, so che decided to put aside her questions for Dn.


    She told Aster, ¡°Go with Uncle Dn. I will be fine after taking a rest here.¡±


    After a moment, Aster nodded slowly.


    1/3


    ¡°Okay. Mommy, don¡¯t go anywhere. Wait for me right here!¡± He instructed Larissa before leaving


    with Dn


    Staring after both figures as they grew smaller and smaller until they blended into the crowd, an


    absurd thought crossed Larissa¡¯s mind.


    Perhaps she should find a father for Aster.


    An hourter, Aster and Dn reappeared in front of Larissa


    Aster was holding arge piece of cotton candy and running towards her, his short legs moving as


    fast as they could.


    He rushed up to her and plopped onto herp


    ¡°Mommy, this is for you!¡± He happily presented the cotton candy to her.


    Aster¡¯s chubby cheeks were flushed red from ying and running so wildly just now.


    His face was covered withrge droplets of sweat, making his wet bangs stick to his forehead.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Larissa said as she epted the cotton candy


    She retrieved some tissue and wiped the sweat off Aster¡¯s face. ¡°Did you have fun with Uncle


    Dn?¡±


    Aster replied immediately, ¡°Yes, I did!¡±


    Using his fingers, he counted off the number of rides that Dn took him on and described his exciting


    experience in an exaggerated manner.


    Larissa¡¯s eyes were wide open as she listened attentively to Aster, asionally offering him


    words of encouragement


    Watching the interaction between mother and son, Dn thought of the man who was anxiously


    waiting for his update at the hospital.


    He couldn¡¯t help but curse inwardly, ¡°Serves him right!¡±


    He had brought this upon himself, and he had to bear the consequences. No amount of regret or


    heartache would change anything!


    All rights ? N?velDrama.Org.


    By noon, the sun was high up in the sky, and the weather was gradually getting warmer outside.


    Dn suggested, ¡°Let¡¯s have lunch first and continue yingter.¡±


    Aster nced longingly at the pirate ship ride not too far away.


    Sensing his reluctance, Larissa deliberately spoke up, I¡¯m feeling a little hungry too.¡±


    Aster agreed immediately. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go and have lunch!¡±

 Chapter 406

    Chapter 406


    Chapter 406


    The restaurant at the amusement park wasn¡¯t crowded.


    They ordered a steakbo each, and it took less than half an hour for all the dishes to be served.


    The quality of the food was average, and the taste was nd, only slightly better than a regr


    fast food joint.


    Dn took a few bites before setting his knife and fork aside. He rinsed his mouth with some tea


    and quietly observed Aster, who was deftly cutting up his steak


    Perhaps it was because he already knew the truth


    Initially, he could only see a resemnce to Larissa in Aster¡¯s face. However, as he scrutinized


    Aster more closely, he also noticed simrities between Aster¡¯s features to Kevan¡¯s.


    He had long eyshes, a straight nose, and rosy pink lips like Kevan¡¯s.


    At that moment, Larissa looked up and noticed that Dn had left more than half of the steak


    untouched on his te. She questioned, ¡°Aren¡¯t you eating anymore?¡±


    Dn nodded. ¡°It¡¯s tasteless.¡±


    Upon hearing this, Aster looked up solemnly and chided him in his innocent voice, ¡°Uncle Dn,


    you shouldn¡¯t be picky nor waste food! Mommy works very hard to earn money for our food!¡±


    Chuckling, Dn admitted his mistake readily. ¡°Alright, I know that I¡¯m in the wrong.¡±


    He turned to Larissa and praised her, ¡°You¡¯ve raised Aster well.¡±


    Avoiding his gaze, Larissa replied nonchntly. ¡°It has nothing to do with me. His mom was the


    All rights ? N?velDrama.Org.


    one who taught him good manners.¡±


    Dn didn¡¯t expose her lie.


    He picked up his knife again and tried to finish the steak, enduring the unpleasant taste in his


    mouth.


    When it was time to pay, he sessfully beat Larissa to it.


    Larissa tried to repay him, but he refused to ept the gesture no matter what..


    TAI


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I have no intention of extorting a meal from you again,¡± Dn said with a smirk.


    Caught off guard, Larissa felt a little embarrassed.


    She squeezed out a smile and said. ¡°Well, thank you so much ¡±


    Children seemed to have unlimited energy.


    Aster tan up and down, trying out the various rides in the amusement park


    Larissa was out of breath, just trying to keep up with him.


    Luckily, Dn had much better stamina than her, or else she might not have made it out of the


    amusement park alive.


    When Aster went on the carousel, Dn and Larissa waited nearby for him.


    This was the first time they had some alone time together throughout the entire day.


    As Dn watched Aster riding on the carousel happily, he remarked. ¡°You know, Kevan still hasn¡¯t


    regained consciousness.¡±


    Larissa¡¯s heart skipped a beat when she heard Kevan¡¯s name.


    Ever since she went to Aldovia, she subconsciously blocked out any information rted to Kevan


    and the Rogers family.


    In these five years, she had no idea about Kevan¡¯s condition. She assumed he had already


    awakened and was living a happy life with Ruby and their child.


    Who knew¡­


    Larissa¡¯s heart ached at the thought.


    The throbbing pain in her chest made Larissa instinctively grip the railing in front of her.


    She tried to maintain her indifference. ¡°I see. That¡¯s truly regrettable.¡±


    Dn turned to look at her, surprised by her apathy.


    On second thought, he quickly understood why Larissa had been treating him coldly each time.


    they met since her return to Caldor.


    She seemed to have let go of everything from the past and had moved on with her new life.


    As her friend, Dn was happy for her. However, as Kevan¡¯s friend, he felt a deep sense of regret.


    Fortunately, there was still a connection between Larissa and Kevan


    At least, they still had a child together.


    Dn let out a sigh ¡°Currently, Kevan is physically fine, and his injuries from back then have


    long since healed. However, the doctors have no exnation for why he is still in aa.¡±


    Dn deliberately spoke in a slower tone to convey his despair.


    ¡°For thest five years, Kevan relied on IV fluids to sustain his life. He has lost a ton of weight,


    making him unrecognizable.¡±


    Nevertheless, Dn¡¯s dramatic performance to arouse Larissa¡¯s sympathy failed

 Chapter 407

    Chapter 407


    Chapter 407


    An impatient frown appeared on Larissa¡¯s face.


    ¡°If you need to vent about his suffering all these years, I suggest you find someone else. If you


    have any other intentions¡­ Kevan and I are already divorced. Whatever happens to him is none of


    my business,¡± she scoffed.


    For a moment, Dn was tempted to expose Aster¡¯s identity. Gritting his teeth, he mped his


    mouth shut as Kevan¡¯s orders resounded in his mind.


    ¡°Fine¡±


    Larissa stopped Aster from running towards another ride as the sky gradually grew dark. ¡°It¡¯s


    gettingte. We should go home.¡±


    Aster was visibly dejected, but he replied obediently. ¡°Alright¡±


    Dn followed after them.


    At the exit of the amusement park, he saw an unwee visitor.


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Dn demanded, a displeased expression on his face.


    Sharon took two steps forward and stood in front of them.


    Larissa recognized her at first nce.


    Compared to theirst meeting, her appearance hadn¡¯t changed much. Only her hair color had


    changed from chestnut to a deep maroon, curls tumbling down to her chest


    Due to the asion, she wasn¡¯t dressed as formally as before. Sharon was wearing a in T¨Cshirt


    paired with high¨Cwaisted skinny jeans, entuating her tall figure.


    Theard that my husband brought his mistress and child to the amusement park. I came here to


    catch him in the act, but I never expected to meet an old acquaintance here.¡± Sharon chuckled


    and extended her hand toward Larissa. ¡°Long time no see, Larissa.¡±


    However, Larissa¡¯s attention was fully focused on the word ¡°husband.¡±


    Opening her mouth wide with shock, she stared at Sharon and Dn in astonishment. ¡°You two¡­¡±


    Sharon finished her sentence nonchntly. That¡¯s right. We¡¯re married.¡±


    Larissa almost blurted out an expletive. She waspletely caught off guard by the surprising


    news.


    Sharon retracted her hand and taunted Dn with a meaningful look ¡°You really disappoint me.¡±


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    Behind his sses, Dn¡¯s eyes flickered coldly as he replied, ¡°Likewise.¡±


    Sharon¡¯s smile froze for a moment.


    Recovering, she turned to Larissa and said casually, ¡°It was such a coincidence that we met. How


    about having a meal together?¡±


    Frankly, Larissa and Sharon weren¡¯t that close.


    Her first thought was that Sharon had invited her out of courtesy, so Larissa politely declined her


    offer. ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. We should have a meal next time. Aster needs to go to bed before 8 pm.¡±


    Sharon seemed to have just noticed Aster, who was standing between Larissa and Dn.


    ¡°Is this your child with Kevan?¡± she asked.


    As soon as she said those words, Larissa and Dn froze


    Smiling awkwardly, Larissa quickly exined, ¡°No. he¡¯s a child of my best friend. I¡¯m helping to


    care for him for a few days.¡±


    ¡°Is that true?¡® Sharon scrutinized Aster¡¯s face for quite some time. ¡°He looks so much like both of


    you. How could he not be your child?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s enough¡® Dn interrupted Sharon¡¯s questioning and grabbed her hand. ¡°We have to go


    home now!¡±


    He dragged Sharon away in a hurry, afraid she might say something she shouldn¡¯t.


    He didn¡¯t even have time to say goodbye to Larissa and Aster,


    Watching as they walked away together, Larissa couldn¡¯t help but feel surreal.


    She had only been away for five years, but it seemed like she had missed out on many things.

 Chapter 408

    Chapter 408


    Chapter 408


    No matter how much Larissa coaxed him, Aster refused to go back to Aldovia without her.


    After a lengthy discussion with Wendy, they finally decided to let him stay in Caldor.


    Wendy immediately sent in a withdrawal notice to Aster¡¯s school. On the other hand, applying to


    enter kindergarten in Caldor was moreplicated for Larissa.


    Education resources in Bartham had always been scarce. Spots in the public kindergartens were


    limited, with strict resident registration requirements.


    Although Larissa had obtained her green card in Aldovia, she had not migrated there, so her


    documents were still in Bartham


    However, Aster was born in Aldovia Naturally, he was eligible to obtain citizenship. Thus, he had


    no chance of getting into public kindergarten as an Aldovian citizen.


    Larissa could only turn her sights on private kindergartens nearby, especially those with


    international curriculum so that it would be easier for Aster to adapt.


    In her break time, Larissa visited several kindergartens. Despite the exorbitant annual fees, she finally


    decided on a kindergarten that was said to be attended by children of celebrities and


    conglomerate families.


    Aster was filled with anticipation as he looked forward to returning to kindergarten after such a


    long time


    He was so excited the night before his enrollment that he couldn¡¯t fall asleep until midnight.


    The kindergarten was about half an hour from the hotel.


    Larissa had to rush to work, so she woke up early and took him there so that she could personally


    hand him over to the teacher.


    They were the first to arrive, twenty minutes before the kindergarten¡¯s normal opening time.


    The kindergarten teachers were very friendly.


    As Aster was an outgoing child, he easily became acquainted with everyone.


    When Larissa saw that Aster was settling infortably, she left with peace of mind.


    Kindergarten usually ended at 4 pm, but students could stay until 7 pm. This rule was specifically set to


    amodate busy parents who didn¡¯t have time to pick their children up during working


    hours


    Despite that, Larissa was stillte for pickup time.


    When she arrived at the kindergarten, it was already past 7.30 pm. The entire building was dark as


    all the lights in the ssrooms had been turned off.


    Aster and his homeroom teacher were waiting for her at the guard house.


    Larissa kept apologizing to the homeroom teacher and promised that she would never be sote.


    again.


    Fortunately, the homeroom teacher was very understanding.


    She patiently gave a detailed ount of Aster¡¯s performance and behavior throughout the day.


    without anyints


    Larissa was pleased to hear that Aster wasn¡¯t excluded by his peers and had managed to integrate


    into the group


    What pleased Larissa was that not only did Aster not face any exclusion, he was readily epted


    by the other children in his ss and made many new friends.


    Aster¡¯s homeroom teacher said jokingly, ¡°Because of his attractive appearance, Aster did not face any


    difficulty making friends. Most of his ssmates are naturally attracted to beautiful people, and Aster is


    incredibly handsome. It¡¯s obvious that he inherited his good looks from his mother?¡±


    Larissa blushed and smiled shyly


    On the way back home, Aster keptining about a girl named Bethany.


    From his limited vocabry, Larissa came to the conclusion that Bethany was the ss bully.


    She used to terrorize other ssmates, and nobody liked her.


    Larissa was a little worried. ¡°Did Bethany bully you?¡±


    Aster hesitated for a while, lowering his head and trying his best to form a coherent sentence.


    Although Larissa was anxious to know what had happened, she encouraged Aster with gentle


    words. ¡°Aster, don¡¯t worry. You can tell me the truth.¡±


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    Fidgeting with the edge of his clothes, Aster mumbled in a low voice, ¡°Bethany kissed me. I didn¡¯t want


    her to do that, but she insisted¡±


    Larissa ced great emphasis on sex education.


    Before Aster started school, she had already briefly exined the gender differences between boys


    and girls to him.


    Furthermore, she taught him that he should not behave impolitely towards girls in kindergarten.

 Chapter 409

    Chapter 409


    Chapter 409


    Aster was an obedient child. He wouldn¡¯t even hold another girl¡¯s hand if there wasn¡¯t any need to


    do so. That was why he felt very ufortable when Bethany kissed him against his will.


    In the eyes of other adults, childish interactions like these between children might seem


    harmless, and some might even find it adorable, but Larissa didn¡¯t feel the same way


    Having said that, she didn¡¯t think that Bethany was guilty of sexual harassment either.


    Based on what she knew about her personality, Bethany was probably a spoiled kid at home.


    Moreover, her family might not have paid much attention to interactions between boys and girls.


    Considering the girl¡¯s personality, it seemed likely that she had been spoiled by her elders at


    home, and the family might not have given much importance to this issue


    The reason why Bethany kissed you is probably because she likes you. Don¡¯t be angry with her,


    okay?¡± Larissa exined to Aster patiently, ¡°But in the future, if she tries to kiss you again, you


    have to tell her clearly that girls should not randomly kiss boys, okay?¡±


    Aster nodded obediently, saying, ¡°Okay.¡±


    The next day, Larissa hurried to the kindergarten and managed to pick Aster up before 7 pm.


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    As soon as Aster saw her, he threw himself into Larissa¡¯s arms, tears streaming down his face.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Larissa anxiously questioned as she squatted down and wiped the tears away


    from his face.


    Biting his lower lip, Aster remained silent.


    His homeroom teacher emerged behind him and spoke apologetically, ¡°Aster was bitten by a


    ssmate, a young girl. I¡¯ve already reprimanded her, but¡­¡®


    The teacher pursed her lips, her gaze flickering with uncertainty as she hesitated.


    Larissa blurted out the first thought that came to her mind, ¡°Is that ssmate a girl named


    Bethany?¡±


    Larissa couldn¡¯t think of anyone else other than her.


    The homeroom teacher widened her eyes in surprise. ¡°Yes, how did you know?¡±


    ¡°Aster mentioned her to me yesterday.¡± Larissa didn¡¯t go into details.


    The homeroom teacher let out a long sigh.


    ¡°Bethany is quite a willful child. She¡¯s been spoiled by her family, and her mother¡¯s personality is


    no better. In her ss, she often bullies her ssmates. She ys mean tricks on them and even


    goes as far as to physically beat up the boys. The parents hadined about her, but no one


    could do anything because of her family¡¯s influence and reputation Some of them couldn¡¯t stand


    her anymore and requested to transfer sses or even change schools because of her. However,


    because so many students have transferred out of our ss. the principal made a rule that


    transferring sses is no longer allowed¡±


    Upon hearing herst sentence, Larissa found herself with no alternative but to keep Aster in the


    same ss, as transferring him was not an option.


    ¡°Can you give me the contact information for Bethany¡¯s parents? I wish to have a word with them.¡±


    Larissa could only try to solve the problem from another angle.


    The homeroom teacher smiled bitterly.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a problem to give you her mother¡¯s contact information. To be honest with you, all the


    teachers in our ss and most of the parents have already tried talking to Bethany¡¯s mother.


    However, she is very headstrong and refuses to admit that Bethany is at fault. She often puts the


    me on other children for her daughter¡¯s misbehavior. Even if you called her, there is no use.¡±


    Despite this, Larissa insisted on getting Bethany¡¯s mother¡¯s phone number.


    Back home, Aster seemed to be in a depressed state.


    Although Larissa had bought him his favorite burger and fried chicken, her attempts to cheer him


    up failed.


    Finally, Larissa sat Aster on herp and hugged him tightly. In a soft voice, she asked. ¡°Tell me,


    why did Bethany bite you?¡±


    Upon hearing this, Aster began to cry again


    ¡°She wanted to kiss me.¡± he sniffled, ¡°I didn¡¯t let her, so she got angry and bit my arm.¡±


    He raised his right arm to show Larissa.


    There was a faint bite mark on the inner side of his arm, close to his wrist.


    The fact that the marks hadn¡¯t faded after so long showed that it was quite a severe bite.


    Larissa could feel the anger welling up within her instantly.

 Chapter 410

    Chapter 410


    Chapter 410


    Larissa made a call to Bethany¡¯s mother. Regardless of the oue, she had to let Bethany¡¯s mother


    know of her dissatisfaction.


    The phone rang for a long time before someone finally answered.


    ¡°Hello?¡± The voice on the other end was impatient.


    It was a high¨Cpitched female voice that sounded somewhat familiar


    At that moment, Larissa couldn¡¯t seem to pinpoint where she had heard this voice before.


    ¡°Hello, is this Bethany¡¯s mother?¡± she asked politely.


    Before she could get a response, the person on the other end hung up abruptly.


    When Larissa tried calling again, she couldn¡¯t get through. It was likely that Bethany¡¯s mother had


    blocked her number.


    Larissa had met many unreasonable people in her line of work. Due to the nature of her profession,


    she had trained herself to be calm and collected under most circumstances.


    It was rare that someone could work her up so badly that she was tempted to smash her phone


    into bits


    Larissa tucked Aster into bed and stayed up all night toplete most of her work for the next


    day.


    The next morning, she raced through her tasks and took half a day off from work.


    Larissa left the hotel early and managed to arrive at the kindergarten in time for the students to


    go home.


    After the children from toddler and junior sses had left, the students from the senior ss


    lined up to go home.


    The parents and guardians walked inside in an orderly manner to pick the children up.


    Although the kindergarten appeared crowded due to therge number of people, it wasn¡¯t chaotic.


    Suddenly, someone grabbed Larissa¡¯s arm from behind. ¡°Lari?¡±


    The familiar voice made Larissa stop in her tracks.


    Her body stiffened instantly as her racing heartbeat seemed to thump louder and louder.


    It grew so loud that the sound reverberated in her ears like a drumbeat, making her momentarily


    deaf to other sounds.


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    Her mind went nk as she turned around to look at the woman behind her.


    She hadn¡¯t aged much in the past five years. Her face was as wless as Larissa had remembered


    previously, probably due to her anti¨Caging skin routine.


    Larissa almost called her ¡°Mom,¡± but she caught herself in time and greeted Violet politely.


    Ma¡¯am.¡±


    Tears of sorrow welled up in Violet¡¯s eyes as she tried to regain herposure.


    ¡°Lari!¡± she choked up, gripping Larissa¡¯s arm tighter.


    Their strange behavior caught the attention of other parents nearby, who turned to stare at them


    curiously


    The inquisitiveapped Larissa back to reality.


    gazes


    ¡°Ma¡¯am, can we talkter? I still have to pick up my son.¡±


    She gently released her arm from Violet¡¯s grip.


    Violet¡¯s eyes grew wide, and her lips trembled as she spoke, ¡°Y¨CYou have a child?¡±


    The second she asked the question, she couldn¡¯t help butugh at the ridiculousness of it.


    Violet smacked her forehead and said, her tone filled with a sense of absurdity, ¡°What am I even


    saying? You should be married and have children by now. That¡¯s a relief!¡±


    Larissa did not try to correct her assumptions.


    If Violet were to know that she still hadn¡¯t gotten married, it would probably weigh on her


    conscience.


    They walked up the stairs together and stopped at the entrance of the same ssroom.


    Larissa and Violet exchanged nces and saw the same surprise in each other¡¯s eyes.


    However, Violet seemed a little embarrassed and awkward at the unexpected coincidence.


    Larissa let Violet go into the ssroom first.


    As soon as the homeroom teacher saw Violet, she turned and called to the back of the ssroom,


    Bethany, your grandma is here!¡±


    Larissa¡¯s heart skipped a beat.


    If Violet was Bethany¡¯s grandmother, then Bethany must be Kevan and Ruby¡¯s daughter!


    No wonder she was so spoiled!

 Chapter 421

    Chapter 421


    Chapter 421


    Overwhelmed with heartache, Larissa bent down and held him tightly in her arms.


    She rushed Aster out of the kindergarten and to the miry hospital nearby registering as an outpatient


    at the pediatrics department.


    The miry hospital was usually crowded with patients, especially the pediatrics department.


    Aster had never had serious health issues belere. He¡¯d only had mild cases of colds and fevers that


    could be easily treated at home with over-the-counter medication.


    Larissa had hardly ever brought Aster to the hosp. before, so they were unfamiliarwith the anxiety of


    waiting in long queues to see the doctor at the hospital,


    She didnt mind waiting if she were the one who was sick. However, Larissa couldn¡¯t bear to wall for


    even a second longer when it was Aster who was II.


    She feared that any dy would worsen Aster¡¯s condition


    Her heart pounding. Larissa paced up and down restessly. She wished to rush into the culpatient canic


    that instant, but she knew that all the parents waiting outside felt the same anxiety.


    In the end. Larissa suppressed her impatience and waited patiently.


    She sat on a benchcing the elevator.


    Her eyes stared mindlessly at the constant low of patients as she listened intently for Asters number to


    be called over the broadcasting speakers


    Sudderly, her paze was drawn to a strange person.


    Despite the hot weather in summer, that person was wrasped up tightly in a long-sleeved coat long


    pants, a cap, and a mask


    What¡¯s more, that person had the cor of their coat pulled up to cover their neck from being exposed.


    From the silhouette. it seemed to be a woman.


    Without even locking up, that peculiar woman fixed her gaze on the ground and kept her prolive hidden


    within the coal,


    She was riding the esctor from the top floor to the bottom


    From the angle where Larissa sat, she could see that woman¡¯s face, even though only her eyes could


    be seen.


    Lanssa was taken aback. That suspicious woman was none other than L?na!


    To avoid any possibility of being recognized by Lana, she quickly lowered her head and obscured


    Aster¡¯s profile with her hands.


    However, her worries were proven unnecessary.


    From the beginning to the end. Lana did not even make eye contact with anyone. She got off the


    esctor in a hurry. rushed to the other end of the hospital and disappeared down the stars.


    Not long after Lana left, Aster¡¯s number was caled.


    In the doctor¡¯s opinion, chickenpox in young children was considered just a minorilness.


    Alter listening to Lenssa¡¯s description of Aster¡¯s condition, he look less than two minutes to write a


    prescription for Larissalo gel Aster¡¯s medication at the pharmacy.


    With much difficulty, Larissa canled Asteral the way back home and prepared to give him a bath.


    She took all his clothes and noticed that the number of spots on his body had increased,pared to


    when he was at kindergarten.


    Tears weled up in Larissa¡¯s eyes as she could feel a lump in her throat.


    Aster woke up in a daze when his body was ced nto the bathtub,


    His cheeks were burning up and there was no sparkle his eyes.


    When Larissa blinked,rge drops of tears rolled down her cheeks and onto Aster¡¯s neck.


    Panicked. Aster wanted to wipe her tears with his hands, but he stopped himsell when he saw the


    blisters on his skin.


    ¡°Mommy, don¡¯t cry! I¡¯m not feeling any pain! I¡¯m line!¡± Aster tried tofort Larissa.


    However, Larissa couldn¡¯t hold back her tears and cried even harder,All rights ? N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 422

    Chapter 422


    Chapter 422


    In order to take care of Aster, Larissa applied to clear off all the annual leave that she umted in


    one go from the headquarters.


    Although chickenpox was not a life¨Cthreatening disease, it was quite a grueling experience.


    Fortunately, Aster was a child with self¨Ccontrol. When he was awake, he would never scratch the


    blisters even if they itched terribly.


    Larissa¡¯s task was to watch over Aster when he slept and make sure he did not scratch himself


    Every night, she sat by Aster¡¯s bed until the sun came up.


    She was used to workingte and pulling all¨Cnighters, so it wasn¡¯t too hard for her initially.


    However, after staying up for consecutive nights, her body couldn¡¯t take the exhaustion any longer.


    When she came back from getting groceries, Larissa¡¯s vision went ck on the way back from the


    supermarket. She had to sit on the


    ground immediately to avoid losing consciousness.


    After a long while, she was still too dizzy to get un


    Most of the residents in this apartmentplex were busy office workers that left for work early and


    returned homete at night.


    was noon on a working day, so there were hardly any people walking around.


    As Larissa felt relieved that no one was around to see her make a fool of hersell a pair of ck men¡¯s


    shoes entered her vision.


    Taken aback, her heart pounded loudly in her chest.


    Trying to ovee her lightheadedness, Larissa hurriedly packed up the scattered groceries and


    ced them into her shopping bag..


    jer that, she struggled to get off the ground with her hands as support


    Suddenly, Larissa heard a cold, familiar voiceing from above her, ¡°Are you okay?¡±


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    Her movements halted abruptly. Larissa¡¯s eyes became wide and her jaw dropped.


    It was as if everything had gone silent at that moment.


    Larissa lifted up her head gradually.


    Larissa¡¯s gaze slowly moved upward from his shoes and trailed up his litted ck pants.


    When her gaze reached his waist, her attention was diverted to the hand he stretched out toward her.


    His skin was so pale that it appeared almost translucent, his greenish veins visible.


    Theplexion of his skin was a sickly pale that could probably only be seen on someone who hadn¡¯t


    been out in the sun for years.


    Larissa bit her lower to tightly, a lump rising within her throat.


    She had no courage to look at that man¡¯s face, but she also didn¡¯t want to be seen as cowardly lest he


    might look down on her.


    Taking a deep breath, she blinked away the tears that welled up in her eyes and straightened up,


    looking straight at him with an indifferent


    Expression on her face.


    Compared to six years ago, Kevan¡¯s appearance had totally changed.


    His figure was reduced to skin and bones, his clothes hung on him like a scarecrow, and his cheeks


    were sunken in


    If it weren¡¯t for his dark eyes that were as sharp as ever, Larissa almost couldn¡¯t recognize him.


    Looking at his face, she couldn¡¯t help but feel like crying again.


    Kevan met her gaze stoically and didn¡¯t waver either.


    He bent down slightly and gave her his hand. ¡°The ground is dirty. Let me help you up.¡±


    Larissa stared at his hand for two seconds. With


    Struggling, Larissa pot off the ground.


    However, before she could stand on her own two fert, another wave of vertigo hit her.


    Caught ell bnce, she stumbled and almost fel to the side.


    At that critical moment Kevan¡¯s arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her into his embrace.


    Larissa¡¯s rose was almost fractured from the impact of crashing into his bony chest.


    Rubbing her som nose, tears appeared in her ryrs again, but it was from the pain.


    Kevan politely ced his hand on her shoulder as he squeezed out some words of concern. ¡± you¡¯re


    seriously injured. I can take you to the hospital.


    ¡°Im line.¡± Larissa broke free from his grip and took two steps back. ¡°Thank you for your help, but I need


    to make a move.¡±


    Lowering her head, she quickly fled from the scene, but Kevan¡¯s ck suit kept appearing in theer


    of her eve


    Annoyed, Larissa stopped in her tracks and faced im with a stem expression. ¡°Kevan, there¡¯s nothing


    between us anymore. Can you stop following me? Aren¡¯t you wonied that your wile might


    misunderstand?¡±


    Kevan also stooped walking, However, there was an unexpected look of astonishment on his face.

 Chapter 423

    Chapter 423


    Chapter 423


    ¡°How do you know my name? Besides, were we acquainted previously? Who¡¯s my wile? Kevan asked.


    Larissa was taken aback at his questions.


    She stared intently at Kevan trying to determine whether he had truly lost his memory or was just


    pretending to be ignorant


    There was a hint of confusion and a genuine desire for her answers in his eyes.


    Larissa averted her gate and said calmly. ¡°You¡¯re the pressure of Microworks Corporation. I had the


    privilege of meeting you once and remembered your name. It was just a slip of my tongue previously.


    There¡¯s nothing personal between us, and I have no idea who your wife is. I heard that you got married


    that¡¯s why I was concerned that your wife would misunderstand our rtionship.¡±


    Wordlessly, Kevan fixed his gaze on her, Larissa couldn¡¯t discem whether he believed her words or not.


    Feeling guilty, she didn¡¯t dare linger any longer. ¡°Anyway, don¡¯t follow me anymore!¡±


    With thatst waming, she quickened her pace and almost ran home, leaving Kevan in the dust,


    It was not until she returned home and locked the front door that her racing heart finally calmed down


    Aster was reading in the living room. When he saw her in such a flustered state, he asked with


    concern, ¡°Mommy, what¡¯s wrong?


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Larissa gave him a reassuring smile and waved the shopping bag in her hands. ¡°I bought


    steak and lots of your favorite snacks.¡±


    ¡°Yay!¡± Aster shrieked happily and ran over with his little legs. He grabbed the shopping bag from her


    and took out the snacks that belonged to him


    Larissa and Wendy rarely let him have snacks, it was only when he fell ill that Larissa gave in.


    Once Aster took his snacks, Larissa camed the shopping bag into the kitchen to prepare lunch.


    She took out the steak and seasoned it with salt and pepper. Leaving it aside to marinate, she started


    on other ingredients.


    During the process of preparing lunch, her mind was distracted, and all she could think of was Kevan¡¯s


    face.


    Not long ago. Dn told her that he was still lyingatose in the hospital so she assumed that he


    would remain that way for the rest of his life.


    Who would have expected that he would regain consciousness? However, he seemed to have lost his


    memory. Larissa wasn¡¯t sure whether an oue like this was good or bad for Kevan, but for her, it


    was definitely advantageous.


    At any rate, they wouldn¡¯t have to feel awkward if they ever met in the future.


    However, deep within her heart she felt weighed down by an inexplicable sense of sadness.


    Closing her eyes, she suddenly winced when a sharp pain radiated from her fingertips.


    Looking down, the sharp de of the kitchen knife had cut into her lingers.


    It took a long time for the bleeding to stop


    Larissa disinfected the wound, applied some medication, and bandaged it.


    After having to go through a series ofplications, Larissa had a revtion that Kevan was born to


    bring her bad luck!


    Whenever she encountered him, nothing good ever happened


    In the future, Larissa decided to stay far away from him and avoid meeting him whenever possible.


    In the evening, Dn came to Larissa¡¯s house.


    She wasn¡¯t surprised that Dn knew where she lived. With his abilities, it was as easy as AC for him


    to find out such information.


    What¡¯s more, she


    trator living in her house.


    that day at the amusement park,


    All rights ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Of course, they weremunicating online behind her back..


    Although Larissa was furious with Aster, he was her beloved son. Moreover, he was down with


    chickenpox and his skin was still covered with blisters.


    She couldn¡¯t bear to punish him harshly, so she had to turn a blind eye. However, her leniency seemed


    to only encourage Dn¡¯s audacity.

 Chapter 424

    Chapter 424


    Chapter 424


    Larissa didn¡¯t have a warm wee for Dn when she opened the door.


    She stood at the door, showing no intention of letting him in,


    ¡°What are you here for?¡± she asked.


    Dn replied honestly. ¡®Aster invited me toe over


    All rights ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Larissa turned around to look at the little trait in her house.


    When Aster heard Dn¡¯s voice, he eximed with joy. ¡°Uncle Dn!¡±


    He ran over to the door happily and squeezed Larissa aside.


    Grabbing Dn¡¯s hand warmly, he dragged him into the house.


    Dn gave Larissa a helpless nce, but he was also a little smug about Aster¡¯s fondness for him.


    Larissa burned with anger, but when she saw how much Aster adored Dn, she could not bear to


    disappoint him and suppressed the impuse to kics Dn out.


    Nonchntly, Dn plopped onto the sofa and ced Aster on his leo.


    He tenderly caressed Acter¡¯s face and inspected the spots closely, murmuring, ¡°What a pity! Why did


    you have to get chickenpox?


    Aster shook his head vigorously. Tim totally not pitiful! Apart from being a little itchy, I don¡¯t feel sick at


    all! It¡¯s true!¡±


    As he said that, Aster turned around and nced at Larissa


    Larissa knew that he was trying to reassure her, that¡¯s why he said that deliberately.


    Her heart warmed at Aster¡¯s concern and her cold attitude toward Dn softened as wel.


    ¡°Do you want anything to drink? We have juice and coffee.¡± she asked Dn,


    The Juice was for Aster, and she was woing to have some coffer.


    ¡°Can I gel a cup of hot water, please? My throat has been giving me some trouble these past two


    days.¡±


    With a frown, Dn pressed his hand against his throat


    Although she found it troublesome, Larissa did not refuse his request. ¡°Alright, then you¡¯ll have to wait a


    moment. I go and boll some


    water for you.¡±


    As soon as she entered the kitchen, Dn took out his phone quickly and tock photos of Asler¡¯sce,


    neck and arms.


    Because of how close up those photos were, the blisters from chickenpox looked particrly horrifying.


    He switly sent the photos to someone and deleted them immediately from his phone, acting as I


    nothing had happened,


    Aster had gotten used to his strange behavior and paid him no mind.


    He already had an understanding with Dn that whatever happened between them was secrel


    especially toward Larissa.


    When Larissa emerged from the kitchen with a cup of hot water, she found Dn and Aster around the


    coffee table, engressed with some building blocks,


    The blocks were soviously new, and the packaging had been tossed aside casually.


    ¡°Sorry to trouble you.¡± Larissa ced the cup on the rolleeble, close to Dn. ¡°Aster already has lots


    of toys, so there¡¯s no need to buy him any more.¡±


    Although Larissa and Wendy were frugal with themselves, they neverpromised or Aster¡¯s needs.


    Since birth, he had the best in terms of food, clothing, and other needs that were within their financial


    capablities.


    Their home in Westonia was filled with boxes of Asters boys.


    1/2


    ¡°Which child wouldin about having too many toys? Dn put down the unlinished model in his


    hand and took a sip of water.¡± Besides, I came to visit, and it¡¯s my first timeing to your house. It


    would be impolite toe empty¨Chanded right?¡±


    What he didn¡¯t say was that these building blocks weren¡¯t bought by him. He was merely running


    errands for someone else.


    In fact in Kevan¡¯s house, there was a room dedicated to storing the wide variety of toys that Kevan


    bought for Aster


    The prices of the toys range from a few hundred to thousands of dors, some of which even made


    Dn envious


    Larissa didn¡¯t say anything more


    Bored, she sat there and watched them y for a while.


    ¡°You two continue ying. I need to check my emails in the study.¡±


    Although she wasn¡¯t at the hotel during her days off, she would still work from home, however, the


    workload was considerably lighter than


    usual


    It would only take her one or two hours toplete her work


    When Dn heard the sound of the door closing, he took out his phone again.


    This time, he wasn¡¯t taking pictures, but recording a video.


    ¡°Aster, wave in my direction,¡± he instructed Aster.


    Obediently, Aster waved at the camera.

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    Chapter 425


    ¡°Smile for the camera?


    Immediately, Aster grinned widely, showing all his leath


    ¡°Do you like this toy?¡± Dn asked..


    Aster nodded vicerously. ¡°I love it!¡±


    ¡°Alright, you can continue ying!¡± After On spoke, he kept the camera rolling and lived on Aster.


    N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    It


    was only when he heard the door to the study open that he quickly stopped the recording.


    By then, more than an hour had passed.


    When she finished replying to all her emails, Larissa noticed that it was alreadyte and instructed


    Aster to go to bed.


    Reluctantly, Aster packed the building blocks back into the box,


    After saying goodbye to Dn, he went back to his room unwillingly.


    On the other hand, Dn remained seated on the s leisurely, showing no signs of getting up to


    leave.


    ¡°You should leave now.¡± Lanssa reminded him straightforwardly that he had overstayed his wee.


    However, Dn didn¡¯t move an inch, chilling on the sofa as if he were in his own home.


    ¡°There¡¯s no rush,¡± he remarked.


    Larissa almost burst intoughter at his audacity.


    ¡°Even if you¡¯re in a hurry, I am. Your wife is probably worried about you.¡±


    When Larissa mentioned Sharon¡¯s name, the smile on Dn¡¯s face wavered.


    ¡°She won¡¯t be worried, We don¡¯t live together.¡±


    Although Larissa found their marriage dynamics strange, she wasn¡¯t curious enough to ask about it.


    ¡°Im getting tired,¡± she said.


    should be heard from Aster that you haven¡¯t been sleeping these days, staying up by his bed all night.¡±


    Dn nodded.


    Larissa was stunned momentarily


    So, Aster knew about it.


    ¡°Aster invited me here because he wanted me to persuade you to get some proper sleep. He said that


    he was too young, and you would onlyfort him and wouldn¡¯t truly listen to his advice. Larissa. I


    know that my words might not necessarily get through to you, but don¡¯t you feel sorry for your son? He


    has been worrying about your health while suffering from difort and pain Dn said in a sincere


    yet


    serious tone.


    Every sentence struck deep into Larissa¡¯s heart,


    She was still slightly apprehensive after the experience of passing out that moming and decided she


    had topromise. ¡°Ill sleep during the day, then.¡± At night, she had to stay up and watch Aster.


    ¡°Larissa, why do you make things so difficult for yoursell?iring a nanny wouldn¡¯t cost much! Besides,


    rtive to your current ie,


    such a small amount should be inconsequential to you!¡± Dn said, perplexed.


    Of course, Larissa wasn¡¯t worried about the money.


    She cared about Aster¡¯s leelings more.


    She never had the luxury of experiencing parental love, thus she spared no expense and effort in


    pouring out her love on Aster.


    If he were wel, then she wouldn¡¯t be so concemed, but now, he was down with chickenpox


    1/2


    Il she had decided to hire a nanny to care for Aster, she wouldn¡¯t have applied for leave from her job in


    the first ce.


    ¡°Hiring a nanny doesn¡¯t mean that you don¡¯t love Aster. On the other hand, it would give you more


    energy to spend quality time with him. You can hire a nanny to watch over Aster at night so that both of


    you can have suficient sleep. You may not know, but Aster doesn¡¯t sleep well at night either. He would


    wake up from sleep just to check on you, making sure that you were asleep.¡± Dn tried to convince


    her.


    Hisst sentence touched Larissa. She could stay upte several days without sleep, but Asler couldn¡¯t


    ¡°I¡¯ll look for a nanny tomorrow,¡± she said.


    *There¡¯s no need for all that trouble. I can introduce you to thedy whoes in to prepare my meals.


    She¡¯s worked for me for the past six years, and I can vouch for her character. Moreover, she used to


    work as a confinement nurse previously, so she has a lot of experience in caring for children. I talk to


    her and ask her toe over directly after cooking dinner for me every night. It wouldn¡¯t be too


    troublesome for her,¡± Dn continued.


    Back in Covenford, Dn had already hired a personal cook for himself. He never changed this habit


    even after so many years..


    Larissa had no reason to doubt Dn¡¯s sterling review of his employee as he was not an easy boss to


    work for.


    ¡°Sure,¡± she agreed without hesitation, ¡°Tell her toe tomorrow. I discuss the sry with her in


    person.¡±

 Chapter 426

    Chapter 426


    Chapter 426


    ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    The nanny Dn rmended was called Mrs. Potts. She was from Bartham¡¯s neighboring town


    called Pishal. Pishal was a small backward town and the young people there liked to flock to Bartham¨C


    including Mrs. Potts daughter.


    Her daughter could be seen as a capabledy. Born in a single¨Cparent family, she counted on her own


    hard work to get into a good university in Bartham. After she graduated, she became hired at a good


    company and married a Batham local.


    Although the man was from Bartham, his family was only a middle¨Css family. The two families gave


    all they could to buy the married couple a house, but the couple still had to pay off the monthly


    mortgage themselves. Mrs. Potts¡® daughter was filial and she was worried that Mrs. Potts would feel


    lonely back home in Pishal so she brought Mrs. Potts to live with her after her mariage. To lessen the


    burden on her daughter and son¨Cinw, Mrs. Potts took up her old job again and became a nanny.


    All this was what Mrs. Potts told Larissa on her first day, in her old age, Mrs. Potts was very chalty and


    gregarious. They had only just met but she pulled Larissa to her and called her ¡°dear¡°, then pulled


    Aster to her and called him ¡°baby boy¡°,


    Larissa wasn¡¯t used to such attaction, but she didn¡¯t dislike it. On the other hand. Aster loved it and


    kept calling Mrs. Potts ¡°Granny Ports¡± Joyfully. By the time Mrs. Potts was done cooking dinner for


    Dn and came over, it was almost Aster¡¯s bedtime. Larissa had thought that the sole purpose of


    hiring Mrs. Potts was to take care of Aster, but it did she expect to be urged to bed every night herself.


    Mrs. Potts said. ¡°This is an extra order Mr. Shields gave me.¡± Larissa didn¡¯t know if she should


    compliment Dn for being thoughtful or scold him for being nosy. Mrs. Potts was someone who took


    her job very seriously. She would burst into Larissa¡¯s room a few times every night, and whenever she


    saw that Larissa was still awake, she would nag at her.


    *Staying upte is very bad for your health. Don¡¯t think that you can ignore your health just because


    you¡¯re still young! Work is never- ending, so it¡¯s not urgent anyway! You have no idea that my daughter


    recently fainted because she burned the midnight oil at work for too long. It scared my whole family!


    We even had to send that old. To cut off her nagging, Larissa had no choice but to switch off herptop


    and go to bed. After days of keeping up this habit Larissa¡¯s work¨Clife bnce slowly got back to


    normal. She was very energetic in the mornings even if she didn¡¯t rely on coffee


    The pocks on Aster¡¯s body became scabs and recovered, leaving only faint marks. Larissa put on a


    facemask for him and took him downstairs to get some air while it was still breezy and deserted in the


    early morning. They intentionally avoided Kevan and Dn¡¯s building, strolling along the path


    Aster had been cooped up for some time at home, so he was so happy that his eyes sparkled when he


    finally got a breath of fresh air, Mommy, when can I go back to kindergarten?¡± he asked.


    ¡°In a few days. You can go back when the scabs on your face fade.¡± said Larissa. Although it wasn¡¯t


    serious anymore, it still looked quite frightening.


    ¡°Okay then¡± said Aster, obviously a little disappointed.


    ¡°Aster¡± Suddenly, a crisp voice called out from behind them. Larissa and Aster stopped walking and


    turned around at the same time. catching sight of a plump little girl running towards them. Who else


    could it be if not Bethany?


    Larissa instinctively took a step backward, shielding Aster behind her. Nobody knew if Bethany just


    couldn¡¯t stop in lime or if she did it on purpose, but she rammed right into Larissa. Larissa lost


    herbnce for a moment while Bethany bounced backward,nding on her backside on the ground.


    She immediately burst out crying. Larissa stooped to help her up, but Bethany pped her hand away.

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    Chapter 427


    Bethany¡¯s hand was also very chubby, and although it was small her p was very powerful Larissa


    winced with pain.


    ¡°Sweethear!¡± A sharp female voice came from nearby,


    Before Larissa could straighten up, she saw someone running over out of theer of her eye. In the


    next second, she was shoved to the around forcefully.


    ¡°Who are you? How dare you bully my daughter?! The woman in front of Larissa was unreasonable,


    and Larissa didn¡¯t even have to look to know that it was none other than Ruby Cole.


    ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    ¡°Mommy Aster quickly helped Larissa up and red angrily at Ruby. ¡°How dare you push my mother?


    My mom did not bully Bethany! Apologize to my mom!¡±


    ¡°And who are you. Ittle imbecile? Ruby locked down her nose at Aster, her gaze filed with disdain.


    ¡°Ruby, you¡¯ve changed so much in the years we haven¡¯t seen each other¡± said Larissa with a smirk


    She had her head lowered the entire bime, so Ruby only saw her face clearly right then.


    ¡°Larissa?¡± Ruby was shocked, ¡°Why are you back? She stared at Aster in disbelief and pointed at him,


    saying. This This is your son?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Larissa held Aster¡¯s hand tightly and said. ¡°My son is in the same ss as your daughter. Your


    daughter bit him once, and I gave you a call before.¡± Ruby seemed to recall the incident and a look of


    unease came over herce at once.


    ¡°Somy.¡± Sheughed drily and her lone softened a ct more than before. I only hung up on you that time


    because I was in a bad mood. Don¡¯t take it to heart!¡± Her attitude was much more like before now¨Cfake


    and pretentious. Larissa found it familiar.


    ¡°I apologize to you and your son on my baby¡¯s behall.¡± Ruby nodded apologetically and pulled her


    crying daughter off the ground. ¡°We have to go home now. See you next time!¡± The home Ruby was


    referring to was Kowan¡¯s house. Larissa watched them go, her heart


    hurting as if someone had stabbed a needle into it.


    The moment Ruby turned around, she immediately looked like a different person. Her smile


    disappearedpletely and her expression was stormy. Her eyes were filled with hatred. How dare


    she! How dare Larissa live such a good life after Kevan abandoned her! how dare she look no different


    than before! She even looked healthier!


    As for hersell, she was still not epted by Kevan¡¯s parents even though she had given Kevan a


    daughter. She also saw no hint of the Rogers family¡¯s wealth and riches. ¡°It¡¯s all your. She kicked


    Bethany¡¯s leg and scolded her resentfully. ¡°Why couldn¡¯t you have been a boy? Why can¡¯t you earn


    your grandmother¡¯s affection? Why did you have to cause trouble at kindergarten?¡±


    Bethany was scared out of her wits. Although her eg hurt, she dared not make a sound and only bit her


    lip harder, weeping slently. However, Ruby was still angry at the sight of her. ¡°What are you crying


    about? You know nothing else other than to cry¡± She raised her hand and smacked Bethany across the


    back of her head, making her fall forward onto the ground.


    Bethany crashed to the ground, but she stood up again in Sorry. Mommy. I know I was wrong Please


    forgive me a sh, She pulled the hem of Ruby¡¯s blouse and looked up saying miserably.¡± Ruby pulled


    Bethany¡¯s hand away with disgust and snapped. ¡°Cont touch me! You¡¯re litty! Il it wasn¡¯t for you to be


    the Rogersm ly¡¯s sessor, I would never have given birth to a useless piece of rubbish like you

 Chapter 428

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    Chapter 428


    By the time they got back to Kevan¡¯s house, Ruby had already wiped the vicious expression off her


    face. Bethany also patied down her clothes and wiped the tears from her face, Only her swollen eyes


    couldn¡¯t be hidden. Ruby red at her fully and said ¡°When Daddy asks about itter, you know


    what to say, don¡¯t you?


    Bethany nooded hard and said loudly. ¡°Aster pushed me on purpose and I fell down!¡± Cnly then did


    Ruby press the inte Two minutes Later, Kevan s velce sounded over the inte amicst the


    static, making it sound husky. ¡°Who is It? Ruby hurriedly put on a sweet smile


    and stooped to look into the camera. ¡°Kevan, it¡¯s me.¡±


    The line went silent for a few seconds before Kevan asked. ¡°Who are you?¡± Ruby¡¯s expression grew


    awkward and she spoke in a higher pitch. ¡°Didntlled you at the hospital that lime? Im your wile.¡±


    Content held by N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Kevan seemed to recaliit.


    The door opened alter & beep.


    ¡°Come up.¡± Ruby stepped inside happily and strode ahead with her back straight


    Bethany followed her, nearly getting squashed by the closing ss door. However, Ruby didn¡¯t realize


    it. She went into the elevator, then saw that Bethany was still a few meters away. She immediately


    rushed her impat enlly. ¡°Hurry up! Or you¡¯ll stay down here by yourse!¡± Bethany had no choice but to


    run as fast as she could carrying the weight of her round belly.


    Kevan was antady waiting at the door and swung it open the moment Ruby pressed the doorbell,


    ¡°Daddy Doing as R.by had taught her. Bethany instantly threw herself at Kevan. Kewan reacted very


    quickly and stepped aside, avoiding her. Bethany fell down again.


    This time, she fell hard and her body ached all over. She really felt like crying, but she cared not cry


    freely like she usually did. She could only grit her leeth and let her tears flow silently. ¡°Honey!¡± Ruby


    rushed over and pulled Bethany into her arms, asking anxiously. ¡°Are you okay? Does hurt?


    Bethany pouted and said miserably, ¡°It hurts so much. Mammy


    ¡°Good girl, it won¡¯t hurt after Mommy gives you a massage!¡± Ruby massaged Bethary¡¯s arms and legs,


    then turned around and red at Kevan. She said resentfully. ¡°Your daughter just wants to get close to


    you! How could you avoid her


    ¡°Sorry.¡± Kevan slood far apart from them the whole time, his altitude indiferent. ¡°Im not used to having


    physical contact with people. Besides.¡± He nced at Bethany¡¯s dirty dress with disgust.


    Ruby knew what he was thinking at once and immediately felt annoyed with hersall for missing out on


    these details. She had thought that he would also forget his gemmophobia after losing his memory, but


    he had forgotten everything else except this.


    ¡°Someone pushed Bethany downstairs just now and she fell down, so her dress got dirty.¡± Ruby


    exined and shot Bethany a look,

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    Chapter 429


    Bethany spoke up hastily. ¡°The person who pushed me is Aster, the boy from my ss! He¡¯s very


    naughty! He always bullies me!¡±


    Kevan narrowed his eyes imperceptibly and asked drily, ¡°Really?¡± He sounded uninterested in the


    topic.


    in the


    Ruby gritted her teeth and secretly pinched herself, making tears well up in her eyes immediately. ¡°Yes!


    He leads the other kids in ss to ostracize Bethany, so she has no friends at kindergarten, I spoke to


    his mother once, but she was so unreasonable! She said that bring ostracized is Bethany¡¯s own fault


    and has nothing to do with her son


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then transfer her somewhere else.¡± Kevan gave Ruby a solution effortlessly. Ruby¡¯s


    lips moved as if she had a lot more to say, but she ended up saying okay, suppressing all her


    dissatisfaction. Her most urgent mission wasn¡¯t to make Kevan strike out at Larissa and her son, but for


    him to ept her and Bethany


    Kevan invited them into the Eving room. As Bethany was about to climb onto the s, he stopped her.


    ¡°You¡± He said to Ruby. ¡°Let her sit on yourp.¡± Ruby carried Bethany onto herp reluctantly. Although


    Bethany was only five years old, she already weighed over 150 pounds, which was double the weight


    of a normal child. Ruby couldn¡¯t move under her weight and her legs felt numb and sore in less than


    two minutes. However, she could not lose her temper in front of Kevan, so she continued tolerating it.


    Kevan fetched them a ss of water each and sat down beside them. ¡°Since you¡¯re here today, then I¡¯ll


    make things clear,¡± he said.N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    His grim expression made Ruby feel uncertain.


    ¡°Make what clear?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I lost all my memories,¡± said Kevan. ¡°But my mother told me that we are not married. You¡¯re not my


    wife.¡±


    Ruby¡¯s heart sank, but she forced hersell to keep a smile on her face. ¡°Before you got into the ident,


    we were already nning to get married. The way we spent time together back then was really no


    different from a married couple. Besides, we also had Bethany


    Kevan cut her off calmly. ¡°But the fact is that we aren¡¯t married. I don¡¯t care how we used to be, but I do


    not have any feelings for you now. In other words, I don¡¯t love you, and there is no way I can continue a


    rtionship with you as your husband. I can¡¯t ept a stranger suddenly invading my personal space


    and affecting my life. I know I¡¯m being very selfish and I¡¯m hurting you a great deal¡­¡±


    He fished a credit card out of his pocket and said. ¡°There¡¯s five million dors in this card. Treat it as my


    compensation to you. As for this kid He nced at Bethany and said, ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, I want to do a


    DNA test. It she really is my daughter, then I give her parental Support.¡±


    ¡°Kevan, what do you mean by that?¡± Ruby¡¯s eyes were wide and gleaming with tears, but she kept


    them from falling


    ¡°I don¡¯t think what I just said is that hard to understand.¡± Kevan remained expressionless,pletely


    unaffected by her tears. ¡°Of course, If you can¡¯t understand, then I can repeat mysel


    ¡°There¡¯s no need Ruby snatched the credit card from him, snapped it in hall, and flung the pieces to the


    floor. She put Bethany down and stood up, saying furiously, ¡°I never got together with you for your


    money! Kevan, you¡¯re insulting me with this five milion. You¡¯ve also insubed your past selt I don¡¯t want


    your damn money! I guess I was blind for fating in love with a fuckboy like you and wasting my precious


    youth! This is my karma! Just forget it if you refuse to acknowledge our child! I just raise her myself! it


    never let her suffer with you! My daughter and I aren¡¯t good enough for the Rogers family anyway!¡±

 Chapter 430

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    Chapter 430


    Ruby dragged Bethany along and light. The moment the door closed, Dn came out of the bedroom.


    He tutted softly and teased. ¡°You guys are such talented actors


    Kevan bent down and picked up the broken crest card, lessing it into the trash, ¡°I sleep at your ce


    tonight,¡± he said.


    ¡°Why?¡± No one knew Kevan¡¯s antics better than Dn, If it wasn¡¯t absolutely necessary, he would


    never let Kevan stay at his house.


    ¡°I need to disinfect this ce,¡± Kevan said and cales a cleaningpany to book a siet


    ¡°Won¡¯t Cocy suspect something if you¡¯re being so heartless to Ruby?¡± asked Dn worriedly.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that just perfect to prove that I really lost my memory?¡± Kevan said. He pocketed his phone with a


    cold smile.


    ¡°I need to go cul lor a little while. What are you going to do? Kevan stood up and asked Dn.


    ¡°Hmm? Where are you going? Dn asked in cont,sion. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to wait for the cleaners?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s still early.¡± Kevan had booked an afternoon slot. Im going downstairs to check II Larissa and Aster


    are still there.¡± He had seen with his own eyes that Bethany¡¯s dress was dirty. Even though he didn¡¯t


    believe that Aster had pushed her, it still meant that she had bumped into him downstairs if she had


    told such a lie. With Asters current condition, Larissa would never have let him be outside all by


    himself.


    ¡°So what I they are? On teased him relentlessly. ¡°It¡¯s not like you don¡¯t know that Larissa dislikes


    anyone that has anything to do with you now.¡±


    So? Kevan cast him an icy nce. I didn¡¯t get cul of the hospital just to continue looking at photos in a


    different ce.¡±


    Larissa and Aster returning to the country all of a sudden disrupted his ns. Previously, when he


    couldn¡¯t get wind of any news of her, he could stillmp down his longing for her. But now, knowing that


    she was so close by, he couldn¡¯t stop himself from wanting to see her. That was why he had ignored


    Dn¡¯s disapproval and changed the n by force, using his ¡°memory loss¡± to get discharged from the


    hospital


    All rights ? N?velDrama.Org.


    He had thought that he would have many chances of running into Larissa, but it turned cut that she


    only let her house once at most every day. Besides, her timing was not fixed. Even so, he couldn¡¯t


    stand watch outside al the lime because she would surely catch him. While they were talking. Kevan


    had already changed his shoes.


    ¡°Hurry up if you want to leave!¡± He rushed Dn impatiently for fear that Larissa and Asler would be


    gone by the time they got downstairs. Dn went downstairs with him. Fortunately, the duo they were


    looking for were challing on a bench by the park, Larissaughed very hard at something Aster said


    and bent down to kiss him


    Watching them from afar, Kevan fell overwhelmed with jealousy. Dn asked, ¡°Want to go over?¡±


    Kevan nodded and said, ¡°You go first then Introduce her to me.¡±


    Dn went along with his n and walked to Larissa, He greeted her and Aster saying, ¡°Good


    morning!¡±


    Hearing his voice, Aster¡¯s eyes lit up instantly. ¡°Uncle On!¡± He leaped off the bench happily and said,


    ¡°Mommy said that Ive recovered,


    so I cane out to y!¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Dn looked at the faded pockmarks on Aster¡¯sce and fell happy for him from the


    bottom of his heart. ¡°Then when I have


    the time, I take you to the amusement park¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fantastic¡± Aster stuck out his pinky and said. ¡®Pinky promise!¡± They were challing amiably, but


    Larissa looked displeased.

 Chapter 431

    Chapter 431


    Chapter 431


    Her attention was focused on Kevan from the start. Perhaps they may have met here coincidentally, but


    Dn definitely brought Kevan here on purpose. She could not yet tell if he was deliberately trying to p


    iss her cll.


    Kevan kept studying her. She seemed very upsel by his presence here and did not seem to want to see


    him. The beautiful smile on her face vanished the moment she saw them. Even though he already


    knew of her aversion and dislike of him, he still fell lerr ble whenever she disyed her feelings so


    clearly.


    ¡°Hi¡± He took the initiative to speak. ¡°We¡¯ve met belore, do you remember?¡±


    Larissa, of course, remembered. How could she not? Grunting her acknowledgment, Larissa nodded


    lightly, refusing to say anything beyond what was necessary.


    Dn was shocked: ¡°You¡¯ve met? When? Kevan dared to not tell him?! That was too much!


    ¡°A few days ago, I guess. Revan¡¯s words were measured, his gaze remaining lived on Larissa. ¡°This


    lady seemed to be a litle II, and she copsed, just happened to pass by and asked alle her a little.¡±


    Dn only then uncerstood why Kevan suddenly asked him to find a nanny for Larissa to help take


    care of Aster


    ¡°Well that¡¯s quite a coincidence.¡± Dn said.


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Kevan smiled. ¡°I just didn¡¯t know that thisdy was a friend of yours.¡±


    ¡°Actually.¡± Dn was about tounch into something, but Larissa red at him, and he smiled


    sheepishly. ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s been my mend for many years now. It¡¯s just that she went abroad six years


    ago and just came back recently.¡± With that he used his gaze to ask Larissa il she was satisfed with his


    answer, but Larissa ignored him.


    Kevan then asked Dyan ording to their n. ¡°Well? Aren¡¯t you going to introduce LS?¡±


    Dn pretended to do exactly that. ¡°This is Larissa Seymour, a friend of mine and the general manager


    of the Winston Hote. This is Kevan Rogers, also a friend of mine. He was involved in a car ident


    and had just been discharged from the hospital. He is now recuperating at home. Oh, and looked at


    Aster and ruffled n¡¯s hair affectionately. ¡°This is Aster. Larissa¡¯s son. Ha¡¯s live years old and he is


    currently attending Creat ve Kids Academy.¡± 1


    Lanssa sad emotionlessly, ¡°You don¡¯t have to be so detailed with your introduction.¡±


    Keven bent down, bracing himself on his knee won his left hand as he reached out to Aster with his


    right, speaking penty. ¡®HI Aster, I¡¯m Kevan Rogers, but you can call me Uncle Kevan. It¡¯s nice to meet


    you!¡±


    The bright sun shone into his eyes, causing multicolored light to be retracted from them. The smile on


    his face was equally just as bright. Larissa watched him carefully and thought. ¡°Oces he look like that


    too when he¡¯s with Bethany? Bitterness surged to the forefront of her mind, and she pulled Aster into


    her embrace before he could shake hands with Kevan.


    ¡°It¡¯ste, and we should go home.¡± she said. Turning to look at her, Aster¡¯s eyes were lilled with


    concern. He was a sensitive child, so of course he noticed that something was not quite right with her.


    But he was not certar Ilth¡¯s was caused by Uncle Dyan or Uncle Kevan who they were only meeting for


    the first time.


    He waved and said. ¡°Bye. Uncle Dn. Bye, Uncle Kevan!!


    N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    ¡°Wait-¡°Dn blocked their way. Truth be told, he really hated doing such a rude thing 15 someone else,


    but he could only put everything he had on the line for his best friend. To celebrate Aster¡¯s recovery, I¡¯ll


    treat everyone lo a meal

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    Chapter 432


    Larissa had not even begun to reject the offer when Dn scooped Aster into his arms, turning around


    and speeding away with haste. He ignored every shout of Larissa¡¯s. With the way he acted, one would


    think he was a child trafficker or something.


    Though Larissa was annoyed, she could not do anything to Dn. Spitting curses internally, she ran


    after him. Kevan matched his pace to hers.


    Larissa did not want to talk to him, and Kevan had to do his best to pretend that they were not familiar


    with each other. They remained silent, and only the sound of footsteps could be heard.


    Dn drove them to a private dining restaurant that was not far from where they were. Unlike other


    widespread restaurants in which anyone could dine, this was a restaurant with a strict member-only


    system. Moreover, even if one was a member, one had to make a booking at least a day before the day


    of dining and decide the course with the chel.


    Dn had clearly made a booking early on. He gave his name, and the waiter led them to a private


    room. The decor here had a colonial style, probably because the mansion rented by the restaurant


    belonged to some general in the colonial era.


    Dn and Aster sat together. They kept chatting without stopping-naturally engaging in topics that


    Aster was interested in


    Aster was a fan of superheroes. Although he was young and did not know a lot of words, he had seen


    and read many superheroics and movies. His favorite superhero was Superman. From a young


    age, he loved wearing the red cape Larissa bought for him and darting about the house, shouting about


    how he was going to defeat the bad guys. He could even memorize the plot of the Supermanics.


    However, the other kids this age-regardless of where they were from, were not interested in


    superheroes. They preferred SpongeBob or Peppa Pig. It was only after meeting with Dn that Aster


    was able to broach the subject with another person,


    Dn was only a casual fan of superheroes. He would watch any movies that were screened in


    cinemas and was aware of the world- building of the superhero universe as well as the superheroes¡¯


    rtionships with each other. But he was not necessarily well-versed about everything. As he chatted


    with Aster, he immediately noticed how meager his knowledge was. In order to not embara ss himsell,


    Dn changed the subject. ¡°Aster, do you like superhero figurines?¡±


    Aster excitedly nodded. ¡°Yes! I really love them!¡± But they were too expensive, so he could not bear to


    make Larissa buy them for him.


    Pointing at Kevan, Dn said smugly, ¡°Uncle Kevan¡¯s home has a lot! Next time he can take you there


    for a look!¡±


    Larissa frowned. ¡°Don¡¯t lie to a kid¡± She knew that Kevan did not have any superhero figurines at home


    ¡°He¡¯s not lying.¡± Kevan spoke up. He was watching her quietly, his eyes lilled with sincerity.


    Dn exined. ¡°The figurines arent at Kevan¡¯s current residence. It¡¯s normal that you have not seen


    them. Those were his childhood joys. It was probably because he thought that they were shameful to


    have, so he dumped them all in a property that he did not live in.¡±


    Larissa, however, had a thought. She asked Kevan. ¡°How do you remember things from the past?¡±


    Kevan and Dn froze for two seconds. But as they had experienced much in life, they did not show


    how panicked they were. Kevan spoke calmly. ¡°I¡¯ve been to all my properties in Bartham-to understand


    just how many assets I had.¡±


    This reason did not give Larissa cause to suspect him. The only thing she thought of was how tired he


    must have been to go to every single property of his in the city! This was probably a rich person¡¯s


    problem


    Because of what Dn said. Aster turned his attention to Kevan at once.N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.

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    Chapter 433


    ¡°Uncle Kevan, do you have Superman figurines?¡± His gaze was practically sparkling even as he looked


    at Kevin.


    Having made a mistake earlier, Kevan was much more careful now. ¡°Sorry.¡± He smiled helplessly.


    ¡°Uncle Kevan forgot what Superman looks like.¡±


    Larissa¡¯s heart sank some, and she felt inexplicably sad,


    After that, Dn answered all of Aster¡¯s questions for Kevan, ¡°Superman figurines? Of course, he has


    them


    ¡°Batman? Yup!¡±


    ¡°Spiderman? He has several!¡±


    Aster¡¯s smile grew wider and wider, and his eyes were sparkling like diamonds now.


    Finally, he asked, ¡°Uncle Kevan, can I go y at your house?¡±


    Kevan could answer this question with no problem, ¡°Of course, whenever you like.¡±


    The prearranged dishes began to arrive at the table hall an hourter. They were light and many of


    them had a sweeterste, which was more suitable for a child¡¯s culte.


    Larissa could smell a ¡°scheme¡± in all this. She remembered that Dn and Kevan, who were


    Northerners, preferred highly seasoned food. She did not know why Dn wanted to treat Aster so


    well-she had clearly expressed her hope that he could leave her and her son alone, but he kept sticking


    on like a dam ned lizard and stayed attached to Aster as if he were glued to her boy


    Theoretically speaking, he should be more affect crate toward Bethany. After all, Bethany was Kevan¡¯s


    biological daughter, and Kevan was closer to him than he was to her. But after Asterined to


    him, he seemed coder to Bethany-it could be said that he was not


    longer as nice as he used to be to her.


    These confused the hell out of Larissa.


    Watching as their connection grew deeper, the more uneasy she


    After lunch was over, Dn went downstairs to pay the bill, and Larissa found an excuse to follow him.


    Taking the moment when there was no one else around, she pulled on him and asked coldly. ¡°Tell me


    the truth. Six years ago, in Kevan¡¯s ward, did you do something lo


    me


    Content held by N?velDrama.Org.


    Kevan¡¯s ward was strictly guarded. The only people who could get in and out freely were her and


    Dn. And during that lime, Dn would always give her a ss of milk every night.


    Back then, she had not noticed, but now that she thought about it It seemed that whenever she drank


    the milk he gave her, she would feel tired-he definitely put something into the milk. Not to mention how


    much her body ached inexplicably when she woke up the next day


    Gritting her teeth. Larissa kept her gaze fixed on him


    Truth be told, she actually did not believe that he would do such a thing, but his actions six years ago,


    and his actions now forced her thoughts to go in that direction.


    If it was really him if it was really him¨C


    Larissa was shocked to find that she did not know what to do Il it was true.


    Dn was confused by her question. But when he finally reacted, he waved his hands frantically, his


    lace red as a tomato. ¡°H-Hey, Larissa you can¡¯tkk nonsense like that! I¡¯ve always considered you a


    friend, and I delinitely rever had any inappropriate thoughts about you, So.


    I would never ever do such a temble thing to you!*


    Well only one person could do such a terrible thing.


    12


    Thank goodness.


    ¡°But why are you suddenly asking me this?¡± Dn suddenly threw a question at her. His sharp gaze


    remained on her face, almost as if he were going to see through her.

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    Chapter 434


    Larissa did not expect him to ask that so she was a little panicked. Avoiding his gaze, she tried to


    dodge the question. ¡°Well, I¡¯m just


    asking, that¡¯s all.¡±


    Dn was really affected by her strange reaction, He suddenly had a ridiculous thought. ¡°You can¡¯t


    possibly not know who Aster¡¯s dad is. right?!¡±


    Seeing that he had hit the nail on the head, Larissa was so scared that she was at a loss. She quickly


    dashed up to p her hand over his mouth. ¡°Don¡¯t f ucking say sh it like that!¡±


    ¡°Mommy, Uncle Dn, what are you doing? Aster¡¯s sweet voice sounded from a distance not far away.


    Jolting hard, Larissa turned to look.


    Aster and Kevan were standing side by side at the foot of the stairs about six and a half feet away from


    them. Their simr eyes showed the same amount of confusion.


    Larissa let go of Dn at once. Smiling sheepishly, she exined. ¡°Uncle Dn said a bad word. I¡¯m


    criticizing him for that.¡±


    Aster thought it was true-whenever Wendy identally said bad words at home. Larissa would cover


    her mouth like that. He seriously scolded Dn. ¡°Uncle Dn, good people cannot say bad words, you


    know?¡±


    Dn nodded guilty. ¡°Yeah. Uncle Dn won¡¯t do that anymore.¡±


    Seeing that Aster had sessfully fudged the whole thing over, Larissa immediately changed the


    subject. ¡°Howe you both came down together?¡± she asked Kevan, who gazed at her with his


    fathomless eyes, causing her to feel anxious for no reason.


    ¡°You never came up, so I was worried something had happened. I came down to see what was up.¡± His


    demeanor was natural, and his lips were curved into a small smile. Even his voice had amusement


    laced in it. ¡°It¡¯s good that you¡¯re both okay.¡±


    As they were now all downstairs together, they went to pay the bill


    After sending Larissa and Aster home, only then did Kevan tum to settle things with Dn with a dark


    expression on his face. ¡°What did you say to Larissa?¡±


    ncing at Kevan through the rearview mirror, Dn thought for a few seconds before speaking.


    ¡°Larissa thinks I¡¯m Aster¡¯s dad.¡±


    As expected. Kevan¡¯s expression became more unpleasant. There was actually some rage in it.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°You have the audacity to ask? Dn sputtered out a pi ssed-offugh in disbelief. Whenever he


    thought of the ¡°wonderful thing Kevan did, he was too embarrassed to say anything condemning. ¡°Why


    don¡¯t you try recalling under what circumstances Larissa ended up with


    her kid?¡±


    Giving it a moment¡¯s thought, Kevan knew at once.


    N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    As Larissa thought he was in aa, she would naturally not suspect him. The only person left to


    suspect was Dn, Even though he knew that he could not me Dn, Kevan still felt uncontrobly


    jealous-as if his wife and child had been stolen away by Dn.


    ¡°How did you respond?¡± he asked calmly, having forced his anger down.


    ¡°I said that it wasn¡¯t me, of course! Like hell would Dn take the me for Kevan-Kevan would never


    let him take the me either anyway.


    ¡°Then why did she cover your mouth?¡± This was what bothered Kevan the most. When he saw that


    scene, he nearly broke his cover and rushed over to break them apart


    ¡°Because she knows that I know that she doesn¡¯t know who Aster¡¯s dad is.¡±


    The sentence was kind of awkward. It took a few seconds for Kevan to understand what it meant.


    Dn parked the car in the underground garage. He had just gotten into the elevator when he received


    a WhatsApp chal request from Larissa.

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    His phone number had never changed all these years, so it was not difficult for her if she wanted to find


    it. Besides, Aster¡¯s phone had a copy of his phone number loo.


    ¡°Larissa requested to chat with me on WhatsApp! Dn¡¯s voice unconsciously grew louder, and there


    was exchement and delight in his


    Although he had gotten Larissa¡¯s phone number from Aster early on, he had not dared to reach out to


    her due to his fear of his secretmunication with Aster getting exposed as well as his lear of Aster


    getting a scolding from his mother. He did not expect her to reach out voluntarily to him, but he could


    guess at her motives for doing so.


    Before he could ept the request, Kevan snatched his phone from him and epted on his behall,


    Larissa must have been waiting on the other side because she sent a text at once. ¡°Aster is my best


    friend¡¯s son! My question to you has nothing to do with Aster, so don¡¯t think too much into it! And don¡¯t


    you dare spew any nonsense to anyone, ESPECIALLY when you¡¯re in front of Aster!¡±


    Hearing the notification sound, Dn stood on his liptoes to peek at the screen.


    ¡°Psh! She¡¯s celuding herself!¡± he snickered.


    Aster had already called her ¡°Mommy¡± so many times in front of him, and she was still trying to act


    around him!


    Kevan pressed his lips lightly together and typed. ¡°Okay.¡± before hitting the ¡°send¡± button. He did not


    return the phone to Dn but stared at Larissa¡¯s profile picture for a long time. The picture was of her


    and Aster at some amusement park, and they were each wearing some sort of floral headpiece, which


    made them lock aderable. Theirces had radiant smies, which made him happy and bitter at the same


    He saved this picture and used Dn¡¯s WhatsApp to send it to himsell. After that hed on


    Larissa¡¯s profile once again-but there was only a nk avatar lett. She had blocked Dn, and she


    never sent any other texts again,


    Dn took his phone back and said smugly on purpose. ¡°Do you need me to give you Larissa¡¯s phone


    number?¡±


    Kevan eyed him ndly. ¡°I have a video of you drunk, hugging another woman, and calling her Shay.


    Do you need me to help you send it to Sharon?


    C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.


    Dn immediately tucked his phone away and smiled apologetically. ¡°Mr. Rogers, my dear bro. Mr. Bro


    Rogers! You¡¯re a benevolent man. so you can let me all this time, right?¡±


    Kevan showed him away in disgust and said. ¡®Screenshot any chats you have with Larissa and send


    them to me.¡±


    ¡°I will¡± Dn swore with one hand up.


    Asterwent back to school after he recoveredpletely. But Larissa did not dismiss Mrs. Potts. Her job


    scope simply changed from watching over Aster at night to picking Aster up from the Academy every


    day.


    Larissa had originally intended for Mrs. Potts to finish making dinner for Dn before going to the


    Academy to pick Aster up-Mrs. Potts would be able to make it easily, but she treated Aster as if he


    were her own grandson, and did not want him to wait al by himsel in his kindergarten, Hence, she


    insisted on going over to pick him up at 4:30 pm anding back to make dinner for him.


    Unable to fight her on this Larissa let her be.


    She was able to resume her usual regimen-sending Aster to school after waking early, then going to


    the hotel and working ale until almost 10 pm before going home. Every night when she arrived home,


    Aster was already asleep, and Mrs. Polls was watching TV in the living room,


    Because of her concern for Aster, Mrs. Potts came back to watch over him after making dinner for


    Dn.


    Larissa had no words to express her gratitude for Mrs. Polls. So, when she paid her, she gave her an


    extra two thousand dors in addition to the original sry that was agreed on. But soon, Larissa


    noticed that something was all.


    Mrs. Polls would make dinner for Aster every day, but there was never ever any food waste in the


    kitchen.


    Larissa had asked once, and Mrs. Potts said that she threw them out on her way downstairs.


    She could not have possibly gone downstairs deliberately just to throw them out could she?

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    It was not that Larissa thought that Mrs. Polls was abusing Aster by not letting him eat. Although she


    was not entirely clear about Mrs. Potts character, she knew a thing or two after having spent lime


    together for a while. Besides, Mrs. Polls was rmended by Dn, s0 there should not be any


    problems with her character-


    But precisely because she was rmended by Dn, Larissa could not help but wonder and


    suspect if she was in cahoots with Dn behind her back.


    Larissa did not directly ask Mrs. Potts about this, but she waited until she was gone before calling Aster


    to her. She maintained an affable nature when she was with Aster,


    ¡°Have you eaten?¡± she asked.


    Aster nodded and said brightly. ¡°Yup! I have.¡±


    Larissa continued to ask, ¡°What did you eat?¡±


    Aster replied without hesitation, ¡°Scrambled eggs, chicken nuggets, mac and cheese, and mushroom


    soup.¡± These were all his favorites. However, the kitchen did not have a single trace of these loods.


    The first three could be exined away as them having finished it all, but mushroom soup was usually


    cooked in a big pot. They could not have possibly left nothing for her, could they?


    Larissa continued sequentially, ¡°Who did you eat with?¡±


    Aster¡¯s eyes sparkled ¡°Granny Potts!


    ¡°That¡¯s a lot of food. Did you both finish it all?¡±


    Aster bit his lip once before looking down and said softly, ¡°Yeah,¡±


    At this point, Larissa was certain that he was lying. Putting on a stem face, she forced Aster to look at


    her.


    ¡°stair Simmons, tell me the truth.¡±


    stair Simmons was Aster¡¯s full name, Larissa would only address him like that when she was angry.


    Aster knew this too, so he panicked.


    ¡°Mommy¡± He hugged Larissa¡¯s neck, wanting to fudge this over by being affectionate, but Larissa knew


    what he was up to and pulled him away from her.


    ¡°Stand properly¡± she said sharply.


    Although Aster was unwilling, he still straightened up at once,


    ¡°I will ask you again. Who were you with, and where did you eat your dinner? Larissa crouched before


    him, refusing to let him avoid her gaze as she enunciated her question carefully and clearly.


    Aster hesitated.


    Lanssa could see the struggle in his eyes-someone had clearly advised him on this matter beforehand.


    She could only use her trump card and said. ¡± you don¡¯t tell me the truth, I will have you sent back to


    Aldovia tomorrow.¡±


    Aster could not care about anything else more and he shouted, ¡°I was eating at Uncle Dn¡¯s with


    Granny Potts! Mommy. I¡¯m telling the truth, don¡¯t send me back! I want to be with you!¡± He pouted and


    started crying immediately.


    Larissa could not bear to see him cry. Whenever he did, her heart would go solt for him. But now was


    not the time to soothe him yet. Forcing herself to be cold she continued her questioning with a t


    expression on her face, ¡°How long have you been eating at Uncle Dn¡¯s house?¡±


    C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.


    Aster did not dare le anymore and gave it all up. ¡°Every time Granny Potts picks me up from school,


    shekes me to the supermarket to buy some groceries before going over to Uncle Dn¡¯s to make


    dinner. Uncle Dn is busy, so he gets homete every day. Sometimes it he¡¯s back early, we eat


    together. Sometimes, Uncle Kevanes loo.¡±


    The truth was not far from what Larissa had guessed, so she was not surprised by what he said. The


    only thing she could not understand was that same issue-why was Dn so good to Aster?


    things he did.

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    Chapter 437


    Seeing that her face was still one of displeasure, Aster carefully took two steps forward and held her


    hand. ¡°Mommy, I¡¯m sorry. I was wrong. Please don¡¯t be angry anymore, please? He wiped his tears


    with the back of his hand, not daring to even let out a sniffle.


    Coming back to herself, Larissa saw his timid look and pulled him into her arms with some amount of


    heartache,


    ¡°Okay,¡± she promised him, ¡°But you cannot lie to me again-no matter who tells you to do it. Do you


    understand?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Aster nodded several times.


    That night, Larissa dismissed Mrs. Potts, who asked nervously. ¡°Was there something I did that you


    weren¡¯t satisfied with?¡±


    Larissa smiled and said, ¡°No. It¡¯s that Aster is fully recovered, and you no longer need to take care of


    him anymore. I was happy to have you on board. The remainder of your sry will be transfemed to


    your ount tomorrow. I still need you in the future. I will surely


    I contact you again.¡±


    She knew very well that Mrs. Potts was working under Dn¡¯s instructions. She also knew that Dn


    had no intentions toward Aster, but because she was unsure of his true intentions, she would always


    leel uneasy.


    So, she had to eliminate all factors that were unsafe, and carefully keep Aster protected under her


    wing.


    On the other hand Mrs. Potts called Dn the moment she was dismissed by Larissa.


    ¡°What should we do now. Mr. Shields?¡±


    Dn was a bit annoyed at the fact that this all got exposed so quickly. But since this was not Mrs.


    Potts fault he could not me her for


    ¡°Just go with the flow, I guess,¡± he said. ¡°You can juste over and make dinner as usual¡±


    Aher hanging up, he turned to Kevan, who was sitting nearby, helplessly. ¡°Well you heard that. What do


    you n to do next?¡±


    Kevan was still calm. His expression did not change because of this new development.


    ¡°Let¡¯s focus on dealing with Cody first then,¡± he said.


    Larissa and Aster. He should give them some time,


    ¡°Speaking of Cody ¨C Dn pushed his sses up with a grin, his eyes glinting with a cold light. ¡°He


    seems to be demanding a divorce from Lana,¡±


    ¡°Six years. Well that¡¯s long enough.¡± Kevan smiled a little. ¡°Cody¡¯s patience this time has exceeded my


    expectations.¡±


    Cody only married Lana so that he could use her, but she lost all value the moment Larissa left the


    country, Kevan thought that Cody would dump her the moment he had the chance, but he did not think


    that he would hold on for six years. Although it was as it Cody mas never married at all during this time


    as he kept dancing between different women, repeatedly cheating on Lana


    It was not easy for Lana to have held on for so long before she started causing trouble too.


    ¡°What are the Seymours saying? Kevan asked.


    ¡°They don¡¯t agree, of course,¡± Dn¡¯s smile was full of glee. ¡°Yvette went over to your Uncle Bemard¡¯s


    and caused trouble several Thest time she did that she was chased out by the household stall Xavier


    had also gone to have a chat with Beard, but I don¡¯t know the oue of that. However, Cody thinks


    that Lana is the one responsible for leaking those pictures of him and Yvonne, so he¡¯s dead set on


    divorcing her. No one can persuade him to change his mind.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s for the best.¡± Kevan¡¯s eyes narrowed. Cody¡¯s pictures with Yvonne were taken by someone he


    had sent, with instructions to have said pictures sent to various media outlets along with a written


    statement.


    No one was st upid enough to hold back on delivering such big news


    Because the pictures and statements were exactly the same everywhere else, anyone could figure out


    that someone was trying to stir things up behind the scenes. And Cody naturally thought that Lana was


    the one responsible-after all, she had just tried to catch him


    Kevan¡¯s goal was to destroy the Seymour family is Cody¡¯s hand. He was not going to spare any of the


    people who had hurt Larissa.N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.

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    Chapter 438


    Larissa got a call from Aster¡¯s homeroom teacher during work once again. She hurriedly made her way


    to the kindergarten and found Aster In the teacher¡¯s office. He stood next to the homeroom teacher¡¯s


    seat with his head down, his eyes red even as his teeth bit down hard into his lower lip. The look on his


    face was one of stubbomness.


    Well, he did not look i


    Larissa released a little sigh of relief.


    The homeroom teacher stood up immediately upon seeing her.


    Maam-


    Aster turned to look at her, and his eyes were a little watery. His stubbornness gradually faded into


    unhappiness. Her heart aching Larissa hastened forward to bring him into her arms


    ¡°Ms. Gilmore.¡± She turned to look at the homeroom teacher. ¡°What happened?¡±


    In the phone call E Gilmore had only said that ¡°something had happened¡± and that Larissa should


    e over to the Academy quickly.¡± but she did not say what happened exactly. Looking at Aster, E


    sighed softly. ¡°Aster pushed Bethany, causing her to fall and spill hot water on herself. Her arm has


    been scalded. She has now been sent to the hospital¡±


    N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    Larissa frowned-Bethany Rogers again, it seemed that whenever that brat was involved, nothing good


    could evere out of it.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t push her? Aster denied with agitation. ¡°just pulled away from hert She fell down on her own He


    looked up at Larissa with hope. and Larissa gently rubbed his head, soothing him.


    ¡°I believe you.¡± She knew exactly what kind of person her son was, If he had truly done something


    wrong, he would not be afraid of


    admitting it.


    Aster only let himself cry at this time. He hugged Larissa¡¯s leg and buried his face into her waist,


    sobbing like a wounded animal, which


    made her feel sadder for him.


    Calming hersell Larissa turned to E. ¡°Ms. Gilmore, did anyone see Aster push Bethany? Or, perhaps,


    is there any surveince footage to


    prove it?¡±


    E was a little awkward. ¡°Well, no one saw it and there¡¯s no surveince footage ¡ª It was Bethany


    who said that Aster pushed her. I don¡¯t think Aster would push anyone on purpose, but since Bethany


    fell down and even got hurt. I¡¯m worried that her guardians will not be


    happy.¡±


    E¡¯s concern was valid.


    Aster was the one who fell down and got scalded by hot water today, Larissa would probably get angry


    at the student who had bodily contact with him too. But this sort of anger would be temporary. She


    believed that Aster would definitely tell her the truth and disavow that


    student


    However, Bethany would not be the same.


    Aber Aster calmed down, Larissa asked him again, ¡°Can you tell me what happened?¡±


    Asternodded and said, ¡°I was in charge of clearing the dishes while everyone else went to take their


    naps after lunch. Then Bethany came


    in. She had a thermos in hand, saying that she came over to drink some water. She poured a cup and


    left it on the table. Saying that she


    was waiting for it to cool down. Lignored her, and she came over to pull at my hand, refusing to let me


    lake the dishes, so I threw her hand aside-I swear that I didn¡¯t push her, and then she fell down, spiling


    the water as she did. I went to find Ms. Gilmore, and then Bethany


    said that I was the one who pushed her, which was why she fell down

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    Chapter 439


    Chapter 439


    E picked up where he left off. ¡°Originally, we had another teacher apanying the students who


    were in charge of specific tasks, but that teacher is on sick leave today, I was bringing the other kids to


    the next room to have their naps, so I could not take care of things here. That is why I did not see what


    happened exactly in person, and only have the r words with regard to the event. To be honest. I¡¯m the


    one at fault as I did not full my responsibilities properly.¡± She was very critical of herself


    Larissa did met me her though. Honestly, if Bethany had not decided to put up an act and cause


    trouble, nothing would have happened.


    ¡°How did Bethany¡¯s guardians respond to this? Larissa asked.


    ¡®Well her grandma didn¡¯t say anything and just took her away. But if her mother is aware of this


    incident¨CI¡¯m sure she wille to our ss and cause some trouble. You must be prepared  looked


    scared, making it clear that this was not the first time it had happened.


    *Alright.¡± Larissa expressed her understanding ¡®Il there¡¯s nothing else. I wish to take Aster home.¡±


    The homeroom teacher approved Aster¡¯s leave.


    On the way but of the kindergarten, Aster asked Larissa carefully, ¡°Mommy, are you angry?¡±


    Larissa smiled a little and shook her head. ¡°You didn¡¯t do anything wrong. Why should I be angry?¡±


    Aster only rxed now his relief palpable.


    Lanssa did not take Aster home, nor did she take him to the hotel. She went to the mall and bought him


    several new sets of clothes as


    well as the superhero merchandise and figurines that he wanted for so long. Aster were Superman¡¯s


    red cape withplete deight and seemed to be walking with the wind. Theirst stop was at a private


    cinema.


    They stayed in a superhero-themed theater and watched two superhero movies that Aster liked. Aster


    even got to eat his favorite fried chicken and hamburgers, food items that Larissa dic not often let him


    eat. When they were going home, Aster was reluctant to let it al end. He asked Larissa ¡°Mommy, can


    we do this every day?¡±


    Larissa tly denied him, and his face crumpled at once, but his despair did notst long. The moment


    they got into the car, he began ying with his toys and was enjoying himsell greally. Larissa found it


    hnous but also leit relieved at the same time. He was not sad anymore, that was wonderful


    Larissa had imagined various scenarios in which Ruby came over to settle things with her-some of


    those involved hering over to scream at her, some were of her being a pretentious two-faced bi tch


    sobbing and crying, and some were of hering over calmly to demand medicalpensation¨Cbut


    none of those ever involved having Kevane over on her stead.


    ¡°I heard my mom say that there was a little altercation between Aster and Bethany.¡± Kewan got straight


    to the point.


    Larissa nodded. ¡°Yes,¡± Her face was emotionless, but her heart was bitter. It was probably because


    Aster had no father to back him up.


    ¡°Aster is not at fault for this matter, so I will not make him apologize to your daughter for this. Larissa


    did her best to look tough.¡± However, Jam wiling to bear part of the medical costs aspensation for


    your daughter. I also hope that your family can keep an eye on your daughter and stop her from


    pestering Aster. Alter all, I do not want my son to be seen as an arrogant bully.¡±


    ¡°You must have misunderstood.¡± Kevan smiled wryly. ¡°I¡¯m not here to make Aster apologize, nor do I


    want you to pay me anything. On the contrary, I¡¯m here to apologize to Aster on Bethany¡¯s behal.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already heard what happened from Ms. Gimore. Although it¡¯s a little different from what Bethany


    said, I believe that Ms. Gilmore


    would not try to protect any student from their wrongdoings, Kevan said, ¡°Although I¡¯m not clear on


    Bethany¡¯s personality, I¡¯ve heard my mom say that she has been spoiled by her mother, so she does


    some bad things on asion. Now, she is fully under my mother¡¯s care. Truth be told, we ve been


    thinking of changing schools for her. I¡¯m Iruly sorry for any trouble brought to you and Aster. I promise


    that this sort of thing will not happen ever again.¡±Content held by N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 440

    Chapter 440


    Chapter 440


    Kevan, too, received a call from Violet at work and found out about the matter between the two kids.


    Unlike Molet¡¯s hesitation, he did not need to think too deeply into things to know that this altercation


    was caused by Bethany.


    Although he had not met Bethany all that much during these past few years, he knew her better than


    Violet, who spent a lot of her time with the kid. At Violet¡¯s request and urging, he rushed to the hospital


    and saw Bethany walling non-stop on the hospital bed. Her right arm was bound in bandages, likely the


    ¡°scalded by hot water wound that Violet was talking about.


    Violet and the nanny specifically hired to take care of Bethany were in the ward. However, no amount


    of soothing from them could calm her down. Kevan entered and lightly said. ¡°Enough,¡± and Bethany


    stopped at once. She stared at him with wide eyes, and she curled up into hersell trembling


    incessantly.


    She was afraid of him.


    C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.


    Even if Kevan did not know why, he was very satisfied with her reaction. He was a cold person anyway.


    Any warmth and gentleness he had, he had given to Larissa and Aster, Heaven knows how much he


    hated noisy kids, especially kids like Bethany, who was not the least bit adorable when crying.


    The nanny moved away, and Kevan sat on the edge of the bed.


    ¡°What happened?¡± he asked Bethany, whose lips were trembling as she turned a pleading gaze toward


    Violel.


    Violet criticized him, saying. ¡°Be gentler to Bethany.¡±


    Kevan looked up to stare at Violet Bally. That startled her and made Violet leel sad. was probably due


    to his memory loss. Ever since he woke up, he was cold to everyone. She knew that she could not


    force him to ept his family in such a short amount of time, but every


    time he looked at her with such an unfamiliar gaze, it made her feel like she wanted to cry.


    Kevan tumed back to Bethany and asked again, ¡°What happened? When he saw that she was still


    staring at Violet, his voice became


    colder at once. ¡°Speak up.¡±


    Sticking her lips out in a pout, Bethany nearly cried again. But as she was afraid of Kevan, she forced


    hersell to hold back her bears.


    ¡°Aster pushed me ¡ª¡± She snitted as she spoke. ¡°He made me fall down, and the water spilled on me ¨C


    She lifted her right arm to let him see, but Kevan¡¯s gaze remained nd.


    ¡°Why did he push you?¡± he asked.


    Bethany hesitated for a few seconds before speaking in a quieter voice than before. ¡°He doesn¡¯t want


    to y with me ¨C


    ¡°You know that he doesn¡¯t like you, so why did you try to y with him?¡± Kevan frowned.


    Bethany¡¯s eyes were watery, and she said nothing for a long while.


    Violet could not bear it any longer, and she interrupted them. ¡°That¡¯s enough, Kevan, Bethany¡¯s sill


    young, and she doesn¡¯t know all these things. Besides, she is hurt too.¡±


    ¡°Just because she¡¯s hurt doesn¡¯t mean that all the mistakes she made can be brushed aside.¡± If it were


    not for the fact that Bethany was young and Injured, Kevan would not have punished her with merely a


    few words of criticism. He would not let his son suffer any ounce of


    pain.


    However, Bethany¡¯s sins would be paid for by her parents.


    Violet called Kevan out of the ward.


    ¡°Bethany is your daughter. Even if you feel nothing for her, you can¡¯t be so cold to her. Can¡¯t you see


    that she¡¯s scared of you?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, but this is how I educate children. If you¡¯re not satisfied, please don¡¯t call me over when


    something happens to her.¡± Kevan¡¯s attitude was hard and unyielding.


    ¡°You¡± Violet teared up too.


    Kevan watched her with an unchanging expression, his hands already clenched into fisis by his side.


    ¡°I will apologize to her ssmate on her behall¡± He said, ¡°Also, I will never be together with her mother,


    if you want this child, you will

 Chapter 441

    Chapter 441


    Violet had long since guessed that Kevan would rever marry Ruby. He only lost his memory, but his


    personality had never changed. Without the wonderful memories of the past, the basis of a rtionship


    was lost. He would only treat Ruby the same way he treated female strangers. But she thought that he


    would at least try to get along with Ruby for Bethany¡¯s sake. To be honest though¨Cthe current


    circumstances were just what Violet hoped for.


    She did not like Ruby. She never did. Otherwise, she would not have prevented Ruby From marrying


    into the family all these years.


    ¡°Fine.¡± Violet agreed. ¡°But you¡¯re still Bethany¡¯sther, you should take some time toe and see


    her.¡±


    She loved her granddaughter and did not want her to grow up in an environment where she did not


    have the love of her parents.


    ¡°I know.¡± Kewan teplied coldly.


    After leaving the hospital, he went straight to Larissa¡¯s home. He received information from Dn that


    Larissa had already picked Aster up from the Academy. However, he waited for quite a while belore


    she and Aster got home. They had all kinds of shopping bags in their hands, and there were happy


    smiles on their faces.


    Kevan could not stop himself from lighting a cloarette. The piercing smell of smoke barely managed to


    prevent his urge of dashing over to confess to everything.


    Thope you can keep y


    Kevan¡¯s heart ached.


    your word.¡± Larissa stared at him. her gaze calm and cold.


    ¡°Of course ¡°He smiled faintly


    Tightening her grip on the door handle, Larissa asked him, ¡°Is there anything else?¡±


    Kevan¡¯s gaze went past her andnded in the living room behind her.


    ¡°Is Aster asleep?¡±


    Larissa was just about to say ¡°yes,¡± when the sound of hurried footsteps could be heard from behind.


    ¡°Mommy Mommy! Aster eximed happily, ¡°Look! Do look like Iron Man?


    He had already eagerly changed into the new set of iron Man clothes that she had just bought for him.


    When he saw Kevan standing at the door, Aster¡¯s eyes brightened up and his voice grew louder. ¡°Uncle


    Kevan! Look! I¡¯m Iron Man! He pulled up with extreme pride.


    Content held by N?velDrama.Org.


    Kevan¡¯s face softened considerably, and his eyes had a much more genuine smile to them. ¡°How


    handsome! heplimented the child with sincerity. ¡°Just like the real Iron Man!¡±


    Aster giggled as he reached out for Kevan¡¯s hand and dragged him inside. ¡°Mommy bought me so


    many figurines today, Come, Uncle Kewant! show you!¡±


    Kevan readily entered the house.


    Annoyed, Larissa thought, ¡°It¡¯s time to emphasize some rules with Aster. He can¡¯t just drag people into


    the house!¡±


    Kevan followed Aster into his room. There was a lur rug on the floor next to the bed. There were all


    sorts of toys and children¡¯s books on the rug. This was probably Aster¡¯s recreational space.


    As expected, he dropped his rump onto the rug and showed Kevan every single toy that was bought


    today.


    Kevan listened attentively to him, asionally giving him some responses.


    The door was r, and there was a narrow crack that rissa could use to secretly peek into the room.


    Both upants were amazingly getting along harmoniously. Kewan¡¯s gaze on Aster was gente, and his


    voice when speaking was also ridiculously gentle. Unsuspecting people may think that they were


    actuallyther and sci.

 Chapter 442

    Chapter 442


    It was probably due to their shared simr interests, but Kevan and Aster got along very well. After that


    night, Aster kept talking about¡± Uncle Kevant, and the frequency with which he spoke of him had well


    surpassed ¡°Uncle Dn¡¯ from before.


    He constantly bugged Larissa to invite ¡°Uncle Kevan¡± over to their ce, but she would naturally reject


    such demands.


    Bethany changed schools-just like Kevan promised. 1


    Both teachers and the guardians of the students were very happy.


    No one cared where she had been transferred to, and the homeroom teacher never mentioned it.


    Having a rare holiday, Larissa amived at exactly 4:30 pm at the kindergarten. She nned to pick Asier


    up and take him to a nearby shopping mall to watch a movie in the cinema, However, when she got


    upstairs, she saw a huge crowd of parents and guardians choking up theidor leading to the


    ssroom. Those who were at the front of the crowd were beating the door with their hands; those at


    the back were stered against the windows to look inside, which rattled the window panes so much


    that they were emitting noise.


    This unusual phenomenon made Larissa panic a little. She hurried forward and tugged on someone in


    the crowd. ¡°What happened?¡±


    That person pursed their lips. ¡°Bethany¡¯s mom is here, and she¡¯s stiming up a storm in there! I don¡¯t


    know why though.¡±


    Shocked, Larissa felt more anxious than ever. Bethany¡¯s change of schools was rted to Aster. Now


    that Ruby was causing trouble here. Larissa was afraid that she might target Aster. She forced her way


    to the ssroom door with great difficulty, and she could still hear the shouting even through the door.


    ¡°How dare you not inform me before going through the school transfer process?¡±


    ¡°You are her teacher! How could you not know where she¡¯s been transferred to?¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t tell me. I will not leave?


    ¡°The rest of you can forget about leaving either!


    Ruby¡¯s voice was shrill and high. It was very recognizable indeed. On the other hand, Larissa was


    unable to hear what the poor homeroom teacher said.


    ¡°A child is crying one of the parents looking through the windowsaid.


    ¡°Several of them are crying!


    ¡°What on earth is going on?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t the other teachers have keys to the ssroom?¡±


    Content held by N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Is that woman crazy or what?¡±


    The parents and guardians talked among themselves, and their anger was growing too. They began to


    pound against the door and


    ¡°Open the da mned door


    ¡°Open the f ucking door now!¡±


    ¡°Let us in


    Thismotion caused the homeroom teacher to panic. She tried toe over to open the door, but


    Ruby yanked on her arm, E did her best to light back, but Ruby pulled hard on her hair and threw her


    down onto the floor.


    The parents and guardians outside got angrier, and some even pulled out their phones to call the


    police.


    ¡°Excuse me! Coming through! Another teacher arrived ratherte and unlocked the ssroom door


    with a spare key. The parents and guardians swarmed into the ssroom and got Ruby under control


    while another group helped up the poor homeroom teacher, who had


    The children were taken out together, and E was helped back to the office by that other teacher,


    Now, there were only a few strong and good-hearted mothers left in the ssroom, and they had Ruby


    firmly trapped in their grasp, Insisting on waiting for the police toe. Ruby was naturally


    uncooperative, screaming and wing at those mothers while shouting the most obscenenguage


    ever known to humankind.


    ¡°My husband is the president of Microworks Corporation! If you don¡¯t let me go now, I make sure your


    lives will be living hell!¡± she threatened loudly.


    There were some mothers who had insider knowledge, and one of them sneered. ¡°Oh, ¡°husband¡± eh?


    You¡¯re a shameless bi tch for sure! Has the Rogers family ever acknowledged you as their daughter-in-


    law?¡±


    Ruby paled, and she agitatedly wanted to pounce on the speaker. ¡°F ucking bi tch! What did you say, b


    itch?! I dare you to repeat that you f ucking wh ore!¡±


    ¡°I said, the Rogers family has never acknowledged you as their daughter-inw! Don¡¯t think that just


    because you¡¯ve given them a daughter, you can put on airs now! The Rogers changing schools for


    Bethany without informing you is telling enough! You can¡¯t be that unaware, can you?¡±


    Ruby¡¯s eyes were nearly bulging out of their sockets with rage. ¡°Bi tch! Shut up! You motherf ucking b


    itch! I¡¯m gonna kill you!¡± She rushed forward but was pulled back by the mothers nking her.


    The scene was too chaotic, and Larissa did not dare stay for long. She picked Aster up and followed


    the other parents downstairs.

 Chapter 443

    Chapter 443


    When they went out, they happened to meet several policemening in. Some parents even stopped


    to give them directions, and told them to head upstairs quickly.


    ¡°That woman is insane! She even beat up a teacher!¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s dangerous, you must detain her at once!¡±


    Larissa hastened her pace as she did not want to get involved with this matter.


    Aster was shaken up pretty badly. When he was in the car, he kept crying about how scary it was over


    and over again.


    Larissa hugged him andforted him for a long while, finally saying that she would buy him


    Superman toys before seeding in diverting his attention,


    Aber they finished watching the movie. Larissa led Aster down to the parking lot to retrieve her car.


    They hadete, so there was only a spot for them far away from the elevator. They walked


    leisurely in that direction when a car suddenly zoomed out of nowhere and headed straight for them.


    Thankfully, Larissa reacted quickly. She had Aster in her arms before squeezing into the small space


    between two nearby cars. That car was unable to halt itself in time, and it mmed right into the front


    of another car.


    With a loud bang, both cars shuddered violently, and Aster shut his eyes in temor.


    Larissa¡¯s heartbeat was pounding loo. She was not in the mood to see who was trying to knock them


    down, only speeding back to where she hade from and entering the elevator to return to the mall.


    She only calmed down when she saw the huge crowds of people.


    She did not dare go back down for her car but directly went out through the first floor to hall a cab.


    Aster asked her, ¡°Mommy, are we ignoring that man? He was referring to the driver who tried to knock


    them down. He was still young and did not realize that the car had been deliberately trying to ram into


    them. Larissa would not tell him that either. She said, ¡°He can call an ambnce for himself.¡±


    Aster stopped asking any other questions.


    Larissa kept wondering who the hell hated her so much that they wanted to have her killed. Six years


    ago, she had broken off rtions with everyone here. When she came back, she did not tell anyone


    about it.


    She did not think that it was rted to past grudges or grievances, so she started to list all the number


    of rivals or archenemies she had in the industry. Even though they were rivals or archenemies, she had


    never actually held any grudges with anyone, so it was unlikely for her to have invited death toe to


    im her life.


    When she got home, she reported this incident to headquarters and requested a bodyguard to be


    posted to her. Headquarters treated this matter with serious importance-it that person had industrial


    motives, and they ignored this, the subsequent consequences may likely get


    However, Larissa¡¯s request had to go through a procedure. The bodyguard could not be posted to her


    at once. The most that headquarters could do now was to send a car to take her to and from work


    Worried that the person may make a move on Aster, Larissa applied for a week¡¯s leave for him as she


    nned to keep him with her at all times.


    N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    When Larissa went downstairs in the morning, she ran into Dn, who was driving past their block.


    When he saw her and Aster, he


    stopped to say hello.


    ¡°It¡¯s thepany¡¯s car.¡± Larissa opened the backseat door and lifted Aster into it. ¡°We¡¯re leaving.¡± She


    pressed her lips briefly together before getting into the car loc.


    The SUV left quickly.


    Finding it odd, Dn kept an eye on things.


    A few dayster, he noticed that Larissa and Aster always rode that car whenever they left or came


    home. Moreover, he also heard from E that Larissa had applied for a week¡¯s leave for Aster.


    He could not help but ask Kevan, ¡°Did something happen?¡±

 Chapter 444

    Chapter 444


    Kevan was pretty busy these days. After his miraculous ¡°awakening¡± six yearster and returning to


    Microworks to take control once more, he¡¯d had a never-ending stream of documents and files to look


    at, as well as a never-ending stream of meetings to attend.


    Content held by N?velDrama.Org.


    Not to mention that the new game they had been preparing for in thest two years. ¡°Galeforce¡±, was


    about to go live-this was the biggest project this year, and he was required to follow up and monitor the


    progress of everything rted to it. He no longer remembered how long it had been since he¡¯d had a


    good night¡¯s sleep.


    When Dn called, he was in his office, sipping on a double shot espresso that bumed his throat as he


    listened to the executive producer of ¡°Galeforce¡±, Peter Jones, report on the work progress.


    Kevan raised his hand to ask Peter to pause before he answered the call.


    ¡°I asked an associate of mine in Winston Hotel, but no one knows what happened to Larissa.¡± Dn


    said, ¡°But it probably isn¡¯t rted to


    work.¡±


    Kevan frowned a little, his eyes narrowing. ¡°Got¡± He hung up and said to Peter, ¡°Please continue.¡±


    ¡°We have prepared the promotional materials already. The original n is to make it all public on the


    1st of the next month. But ¨C Peter


    licked his lips, clearly in some sort of dilemma. ¡°I heard that Rubik Corporation will beunching a new


    kind of game this month, and it¡¯s also a PC-based RPG. I¡¯m worried that they will do the same thing


    they didst time


    The ¡°Rubik Corporation¡± that Peter spoke of was a small gamingpany that was established shortly


    alter Kevan slipped into a a¡± six years ago. The core employees were big-shot technicians pilfered


    from the gaming departments of huge ITpanies. The legal representative of thispany was a


    woman called Sara Cook. The others may not know about her, but Kevan knew that Sara was Cody¡¯s


    assistant for many years.


    In other words, Rubik Corporation was actually apany established by Cody. In other words, Rubik


    Corporation was actua


    was actually apany established by Cody.


    The profits gained from Inte games were extremely high, and the development threshold was not


    high either-any poorly made online game could generate tens of millions in revenue in a month during


    good times.


    In Rubik¡¯s early days, they kept rebranding the same online game, shamelessly making a substantial


    amount of fast money for themselves. Such actions brought their brand reputation crashing down into


    the depths of the earth, Later, the other client-based games and mobile games that they developed


    also went down to dumpster fires due to giarism andck of innovation,


    But three years ago, Rubik suddenlyunched a new mobile card game, with a ying method that


    was considered the first of its kind in the country. Even though the development was not relined-it was


    actually rather crude-it still attracted a whole group of gamers and topped the downloads on mobile


    gaming tforms as well as the charts of said tforms for paid apps for several months. It could be


    described as quite a phenomenal sess.


    However, the idea for Rubik¡¯s game was actually stolen from Microworks.


    Microworks had also been preparing for a year or so for their card game. The main framework had


    already been established, and the character design, as well as modeling, had also beenpleted.


    They had just been waiting for the post-production phase. In the end, all these had been leaked to


    Rubik by a game designer who jumped shipped from Microworks.


    Rubik rushed with everything they had and managed to develop this game in three months.


    The legal department of Microworks promptly took action, and that game designer was sent to prison.


    However, despite the giarism uproar, it did not stop Rubik from eaming big bucks due to the public¡¯s


    weak copyright awareness.


    With Microworks, their most important project had failed instead. All the human and material resources


    invested in the project had gone to waste, and they had lost millions of dors.


    At that time. Kevan had still been in the hospital.


    When Dn told him about this, he was rather nd about it.


    ¡°Consider it a little treat from me to Cody,¡± he said. ¡°But such a thing will never happen again.¡±


    He did keep his word.


    After that, Microworks neverunched any new games. Their gaming department depended on


    operating top games domestically and


    card game and even did the same thing they always had before-rebranding the game over and over to


    create so-called new games.

 Chapter 445

    Chapter 445


    However, gamers did not buy into it.


    Quite a good deal of them were disgusted by Rubik¡¯s actions, and they sold their game ounts and


    abandoned the game. The amount of monthly active users in this game¡¯s servers had also dropped


    from its original forty or so users-which was the most users they had-to


    the ten users they had now.


    Even then, this was still Rubik¡¯s most profitable game.


    Peter was worried that Rubik would do all the things they did again as they had managed to enjoy a


    small victory with their y from before.


    ¡°Galeforce¡± was his life¡¯s blood. He could not bear to suffer such a huge loss.


    ¡°The truth is, during the development of ¡®Galeforce, a few of our designers were contacted by Rubik¡¯s


    guys. They were willing to pay a high price to buy our concept, but the designers that I know have


    rejected them. But there might be those that I don¡¯t know about¡­¡±


    After all ¡°Galeforce was a PC-based RPG Rubik Corporation announced that they were going to


    release a PC-based RPG too. It was too coincidental, so it would easily lead someone to think in that


    direction.


    ¡°Since the promotional materials have already been prepared, then release it all tomorrow.¡± Kevan


    said. ¡°Have the marketing department work extra shifts today. Begin implementing the marketing


    strategy tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Peter left with satisfaction.


    After the office door closed, Kevan only leaned back into his chair and rubbed the bridge of his nose


    tiredly. He called his secretary through the internal telephone line. ¡°Cancel any remaining work I have


    for the day. I¡¯m tired, and I will be going home lo rest.¡±


    No one was clearer about his recent workload than his secretary, who had tried to persuade him


    several times to rest. But he had ignored all of her pleas. Now that he was proactively requesting to go


    home, the secretary was naturally more than happy to oblige with his request.


    Kevan did not go home, but he went to the Winston Hotel to visit the production crew of ¡°Time of


    Childhood¡±. Microworks had a 50% investment in ¡°Time of Childhood¡±. Alter production for this movie


    was finished, it would be exclusively broadcasted on VisualBox, which was under Microworks. So, it


    was justifiable for Kevan to visit the crew.


    He called the producer beforehand and arranged to treat the whole crew to dinner in the hotel¡¯s


    restaurant


    The production crew for ¡°Time of Childhood¡± had around a hundred or so people, not to mention the


    many artists attending. To prevent outsiders from disturbing them, Kevan simply booked the holet¡¯s


    entire bullet restaurant.


    His generous act was naturally reported to Larissa. However, as the person liaising with the hotel was


    the producer, the staff only said that it was the ¡°Time of Childhood¡± production crew who booked the


    buffet restaurant without mentioning Kevan at all.


    N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    Larissa thought the production crew wanted to have some sort of activity, so she thought that she


    should show support as the hotel¡¯s general manager. Hence, she took some time off to go downstairs.


    She specially brought two bottles of good wine in preparation to drink a ss or two with the creative


    team as a way to thank them for their valuable patronage, but she did not expect to see Kevan at the


    table. He was sitting between the producer and the director, and everyone treated him with the utmost


    respect, constantly toasting him every now and then.


    The actresses¡¯ eyes were glued to him, and their faces werepletely lushed, though whether it was


    from the alcohol or from blushing. no one could tell.


    Larissa¡¯s heart felt like it was being choked by panic. She wanted to leave at once, but her assistant


    manager, who was following behind her, had already called out, ¡°Mr. Harl! Mr. Carler¡±

 Chapter 446

    Chapter 446


    Everyone looked over¨CKevan included. The moment his gazended on her, his eyes widened slightly


    in surprise. But soon, he calmly let out a faint smile.


    Larissa ignored his gesture of goodwill and quickly averted her gaze to the producer next to him.


    ¡°Hello, Mr. Hart!¡± She went over and held out her hand toward him,


    Zack Hart knew her. When the production crew of ¡°Time of Childhood¡± first came to the hotel Larissa


    had personally gone to meet with him. ¡°Ms. Seymour, hit He stood up and shook her hand.


    Their joined hands just happened to be in front of Kevan¡¯s eyes. He pressed his lips together for a


    couple of seconds as he forced down his displeasure and raised an eyebrow before asking. ¡°Ms.


    Seymour?¡±


    Zack quickly introduced her to him. ¡°This is Ms. Seymour, the general manager of the Winston Hotel.¡±


    Kevan rose up gracefully and intercepted Larissa¡¯s hand, his eyes slightly narrowed with a teasing hint


    in them, ¡°Hello, Ms. Seymour.¡±


    Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org.


    His ever¨Ccold hand caused Larissa to shiver. She did her best to maintain her calmness as she replied


    in a low voice. ¡°Hello, Mr. Rogers.¡±


    She tried to remove her hand, but Kevan¡¯s lingers tightened around hers, His scorching gaze fixed on


    her, Kevan asked, ¡°Ms. Seymour, you know who I am?


    Larissa smiled politely. ¡°Who wouldn¡¯t know you, Mr. Rogers? You¡¯re the president of Microworks


    Corporation.¡±


    However, the moment she finished speaking, a series of gasps sounded from around her. One could


    hear the mutteringing over from a few other tables nearby. ¡°Is that the president of Microworks


    Corporation?¡±


    ¡°That can¡¯t be? Is Microworks mysterious president that handsome? I thought he was some old man!¡±


    ¡°Bruuuuh! Quick, snap a pic and upload that to Instagram!! We¡¯re eating with the fucking president of


    Microworks! This will probably be the only chance that we can do that


    Kevan¡¯s smile deepened as he said meaningfully, ¡°I guess there are quite a few people who don¡¯t know


    who I am,


    Larissa was a little embarrassed. But thankfully, Kevan did not say anything else. He let go of her hand


    and sat down again. Larissa clenched her hand into a fist as if she could still feel the residual


    temperature left behind by his hand.


    She was out of it for a few seconds before she pulled a smile onto her face, thanks to her assistant


    manager¡¯s cue, and continued greeting everyone else at the table.


    ¡°I¡¯ve brought two bottles of wine to help liven things up. I hope you won¡¯t find it too s¨¦.¡± Larissa got a


    waiter to open the bottles and up everyone¡¯s sses. She and her assistant manager had a ss too.


    ¡°I wish everyone an enjoyable dinner! She tipped the ss back and downed everything.


    Amidst the cheers of the crowd, the restaurant¡¯s atmosphere was fired up at once.


    Zack tried to get her and her assistant manager to stay behind for dinner, but Larissa naturally relused


    his offer firmly. ¡°We still need to get back to work. Perhaps I treat you all again next time.¡±


    She had originally taken time out toe down anyway. There was still a lot of work that she needed


    to do. Besides ¨C Kevan was also


    here.


    Zack had only extended that invitation out of courtesy, so he just let it be after being refused.


    After leaving the buffet restaurant, the assistant manager asked Larissa excitedly. ¡°Ms. Seymour, do


    you know the president of Microworks Corporation?¡±


    Although Kevan had been in aa for those few years, he was still at the top of the wealth ranking


    list through Microworks. The average person would always look up to him with plenty of admiration and


    envy.


    ¡°Can¡¯t say that I know him.¡± Larissa¡¯s expression was nd. ¡°I just happened to live in the same


    residential area as him, and happened to


    The assistant manager¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Really? Shouldn¡¯t a rich person like him be living in a massive


    vi or something?¡±


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s easier for him to go to work by living there.¡± Larissa simply threw out a random answer


    before changing the subject. ¡°The professors who will be attending the economic forum tomorrow will


    be arriving soon. Please go down and check if everything is readyter.¡±

 Chapter 447

    Chapter 447


    Larissa split up with her assistant manager at the elevator doors. Her assistant manager followed her


    instructions and went to the lobby on the first floor, while she returned to her office on the topmost floor.


    Aster was probably tired from ying because he had fallen asleep on the sofa. Her office did not have


    any nkets prepared. Afraid that he might catch a cold, Larissa woke him up by patting his cheek.


    Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go home.¡±


    She saved all her documents before shutting herputer down. Then, she went downstairs again


    while holding Aster¡¯s hand. She had called the driver beforehand, so when they left the hotel, the car


    was already parked at the main entrance.


    Larissa got into the car and was just about to shut the door when a hand shot out from nowhere and


    gripped the frame of the car firmly.


    ¡°Wait.¡± Kevan used his other hand to pull open the door, letting out a faint, apologetic smile under


    Larissa¡¯s surprised stare. ¡°I drank some alcohol and am unable to drive. If it¡¯s convenient, could you


    take me along with you?¡±


    It was convenient as they lived in the same residential area. If Larissa refused, she might make her


    negative response toward him a little too obvious. So, she nodded and said, ¡°Sure.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Kevan sat in the passenger seat. He then asked in a nonchnt manner, ¡°Didn¡¯t Aster go to


    school today?¡±


    Larissa¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She was just wondering how exactly to answer this question when she


    suddenly heard Aster say, ¡°Mommy and I went to watch a movie a few days ago and were nearly hit by


    a car. Mommy was traumatized and dared not to drive. She can¡¯t send me to the Academy, so she


    applied for leave for me, and even got mister driver to send us to and from wok.¡±


    Larissa cursed internally.


    This wretched child. Why on earth did he just say things out loud?


    Just as she expected, Kevan¡¯s expression became rather grim. Frowning, he asked, ¡°Nearly hit by a


    car? What happened?¡±


    ¡°That driver was probably drunk and was not looking where he was driving, so he nearly rammed into


    Aster and me.¡± Larissa downyed


    the incident in a mild tone.


    But Kevan did not believe it. If it were really an ident, she would not leave her car and give up


    driving, and she would most certainly not bring Aster with her wherever she went. But since she did not


    want him to know, he would pretend not to know.


    ¡°Have you made a police report?¡± he asked in ordance with what she said. ¡°Drunk driving is illegal.


    Severe cases would even result in a conviction.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Larissa said. ¡°I was afraid that he might try hitting us again, so I did not stay there long, and I did


    not see the car¡¯s license te.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Kevan nodded. ¡°That¡¯s a shame, then,¡±


    Kevan went to Dn¡¯s home.


    ¡°Why are you back already? Dn was rather surprised. ¡®Is the game all done with?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Kevan did not beat around the bush with him and held out his hand. ¡°Give me your phone.¡±


    ¡°What for?¡± Dn asked even as he retrieved his phone and ced it in his palm


    Kevan tapped on his WhatsApp and made him send a voice message to Asler. ¡°Ask him if he can


    answer a call now.¡±


    Although Dn did not know why, he did as he was told.


    Aster had just gotten home. He knew Larissa did not like it when he was in contact with Dn, so he


    hid in his room the moment he got the message.


    ¡°Mommy. I¡¯m going to shower!¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Larissa did not suspect him. She even gave him a reminder. ¡°Remember to wash your hairi


    After that, go straight to bed!¡±


    replied to Dn, ¡®Sure, but I can¡¯t speak loudly.¡±


    Kevan immediately called him.

 Chapter 448

    Chapter 448


    Aster answered the call very quickly.


    ¡°Uncle Dn!¡± he called out very sweetly.


    Kevan¡¯s heart was a little bitter. ¡°Aster, it¡¯s me.¡± His normally cool voice had a little warmth in it, which


    was rare. His fixed gaze on Aster¡¯s


    profile picture was gentle, like he could see the actual person through the picture.


    ¡°Ah!¡± Aster panicked for a moment before changingck quickly. ¡°Hi, Uncle Kevan!¡±


    The address of ¡°Uncle Kevan¡± did not satisfy the man in question, but he supposed that was as much


    as he could expect for now.


    ¡°Aster, could you please tell me in detail how you and your mom nearly got hit? For example, when and


    where?¡± Kevan patiently lured him


    to give him the answers that he wanted.


    Aster¡¯s memory was quite good. He was able to tell when and where at once. Kevan gave his own


    phone to Dn, who understood what he wanted immediately and called the president of the


    corporation under which the mall was. A few minutester, he hung up and gave


    Kevan the ¡°okay¡± hand gesture.


    Kevan nodded lightly before continuing his conversation with Aster. ¡°Were you and your mommy hurt?¡±


    ¡°No. Thank goodness Mommy ranst Aster was still shaken up whenever he recalled what happened


    that day. ¡°It was really scary!¡±


    Simrly, Kevan was also shaken up.


    ¡°That won¡¯t happen again,¡± he promised Aster.


    They chatted for a while when suddenly Larissa¡¯s voice could be heard. ¡°Aster, are you showering?¡±


    Aster hurriedly hung up the call


    Only then did Kevan return Dn¡¯s phone to him.


    ¡°The surveince footage will be sent to your inbox tomorrow afternoon at thetest,¡± Dn said.


    ¡°Good.¡± Kevan took back his own phone and instructed Dn, ¡°Find people to follow Larissa and Aster.


    If there¡¯s anything, have them inform me directly. The new game¡¯s gonna getunched soon. I have to


    keep an eye on Rubik. I might have to trouble you to look after anything that¡¯s rted to Larissa for the


    time being.¡±


    Dn was unused to him being so deferential, so he said, ¡°There¡¯s no trouble at all Larissa¡¯s my friend


    too.¡± while patting Kevan¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Just concentrate on doing the things that you need to, and leave


    the rest to me.¡±


    Kevan gazed at him wordlessly, his eyes filled with gratitude.


    The annual National Economic Forum was held in Bartham. More than a hundred economists attending


    this forum checked into Winston


    Hotel


    From morning onward, the lobby was packed with people.


    Larissa specially added more people to assist with matters in the lobby, and she hersell was there to


    supervise as well as provide what help she could to the quests. Thissted all the way till noon. She


    called her assistant and told him to take Aster to the restaurant for lunch while she continued working in


    the lobby.


    But soon, the assistant called back frantically. ¡°Ms. Seymour, Aster¡¯s gone missing!¡±


    The world went quiet around her. Larissa could hear nothing else.


    She forced herself to calm down, but the hand holding her phone was trembling. Moving away from the


    crowd, she went over to a quiet


    ¡°I just brought Aster down, and we arrived at the restaurant when he said he wanted to go to the tollet. I


    was going to apany him, but he said that he didn¡¯t need me to ¨C The assistant swallowed, his


    voice shaking badly. ¡°He asked me to wait for him in the restaurant and grab something from the buffet.


    I thought that it was fine because there are a lot of people in the restaurant at this time.


    Content held by N?velDrama.Org.


    and waited for him for a while, but he never came back I thought it was odd, so I went to find him in the


    toilet, but there was no one there¡ªIm so sorry. Ms. Seymour ¡ª I |¡­¡± He was so anxious that he was


    nearly in tears. Larissa gripped the phone more tightly than ever.

 Chapter 449

    Chapter 449


    ¡°Don¡¯t panic.¡± She calmed herself down andforted the assistant instead. ¡°This isn¡¯t your fault. I


    don¡¯t me you. Go around and ask if anyone has seen Aster. I will call the security department. Bye.¡±


    She walked toward the main entrance even as she called security.


    There were only two ces where one could enter and exit the hotel-a main entrance, and an


    emergency back exit. Under normal circumstances, the back exit was not open.


    If Aster had really been kidnapped, the kidnapper had to go through either one of those doors with


    Aster. She got security to retrieve the


    surveince footage from the floor that the restaurant was on before getting them to send people to


    guard both exits.


    ¡°The moment you have anything, call me immediately.¡± she said.


    Larissa kept her eyes fixed on the main entrance. There were a lot of people moving in and out. She


    stared at every child that passed her by-but none of them were her Aster. Nothing came from security


    either.


    The feeling of unease Larissa felt grew stronger and stronger, and her heart began to sink bit by bit.


    After nearly an hour, security finally called. ¡°Ms. Seymour, we¡¯ve found your son! He¡¯s been taken by a


    very strangely dressed person to


    Room 1503. Do you need us to go over?¡±


    Larissa ran towards the front desk, ignoring the fact that she was wearing almost 4-inch heels.


    ¡°Yes! Send people over right now! I be there soon!¡±N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    She literally cut through the line of quests waiting to check in as she ordered the front desk, ¡°Give me a


    room card for 1503¡± with a loud voice, scaring the young girl stationed there.


    ¡°Right away. Ms. Seymour!¡± She immediately had the card ready for her.


    Larissa raced toward the elevator, lighting her way past the crowd as well as squeezing her way into


    the elevator car. She ignored the crowd¡¯sints as well as their ridicule, her eyes remained fixed


    on the constantly changing numbers on the elevator screen.


    The moment the number changed to 15. she shoved at the people in front of her and stumbled out of


    the elevator.


    ¡°Is she out of her f ucking mind?¡±


    ¡°Where the hell does she think she¡¯s going? Crazy woman!¡±


    She ignored all and any curses sent her way. Room 1503 was close to the elevator, and she arrived


    within two minutes. Security personnel had not yet arrived.


    Larissa could not wait: she opened the door with the room card.


    In the next second, she heard Aster¡¯s cries. Unable to think of anything else, fear and worry urged her


    to open the door and rush in.


    There were two people in the room.


    Aster was curled up under the study table, and the very strangely dressed person, as described by


    security, wore a long windbreaker. He wore what looked like a sweatshirt underneath the windbreaker


    as well as a cap on his head, and he had his back to her, kicking Aster with


    vehemence.


    All the blood rushed into Larissa¡¯s head, and she saw red as all sense of rationality vanished.


    ¡°Let go of my son!¡± She rushed over and wrapped her arms lightly around the man¡¯s waist, yanking him


    away from Aster.


    That man was not strong-and was actually rather thin and weak. Larissa easily dragged him over to the


    bed belore elbowing him hard. sending him sprawling onto the bed. She proceeded to pin him down,


    hands pressed firmly on his shoulders while her knees dug into the


    small of his back.


    ¡°Ahr the person screamed.


    Only did Larissa realize-¡°he¡± was actually a woman!

 Chapter 450

    Chapter 450


    The hotel¡¯s security happened to arrive at this moment. The sounds of chaolic leolsteps could be heard


    at the door.


    ¡°Ms. Seymour!¡±


    A group of people rushed in,


    ¡°Take my son cut first!¡± Larissa pointed at Aster, who was still curled up under the study table. A guard


    went over and picked him up at once, while the rest surrounded Larissa and helped her to pin down the


    woman beneath her.


    That woman resisted strongly, nearly shoving Larissa off and causing her to fall. It was thanks to the


    quards that Larissa did not crash


    onto the c. Getting off the bed with that momentum, she pulled out her phone and called the police.


    Hearing her making a phone call, the woman screamed, ¡°Don¡¯t call the police!¡±


    That voice..


    Even il it wasrgely different from how it usually sounded, Larissa could still keenly tell that it was-


    *Ruby Cole?¡±


    She moved over to the head of the bed and told one quard to take off the woman¡¯s cap. Ruby¡¯s face


    was exposed.


    ¡°It¡¯s really you Larissa should have known.


    Out of all the old friends¡± she met ever sinceing back, only Ruby had a motive to kidnap Aster.


    Ruby looked up with red eyes even as she red at Larissa. ¡°F uck yeah, bi tch, you bet it¡¯s me!¡± She


    was very frank about it, as if she was not the least bit afraid of Larissa finding her out. ¡°It¡¯s all because


    of you and your b astard son!¡± She shouted through gritted teeth, ¡°Il it weren¡¯t for you, how could Kevan


    take my Bethany away from me!¡±


    Aster¡¯s unknown father was a constant thom in Larissa¡¯s heart, and Ruby¡¯s description of ¡°b astard¡±


    made her blow up.


    ¡°Say it again! I dare you!¡± She whipped her hand across Ruby¡¯s face.


    Ruby had been pampered for years, so her skin was more tender than the average person¡¯s. Larissa¡¯s


    blow was pretty hard, so Ruby¡¯sce turned red at once and began swelling in no time at all.


    Ruby¡¯s eyes were tearing up. Perhaps it was because she did not want to be disgraced in front of


    Larissa, so she bit her lip stubbornly and


    refused to let the tears fall,


    ¡°Your son is a ba stard with no father!¡± sheughed coldly, her eyes filled with venomous hale.


    Larissa¡¯s hand whipped across Ruby¡¯s face once more.


    ¡°You¡¯re on my turl now, Ruby Cole, and now you¡¯ve ended up in my hands. Even if I killed you today, no


    one would say a word. Don¡¯t think that it won¡¯t happen.¡± She let out a sinister smile as she threatened


    her coldly.


    The cruelty in Ruby¡¯s gaze receded some as fear and panic shed through her eyes.


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t dare!¡± she persisted stubbornly.


    ¡°What else is there that I wouldn¡¯t dare to do? Larissa pped her again before asking the guards in


    the room. ¡°Did you see me hit her?¡±


    Everyone shock their heads in unison. ¡°No, ma¡¯am!¡±


    Larissa¡¯s smile grew wider while Ruby trembled even as she stared at the former with hatred, but she


    no longer dared to speak.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you ever dare touch my son again,¡± Larissa warned Ruby. ¡°I there is a next lime, I will not spare


    you or your daughter!¡±


    Larissa did not stay here long due to her concemr Aster. She let the securityke over guarding


    Ruby, Instructing them to walt for the police to deal with it all while she left the room by hersell.


    C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.


    The guard with Aster was walling outside. Asler was c?nging onto the guard¡¯s shoulder, biting his lip


    even as tears ran down his cheeks, his little frame jerking every now and then.


    went toward the elevator.

 Chapter 451

    Chapter 451


    Ruby¡¯s vehement kicks to his body were still fresh in her mind. Larissa kissed Aster¡¯s tears, asking him


    softly, ¡°Does it hurt bad?¡±


    Aster shook his head minutely. She was not sure if he really was not in pain, or if he was only doing


    that tofort her.


    When they got to the first floor, Larissa raced out of the hotel as fast as she could and hailed a cab.


    They went to the closest hospital which was the military hospital. Aster was heavily bruised from


    Ruby¡¯s kicks, but the fortunate thing was that he did not suffer any grievous injuries.


    The doctor asked Larissa. ¡°How did this happen? His stare was filled with condemnation and suspicion.


    Larissa did not say much-for the truth was locplicated to exin in just a couple of sentences.


    When they left the doctor said pointedly, ¡°Child abuse even if it¡¯s your own biological child, is illegal¡±


    Larissa halted for a moment, but she still made no arguments to defend herself.


    The image of Larissa rushing out of the hotel with Aster in her arms was instantly sent to Kevan, who


    immediately called. ¡°What happened?


    The bodyguards who were in charge of keeping an eye on Larissa could not enter the hotel, so they did


    not know what happened. They followed Larissa¡¯s cap to the hospital paid a ¡®mendly¡± visit to the doctor,


    who saw Aster, and received a ¡°mother abusing her child¡±


    answer as a response.


    They ryed this answer to Kevan word for word, but Kevan naturally did not believe that Larissa


    would abuse Aster. Those bruises on Aster were clearly caused by someone else.


    This ¡°someone else¡± was finally identified as Ruby alter the other team, who was in charge of keeping


    an eye on her, sent a message about how she had been taken to the police station.


    Kevan lightened his grip on the phone even as his gaze turned icy. He found Dn and said. ¡°Contact


    the police station and have them keep Ruby locked up for a few more days. No bal allowed.¡±


    Dn was very surprised, ¡°How many days has it been? She¡¯s already back in there?¡±


    Kevan grunted belore exining everything brielly. N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    Dn¡¯s voice became colder too as he said. ¡°Ill have them take GOOD care of Ruby. Don¡¯t worry about


    that. I will be visiting Aster at night.


    wannae?¡±


    The answer was a positive one, of course.


    Kevan and Dn got off work on time. After some discussion. they decided to go straight to Larissa¡¯s


    ce without calling her beforehand. Larissa could not possibly just lock them out when they were


    already there.


    Once they got home, Aster fell asleep after having medication applied to his bruises. Having sullered


    intense trauma, he had essentially


    tired himsel out from crying.


    Larissa only contacted the hotel¡¯s security department when she was free to inquire about Ruby¡¯s


    situation. When she found out that Ruby had beer Laken to the police station, she was not releved at


    all. She proceeded to find awyer Iriend of hers to ask if she could sue Ruby in this situation and


    made sure she got a few years in jail.


    The attemoon passed by quickly.


    Larissa had been preparing dinner when the doorbell rang. She pretty much did not need to think to


    guess that the visitors were Dn or Kevan, or both-they were the only ones who knew that she lived


    here.


    She did not want to open the door, but the doorbel kept ringing, which gave her a headache. Having no


    other way to ignore that, Larissa put down the spat and turned off the slove before slowly making


    her way over to the door.


    1/2


    The moment the door opened. Kevan apologized first. ¡°Im so sorry! His attitude was sincere, and his


    voice was filled with pain,


    Larissa stood there nkly, stunned.


    Kevan licked his lips. ¡°I received a call from the police station in the afternoon, asking me to bail Ruby


    out.¡±

 Chapter 452

    Chapter 452


    This was the best excuse Kevan could think of. I gave him a justifiable reason to be concerned about


    them as well as removing the risk of


    the people watching over them orting exposed


    It only took Larissa a few seconds to figure out the reason why they came.


    ¡°You¡¯ve balled her out? Her heart felt like it was being choked from lear.


    She knew that she had no right to demand him to do anything, and she also knew his rtionship with


    Ruby, Baling her out was totally a normal thing, but she could not help but me him for that. If Ruby


    coulde out of this unscathed without needing to bear any legal


    responsibility, Larissa would definitely request headquarters to transler her back to Westonia at once-


    no part of her career or future was


    worth her son¡¯s life.


    ¡°No.¡± Kevan¡¯s answer gave Larissa reason to feel relieved, ¡°I will not interfere in this matter, he


    promised her. ¡°The police will have full


    power over this matter.¡±


    If he left it alone, the chances of Ruby getting convicted would increase exponentially,


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Larissa said with sincerity, but Kevan was sad.


    He should be going through this hardship with her, but he could only observe her unease, fear, and


    exhaustion as an outsider.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± he said again, and Larissa thought he was apologizing on Ruby¡¯s behalf.


    ¡°It¡¯s not your problem.¡± She forced a smile onto her face.


    The truth was, he had done enough.


    Dn cut in and asked. ¡°Where¡¯s Aster?¡± peeking into the house to see.


    Even though they already knew that Aster only suffered flesh wounds from the doctor, they could not


    rest assured until they had seen it for themselves.


    ¡°He¡¯s sleeping right now.¡± Larissa nced back at Aster¡¯s bedroom. ¡°Come on in, I wake him up.¡±


    ¡°Wait-¡°Kevan pulled on her wrist.


    In the air-conditioned living room, his cold lingers upon her skin surprisingly did not cause her to shiver.


    ¡°Let him sleep.¡± Kevan¡¯s gaze on her had a hint of relief in


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Larissa discreetly removed her hand from his before taking one step back. ¡°I was going to


    wake him up for dinner anyway.¡±


    Kevan then had no other reason to stop her.


    Having both men wait in the living room, Larissa went to Aster¡¯s bedroom. The sky was already dark,


    and his bedroom light was not turned on, so his room was so dark that one could not see a thing at all.


    The sounds ofint sniffing were amplified in this spa cious and tranquil room, and they reached


    Larissa¡¯s ears clearly.


    ¡°Aster?¡± She turned on the lights in a panic before rushing over to the bed. Aster was curled up into a


    tiny ball under the sheets, and he was trembling incessantly as if he was in a state of extreme fear.


    Ripping the sheets off, Larissa wrapped him into her embrace. Aster¡¯s face had lear tracks all over, and


    he was frowning right now, snitting hard. It created quite a pitiful picture, and Larissa¡¯s heart was almost


    in pieces all over again.


    Her nose aching, Larissa was close to spilling tears herself, but she forced hersell to keep it together


    due to the ban visitors outside.


    ¡°Aster, Aster!¡± She shook her son¡¯s shoulder to wake him up.


    Aster opened his wet eyes, but they were unfocused, it took him a while to recognize the person before


    him.


    ¡°Mommy!¡± He mbered into Larissa¡¯s embrace, his arms wrapped tightly around her neck. ¡°Mommy


    Mommy¡± he kept calling out to her as if he were speaking of his grievances while seekingfort at


    the same time.


    ¡°I¡¯m here. Don¡¯t be scared.¡± Larissa patted his back gently. ¡°Uncle Kevan and Uncle Dn are here.


    Let¡¯s go y with them for a while.


    Even if a five-year-old boy was not chubby, he was not Ught either,C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

 Chapter 453

    Chapter 453


    Larissa found it a little difficult to carry him in her arms.


    Kevan hurriedly got up from the s and lock the child from her.


    ¡°Aster


    He lecked down at the boy, his heart aching greally for him, and his voice unconsciously became hoa


    rse Ico.


    ¡°Uncle Kevan ¡°Asler greeted him politely, I ke the good boy he was, though the nasal twang in his voice


    was rather noticeable.


    Kevan grilled his teeth, doing everything he could to conceal the harsh anger in his eyes. How dare


    Ruby touch his son? She must have been having it too good these few years.


    Sitting down again, Kevan got Aster to sit on hisp.


    ¡°Does it still hurt? He wiped Aster¡¯s tears away as he asked gently.


    Dn pursed his los discreetly as he thought to himself, ¡°Jeez, father and son have great rapport for


    sure.¡± Only Aster could get Kevan to get over his extreme clean freakishness by making him willingly


    touch something that was absolutely disgusting in his eyes.


    Aster nodded once.


    Because of this simple act, the three adults in the room clenched their lists in repressed anger. Kevan


    breathed deeply thrice before he managed to push down his boiling anger again.


    ¡°Can 1 ¡ª see your injuries?¡± he asked Aster carefully, who nodded again while worrying at his lip.


    Trembling, Kevan slowly lilled the her of


    his pajamas


    The side of Aster¡¯s wast as well as his back were lul, of rming green and purplish bruises.


    The air seemed to freeze at this moment


    Kevan¡¯s heart shuddered in his chest, and his normally calm eyes were now raging with emotion. Even


    Dn¡¯s face becamet as he


    exuded coldness from how mad he was.


    Kevan reached out with his hand. He really warted to touch those bruises, but he was afraid of hurting


    Aster. In the end, he pulled his hand back and let go of the pajamas, tightening his hug on Aster.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± His voice was shaking.


    Sorry that Daddy had not protected you.


    He hated Ruby, but he hated himself more.


    Larissa could sense Kevan¡¯s grief and rage, but she did not know what was the cause of such


    emotions. He had only met Aster a few times. Even if they hit it off instantly, it was unlikely for things to


    have reached such an extent.


    ¡°Have you finished making dinner? Dn turned to ask her upon sensing her gaze. ¡°Do you need my


    help?¡±


    With that reminder from him, Larissa only remembered the hall-cooked lood she had left in the pan.


    ¡°No need. You just need to entertain Aster for a bit. She hurried back into the kitchen.


    Once Larissa had lett, Kewan only dared to allow himsell to kiss Aster¡¯s forehead, Gazing at him


    tearfully, Aster mumbled, ¡°You¡¯re just like


    my daddy, Uncle Kevan.¡±


    Kevan jolted as all the walls he had built around his heart shattered. He opened his mouth, but no


    sound came out.


    Dn¡¯s emotions were likewise stirred up, Bul as the emotional Impact on him was smallerpared


    to Kevan¡¯s, he was able to regain


    rationality on time.


    ¡°Kevan.¡± He shook his head at his friend, reminding him with his eyes that Kevan should not lose it yet.


    Kevan was aware of what he should be doing too. But at this moment, he only wanted the simplest


    thing, which was the warmth that could be found in a little family that included having a wife and child.


    Forget his empire and his business he could give them up.


    ¡°You may be willing to let them go, but they are not willing to spare you.¡± Dn¡¯s words dragged him


    back to reality. ¡°If you don¡¯t deal withN?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.

 Chapter 454

    Chapter 454


    Larissa Invited Kevan and Dn to stay for dinner, but they surprisingly rejected her offer.


    ¡°We still have work to do. Maybe next time,¡± Kevan said, before bending down to ruffle Aster¡¯s hair with


    a faint smile on his face. His eyes were filled with gentleness too.


    ¡°Goodbye, Aster.¡± His deep voice was light and unexpectedly energizing.


    Larissa¡¯s heartfelt like something had mmed right into it. She hurriedly looked down to hide the panic


    on her face.


    Dn noticed her actions and tilted his head slightly to one side in pensive thought as he looked at her.


    Aster waved at Kevan and said reluctantly, ¡°Goodbye, Uncle Kevan!


    Aster had no appetite, and he only ate a little bit of pasta before putting his spoon down.


    ¡°Mommy, I¡¯m full¡± He watched Larissa timidly and emphasized. ¡°Really, really full.¡±


    N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    Although Larissa and Wendy treated him generously, they never allowed him to waste food. He always


    did well usually, so Larissa naturally did not me him for today¡¯s exception-she would only feel sorry


    for him.


    ¡°In that case, you can stop eating.¡± Larissa poured the remaining pasta from his te into hers and


    asked, ¡°Do you want to watch a movie? I put on a cartoon for you?¡±


    Aster said happily, ¡°Okay!¡±


    Seeing that he was full of vigor, Larissa let out a faint smile.


    Larissa herself did not eat much either. She barely managed to force all the pasta down into her


    stomach. As for the side dishes, she


    could barely taste them. She watched TV with Aster for a while before answering a call from Aldovia in


    the midst of it giving an exnation for her early leave without warning today to her superior in


    Westonia.


    Her superior was concerned for her as she had gone through two idents in such a short amount of


    time. He was rather worried about


    her too.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± he asked. ¡°If this is really too much, I will request the brass to have you transferred


    back.¡±


    Larissa did think of going back, but that was when she still thought that Kevan would ball Ruby out.


    Since it was clear that Kevan was not going to interfere, she did not want to give up halfway through.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright¡± she said. ¡°However, I¡¯d like to know when will the bodyguard I requested before be


    assigned to me?¡±


    ¡°Tomorrow.¡± Her superior finally gave her an answer. ¡°I specifically asked them to hurry up.¡±


    Larissa said with gratitude, ¡°Thank you!¡± Since her superior treated her so well she could not disappoint


    any hopes that he had for her.


    After ending the call, she returned to the living room where Aster had already shut all the TV.


    ¡°Why did you stop?¡± Larissa was very surprised.


    She had watched this particr cartoon several times with Aster. It she recalled correctly, the cartoon


    was only hallway through when she


    left the living room.


    Aster¡¯s mood was rather low for some reason. ¡°I don¡¯t want to watch anymore,¡± he said very quietly.


    Larissa sat next to him and asked anulously, ¡°Do you feel bad? Is that why you stopped?¡±


    Aster shook his head.


    ¡°Then why?¡± Larissa asked again.


    Aster pressed his lips tightly together, and his head was lowered as far down as he could let it. This


    only made Larissa feel more andous within them.

 Chapter 455

    Chapter 455


    Larissa¡¯s heart ached at that, but she forced hersell lo show a slem expression as she sald coldly.


    ¡°Aster, tell me the truth.¡±


    ¡ª Aster opened his mouth and had barely gotten a word out when his tears spilled over, ¡°I want a


    daddy too¡­he sobbed, his voice incoherent, but Larissa heard him,


    She suddenly remembered that the cartoon she yed for him involved an orphan character, who


    unexpectedly met his biological father before deciding to recognize him as his dad. This was also the


    movie¡¯s biggest tear¨Cjerking point. Wendy would be bawing wherever she watched it.


    Larissa hersell let nothing for it probably due to never experiencing what fatherly love was Ike. She also


    held no hope of ever finding her biological dad. She was just worried that Aster would think too much


    after watching it.


    However, Aster never had a reaction whenever he watched this back then, so she thought that he was


    just like her in that he did n


    not crave the existence of ather


    Clearly, the truth proved that she was wrong. Hisck of reaction was very likely due to his age at that


    time, so he did not get it yet.


    ¡°Why do you want a daddy? Isn¡¯t having Mommy and Godma with you enough? Larissa asked him,


    She had been preparing for this moment for five years. She thought that she could be calm, but now


    that it was actually happening, she still panicked in the end. so much so that she could not even


    remember the things she had nned to say.


    ¡°A A daddy is strong. He¨CHe can p¨Cprotect Mommy and me.¡± Aster said this brokerly, but it shocked


    Larissa so much that she nearly cried.


    She wanted to say. ¡°Mommy can protect you too.¡±


    But after what happened today, she lost the right to say such things. She allowed her baby boot hurt,


    both physkally and mentally. Moreover, he would never truly heal from this,


    ¡°Mority Aster tugged on Larissa¡¯s hand while gazing at her with great hope. ¡°Could you find a daddy for


    me?¡±


    ¡ª


    At this moment, Larissa could not bear to deny him. But to lind him a daddy she really did not want to.


    ¡°Let Mommy think about it, okay?¡± She could only use this kind of tactic to buy lime.


    Aster was rather sharp. ¡°How long do you need?¡±


    Larissa was struck speechless by him


    ¡°Aster.¡± After collecting hersell, she began to reason with him. ¡°Finding a daddy for you is not the same


    as buying you a toy, in which when you ask for it today, I¡¯ll be able to buy it for you at once. Besides, it¡¯s


    hard to find someone that you and I would like. It may take a very long time¡±


    Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org.


    Aster was pensive.


    After a moment, he asked, ¡°What kind of person does Mommy like?¡±


    ¡°Well


    Kewan¡¯s face appeared abruptly in Larissa¡¯s mind¡¯s eye. She froze for a few seconds before collecting


    hersell enough to reply with a forced smie, ¡°Mommy doesn¡¯t know either.¡±


    ¡°¡­Okay.¡± Aster¡¯s shoulders slumped.


    ¡°Mommy. I¡¯m tired. I will go back to bed. He climbed down from the s, before running back to his


    room with the slippers he wore creating a tip¨Clipp¨Ctap sound when it struck the lloor.


    Upon locking the door, he quickly got out his phone and video¨Ccalled Wendy, who picked up prettyst.


    ¡°My precious Aster¨Cbool What¡¯s up? Why are you looking for Godma?¡± Her smile was radiant, but


    when she saw the tear tracks on hisce, she panicked at once.


    ¡°Why are you crying?! What happened? Is it that chubby brat again? Did she bully you again? Godma


    will fly over and give her a good lew punches for ya!¡± She furiously rolled up her sleeves, acting for all


    as if she were going to teleport through the screen to beat someone up.


    ¡°No, no Aster quickly waved his hand while wiping hisce quickly at the same time. ¡°No one bulled


    me. It¡¯s just that Mommy put on Super Star¡® for me earlier.¡±


    Aster shook his head. ¡°No!l wanted to ask He paused, gazing seriously at Wendy on the screen.


    ¡°Godma, have you met my daddy?

 Chapter 456

    Chapter 456


    Il Larissa bersell had not necessarily met Aster¡¯s biological father, who said Wendy would even know


    about him? Aster¡¯s question made her a little frantic, and she asked him in retum, ¡°Why are you asking


    about this?¡±


    ¡°I want to find my daddy,¡± Aster said seriously, and Wendy was shocked. Her first reaction was to


    inform Larissa, but she still had to deal with Aster for now.


    ¡°Why are you suddenly thinking about finding your daddy?¡±


    This kid, having grown up to his current age, had never asked for his father before today. So what on


    earth has happened now?


    ¡ª


    ¡°Because I want to.¡± Aster bit his lip, some stubbomness shining through his forlornness. He had never


    spoken to Wendy like this before. If it were not for the fact that he was only live. Wendy would have


    thought that he was already at his rebellious stage.


    ¡°Well you gotta have a reason for wanting to do something?¡± She tried tomunicate properly with


    him.


    C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.


    Aster was quiet for a while before he mumbled, ¡°I don¡¯t want Mommy to have it so hard anymore.¡± His


    voice was very small, but it shocked Werdy so much that she teared up.


    ¡°Oh, Aster She gazed at his little face sadly on the screen. ¡°Godma can understand how you leal-


    The truth was, she had tried to persuade Larissa numerous times to find another trustworthy man she


    could lean on so that she could live life a little easier. just as Aster had. But Larissa relused no matter


    what. The two failed marriages thom before seemed to have drat quite a heavy blow to her, so much so


    that she refused to invest in feelings and rtionships anymore, even for just the tiniest bit.


    She always said that having Aster was enough. However, this was clearly not enough for Aster.


    Otherwise, Aster would not specially make


    this call to find her either.


    ¡°But did you talk to your mommy about wanting to lind your daddy?¡± Wendy asked.


    Aster nodded. ¡°Mommy said that she needed to think about it.¡±


    Based on Wendy¡¯s understanding of Larissa, needing to think about it was probably a way to buy time


    on her end. It was highly possible that she never considered finding a father for Aster at all, But Wendy


    would not expose her in front of Aster.


    ¡°In that case, ave your mommy some time, alright? Let her have ample time to think about it! She


    comforted Aster.


    ¡°Godma.¡± Aster locked eyes with Wendy through the screen as if he knew everything. ¡®Don¡¯t lie to me.


    Mommy will never lind me a daddy.¡±


    Wendy was shocked, ¡°Wh-what on earth are you talking about?¡± Sheughed dryly. ¡°Your mommy said


    that she would think about it. That means that she would delindely think about it! It was just that she


    could not guarantee that the results of the ¡°thinking would be what he


    wanted.


    Aster bit his ip lightly. ¡°I know what kind of person my mommy¡¯s like. So, I n to find my daddy on my


    own.¡±


    This kid was young, but he was an obstinate brat indeed. No amount of cajoling could drag him out of


    something he had made his mind


    up to do.


    Wendy gave up on trying to stop him, but asked him curiously. ¡°How are you going to find your daddy?


    You haven¡¯t even seen him before.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m asking you!¡± Aster said. ¡°You¡¯re my mommy¡¯s bestest friend. You¡¯ll definitely know who


    my daddy is, right?¡±


    Wendy was feeling rather guilty from the hopelul stare that he was giving him as well as somewhat


    embarrassed. 1¡ª Although she did not really want to admit it she had no choice but to say, ¡°I actually


    don¡¯t know who your daddy is.¡±

 Chapter 457

    Chapter 457


    Aster became angry, ¡°You¡¯re lying to me again, Godmar


    ¡°I¡¯m not! I promise.¡± Wendy raised her hand as a way of swearing while tossing the ball into Larissa¡¯s


    court. ¡°Your mommy never told me!¡±


    She could not tell Aster the truth, so she could onlye up with an excuse like this. Because she


    knew all too well that Aster would not dare ask Larissa who his father really was.


    Suspicion was written all over Aster¡¯sce.


    ¡°When my mommy and daddy got married, you really didn¡¯t see him before?¡±


    He had seen various TV shows and movies in which the moment someone got married, friends and


    family would go over to congratte the newlywed couple. His mother had no family but only a good


    friend in his godmother. It was impossible for her to not be present at such an important event.


    However, Wendy nodded quillily. ¡°I was in Aldovia at that time. Your mommy was in Caldor. My


    schoolwork was pretty heavy then, and her work was not easy, so we rarely contacted each other. She


    never informed me when she got married. Later, she got divorced and came here. Only then did we


    grow close again. Alter that, she gave birth to you. She never said anything about your daddy to me,


    and it¡¯s not convenient for me to ask her. Aster, listen to Godma. Don¡¯t look for your daddy anymore,


    please. The reason your mommy divorced your daddy, going as far as to move countries while being


    pregnant with you, is most certainly because your daddy did something unforgivable. Do you want to


    have lound your daddy, but make your mommy sad?¡±


    Wendy yed the sympathy card well for Aster immediately gave up the thought of looking for his


    biologicalther.


    ¡°Then He changed his strategy. ¡°Godma, do you know what kind of man my mommy likes?¡±


    To be honest. Wendy could not answer this question either. Larissa had only ever liked two guys-Travis


    Hardy and Kevan Rogers. But these two men could not be more different from each other. The only


    thing they shared inmon was their gender.


    However


    She probably liked Kevan more. Otherwise, why could she remain working in Covenford after divorcing


    Travis as if nothing had happened.


    but when divorcing Kevan, she eagerly flew over to Aldovia to heal herself?


    ¡°Um. A handsome one. I guess? Wendy said. Larissa would definitely like handsome men like Kevan.


    Aster¡¯s eyes it up. ¡°I¡¯ll hang up first, Godma. Wait for me for a bit


    ¡°Hey-¡°Wendy was just about to ask him what he was up to when the video call ended.


    Tapping out of the chat with Wendy, Aster tapped into the one he had with Dn. He sent a voice


    message over. ¡°Uncle Dn, do you have a picture of you and Uncle Kevan together?¡±


    With Dn, he was somewhat confused when he got the message. Kevan was equally just as


    confused when Dn yed the audio


    message for him to hear.


    ¡°Why does he want our picture?¡± Dn asked Kevan


    ¡°No idea.¡± Kevan took his phone away and opened the camera app. ¡°Let¡¯s just give him what he


    wants.¡± This was Kevan¡¯s first time taking a see as well as his first time taking a picture with Dn.


    In the picture, they were leaning very close to each other-well for Kevan, at least-In which their


    shoulders were less than an inch apart. Kevan¡¯s back waspletely straight, and there was a faint


    smile on his face. Dn was not yet prepared when he hit the shutter button, so his face was ssy in


    contrast.


    Kevan sent that picture to Aster.


    ¡°Hey Dn protested. ¡°You¡¯re disgusting, ya know?! What Aster uses this picture in important ces?¡±


    For example, the kindergarten¡¯s exhibitions, his own homework, or even introducing them to his friends


    with that picture


    Because of Kevan Dn was going to appear as an idiotic person to other people at first nce.


    Kevan ignored him and asked Aster, ¡°How¡¯s this one?Content held by N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 458

    Chapter 458


    Wendy tapped Into the picture Aster sent. When she saw exactly who was in the picture, her eyes


    widened with shock.


    She had once reedled Larissa to let her see a picture of Kevan, Although he was defrilely thinner than


    before, she could recognize him at ance. Like, who else could it be if not Kevan?!


    But How was it that Aster had Kevan¡¯s picture?


    She had not figured out the answer to this question when Aster¡¯s new message came through, ¡°How¡¯s


    the uncle on the left, Godma? Handsome enouch?¡±


    Wendy did not know how to answer, Aster¡¯s goal was obvicus-he wanted to match up Larissa and


    Kevan. However, she had already heard the rough story of Larissa and Kevan from Larissa heisell


    She knew that Kevan had a dream gal in his heart, and she knew that he chose to divorce Larissa in


    the end for the sake of marrying said dream gal.


    Wendy could not be certain of Larissa¡¯s altitude towards Kevan, but getting back together was not a


    possibility for Larissa.


    ¡°This uncle is handsome for sure, but he¡¯s not your mommy¡¯s type.¡± Wendy tried to make Aster give up


    on this little n of his.


    Hearing Wendy¡¯s message. Aster¡¯s shoulders slumped, and the light in his eyes dimmed. ¡°Huh¡± He


    was very disappointed. ¡°But Uncle Kevan is the most handsome man I¡¯ve ever met.¡±


    If his mommy did not like even Uncle Kevan, he could not imagine who else in the world she would like


    ¡°That¡¯s because you¡¯ve only met a few people.¡± Wendyforted him. ¡°Besides, ording to what I


    know, this Uncle Kevar of yours is already mamed and has a child.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Aster had never heard of this. He only knew that Uncle On was married-to that prettydy he


    met outside the amusement park that one time.


    But Uncle Kran ¡¤¡¤¡¤


    ¡°That can¡¯t be?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true.¡± Wendy¡¯s tone was serious. ¡°If you don¡¯t believe it, you can ask him,¡±


    Aster really did ask, but he asked Dn instead. ¡°Uncle Dn, is Uncle Kevan truly married?¡± Content held by N?velDrama.Org.


    Dn¡¯s phone remained with Kevan, so when Aster¡¯s message came. Kevan yed it immediately.


    However, that question made him


    freeze on the spot.


    Dn retrieved his phone and asked Aster, ¡°Why do you ask?¡±


    Aster fe a lille quilty, but he was not st upid enough to tel. Dn the truth. If they were like his mommy


    and told him to step interfering in adult affairs, he would never be able to continue his n.


    ¡°Theard Mommy say that Uncle Kevan is married and has a child. But I¡¯ve never seen Uncle Kevan¡¯s


    wife and child. So, I just wanted to ask him if it was true.¡±


    Hearing that, Dn Isked Involuntarily. ¡°Why on earth did Larissa tell her kid such things?¡±


    Kevan¡¯s expression was a little dark. He had just barely managed to hit it off a little well with Aster. With


    Larissa pulling this sh it, was she trying to drive a wedge in their rtionship?


    ¡°What do you want me to tell Aster?¡± Dn asked Kevan, who said. Til do it mysell.¡± breking


    Dn¡¯s phone from him again and pressing down on the voice message button. ¡°I¡¯m not married. Don¡¯t


    listen to your mommy¡¯s ronsense.¡±


    He deliberately avoided the matter of the child. He had a way to rationalize this himself even II Lailssa


    investigated this matter in the future.

 Chapter 459

    Chapter 459


    ¡°Really?¡± The hope in Aster¡¯s heart was lit up by him once more.


    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s true!¡± Kevan answered seriously, and Aster rolled about in bed with joy.


    Uncle Kevan was not married, which meant that his gedmother was wrong. It also meant that when she


    said that Urcle Kevan was not Mommy¡¯s type, it might not be true either. So, there was a chance that


    Mommy might like Uncle Revan!


    Having gained this conclusion, Aster felt a strong drive to match his mommy and Uncle Kevan together


    at once.


    But no!


    He had to be calm and carry on his n very, very carefully, and he could not let anyone know either.


    The bodyguard sent by headquarters arrived early in the morning the next day and was already waiting


    on the lowest floor of Larissa¡¯s home. The driver who had originally been sending her to and from work


    was reced by another bodyguard too.


    The unease in Larissa¡¯s heart lessened some. But as long as Ruby was not convicted, she would not


    be able to rx entirely.


    When Ruby was taken away by the police yesterday, it caused quite amotion in the hotel.


    Although the staff was not entirely sure of what happened, they were able to figure out that was rted


    to Larissa and Aster through hearsay. Therefore, when Larissa appeared at the hotel with Aster, she


    received a good deal of sympathetic greetings from the crowd.


    She barely managed to enter her office, and she massaged her facial muscles which were still from


    smiling so much. She had not yet sat for long when she got a call from the front desk and was informed


    that two policemen were looking for her.


    Security had already told her yesterday that the police would find her today to get a statement from her.


    So. Larissa quickly invited them upstairs, However, when the policemen arrived, they asked Aster and


    not her instead, ¡°Hey, kid. Could you tell us in detail what exactly happened yesterday morning?¡±


    Larissa frantically stepped in front of Aster. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t the surveince footage have it all?¡± Aster was


    still too young. She did not want him to suffer secondary damage by remembering the incident.Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org.


    Besides, she heard from security that the footage had already been submitted to the police as


    evidence.


    ¡°Your guest rooms do not have surveince cameras. The police were helpless too. ¡°We have to be


    completely certain of what Ruby Cole did to your son when she brought him into the room. Because


    ording to her and hewyer, she coincidentally ran into your son, who was lost. So, she brought him


    back to her own room first. She originally wanted to call you to get you to pick up your son, but before


    she could, you barged in with a group of people and even beat her up. Now she¡¯s trying to counter-sue


    you formitting intentional assault.¡±


    Larissa did not know that Ruby¡¯s shamelessness had reached such extreme levels.


    Sputtering out augh of furious disbelief, Larissa said. ¡°My sones with me to work every day. The


    hotel is just like his home, how


    could he be lost?


    Aster retorted too. ¡°I wasn¡¯t lost! It was Bethany¡¯s mommy who took me away forcefully just came out


    from the toilet, and she rushed over to cover my mouth and took me away! Then she took me to her


    room and started bealing me. She beat me so hard it hurt, and she said that I was a ¡°b astard, a ¡®stroke


    of bad luck for making her not able to see Bethany, I was so scared that I hid under the table, so she


    started kicking me. I begged her not to, but she didn¡¯t listen As he spoke, he began to cry.


    Larissa pulled him into her arms andforted him gently. ¡°It¡¯s alright Aster. The pad woman has been


    taken away by the good police. She will not beat you again!¡±


    Aster bit his lip, hurt, even as he buried his face into her chest.


    Larissa looked up and locked eyes with the policemen. ¡°You heard my son.¡± She led the hem of Aster¡¯s


    T-shirt. ¡°All these bruises are evidence of Ruby¡¯s assault on my son.¡±

 Chapter 460

    Chapter 460


    Aster¡¯s bruises not only showed no signs ofding but had darkened even further alter a full day had


    passed. The two police officers were taken aback when they saw the bruises, revealing a mix of


    surprise and sympathy in their eyes.


    ¡°You gotta take his shirt off, so that we can snap some pictures,¡± one of the police officers said to


    Larissa as he pulled out his phone.


    Larissa helped Aster in removing his T-shirt and made him stand upright. The police officer circled


    around Aster, and the sound of the camera shulter clicking away could be heard.


    ¡°Yesterday, when Tentered the room, I saw Ruby really going at it. She was kicking my son with all her


    might, trying to do him serious harm. I rushed over and pinned her down on the bed to stop her from


    putting up a light. I neverid a hand on her throughout the whole ordeal. Obviously, I don¡¯t have any


    pront of that though.¡± Larissa exined. There was a hint of regret in her voice; she wished she had


    recorded everything. But her focus was solely or saving Aster in that urgent moment.


    ¡°Then, the hotel security came in and subdued her. She threw some nasty words my way, I couldn¡¯t


    hold back and pped the sh it out of her twice. Well I don¡¯t think I can argue against it if she insists on


    labeling the ps as Intentional harm¡¯,¡± Larissa confessed candidly.


    Herposed demeanor contrasted starkly with Ruby¡¯s craziness during her amest. Moreover, she


    spoke with logic and politeness even when angry, unlike Ruby, who screamed and cursed at anyone.


    Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org.


    The police officers¡¯ opinion subtly leaned in Larissa¡¯svor.


    ¡°Alright, we get the picture now. Well inform you immediately I there are any developments in the case,¡±


    they assured her and left shortly after.


    After that Larissa dressed Aster and held him tightly, showering him with affectionate kisses.


    ¡°Are you stil hurting?¡± she asked with genuine concern.


    He pouted and nodded sightly. When Larissa was not paying attention, his hand, which was hanging by


    his side, discreetly squeezed his own thigh with force, causing tears to well up in his eyes. Her heart


    ached upon seeing thal, and her animosity toward Ruby deepened.


    ¡°Mommy, I want pizza for dinner tonight he sniffled. Tears came polling in his eyes as he pitiluly goed at


    her.


    ¡°Sure!¡± she said without hesitation; she would move mountains for him in such circumstances, let alone


    buying him a mere pizza. He finally smiled upon hearing that. He embraced her neck and nted a


    series of moist kisses on her cheek, leaving behind a trai, of saliva.


    ¡°Mommy, you¡¯re the best!¡± he eximed joyfully


    Larissa couldnthep but smile as she witnessed the happiness on her son¡¯s face. She dly lel. into his


    sweet trap ever il she knew he did that intentionally. As long as he was happy, she would be happy too.


    After they experienced the kidnapping incident, Lanssa didn¡¯t dare leave Aster alone anywhere outside,


    not even in the hotel. When she attended a meeting in the afternoon, she even made sure to have a


    bodyguard stationed outside the office, ensuring that he would be with Aster wherever he went.


    Nheless, Aster chose not to leave the oflice for lear that history would repeal itsell. In fact, he had


    refrained from drinking too much throughout the day just to avoid using the bathroom


    After Larissa ett he quietly walked to the door and locked the office. He then turned around and sent a


    voice message to Kevan, asking.¡± Uncle Kevan, are you busy right now?¡±


    At that moment, Kevan was indeed very swamped: ¡°Galeforce had been forced tounch earlier than


    nned, and the servers were overloaded. There was also a slew of negative reviews on the Inte-


    most of them ro from paid posters¡¯ ounts, which ell simrments.


    ¡°What a lousy name!!


    ¡°The game¡¯s quality is so da mn low! it doesn¡¯t look like something produced by Microworks


    Corporation


    ¡°Is this the result after years of preparation? This shilly level?¡±

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    Chapter 461


    ¡°This is a sh itty game!¡±


    ¡°Its clientputing is so huge! What a waste of myputer¡¯s memory to download it!¡±


    ¡°I would have given it half a star if it weren¡¯t for the minimum one-star rating!¡±


    ¡°Microworks Corporation should just stick to buying and operating games from otherpanies! They


    shouldn¡¯t develop their own! Itpletely tarnished their reputation!¡±


    ¡°Well, they probably don¡¯t know how to do anything else besides copying!¡±


    Peter reported to Kevan, ¡°These paid posters ounts have been registered for a while, but many of


    them have simr registration times. and the initial segment of their IP addresses are the same. So,


    they¡¯re likely from the samepany that hires paid posters. The IP addresses indicate that they¡¯re


    from Hilbane, which is quite far from Bartham. We can¡¯t pinpoint the exact location, so we can¡¯t figure


    out


    who¡¯s behind all this mischief.¡±


    ¡°No need to investigate,¡± Kevan replied. He smirked, his eyes gleaming with coldness. He knew exactly


    who was causing trouble, and Peter could probably guess too.


    ¡°When will Rubik Corporation¡¯s game be released?¡± Kevan asked.


    ¡°I heard that it was postponed.¡± Peter felt a sense of pride because Microworks Corporation emerged


    victorious in the battle.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Kevan nodded and reminded him. ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate them. Rubik Corporation is capable of


    resorting to many underhanded


    tactics


    ¡°I know.¡± Peter said.


    Kevan intended to inquire Peter about the genuine feedback from yers on ¡°Galeforce¡±, but before he


    could speak, the phone on the table vibrated. A WhatsApp message appeared on his screen. This was


    Kevan¡¯s personal phone, and he changed the number after leaving the hospital. He only had two


    contacts-one was Dn, and the other was Aster. Kevan would pause whatever he was doing


    regardless of


    which one of them contacted him.


    The words he was about to say to Peter became ¡°Hold on a second.¡±


    He picked up his phone and opened the message. It was a voice message from Aster. His eyes


    suddenly lit up, and a wide smile formed


    on his lips.


    Peter was stunned. Throughout the years he spent in Microworks Corporation alongside Kevan, he had


    never witnessed Kevan so ted.


    Instinctively. Kevan wanted to y the voice message, but he quickly realized that Peter was still


    present. He fell that it was better if lewer people knew about his connection with Aster as it would help


    avoid unnecessary troubles and dangers.


    So, he instructed Peter. ¡°You can leave now. We¡¯ll discuss the rest during the meeting.¡±


    Peter swiftly rose to his feet and left Kevan¡¯s office in a dash after replying. ¡°Okay.¡±


    Only then did Kevan y Aster¡¯s voice message.


    ¡°Uncle Kevan, are you busy right now?¡±


    How could he be busy? So, he replied with a gentle voice andughter. ¡°Not at all. What¡¯s up?¡±


    On the other hand, Aster silently raised his list in victory. He deliberately asked in a timid voice, ¡°Um do


    you have time tonight?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Kevan then quickly pressed the inte button and informed his secretary, ¡°Cancel all my


    appointments for tonight and


    reschedule them for tomorrow.¡±


    Aster jumped up in joy. However, he continued to sound a bit forlorn when he spoke with Kevan. ¡°Uncle


    Kevan, can youe to Starhill shopping mall with me tonight to watch a movie? Mommy has to work


    overtime and doesn¡¯t have time to apany me.¡±


    Kevan readily agreed upon hearing that. ¡°Of courselC0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

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    Chapter 462


    Larissa left work early to honor her promise. Her initial n was to take Aster somewhere nearby for


    dinner, but he seemed to have his eye on a specific restaurant and insisted on going to Starhill


    shopping mall


    The shopping mall was always crowded, so she wasn¡¯t particrly thrilled about going there. However,


    her son had made up his mind: she had no choice but to go along with it. The pizza ce he chose


    was quite popr, but luckily they arrived early and didn¡¯t have to wait in line. The server seated them


    by the window and promptly disappeared after handing them the menu.


    It didn¡¯t take long for the waiting area outside to start Elling up with people.


    Aster pointed outside out of the blue and eximed, ¡°Mommy! Look! It¡¯s Uncle Kevan!¡±


    She turned and spotted Kevan in the waiting area. He appeared to be alone, sitting behind a group of


    young girls. He looked absorbed in his phone. His slender frame and cool, confident aura made him the


    center of attention, even though he was in a simple ck suit. Passing women couldn¡¯t help but cast


    admiring nces at him, and the girls seated in front of him whispered and asionally stole


    nces in his direction


    Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org.


    Finally, one girl mustered up the courage to strike up a conversation with him and even handed him her


    phone. However, he didn¡¯t even bother to look up, and it was unclear what he had or had not said.


    Within a few seconds, the girl returned, looking disheartened. Shortly after, the group of girls got up and


    left. As they walked by Larissa could see the girl¡¯s frustrated expression.


    ¡°It seems like Uncle Kevan is waiting in line! Aster jumped off the couch seat and dashed outside


    without waiting for his mom¡¯s response. ¡°I¡¯ll go get him and ask him to join us!¡±


    ¡°Hey Larissa called after him, but he was already out of sight.


    She saw him leave the restaurant and ran toward Kevan. He appeared excited, gesturing at Kevan and


    pointing in her direction. Kevan looked up, his gaze piercing through the crowd and the transparent


    ss directly fixated on her. Then, he smiled subtly as if to greet her.


    She immediately forced a smile in response.


    Aster held Kevan¡¯s hand and pulled him into the restaurant. Soon, the two of them made their way to


    her table.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you working overtime today?¡± Kevan asked.


    She smiled and replied, ¡°Aster wanted to have pizza, so I left early.¡±


    Kevan casually responded, ¡°Oh. I see.¡± He then followed Aster and sat across from her.


    Larissa felt uneasy every time she shared a meal with Kevan. Regardless, she still smiled and slid the


    menu toward him out of politeness.


    He nonchntly moved the menu toward Aster, saying, ¡°I¡¯m open to anything. Let¡¯s see what Aster


    decides.¡±


    Aster didn¡¯t bother with the formalities and ordered a bunch of his favorite food.


    The server finished taking their order and asked, ¡°Anything else?¡±


    Larissa and Kevan replied simultaneously, ¡°No, that¡¯s all.¡±


    At that moment, they both turned to each other with equally surprised expressions. After a brief


    moment of confusion, Kevan chuckled. while Larissa quiltily averted her gaze.


    While waiting for their food. Aster engaged Kevan in conversation, mostly discussing topics rted to


    superheroes. Regardless of how naive Aster¡¯s questions were, Kevan always patiently answered each


    of them, disying a better attitude than Larissa, Aster¡¯s biological


    mother.


    Aster¡¯s face was constantly beaming with joy and satisfaction. Yet, Larissa lowered her head and


    sipped her water, avoiding looking at


    them.

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    Chapter 46 3


    However, Larissa couldn¡¯t shake off the lingering difort in her heart, so she fell a subtle unease. It


    wasn¡¯t that she couldn¡¯t see how much Aster yearned for a father figure or grasp how much a father¡¯s


    presence would contribute to Aster¡¯s growth. But she couldn¡¯t move past what happened before and


    was paralyzed by the fear of taking that challenging first step.


    The restaurant was packed with people, which caused dys in serving food to the table. The pizza


    was the first toe. It was probably hot out of the oven-the melted cheese was oozing and emitting a


    tempting aroma. Even Larissa, who was not particrly keen on pizza. couldn¡¯t resist her mouth from


    watering. Of course. Kevan picked up on this detail, as well as her fixed gaze on the pizza. He handed


    her the first slice.


    She was taken aback by his action, so she looked up and found him calmly cing the second slice on


    Aster¡¯s te.


    ¡°Come on, dig in,¡± he encouraged Aster. ¡°You can protect your mom only when you get taller.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± Aster nodded vigorously. T¡¯m gonna eat a ton! I wanna be as tall as you! That way, no one can


    mess with me or Mommy¡± As he spoke, he speared a slice of pizza and popped it into his mouth, only


    to burn his tongue.


    At that moment, Larissa¡¯s sense of warmth quickly turned into amusement. She swiftly handed Aster


    her ss of iced water and gently scolded. ¡°Take it slow! It won¡¯t make you grow on the spot even if


    you gobble up everything now!¡±


    He ch ugged down the entire ss and sheepishly stuck out his tongue after


    Kevan wasn¡¯t keen on fast food, but he was there at Aster¡¯s request. Aster had specifically instructed


    him to grab a pizza from this ce before picking him up at Regal Dynasty Hotel for a movie night. He


    arrived a tad toote, and the ce was already jam-packed. The server informed him that they didn¡¯t


    do takeout orders. So, he had to wait outside for Aster¡¯s sake patiently. Little did he expect that Aster


    was already there. Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org.


    Aster exined. ¡°Mommy didn¡¯t have to work overtime, so she brought me here to grab a bite. I was so


    thrilled that I forgot to give you a


    call¡±


    Kevan wasn¡¯t the slightest bit upset. It seemed that he had no boundaries when it came to Aster and


    Larissa. When Aster invited him to Join them for a meal, his initial disappointment for missing the


    chance to watch a movie with Aster vanished instantly. He sat at the table. watching Aster savor his


    food, asionally reaching out to wipe away food remnants from the corner of Aster¡¯s mouth with a


    napkin.


    Some pasta sauce identally got on his fingers. Larissa nervously watched him, waiting for him to


    lose his temper, only to see him calmly clean Aster¡¯s mouth first before tending to his own fingers.


    She was dumbfounded. How could this Kevan before her be so different than the one she used to


    know? Could memories have such a


    truly profound impact on a person?


    Aster single-handedly finished nearly the entire spread on the table. Kevan and Larissa each had one


    slice of pizza and left the other food untouched. As they left the restaurant Aster held Kevan¡¯s hand


    with his lel and Larissa¡¯s with his right, bouncing and sk ipping with sheer joy.


    However, this family-of-three dynamic made her somewhat feel embarrassed. She discreetly nced


    at Kevan and found himposed without the slightest bit of unhappiness. That was when she finally


    eased up a little.


    Suddenly, Aster piped up, ¡°Mommy, let¡¯s go watch a movie!

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    Larissa was stunned. She collected hersell a few secondster and nced al Kevan subconsciously.


    He was also looking at her.


    seemingly waiting for her response. His gaze was intense, causing her to avert her gaze. She was


    more than willing to take her son to the movie, but she found hersell in a predicament when it involved


    Kevan.


    ¡°It¡¯s gettingte today, so She crouched down, trying to reason with Aster, saying ¡°How about we wait


    until I¡¯m free, and we can go together then?


    Naturally. Aster disagreed. ¡°But I want to go today! He resorted to tactics children his age would use-


    throwing a tantrum. However, it was the first time ne cid that, so he wasn¡¯t very skiled. He looked lunny


    when he was contorting his little body and making faces.


    She couldn¡¯t hep butugh upon seeing that. Kevan camed in, ¡°We¡¯re already here, and it¡¯s not that


    late yet. Aster doesn¡¯t have to go to school tomorrow. So, let¡¯s just make his wishe true.¡±


    Aster intensed his effort after seeing Kevan try to persuade his mom. ¡°Year! Let¡¯s make my wishe


    true, Mommy!¡±


    This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.


    She couldn¡¯t help but feel relieved watching them both, It was a good thing that Kevan wasn¡¯t Aster¡¯s


    biological father. Otherwise, she could imagine how spoiled Aster would be under Kevan¡¯s influence.


    ¡°Aright, alright!¡± In the end. she gave in.


    Aster nced at Kevan and winked quietly making a victory sign, Kevan smirked and rullled Aster¡¯s


    hair. ¡°What a mischievous kid!¡± he


    thought.


    It was summer break for elementary and middle school students. so many animated moves were


    ying. Larissa simply picked one and was about to purchase the tickets when Aster grabbed her.


    ¡°This one is too childish.¡± He furrowed his brows, clearly showing his disdain,


    She couldn¡¯t help butugh, seeing his attempt to act maturely. ¡°Then, pick what you want to watch and


    buy the tickets yoursell. She handed him the phone.


    He then took the phone and turned around. After a while, he returned with tickets and the phone in his


    hand.


    ¡°Ta-da!¡± He proudly held the tickets in front of her.


    She examined them closely. ¡°Forever Love¡±? Wasn¡¯t this the typical teenage romance lilm?


    ¡°Are you sure you want to watch this?¡± she asked. She highly doubted if Aster even knew what he had


    bought. After al, he hardly recognized any words.


    ¡°Yes¡± He nodded vigorously and said. ¡°This guy¡¯s handsome, and the woman is pretty. So, this movie


    must be great


    Larissa started to regret giving him the choice to choose-she thought he would pick an animated movie.


    ¡°Well, you might not understand this one.¡± She wanted to say!


    by that the movie might be inappropriate for children but refrained from doing so because Aster did not


    even know what inappropriate¡± meant. She would have lo ao through the trouble of exining it to him.


    ¡°How about we watch an animated movie? What about this one? ¡°Robot Alliance¡±? It has good reviews,


    and both adults and children like IL¡±


    ¡°Robots are so boring! Aster simply wouldn¡¯t isien. ¡°I only want this!¡± He tightened his grip on the movie


    ticket and started throwing a lit eximing. ¡°I only want this!¡±


    She was starting to get imitated, but she held back her anger since Kevan was present and they were


    in public. She agreed patiently,¡± Okay, then, we¡¯ll watch this. But don¡¯t leave in the middle of the movie


    ill you don¡¯t lind Il good.¡±


    Aster¡¯s face instantly lit up with excitement. ¡°Okay!¡±


    Kevan bought po and drinks, hugging them with one arm while holding Aster with the other hand.


    The three of them had seats next to each other, with Aster seated on the far end, Kevan in the middle,


    and Larisa next to Kevan


    Aster was very content with such an arrangement. He couldn¡¯t help but stifle augh when the lights in


    the theater dimmed.


    Kevan, who was sitting in the middle, held the popcorn in his arms, making it easy for Larissa and Aster


    to reach for it. However, len

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    Chapter 465


    Kevan put the po bucket in front of Aster and asked, ¡°Want some?¡±


    Aster promptly pushed it away. ¡°Give it to Mommy! She¡¯s crazy about this stuff.¡±


    So. Kevan turned to Larissa, but she waved her hand and forced a smile. ¡°I¡¯m still stuffed. Can¡¯t have


    another bite.¡±


    ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Kevan retrieved the po


    Aster grew frustrated looking at their interaction, almost thumping his chest in annoyance. ¡°Uncle


    Kevan Mommy¡¯s just being polite! She¡¯s not full at all¡± He grinned sweetly, showing no remorse for


    exposing his mom¡¯s little lib.


    Larissa shot him an angry ne, but he did not fear her as Kevan was on his side.


    Kevan simply thrust the po into herp, saying, ¡°Take it. No need to be shy.¡± She had no choice


    but to ept it, as she grumbled.¡±


    Thanks.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡± Kevan smiled.


    Well she indeed liked eating po. To be exact, she loved anything sweet. Perhaps life was too


    bitter for her that she needed some


    sweetness topensate for the bit temess.


    She was already well-acquainted with the story of ¡°Forever Love.¡± Theic had been adapted into


    multiple TV dramas across different


    countries and was considered timeless. When she was still in college, Wendy made her watch it


    countless times. She found the movie to be tedious, but Wendy would be obsessed each lime.


    She didn¡¯t recognize any actors in the film, and the plot remained as dull as


    ever.


    lest int


    After a while, she lost interest in it, and po became her sole sce.


    Suddenly, a hand reached over and identally brushed her hand, which was inside the popcornC0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.


    bucket. The cool fingertips and familiar touch caused her body to tense inch by inch. Immediately, she


    withdrew her hand, fixating her gaze straight ahead, too learful to even


    nce sideways.


    Kevan sn atched two pos and discreetly stole nces at her under the dim screen light. She was


    expressionless, making it


    impossible for him to discern her true emotions.


    After a few minutes, he noticed her reaching for the popcorn again, so he also extended his hand into


    the bucket. Once again, his fingers brushed against the back of her palm. The slight skin contact


    exhrated him to no end. His blood coursed through his veins at an


    elerated pace.


    She also grew more unsettled. Her mind went nk, and she could only hear her own heartbeat and


    nothing else uttered In the movie. Her mouth fell dry, and in a daze, she instinctively reached for the


    drink ced beside her with her left hand and took several sips,


    Aber she had finished and was about to ce the bottle back in ce, she felt his gaze upon her. It


    was intense and impossible to ignore.


    ¡°W-what¡¯s the matter?¡± she stammered.


    Kevan wore a somewhat helpless smile on his face. He gestured toward the drink she had just


    consumed and remarked, ¡°Seems like this


    one is mine


    Her eyes widened, and she froze in ce as it struck by lightning. She-she-she indirectly kissed him?


    He reassured her hall-jokingly, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I don¡¯t have any contagious diseases.¡±


    Her face instantly turned crimson. ¡°I¡¯m som¡± She quickly apologized. Til go and buy you another one!¡±


    Without waiting for his response, She swiftly led from her seat.

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    Chapter 466


    Larissa rushed into the restroom, At this point, the movie hadn¡¯t ended yet. But regardless, It was still


    unusual to find the restroom empty since it was usually packed withdies queuing up. She turned on


    the tap and sshed a handful of cold water on her face, soothing away most of the heat. She used a


    napkin to carefully dab off the water stains, gradually calming her racing heartbeat. She then applied a


    thinyer of foundation as she stood in front of the mirror, concealing the lingering blush on her face.


    Afterward, she adjusted her expression bit by bit until the previous nervousness and shyness were no


    longer visible. She then walked to the counter with her head held high and bought Kevan a can of


    carbonated drink. When she returned to the screening hall more than half of the movie had already


    passed.


    Kevan leaned back, his body half-slouched, and he was propping his chin with one hand, He dimmed


    the brightness of his phone screen to the maximum and was engrossed in whatever he was looking at.


    On the other hand, Aster was sound asleep as he leaned on the armrest


    She handed him the can and asked in a hushed voice. ¡°When did Aster fall asleep?¡±


    ¡°He couldn¡¯tst two minutes after you left¡± Kevan chuckled, hamused and half sympathetic, as he


    gently stroked Aster¡¯s head. ¡°He¡¯s really struggling with this kind of movie, but he insisted on picking it


    and didn¡¯t want to sleep in front of you. He asked me to wake him up when youe back.¡± He turned


    to her and asked, ¡°Should I?¡±


    She felt sorry for her son, but she also wanted to teach him a lesson. So, she said resolutely. ¡°Yeah.


    He¡¯s gonna finish watching the movie.¡±


    Naturally, Kevan understood her intentions and didn¡¯t object; he merely shook his head helplessly. He


    lightly tapped Aster¡¯s shoulder and said. ¡°Your mom is back.¡±


    Aster jolted awake and immediately sat up straight, his eyes fixated on the screen, pretending to be


    fully engrossed in the movie. She was amused by his act but managed to hold back herughter.


    Finally, when the movie ended after what felt like a long time. Aster insisted on riding Kevan¡¯s car


    home. She gave in, allowing Kevan to drive them home. Aster must have been exhausted because he


    fell asleep in her arms shortly after they got into the car.


    Kevan nced at him through the rearview mirror, turned down the air conditioning, and handed


    Larissa his suit jacket, which was on the passenger seat.


    ¡°Cover him with this,¡± he said. Her heart s kipped a beat at his considerate and gentle gesture.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± she replied, forcing a stiff smile as she tightly wrapped Aster in Kevan¡¯s jacket.


    ¡°Sorry for the inconvenience today. You¡¯ve been busy, and yet you apanied Aster to watch a


    movie,¡± she said to Kevan.


    Microworks Corporation appeared to have made a significant investment in ¡°Galeforce.¡± Its


    advertisement could be seen all along the roadside, and the younger employees in the hotel were


    constantly discussing the game during their breaks. Consequently, even Larissa who knew nothing


    about games, had heard about how impressive ¡°Galeforce¡± was, how its servers were consistently at


    maximum capacity, or how the development team was likely to be working around the clock.


    Although Kevan was the president and didn¡¯t need to handle everything personally, ¡°Galeforce,¡± being


    Microworks Corporation¡¯s gship project meant that he would definitely need to spend more time


    handling its rted matters, especially during the initialunch phase.


    He replied casually, ¡°Not too busy. I still have time to watch a movie,¡± Of course, the partners of the


    coboratingpany would probably be pis sed off if they knew he had turned down their dinner


    invitation just to watch a shallow romantic movie.


    ¡°To be honest ¡ª if you got the time, you should spend more lime with your daughter, Larissa said.


    Although she didn¡¯t like Bethany, she felt a bill guilly because Kevan often apanied Aster, He


    mentioned before that Bethany was being taken care of by his mother, Larissa hadn¡¯t seen her since


    thest encounter. Who knew, perhaps Kevan had only met Bethany fewer times than he had seen


    Aster. It was already pitiful for a child to not have their parents around, and it the child found out that


    the father favored another child and not her Well, there might be another confict considering Bethany¡¯s


    temperament.


    The smile on Kewan¡¯s face faded slightly when she mentioned Bethany, and his eyes narrowed a bill.


    Tjust happened to run into you and Aster today. I might not be able to make it even if you specificallyText property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    set up a meeting. Also, my mom takes care of Bethany, so I don¡¯t need to


    worry

 Chapter 467

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    Chapter 467


    The words Kevan said did not show much responsibility on his part. This made Larissa want to argue


    back, but she felt she had no right to do so. After all, Bethany wasn¡¯t her own daughter. So, why should


    she be concerned? She remained silent after thinking about it.


    ¡­


    The car was parked downstairs.


    As Aster was sleeping soundly, Larissa couldn¡¯t bear to wake him up. Instead, she asked Kevan in a


    hushed voice. ¡°Can you help me open the door?¡± She was holding Aster and couldn¡¯t move her hands


    easily.


    Without a second thought, Kevan unbuckled his seatbelt and got out of the car. He opened the door,


    leaned in hallway, and gently took Aster from her arms.


    ¡°He¡¯s quite heavy. Let me carry him,¡± he said.


    She hurriedly got out of the car. ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. I can handle him. You should go back and rest!¡± She


    chased after Kevan, wanting to take Aster back.


    However, Kevan wouldn¡¯t let her. ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± He calmly stepped into the elevator, pressed the floor


    number for her apartment, and said.¡± You¡¯re Dn¡¯s friend, which means that you¡¯re my friend too. As


    friends, you don¡¯t need to be so polite to me. Besides, I like Aster. Helping you out with such a small


    task is no big deal.¡±


    Being called a ¡°Iriend¡± left Larissa speechless. How could he be so familiar with her? Where did his


    aloofness go? She lound herself missing the cold and heartless Kevan of the past.


    He took Aster to his bedroom and ced him on the bed.


    She then asked him courteously, ¡°Can I make you a cup of tea?


    He readily agreed. ¡°Sure!¡±


    She immediately regretted her question and wanted to kick herself for asking. Nevertheless, she


    managed to force a smile and said. ¡°Okay, wait for me in the living room,¡± She then turned and left for


    the kitchen, with Kevan following her.


    She heard his footsteps and was surprised, ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°I wanted to see what kind of tea you have,¡± he replied calmly. Actually, he just wanted to be closer to


    her.


    ¡°Oh, alright.¡± She didn¡¯t suspect anything.


    She took out all the tea leaves she had and ced them in front of him. ¡°I have Jasmine, Earl Grey,


    and Silver Needle. These are all new tea leaves, perks of our hotel. So, the quality is definitely good.


    You can choose whatever you want.¡±


    Kevan wasn¡¯t particrly into tea; he loved coffee better and didn¡¯t know much about the different tea


    leaves. He picked one randomly and said, ¡°This one.¡±


    She gave a nod. ¡°Okay, wait for me outside. ll be ready soon.¡±This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.

 Chapter 468

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    Chapter 468


    However, many seconds had passed, and Kevan still showed no intention of leaving the kitchen.


    Larissa looked at him in confusion. ¡°Anything else?¡±


    ¡°Nah.¡± He smirked, with a hint of amusement in his dark eyes. ¡°It¡¯s pretty boring to be sitting alone


    outside, so I thought Id hang out and chat with you.¡±


    Once again, she was annoyed at herself for asking him the question, Being alone with Kevan was


    undoubtedly more difficult and agonizing than dealing with difficult clients. Worse still she couldn¡¯t


    decline his offer.


    ¡°Alright, sure.¡± She forced a smile.


    She ensured she appeared upied-fetching water, boiling water, linding cups, and preparing tea. She


    kept her actions smooth without any pause, making it hard for Kevan to find an opportunity to talk to


    her. However, boiling water took some time.


    So, she turned and faced him. Before he had a chance to speak, she quickly added, ¡°I go check if Aster


    is awake.¡±


    Of course, Kevan was aware that she was intentionally avoiding him. He felt a pang of sadness but


    maintained a calm expression. ¡°Sure.¡±


    Larissa stayed in Aster¡¯s room until the water boiled. She felt relieved when she heard the sharp


    whistle sound, and she hurriedly ran to the kitchen. Kevan had already turned off the gas stove and


    was pouring water into a cup.


    As he saw her approaching, he casually asked. ¡°How¡¯s Aster?¡±


    She calmly lied without hesitation, ¡°He woke up for a bit but fell back asleep after I soothed him.¡±


    He responded with a faint ¡°On. I see.¡±


    Alter the tea was made, they went to the living room. The atmosphere was somewhat awkward. Larissa


    felt uneasy, so she twiddled her fingers and avoided eye contact with Kevan.


    ¡°I envy your rtionship with Aster¡± he spoke up.


    ¡°Huh?¡± She straightened her back at the sound of his voice. N?velDrama.Org owns this text.


    ¡°I mean, the kind of effortless mother-son rtionship.¡± He cradled the teacup, his eyes lilled with pure


    envy and a hint of disappointment.


    He went on to say, ¡°Just earlier in the car, you told me to spend more time with my daughter. The truth


    is, it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to. Rather, I¡¯m afraid.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Larissa¡¯s curiosity was piqued by his words.


    He lowered his head slightly. A tinge of sadness was formed in his smille.


    ¡°You should know that I spent six years in the hospital, and all my memories are lost. Those who were


    once closest are now strangers to me.¡± His fingers lightly traced the edge of the cup, and his gaze


    became unlocused as he continued, ¡°Rebuilding my past interpersonal rtionship is a very difficult


    thing. Even to this day, I still have a distant rtionship with my parents. I¡¯m only close with Dn now


    because we spend most of our time together. That¡¯s why we slowly became friends.


    I was really caught off guard when Ruby showed up with Bethany that day. It¡¯s a hard pill to swallow,


    even though my mother had told me on the day I woke that I had a daughter, I don¡¯t know Ruby. I don¡¯t


    even like her. And truth be told, Bethany is not likable at all. I don¡¯t feel any joy or excitement that a


    father should have when I see her. Leven lind her repulsive.


    I know I¡¯m probablying off as a terrible person, but this is the truth.¡± He chuckled lightly.


    Larissa couldn¡¯t fully understand his feelings at that time, but she could empathize. It was difficult to like


    Bethany at first nce.


    Kevan continued. ¡°Later on, I heard about what Bethany did to Aster. Some fathers might hit her, scold


    her, or even try to teach her patiently. But not me. I just wanted to keep my distance from her. Out of


    sight, out of mind.


    I¡¯m well aware that I¡¯m not a responsible father. I hate herws, and I reluse to correct her because I


    leel she¡¯s beyond saving.¡±

 Chapter 469

    Chapter 469


    Chapter 469


    Kevan narrowed his eyes, Bethany was likely to tum out badly with such poor parenting. While he


    wouldn¡¯t harm her, he also wouldn¡¯t go out of his way to direct her to the right path either. What she


    would be in the future waspletely up to her


    Larissa¡¯s heart sank as she listened. She advised. ¡°Bethany is still young, and herws can be


    corrected slowly. You just need more patience. I see you have plenty of patience with Aster, and you


    seem to know how to interact with children.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because I like Aster.¡± Kevan¡¯s smile softened as he mentioned Aster. ¡°Aster is a good kid. He¡¯s


    good-looking and well-behaved. unlike Bethany.¡±


    She naturally felt happy and proud upon hearing him praise Aster. In response, sheplimented with


    a guilty conscience, saying.¡± Actually, Bethany isn¡¯t that ugly, if she were to lose weight, she would


    definitely look prettier.¡± To be honest, even if they overlooked all other physical imperfections, her small


    eyes wouldn¡¯t berger even with the weight loss. 1


    Larissa was puzzled when she first found out that Bethany was Kevan and Ruby¡¯s daughter. Both of


    them were exceptionally good- looking, so how did their child not inherit any of their attractive qualities?


    Kevan furrowed his brows and waved his hand in front of her.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± She was confused.


    ¡°Can you see my hand? he asked. He then changed his gesture, only raising his index finger. ¡°How


    many fingers are there?¡±


    ¡°One. What¡¯s wrong?¡± She became increasingly perplexed.


    ¡°So, you aren¡¯t blind.¡± He retracted his hand and calmly took a sip of tea.


    It took Larissa a moment to process. Then only did she realize he was indirectly saying his daughter


    was ugly! What kind of father would


    say that?


    She couldn¡¯t help but ask ¡°Are you really her biological father?¡±


    He was just about to say ¡°No¡± when he suddenly realized that now was not the time to divulge theseN?velDrama.Org owns this text.


    things to her. So, he remained silent and finished his tea


    ¡°I¡¯m leaving.¡± He ced the teacup on the coffee table and rose to his feet.


    She let out a sigh of relief. Tll walk you out.¡± She quickly caught up.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go check on Aster first.¡± However, Kevan took a turn and entered Aster¡¯s room. He didn¡¯t turn side


    of Aster¡¯s bed, relying only on the light seeping in from the living room.


    lights, but slowly walked to the


    Aster was still sound asleep with no signs of waking up. Kevan bent down and gently kissed Aster¡¯s


    forehead.


    Larissa stood at the door, observing the scene with mixed emotions. He was cold and indifferent to


    Bethany, yet gentle and loving toward Aster, What was he thinking?


    She was lost in her thoughts when Kevan came out of the room. He carefully closed the door and


    smiled at Larissa. ¡°I¡¯m leaving.¡±


    She saw him off until he entered the elevator. The moment she closed the door, she quickly called


    Wendy and told her all the details of what Kevan did to Aster.


    ¡°Do you think something is wrong with Kevan?¡±

 Chapter 470

    Chapter 470


    Chapter 470


    Wendy fell silent for a moment before asking Larissa, ¡°Do you remember Barbara¡¯s prediction back


    then?¡±


    Of course, Larissa remembered, even though six years had passed, and they had long moved away


    from the town without further contact


    with Barbara


    Her feelings toward Barbara had transformed from initial dislike and rejection to gratitude. If it were not


    for Barbara, she would have never been convinced to keep the child.


    But she didn¡¯t understand the purpose behind Wendy¡¯s question. ¡°Why are you bringing this up now?¡±


    ¡°Well Barbara said that you will reunite with your ex-lover,¡± Wendy said with a serious tone. She always


    believed in Barbara¡¯s words. ¡°So.


    perhaps, now is the time.¡±


    Kevan had lost his memory and had no connection to Larissa¡¯s past. His words to Aster couldn¡¯t be


    baseless-either he was interested in Larissa, or he genuinely liked Aster. Regardless, he would make a


    fitting ¡°father figure¡± for Aster. More importantly, Aster also liked him


    lot.


    Larissa appreciated Barbara, but it didn¡¯t mean that she believed in all of Barbara¡¯s nonsense.


    ¡°Barbara even said I would meet a long-lost rtive or friend. What happened to that?¡±


    During her years abroad, Wendy was her only friend, and Aster was her only family.


    Wendy was at a loss for words for a moment but quickly found a reason to justify her words. ¡°Maybe


    the timing wasn¡¯t right. Anyways, it


    eventually be proven.¡±


    Larissa snorted. ¡°Let¡¯s wait for it then.¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡± Wendy grew frustrated. ¡°Why are you so stubborn? I don¡¯t believe Kevan is showing so much


    affection for Aster for no good reason! Don¡¯t you like him too? He¡¯s single now! How about seizing the


    opportunity?¡± Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    ¡°When did I ever like him? Larissa¡¯s voice grew louder as she became angry and embarrassed that her


    secret was being revealed. But she couldn¡¯t recall ever admitting to Wendy that she liked Kevan. So,


    how did Wendy know?


    ¡°Well, Barbara said. You still love him,¡± Weny answered confidently.


    Larissa would have smashed her phone if it weren¡¯t for her concern over wasting money. ¡°Can you stop


    bringing Barbara up every two


    seconds?


    ¡°Alright, alright. I won¡¯t mention her again. Let¡¯s talk about Aster.¡± Wendy cleared her throat and looked


    directly at the camera. ¡°There¡¯s something I¡¯ve been hesitant to tell you.¡±


    Larissa¡¯s eyelid twitched upon hearing that. She instinctively felt that Wendy wasn¡¯t about to share


    anything good.


    ¡°Not long ago, Aster asked me who his biological father is.¡± Wendy¡¯s expression carried a hint of worry.


    ¡°He¡¯s growing up and starting to understand many things. So, naturally, he has a longing for his father.¡±


    Larissa¡¯s heart sank bit by bit. She knew Aster wanted a father, but she thought she could dy telling


    him the truth and deceive him. She didn¡¯t expect him to secretly ask Wendy about it.


    ¡°Instead of having Aster troubled by the identity of his biological father, I think it¡¯s better for you to find


    him a reliable stepfather. As you said, Kevan cares for Aster, and Aster likes him too. Not to mention


    you Wendy saw Larissa throw a warning lock at her, so Wendy stuck her tongue out in response. ¡°Well


    anyway, Kevan is the best candidate.¡±


    Kevan was the best candidate? Larissa couldn¡¯t agree with that.


    ¡°The girl who used to bully Aster at school was actually Kevan and his dream girl¡¯s daughter. After the


    incident where Aster got hurt, Kevan transferred his daughter to another school. His dream girl went


    crazy alter being unable to see her daughter, and she med everything on Aster. She even kidnapped


    him and hurt him.¡±


    Larissa hadn¡¯t told Wendy about this, fearing she would worry too much.


    Upon hearing that, Wendy was so furious that she eximed, ¡°What?¡± She wanted to book a fight and


    teach that woman a lesson that


    1/2


    ¡°So, yeah. No one knows what that woman would do if I ever got together with Kevan. Also, I¡¯m afraid


    that his daughter would continue


    bullying Aster.¡±


    Larissa admitted that she still had some lingering feelings for Kevan just a little bit. But the thought of


    Ruby and Bethany made her give


    up all her unrealistic fantasies.

 Chapter 471

    Chapter 471


    Chapter 471


    Lanssa would never alow Aster to be in such a dangerous situation. Once again, Wendy Irisient. There


    was a long cause before she asked, ¡°What il Kevan pursues you?¡±


    Larissa replied firmly. ¡°That¡¯s impossible!¡±


    Wendy became angry. ¡°Fine! I won¡¯t give you advice anymore. Do as you wish!¡± She grilled her teeth


    and ended the video call abruptly.


    Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org.


    Lanssa had a restless night, kely influenced by Wendy¡¯s words. She had a long dream. In that dream,


    Kevan embraced Ruby and stood before her. The two of them were still as sweet and sterlinnate as


    beforepletely ignoring her presence. Larissa watched from a distance with her heart aching.


    All of a sudden, two cats appeared in Ruby¡¯s anrs. They were M uffin and Cookie, the ones she had


    raised. She¡¯d left in a hurry previously and entrusted the cats to a pet shop. She left Violet¡¯s contact


    information with the pet shop, but she wasnt sure if Violet had ever brought


    them back home.


    ¡°M uffin C ockel¡± she called out with joy.


    However, the two cats seemed oblivious. They cuddled on Ruby¡¯s shoulder, sticking out their pink


    tongues and affectionatey licking Ruby¡¯s face. R. by allectionately caressed their salt lur, her face filled


    with joy. That smile filled Larissa with bitter emy as if she had just swallowed something bad.


    The scene shilted, and the cats vanished. Instead, a chubby little girl appeared, and it was Bethany.


    Bethany held Ruby and Keyan¡¯s hands, persistently calling them ¡°Mommy¡± and ¡°Caddy¡±. Keven


    lowered his head, looking at Bethany with a gentle expression.


    The warm scene with the three of them was quickly shattered by an unexpected intruder, Out of


    nowhere. Aster dashed over and hugged Kevan¡¯s leg, ncing up, and eximed. ¡°Daddy¡±


    Kevan caressed his head and responded softly ¡°Yeah?¡±


    At that moment, Bethany started crying. She cried loudly and in a heart-wrenching manner. ¡°You¡¯re my


    daddy! Not Asters!¡± She tugged at Kewan¡¯s shirt hem, pressing hersell against him


    ¡°He is my daddy!¡± Aster retorted without backing down.


    Kevan appeared troubled as he held both chidrer. He soothed them, saying ¡°Stop lighling, I¡¯m the dad


    to both of you.¡± There was a hint of helplessness in his tone. Ruby¡¯s face charged drastically, as her


    expression became one of raging jealousy.


    The scene shifted once again. This time, they were in a hotel guest room. Ruby was Tercey kicking and


    hitting Aster, while Kevan watched coldly from the side, and Bethany pped and cheered. Larissa


    rushed forward and wanted to intervene, but Revan stopped her. He told her with a serious expression.


    This is the price you and your son have to pay for trying to take me away from Bethany and Ruby.¡±

 Chapter 472

    Chapter 472


    Chapter 472


    Larissa had been sticking to a regr routine for some time now in order to take care of Aster. But this


    time, her sleep quality had dropped, and she unexpectedly got a headache. She wasn¡¯t sure if it was a


    sign of getting older or simply leading an overlyfortable life before.


    Her temples throbbed persistently, apanied by nausea and chest tightness. As a result, she


    couldn¡¯t focus during the meeting and couldn¡¯t recall what others had said.


    After she instructed her secretary to make a photocopy of the meeting minutes for her, she headed


    downstairs alone. Her headache became unbearable, and she urgently needed to visit the pharmacy to


    purchase a box of painkillers.


    There were quests going through the check-in process at the front desk, which was amon sight in


    hotels. She merely nced at them and continued walking but stopped when she heard the words


    ¡°presidential suite¡±.


    The Winston Hotel, being a five-star hotel rivaling Regal Dynasty Hotel naturally offered presidential


    suites. Regrettably, the suites had remained unupied since the hotel¡¯s grand opening until now.


    She did not rush over. Instead, she stood her ground and listened attentively to the conversation at the


    front desk. Only after confirming that the guest had indeed reserved the suite did she put on a smile


    and quickly turned.


    There were two men at the front desk, one taller than the other. The taller one looked younger, perhaps


    in his twenties or thirties, while the shorter one had a touch of gray at his temples and looked like he


    was in his lities. It was clear that the taller man held a subordinate position because he appeared


    somewhat restrained and respectful toward the shorter man.


    Larissa reached out to the shorter man and said. ¡°Hello, sir. I¡¯m Larissa, the general manager of the


    Winston Hotel. Wee to our hotel.¡±


    The man nced at her casually and abruptly froze. The next moment, he broke into a delightful smile.


    ¡°Hey. It¡¯s your he eximed. gripping her hand tightly.


    She was taken aback by his behavior. Had she not known that he was an important quest of the hotel,


    she might have thought he was a weirdo. Her smile gradually stiffened, and she fought the urge to pull


    her hand away.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Have we met before?¡± She scrutinized him carefully and thought that he indeed looked


    familiar, but she was unable to recall


    where she had seen him.


    The man seemed disappointed. ¡°You¡¯ve forgotten? You saved me on the ne to the States six years


    ago.¡±


    Larissa finally remembered the incident with his reminder. However, she had forgotten entirely what the


    person looked like or what his name was. The incident happened years ago, and she hadn¡¯t paid much


    attention to it. But that didn¡¯t stop her from trying to establish a connection. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s you! What a


    coincidence!¡±


    ¡°Yeah! Did you know I¡¯ve been waiting for your call all this time?¡± Gary¡¯s face lit up with genuine


    happiness, but there was a hint of reproach in his gaze when he looked at her.


    She hung her head in embarrassment. ¡°Actually, I didn¡¯t think it was a big deal.¡±


    ¡°It was a matter of life and death to me!¡± His expression suddenly became serious as he dered, ¡°I


    owed you a meal for six years. I must treat you to a meal today since we met!¡± His tone was firm,


    leaving no room for rejection.


    Of course, Larissa wouldn¡¯t decline his Invitation either. In this situation, she couldn¡¯t afford to upset


    Gary. After all, he was a big client she


    needed for long-term growth.


    So, she dly epted his invitation. ¡°My pleasure!


    Gary¡¯s face instantly brightened. ¡°Deal! See you at the hotel¡¯s restaurant at 7 pm tonight!This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.

 Chapter 473

    Chapter 473


    Chapter 473


    it were at 7 pm. then Larissa would need to ask her assistant to stay a little longer after work to keep an


    eye on Astar.


    ¡°Sure, Ill be there on time.¡± she replied with a smile.


    Gary let go of her hand and rotated his wrist, luming his palm upward. ¡°This time, you should have your


    contact information, I hope?¡± he


    asked.


    Larissa handed him her business card. If you need anything or have any suggestions or leedback


    about our hotel feel free to reach out to me at any time.¡±


    He carefully tucked her business card into his pocket and said. ¡°Great.¡±


    N?velDrama.Org owns this text.


    Larissa had already instructed Aster to wait for her in the office at night and not wander around.


    ¡°Ah He frowned and appeared reluctant. But I¡¯m scared to be alone at night.¡±


    She pinched his chubbyce and reassured him. ¡°You won¡¯t be. Chad will be around. Chad was her


    assistant.


    ¡°But Chad doesnt like to talk or y games. It¡¯s boring to be with him,¡± Asterined, his


    expression filled with worry.


    She yfully tapped his forehead. ¡°Why are you being so picky now?¡± He used to go along with


    whatever she said.


    He stuck out his tongue and clung to her arm, pressing herself against her.


    ¡°Mommy, can ask Uncle Kevan toe and pick me up? Treally enjoy ying with him he¡¯s super fun!


    And he¡¯s really nice to me!¡±


    Instantly, she remembered the dream from the previous night. ¡°No way she ex mec. Fear and panic


    caused her voice to rise subconsciously, and she couldn¡¯t maintain her previous calm demeanor.


    Her overeactor started Aster. She noticed his bealdered and learful expression and lock a deep breath,


    trying to calm hersell down.¡± Uncle Kevan has been busy with work, so you shouldn¡¯t bother him,¡± she


    patiently exined.


    Kevan had personally admitted that he had no time for anything else since theunch of Microworks


    Corporation¡¯s new game. 50. sha wasn¡¯t womed about this lie being exposed even Aster asked Kevan


    ¡°Oh, ckay¡± His shoulders dropped, disappointment willen all over his face.


    Larissa suggested. ¡°How about I tell Chad to y games with you?¡±


    ¡°No need,¡± he replied dejectedly, shaking his head. I don¡¯t want to bother Chad either,¡±


    She affectionately patted his head and praised him, ¡°You¡¯re such a good boy.¡±


    She received a call from Gary at 6.30 pm. He reminded her specifically. Ms. Seymour, con¡¯t forget


    about our appointmentter.¡±


    She immediately shut down herputer. I¡¯m on my way.¡±


    She called her assistant in, gave a few instructions to Aster, and then hurriedly lell. Chad was as silent


    as Aster had described him. Like Larissa, he was a workaholic, who couldn¡¯t be separated from his


    laptop, even if he was assigned to apany Aster.


    Aster sat alone in a corner and sent a voice role to Kevan saying ¡°Uncle Kevan, are you busy now?


    Soon, he received the same response asst time. No. What¡¯s up?¡±


    The gloom that had ingered over Aster vanished in an instant with Kewan¡¯s reply. He nced at Chad,


    who was not far away, and lowered his voice as he asked. ¡°Can youe and pick me up from


    Mommy¡¯s office?¡±

 Chapter 474

    Chapter 474


    Chapter 474


    Larissa made it to the room Gary had booked and found that he was already walling for her inside.


    Most of the guests who stayed at the Winston Hotel were wealthy because five thousand dors was


    the minimum spending for a room that could only amodate ten people. Of course, the price per


    head of eating at the hotel¡¯s restaurant was a lot higher than other ces, so nobody had to worry


    about not spending up to five thousand dors. However if there were only two people, then it was a


    different story altogether,


    Gary handed Larissa the menu and hinted intentionally. ¡°Pick the more expensive dishes. However,


    Larissa felt embarrassed to do so.


    Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org.


    ¡°You¡¯re an esteemed guest at our hotel, so you¡¯re exempt from the minimum spending rule,¡± she lied.


    Anyway, she had a say in these matters after all, She picked two averagely¨Cpriced dishes and pushed


    the menu back to him, ¡°Here, see if you would like to add anything.¡±


    she said.


    Gary ordered one of each of the most expensive dishes the restaurant had to offer. Larissa roughly


    calcted the total price, which amounted to almost seven thousand dors. He was Elthy rich! When


    the walter heard his order, he couldn¡¯t help but gently warn them.¡± don¡¯t think the two of you can finish


    so much food.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Gary out the menu down calmly and said, ¡°Just take my order.¡±


    ¡°It is indeed a little too much,¡± said Larissa. Thinking of how they would waste most of it, she let the


    pain of Gary¡¯s wallet bleeding. Gary fixed his gaze on her. After making sure that she really meant it


    and wasn¡¯t just trying to be polite, he finally gave in. ¡°Pick another three of your favorite dishes besides


    the two you already ordered. We¡¯ll cancel everything else.¡±


    The remaining dishes on the menu were all the restaurant¡¯s specialties, and Larissa exined the


    ingredients and preparation methods of each one in detail. Gary listened attentively with a look of


    admiration in his eyes. ¡°Larissa, are you interested in jumping ship?¡± asked Gary jokingly, ¡°I can pay


    you double your cument sry and even thepany¡¯s stock dividends.¡±


    ¡°You tter me. Mr. Logan, Larissa smiled and refused his offer politely. ¡°I¡¯m used to working in this


    industry and I have no ns to change careers for now.¡±


    ¡°What a pity¡± sighed Gary. ¡°However, if you n to change careers in the future, you can contact me


    anytime.¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± promisedLarissa


    Gary was still as talkative as he was six years ago. He told Larissa the reason for his return to the


    country and how long he was going to stay without her even needing to ask. I came here with the sole


    purpose of negotiating a business deal with Soaring Corporation. I should be staying in Bartham for


    about one week.¡±


    Larissa was confused, ¡°If you¡¯re here to discuss business with Soaring Corporation, then shouldn¡¯t you


    be staying at their subsidiary hotel the Regal Dynasty? Speaking of her oldpany, which was also


    now her biggestpetitor, she couldn¡¯t help having mixed


    emotions.


    ¡°That was the original n, but the presidential suite of the Regal Dynasty was already booked. I¡¯m a


    person who wants to have the best option for everything.¡± Gary said honestly. ¡°That¡¯s why I picked


    Winston Hotel in the end. I¡¯m d I came here, or I wouldn¡¯t have met you.¡±


    Larissa smiled politely.


    ¡°Is your hotel an international chain? I spend nearly eleven months a year traveling the world. 111 stay


    at your hotel from now on,¡± said Gary.


    ¡°Yes, we have branches globally. There are more branches in Porshal and in almost every city. In our


    country, we only have the Bartham branch for now. Thepany¡¯s uing n is to develop the


    Kymin market. Soon, there might be branches of our hotel in every modern city in every country.¡±


    Larissa was in business mode again. T apply for a tinum VIP card for youter so you may enjoy


    VIP treatment no matter which branch of the Winston Hotel you visit. You will even be entitled to


    discounts on the room pricing.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fantastic Gary epted her offer, but he still didn¡¯t want to give up. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to consider


    joining me?¡± Larissa shook her head fly. The meal did notst for very long.

 Chapter 475

    Chapter 475


    Chapter 475


    Larissa missed Aster, so she took out her phone to see it there were any messages from her assistant.


    Gary thought she was busy with work and was very considerate about it. ¡°You may caur earlier if you


    have business lo attend to.¡± he said.


    ¡°It¡¯s my son.¡± Larissa smiled apologetically. ¡°He¡¯s waiting for me by himself upstairs and I¡¯m quite


    worried.¡± ¡°You have a san?¡± Gary widened his eyes in surprise. ¡°I thought you were still very young!¡±


    Regardless if he was just being courteous, Larissa took it as apliment. T¡¯m already over thirty,¡± she


    said.


    ¡°Over thirty?¡± Gary zoned out for a brief moment and his expression suddenly became scrrowlul ¡°My


    daughter should be around your age! But I dont know if she could be as sessful as you are.¡± His


    words gave a lot of details away.


    Larissa was curcus, but she was tactful enough not to pry. ¡°She must be more sessful than I am,¡±


    she said.


    Gary smiled and dropped the topic, ¡°Go ahead. Con¡¯t keep your kid waiting.¡± Larissa thanked him,


    picked up her handbag, and stood up. When she got back to her office, it was empty. She rted her


    steps and lound her assistant busy at work at her desk, but Aster was nowhere to be seen. Seeing how


    the assistant was so calm, it didn¡¯t look like something had happened.


    Larissa wasn¡¯t leg worried. She walked over and raced against his desk, asking. ¡°Where¡¯s Aster?¡± The


    assistant immediately looked up at the sound of her voice. Ms. Seymour!¡± He let go of his mouse and


    said, ¡°A man by the name of Rogers look Aster away. Mr. Rogers said he was your friend and Aster


    said that he had asked Mr. Rogers toe here, so I d¡¯t stop them.¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you call me? Larissa frowned, her tone chastising


    ¡ª


    ¡°You asked me not to contact you unless it¡¯s about something important The assistants voice trailed off


    as he felt quty under her questioning, Larissa was so angry that she was at a loss for words. ¡°Next


    time, if it¡¯s anything to do with Aster tell me right away regardless it¡¯s a serious matter or not.


    Understood?¡± said Larissa.


    The assistant nodded repeatedly and answered. ¡°Understood!¡±


    Lanssa went back into her office and called Aster while suppressing her anger. Nobody knew what


    Aster was doing, and he only answered ater a long time.


    ¡°Mommy? His tone was Eight-hearted, and he was obviously in a good mood. Larissa got even anger.


    ¡°Where are you?¡± she asked stemly.


    Sensing that her mood seemed to be off Aster Immediately tried to be on his best behavior. I¡¯m at


    home. His voice was sweet hiding his tear.


    ¡°What did Mommy tell you before she left? Larissa gripped her phone as she pursed her lips in


    displeasure.


    ¡°Uhm¡ª¡± Aster hesitated for a long time and couldn¡¯t form aplete sentence.


    ¡°Lasked you to wait for me in the office ched enlly and not go anywhere. I asked you not to disturb


    Uncle Kevan at work and not to ask him to take you home.¡± Larissa looked straight ahead with an icy


    expression. ¡°stair Simmons, am very disappointed in you¡±


    The other end of the line went silent. A lew minutes aler, someone else answered.


    ¡°It¡¯s me.¡± Kevan¡¯s deep voice came through the speakers, Larissa¡¯s grip tightened, but she did not


    respond. was the one who wanted to pick him up. Vent your anger on me. Don¡¯t me him.¡± he said.N?velDrama.Org owns this text.

 Chapter 476

    Chapter 476


    Chapter 476


    Aster and Kevan were ying online games at home. The gaming console was connected to the


    television and the living room resounded with the game¡¯s background music and their shouts of


    excitement. This was the scene that met Larissa¡¯s eyes when she got there. Her anger inexplicably


    bummed even brighter, and she mmed the door shut. The two people Inside Immediately kept quiet,


    and their smiles.


    vanished.


    Aster threw down his controller and rushed to Larissa, throwing his arms around her lightly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,


    Mommy!¡± he apologized sweetly. sneaking nces at her with his gleaming eyes. Larissa¡¯s heart


    melled a little, but she forced herself to remain steadfast. She pulled him away expressionlessly and


    watched as a look of panic crossed his face while he leared up.


    ¡°Mommy.¡± Aster pouted miserably and his voice was a lot softer than before.


    In the blink of an eye, Kevan had switched off the television and walked over to them.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± he said to Larissa. His gaze was dark and his lips were slightly pursed. Because of his height


    and intimidating aura, he didn¡¯t look humble at all although he was apologizing.


    ¡°It¡¯s not your fault¡± said Larissa. Even if he were at fault, it was only because he doted on Aster too


    much and couldn¡¯t bear to refuse him. Although she was angry, she was still aware of this fact. ¡°Thank


    you for tonight. But you should leave,¡± she said. She would take things up with the kid after he left.


    Kevan did not answer her, but lowered his head and looked at Aster, who was standing beside her


    miserably. Aster looked back at him. Theymunicated with each other through looks before Kevan


    finally nodded and said. ¡°Okay¡±


    Larissa sat down on the sofa while Aster stood in front of her. His shoulders were slouched and he was


    hanging his head.


    ¡°Why did you make Uncle Kevan pick you up?¡± asked Larissa. She could already guess what his


    answer would be when she connected the dots with what Wendy had told her previously. She had


    always known that Aster was wise, but she did not expect him to be so mature. She could let him haveContent rights by N?velDr//ama.Org.


    his way with everything else, but not this


    ¡°Because I felt so bored being alone there,¡± said Aster meekly. ¡°Uncle Kevan and I made a dealst


    time to y games together, so I did ask him if he was busy beforehand, and I only asked him to pick


    me up when he said he wasn¡¯t! For fear that Larissa would reprimand


    him, he tried his best to exin himself.


    Larissa believed that he was telling the truth. Based on how much Kevan doted on Aster, he was


    definitely capable of lying that he wasn¡¯t busy. ¡°Uncle Kevan only said that he wasn¡¯t busy because he


    didn¡¯t want to disappoint you.¡± Larissa leaned forward, put her hands on Aster¡¯s shoulders, and looked


    him in the eye. ¡°But in reality, he is very busy with work these days.¡±


    Aster opened his mouth a little, an expression of shock on his face. ¡°Uncle Kevan likes you, so he was


    willing to put down his work ande y with you. If you like Uncle Kevan too, then you should be


    considerate of him and sympathize with him more. Don¡¯t disturb him during times like these and cause


    him trouble. You might hinder him from finishing his work¡± said Larissa


    Aster pouted and hung his head sadly. ¡°I got it. I won¡¯t ask Uncle Kevan to y with me anymore.¡± His


    hands, which had been hanging by his sides, suddenly curled into fists. ¡°Mommy His voice grew tearful


    as he said. ¡°I want to go back to kindergarten-


    Larissa was stunned for a moment. His request was out of her expectations. She had thought that he


    was going to say, ¡°I want a father.¡±


    Had she actually misunderstood him? Had he really been bored at the office leading to him asking


    Kevan to y games with him?

 Chapter 477

    Chapter 477


    Chapter 477


    Her thoughts were swirling for a moment.


    ¡°Can I?¡± Aster took one step forward and held her hand, swaying it lightly while garing at her tearfully.


    Larissa couldn¡¯t bring herself to say no, but she still had her concerns. Although Ruby had been


    anested, she couldn¡¯t help but wonder if Ruby had had anything to do with the ident in the parking


    lot, it had been someone else


    ¡°Okay,¡± she said and nodded. The kindergarten had strict regtions and no one was allowed entry or


    exit during ss hours. As long as she sent him to school and picked him up punctually, there shouldn¡¯t


    be any danger.


    ¡°That¡¯s fantastic Aster was so happy that heunched himself into the air. He hugged Larissa and gave


    her a loud smooch. ¡°Mommy is the best!¡±


    After making sure that all was quiet outside, Aster hid under the nket and sent Kevan a voice note.


    ¡°Uncle Kevan, I¡¯m going back to kindergarten. Good luck with work too! Let¡¯s game together when


    we¡¯re both free. How about that?¡±


    Kevan called him straight away. ¡°Did Mommy scold you?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Nope,¡± said Aster and showed off to Kevan. ¡°Mommy is very gentle. She never scolds or smacks me.


    Every time I make a mistake, she talk to me about it. Even if Larissa had smacked him, he wouldn¡¯t be


    as foolish as to rant about it to Kevan, He didn¡¯t want to ruin Larissa¡¯s image in Kevan¡¯s eyes!


    Kevan suddenly recalled that Larissa used to have a pet cat. When she was with him, she would


    always be distant ttering, cold, or tough. Only when she was with her cat would she show a hint of


    her gentle side. It always made him envious. Now, she had exposed her gentle side to Astor, but she


    was still as distant as always toward him. He also felt as envious as always.


    N?velDrama.Org owns this text.


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Kevanughed softly, but his expression grew a little dimmer.


    Aster couldn¡¯t chat with him for too long. ¡°I have to wake up early tomorrow to go to school, so I have to


    sleep early. Rest earlier too. Uncle Kewan. Goodnight


    Kevan hummed in answer and said, ¡°Goodnight.¡± Then, he added in his heart, ¡°My dear.¡±


    Kevan didn¡¯t know why Larissa had suddenly agreed to allow Aster to return to kindergarten. It had only


    been a few days since the kidnapping incident, and Kevan wasn¡¯t sure Aster was mentally ready to


    adapt to a ce with so many people. But of course, the most important thing was ¡°Have you found


    that person?¡± he asked the person on the other end of the cal.


    ¡°I¡¯ve only found out his identity, but not his location. Two days after the incident, he went overseas. I¡¯ve


    checked his bank transactions. After he left the country, Ruby Cole transferred him five hundred


    thousand dors.¡±


    After finding out that the person was connected to Ruby, most of Kevan¡¯s worries disappeared.


    However Five hundred thousand dors was considered a huge sum for someone like Ruby, who only


    laced at home with no source of ie. She hadn¡¯t gotten many benefits from her divorce from Cody


    back then. In that period of time, he had strongly fought against Cody and Cody did not hold a high


    position in Soaring Corporation.


    Besides, Cody had probably nned to divorce Ruby since the beginning, so he had notarized all his


    property before the wedding and lowered his own sry to below ten thousand dors. Of course, he


    could earn more money through other sources, but Ruby was unaware of it. The court also did not find


    out about it, so it had naturally been unnecessary for Cody to give Ruby half his wealth during the


    divorce.


    That was why Ruby hadn¡¯t gotten a lot of money from the divorce, Because Cody¡¯s ie was low,


    his alimony paid to her every month wasn¡¯t much. It would have been too much of a challenge for Ruby


    to fork out live hundred thousand dors in one lump sum, There must be someone helping her behind


    the scenes, and her backer must be¨C

 Chapter 478

    Chapter 478


    Chapter 478


    This


    Microworks Corporation used the rumors they had umted over the years to attract arge


    number of diehards like him. At critical juncture, those diehards became a free army for Microworks to


    ¡°eradicate Rubik Corporation to uphold justice. Kevar had to admit that he was quite grateful for this. It


    made him more determined to develop and produce hips-quality games. He couldn¡¯t disappoint those


    yers when they had such expectations.


    Although there was much bacsh, Galeforce¡¯s poprity was not badly affected. The number of


    downloads and active yers ranked the game first on the list of domestic games. The daly cash


    reloads were also showing a very positive number.


    When it was nearing the date of Rubik Corporation¡¯s new game release, thepany costed an


    apology on its official Twitter cage saying that a technical error had urred due to nishing the


    deadline. Hence, the release of the game would be postponed indelin lely.


    Rubik Corporation was a despised presence in the gaming industry. Many gamingpanies had


    been giarized by Ruck countless times, so when Rubik posted their apology, the bosses and


    producers of many gamingpanies did not hold back on their mockery.


    ¡°Theard that someone¡¯s new game giarized Microworks¡¯ newest game. They nned tounch


    theirs before Microworks to rake in profits first, but Microworks ended up tuming the tables on them.¡±


    ¡°The only thing I have to say about that specificpany¡¯s dirty tricks is that kanma always takes care


    of things.¡±


    ¡®ske Microworks avenged all thosepanies who got giarized. We have to download their new


    game and reload cash credits to Support them!¡±


    At first theizens hadn¡¯t realized that Rubik Corporation had giarized Galelorce but once all the


    big guns in the gaming industry exposed everything, they couldn¡¯t wait to find evidence of Rubik¡¯s


    giarism. Although Rubik¡¯s game hadn¡¯t been officiallyunched-not even a test run, thepany


    had released some of the character designs and a part al storyline on their marketing ount


    ording to the character designs, people could already findesponding characle¡¯s from


    Galeforce, and the game¡¯s storyline was like arp-off version of Galeforce¡¯s. To sum it up, the game was


    just a crude version cl Galeforce. Hence, many gamers started boycoting Rubik Corporation and even


    started a topic on Twitter with the hashtags ¡°RubikGetO_CITheGamingindustry¡± and ¡°a


    HasFubicShulDownYel¡±.


    Gamers who had downloaded Rubik Corporation¡¯s games before also started posting screenshots of


    them deleting those games and posting one-star reviews on every major app store. They even posted


    all sorts of negativements like-


    ¡°giarism klls orginality! giari


    ¡°Guys! Don¡¯t! Download! This! Gamer


    ¡®giarists deserve a special ce in hell!


    ¡°Rubik is trash! Hope they shut down soon¡±


    ¡°I just treat the money I put into the game as thepany¡¯s funeral expenses. I hope everyone at


    Rubik rests in peace.¡±


    Suttering from such an impact, the number of active gamers on every game under Rubik Corporation


    plummeted and the ar cunt of credit reloads neared zero. Rubik Corporation posted another


    announcement saying that their new game had no connection with Galeforce at all


    ¡°We would like the public to y the game after it isunched before deciding whether wemilled


    giarism. We believe that time will


    prove our innocence.¡±


    Thements under that Twitter post were naturaly from paid posters hired by thepany so they


    obviously showed support for Rubic Corporation, However, the algonthm culcky drowned them out with


    the realizens¡¯mentsparing the storylines and


    character ces gns of the two games, Even so, suchments were quickly deleted by Rubik


    Corporation, soizens had no choice but to share the post and make ¡°Hubik giarism the frst topic


    on the trending search list.


    I¡¯m afraid this is the end for Rubik Corporation.¡± This was the conclusion made by all the bosses ofN?velDrama.Org owns this text.


    gamingpanies at every gathering. Of course, Rubik Corporation¡¯s fate was good news In


    everybody. Many people approached Kevan to give him a toast and thank him for ¡± eliminating evt.


    Meanwhile, Kevan responded very humbly. Other than releasing the game sooner, we didn¡¯t do


    anything else.¡± What he said was the truth


    Ruble giarizing Galeforce was a secret Peter Jones had identally exposed to people in the


    industry after he¡¯d had too much to drink.


    a long time and merely took the chance to tr ample on thepany. As for the zens. They were


    even more out of his control. However, as far as he knew, the person who had led the Rubik hoycott


    was the top yer on one of Galeforce¡¯s servers and also a long-lime dichard fan of Microworks.

 Chapter 479

    Chapter 479


    Chapter 479


    Microworks Corporation had a loyal fanbase due to the reputation that thepany had built up over


    the years.


    At this critical juncture of thepany¡¯ste, these loyal followers banded together to fight against paid


    posters on the Inte. They were adamant about getting justice for Microwerks Corporation and


    showing Rubik Corporation who was the true boss.


    Kevan couldn¡¯t help but feel moved when he heard about the fans who supported hispany.


    It strengthened his determination to make good quality games that would meet the expectations of


    gamers who were fans of his


    Atter having dinner with some clients. Kevan was on


    way home.


    He had drunk quite a bit of alcohol. Combined with is exhaustion from workingte each day, he felt a


    rare migraineing on.


    Kevan leaned back into the seat and massaged his throbbing temples.


    When he was about to close his eyes for a quick noc, his phone rang suddenly


    Furrowing his brows, he opened his eyes and retrieved his phone from his pocket.


    It was a caltom his mother.


    Kevan felt a sur


    annoyance.


    Lately, whenever his mother contacted him it was something regarding Bethany.


    He answered the phone weanly, ¡°Hello.¡±


    ¡°devan¡­ violet¡¯s voice was trembling, as if she had just been crying.


    Instinctively, the tone of her voice caught his attention, Kevan¡¯s tired eyes were wide open at that


    moment.


    ¡°What happened?¡± he asked in a low voice.


    Violet sobbed softly, struggling to finish her sentence. ¡°Your grandfather he


    Panicked, Kevan¡¯s emotions were stirred up, making him almost forget that he had to conceal his


    anxiety. ¡°What happened to Granda?¡±


    ¡°Your grandfather passed away!¡± Violet broke down in loud wals after uttering thest two words.


    As it struck by lightning. Kewan froze in ce.


    His eyes wide. Kevan¡¯s jaw dropped in shock. There was no thought in his mind as he stared into


    space.


    How could this have happened?


    Keven couldn¡¯t belew his cars.


    Gradually, his eyes tumed red and welled up with tears. Kevan bit his lower lip tightly to stop himself


    from crying,


    He took a long time to suppress his surging emotions. Regaining hisposure with much effort he


    questioned Violet. ¡°When did this


    happen?


    His voice was defnitely hoa rser than before.


    ¡°I received a cal from Ben saying that it just happened,¡± Violet blew her nose forcefully, but her voice


    sounded mutted again soon after.


    ¡°Your father and I are on our way to your grandfather¡¯s ce. You shoulde to pay your respects as


    well. Although you lost your memory, your grandfather favored you among all your cousins. I think he


    would have wanted you to send him all personally.¡±


    Closing his eyes. Kewan agreed in a raspy voice, ¡°Chay.¡¯


    * send you the address of Grandpa¡¯s house ¡°With tral, Violet hung up


    Two minutester, a text message containing an address came in.


    It was an address that Revan was extremelymr wih,Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

 Chapter 480

    Chapter 480


    Chapter 4 80


    News of Rnd¡¯s death had somehow leaked cul.


    The entrance to the alley was filed with cars, so he had to instruct his driver to park the car a street


    away and walk there himsel


    It was alreadyte at night.


    Normally, Rnd would have already gone to bed at this hour. There wouldn¡¯t have been any lights


    switched on in Pine Mansion.


    However, today the whole mansion was brightly lit. Every spot was crowded with peopleing and


    going out of the mansion,


    Everyone was dressed in dark clothing that blended into the darkness as they walked along the


    alleyway.


    Ben stood at the entrance of Pine Mansion to receive quests who came to pay their respects.


    His eyes were swollen from crying and the expression on his face was one of serrew.


    When he saw Kevan, he couldn¡¯t help but shed a tear.


    ¡°Young Mr. Rogers, you¡¯ve finally returned?¡±


    Pursing his lips tightly, Revan¡¯s face was tense as he stared at Den nkly, without any emotion in his


    game.


    It was as if he was looking at a stranger.


    Naturally. Ben knew about Revan¡¯s amnesis.


    Tears roling down his cheeks, he urged, ¡°Please inter quickly, Old Mr. Rogers had been waiting for your


    appearance for a long time!¡±


    But Kewan d¡¯t move.


    ¡°Please show me the way,¡± he said in a monotonous tone.


    Ben was intalyken aback by Kevan¡¯s request, but his heart ached terribly when he realized that


    Kevan had no memory of Pine Mansion.


    Tuming around to wipe his tears on his sleeve. Ben replied in a low voice. ¡°Please follow me.¡±


    I had been six years since Kevan had set loot inside Fine Mansion.


    Apart from the trees which had sprouted fresh new leaves everything here seemed unchanged from


    thest time he came.


    He followed Ben to the innermost room as they walked along the familiar path which he had taken


    countless times before.


    The funeral service was set up in the main hal of Pine Mansion as it was the only roomrge enough to


    amodate all the friends and acquaintances who came to pay their respects.


    However, Rnd¡¯s coffin was ced in his persona, bedmom. Only close friends and family members


    could have a tnal glimpse of his


    body.


    At this moment everyone from the Rogers family was in the main hall receiving guests, while Rnd¡¯s


    bedroom was emply,


    you some privacy.¡± Ben couldn¡¯t contain his emotions when he saw the coffin that was ced in the


    center of the room.


    He quickly left Rnd¡¯s bedroom, leaving Kevan alone.


    Kevan slowly approached the coffin.


    Through the ss cover, he could clearly see Roand¡¯s body Inside


    He was dressed in white burial clothes and seemed to be al peace.


    Violet had mentioned that Rnd had passed away in his


    After all, he was over ny years old, each day could be hisst.


    However, Kevan couldn¡¯t believe that Rnd was dead. Rather, he didn¡¯t want to believe II.


    He still has not brought i


    Asser to Pine Mangion so that Rnd could finally meel his great-grandson. Now, there was no


    1/2


    Clenching his teeth, Kevan suppressed the urge to cry until his facial muscles twitched.


    He endured the pain in his chest, refusing to let the tears fall hom his watery eyes.


    Kevan averted his gaze from Rnd¡¯s coffin. Taking deep breaths, he managed to get a hold of hisN?velDrama.Org owns this text.


    emotions after a while,


    He couldn¡¯t stay here much longer.


    Kevan quickly walked to the main hall for the funeral service.


    The main hall was abuzz as people milled about talking in low voices.


    Making his way inside, Kevan telt a little dizzy and his vision was slightly blurry due to theck of


    oxygen.


    It took some effort for Kevan to find his parents amidst the crowd.


    Violet appeared haggard, her eyes swollen with crying


    Standing beside her was Anthony.


    Inparison, he seemed much calmer than Violet, but his eyes were also bloodshot


    Violet grabbed Kevan¡¯s arm and asked in a hoa rse voice, ¡°Kevan, have you gone to see Grandpa

 Chapter 481

    Chapter 481


    Chapter 491


    Kevan modded with a straight face andforted her st iffy. ¡°Please ept my condolences.¡±


    His indifference made tears well up in Violet¡¯s eyes once again.


    Looking up at Kevan, she opened her mouth to reproach him, but in the end, she pursed her lips


    without another word


    ¡°Oh, is Kevan here as well? Kevan¡¯s uncles appeared with their families in tow.


    There were no signs of grief on their faces. Instead, they were smiling in satisfaction.


    Bemard stared at Violet¡¯sce and remarked with displeasure. ¡°Violet. I¡¯ve told you belore, this


    asion is a celebration of life for Father. He passed away peacefully in his sleep. How could ne rast


    in peace with you crying I ke this?¡±


    Volet lowered her head wordlessly as her grip on kewan¡¯s arm lightened.


    Narrowing his eyes, Kevan couldn¡¯t stop the hostility that arose within him.


    ¡°It¡¯s natural to feel sad when a family member has passed away. On the other hand, an al about all of


    you? Are you happy because Grands is at peace, or because you¡¯re about to get your hands on his


    inheritance?¡± he demanded.


    This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.


    ¡°You b astard¡± Demard widened his eyes. ¡°How dare you speak to your elders like that?¡±


    In an instant, there was tension in the air.


    Anthony pulled Kevan aside with a stemce. ¡°Don 1 stir up trouble here. Aren¡¯t you busy with work?


    Go back immediately.¡±


    Kevan didn¡¯t want to leave, but he was also tired of seeing the smug looks on his urces¡¯ces.


    ¡°Fine.¡± He nodded and left right away after saying goodbye to Violet.


    When Keyan lell the main hall, Bernard and Felix¡¯s families gathered together and started gossiping


    about him.


    ¡°When Father was still alive, his favonte grandson was Sewan. Whatever the desired, he received.


    What¡¯s the use ofvoring that ungrateful b astard? Now that Father is gone, Kevan didn¡¯t even stay


    back to keep vigil! What a heartless child¡±


    Their voices were very loud, loud enough for visuel to hear every word.


    Violet was already at the end of her patience. When she heard the sarcastic remarks they made, she


    couldn¡¯t bear it any longer.


    Despite Anthony¡¯s attempts to stop her, Viet rushed up to them and shouted in anger, ¡°Whoseult is it


    that Kevan has be like this? Back then, none of you had shown any concem when that tragedy


    happened. Don¡¯t assume that I¡¯m unaware that all of you gloated behind our backs! Our family never


    thought of lighting for the inheritance as we have raised Kevan well-unlike your children! Each of your


    children is a useless leech that lives off their parents wealth. Even at this age, they still don¡¯t know how


    to work hard and earn their own


    Molet was luming mad. Her harsh words were brutally honest and left them no room to savece


    ¡°Violet, what do you mean by those words?¡±


    ¡°Who are you calling leeches?


    ¡°Violet Father would be turning in his grave if he heard this trade! How could he rest in peace¡±¡±


    After Violet finished speaking, Berard and Felix¡¯s family surrounded her and bombarded her with


    usations.


    Anthony quickly stepped forward and shielded Violet behind him,


    With a stem expression on his face, he defended his wife. ¡°Did Violet say anything wrong? Since


    Cody¡¯s wedding until now, none of you. have n us an exnation regarding Keyan¡¯s assault. Al


    you¡¯ve done these six years was fight for power and wear by kicsing us out of Soaring Corporation I did


    not take action against your families because I didn¡¯t want the situation within the family to worsen and


    make Father worried However, now that he has passed on, I¡¯m no longer restricted by these concems.


    Don¡¯t me me for being ruthless if you insist on shring up trouble!¡±


    Anthony was the frstbom of the second generation. After Hnd stepped down, he was in charge of


    Soaring Corporation for the longest time. The weath of experience he had brought about a


    commanding presence in both his


    Now that Anthony had spoken up, they could only grit their teeth and shut their mouths in silence


    although they were dissatisfied. For the sake of Father¡¯s funeral you¡¯d better restrain yourselves for the


    next few days und His funeral affairs are settled¡±


    that Anthony dragand Violet to the middle of the man hall so that they could meet the guests who had


    just arrived. Kewan instructed his driver to not go home yet.


    Dn had also heard the news of Rnd¡¯s passing and called to console Kevan.


    Taking the opportunity. Kevan invited him for a drink, ¡°Let¡¯s have a drink together!¡±


    Dn wasn¡¯tnd of drinking, but he decided to kerp Kevanpany as it was under special


    circumstances.


    The two of them agreed to meet at a highly excus we private club.


    Kevan ordered var ous types of alcohol and ined them on the coffee table.


    There was whiskey, liquor, and beer.


    Kevan was not picky with his drinks and drank the alcoho straight from the bottles,


    Dn couldn¡¯t bear to watch him intoxicate himsell like that. He tried to pry the bottle from Kevan¡¯s


    hands, but Kevan pusred him away.


    ¡°Let me drink¡± Kevan was already speaking incoherently. ¡°I¡¯m feeling lousy-


    With tears running down his face, he struck his chest with his 1st obviously drunk.

 Chapter 482

    Chapter 482


    Chapter 482


    Dn and Kevan had known each other for over a decade, but this was the first time Or had seen


    him in such a sorry state.


    in Dn¡¯s memory, Kevan was always calm andposed. No matter what challenges heced, he


    was unshakable.


    Naturally, Dn knew how close Kevan was to his grandfather, allowing him to empathize with Kevan¡¯s


    overwhelming emotions.


    In the end. Dn stopped trying to advise Kevan. He could only look on helplessly as Kevan drank


    himself into a stupor and cked out


    on the sofa.


    As Kevan was tall and well-built, it was impossible for


    Dn to carry him out on his own. Furthermore, he waspletely unconscious.


    Dn asked the staff to bring in some nkets so that they could spend the night in the private room.


    The shock cl Rnd¡¯s death was too great, causing Kevan to suddenly develop a high lever in the


    middle of the right.


    He started speaking incoherently, mumbling his grandfather¡¯s and Larissa¡¯s names with an anguished


    expression on his face as tears rolled down his cheeks.


    Dn was worried about Kevan, and he was a Fight sleeper, to begin with,


    Awakened by Kevan¡¯s mumbling. Dn couldn¡¯t help but leal a pang of sadness and helplessness


    when he saw Kevan sullering from grief rurn in his sleep.


    He was so distraught, and yet Dn couldn¡¯t do anything to help him.


    At this critical juncture. Kevan definitely couldn¡¯t go to the hospital


    The cun ning rtives of the Rogers family would be able to guess that he fell sick due to the


    aftershock of Rnd¡¯s death.


    Dn asked the staff for some paracetamol and a bucket of ice. After giving Kevar the medication, he


    used the ice to cool his body down and bring down his body temperature.


    It wasn¡¯t until four or five in the morning when Kevan finally fell asleep and stopped mumbling


    incoherently.


    Dn sat down, feeling drained. He was already exhausted, but he couldn¡¯t fall asleep no maller what.


    He sent a mess


    a message to a doctor he knew asking him toe over as soon as p


    as possible with some medical supplies.


    With Kevan¡¯s condition, he needed heavier medicine to finally put Dn¡¯s mind at ease.


    Kevan¡¯s biological clock was sill working well even though he waspletely drunk.


    The next morning, he opened his eyes at 8 am sharp,


    His throbbing head tell as if it was going to explode and it seemed like there was a line burning in his


    chest, making Kevan thirst for water to quench the heat.


    Kewan lilted his hand and saw an IV dilp and needle liked securely to the back of his hand with tape.


    Dn had not moved an inch from Kevan¡¯s side sincest night.


    When he saw that Kevan was finally awake, he reminded him, ¡°Don¡¯t move so that you don¡¯t dislodge


    the needle identally.¡±


    Kevan obedientlyid down and asked in a hoa rse voice, ¡°What happenedst night?¡±


    Probably due to drinking too much alcohol in such a short Lime, his throat felt parched and dry.


    Speaking was ufortable and hurt his throat.


    ¡°You had a trally bad lever. It was as high as 103 degreesst night. I told you to not drink so much, but


    you wouldn¡¯t stent Dn said. feeling it at ease.


    Kavan¡¯s headache worsened when he heard Dn¡¯s nagging.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± he interrupted Dn. ¡°Pour me a ss of water.¡±


    W


    Kevan sat up and leaned against the back of the sofa to drink, however, the cup slipped from his hands


    as he was still groggy from the


    high fever,


    Most of the water spilled on his clothes and on the sofa.


    Dn cursed and grabbed some tissues to dry Revan¡¯s clothes for him, but Kevan stopped him


    midway


    ¡°I do it myself,¡± Kevan said calmly.This is from N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 483

    Chapter 483


    Chapter 483


    ¡°Even in this sorry state, why are you still unable to ovee that annoying habit of yours?¡± Dn


    rolled his eyes in annoyance.


    Lowering his head. Kevan grunted in agreement and took the tissues to dry up the water stains on his


    clothes slowly.


    He struggled to finish the rest of the water, wetting his dry and cracked lips.


    ncing at the bag above his hand, he asked Dn, ¡°How much longer until the IV is over?¡±


    There was still hall of the liquid left in the bag.


    ¡°About half an hour,¡± Dn replied. ¡°Alex went out for a smoke, but he¡¯ll be back soon to remove the


    IV.¡±


    Dn was referring to a doctor friend of his, Alexander Wade


    Alex was working as the head of a department at a hospital and hadn¡¯t put in an IV drip for many years.


    ¡°Why did you call Alex here?¡± Kevan fumowed his brows slightly. ¡°Wasn¡¯t he busy with the restructuring


    of the hospital¡¯s management recently?¡±


    ¡°What else could I do? Dn fixed his sses. ¡°You can¡¯t go to the hospital and I don¡¯t trust other


    doctors toe here. Calling my only choice.¡±


    Kevan shut up and didn¡¯t say anything more.


    Alex returned quickly after finishing his cigarette


    ¡°You woke up so soon?¡± he said in greeting.


    Kevan mustered up a slight smile as his response.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you speed up the infusion?¡± Kevan asked.


    was


    ¡°Of course not.¡± Alexsat down beside Dn, ¡°I could, I would¡¯ve done it already! I need to get back to


    the hospital as soon as possible!¡± ¡°What?¡± Dn raised his eyebrows and looked at Alex with


    suspicion. ¡°When were you so enthusiastic about work? I heard that ever since you became the head


    of your department, you¡¯re never at the hospital outside of working hours! What¡¯s more, you don¡¯t


    ept walk¨Cin patients you could help it.¡±


    Alexmented, ¡°Didn¡¯t tell you that the hospital management is undergoing a restructuring? Thats my


    chance to get promoted to a higher position! Besides, I just received news that a bigshot is going to be


    admitted into our department as a patient this moming. He is definitely someone influential as the


    general manager of the Winston Hotel escorted him to the hospital in person. It can establish a good


    rtionship with this patient and convince him to sponsor our department with some expensive


    machines, my promotion will be


    secured


    Despite Alex¡¯s long¨Cwinded answer, Kevan¡¯s interest was piqued when Larissa¡¯s job as the general


    manager of the Winston Hotel was


    mentioned.


    ¡°Call now and find out who that patient really is.¡± Kevan narrowed his eyes.


    Although he knew that Larissa was likely escorting a high¨Cprofile guest from the hotel, what it it was not


    the case?


    He would never allow any mishap to happen to Larissa.


    ¡°Now?¡± Alex was puzzled. ¡°Why do you want to ask this? Do you know the quest personally?¡±


    Dn nudged him with his elton impatiently. ¡°Stop with the pointless challer and just make the call¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not your employee. Why should I do whatever you tell me? Alex protested in annoyance. rushed


    over here early in the morning with medical supplies and you¡¯ve not even thanked me for my efforts!¡±


    This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.


    ¡°Thank you so much, Dr. Wade!¡± Dn humored him immediately. ¡°Make the call right now and find


    out. Once you¡¯ve received Information regarding his identity, Microworks Corporation will sponsor two


    new machines for your hospital tomorrow. Deal?¡±


    Alex quickly took out his phone. ¡°Deal! You¡¯d better not go back on your word


    1/2


    upation is currently unknown. He was brought to the hospital due to a seizure and is currently


    resting in the VIP ward. Besides the general manager of the Winston Hotel there is also another young


    man in his thirties with him. He seems to be Gary¡¯s assistant.¡±


    ¡°Gary?¡± Kevan lelt like he had heard that name before but couldn¡¯t recall where he heard it.


    was Dn who reminded him. ¡°Isn¡¯t he the CEO of Blue Star Shipping? Thepany is currently


    negotiating a partnership with Soaring Corporation, Gary went to the Regal Dynasty Hotel in the first


    ce and requested the presidential suite, however, he ended up going to The Winston Hotel because


    Cody upied the suite to fool around with C¨Clist celebrities and actresses.¡±

 Chapter 484

    Chapter 484


    Chapter 484


    Kevan was aware of the prospective partnership between Sue Star Shipping and Sparing Corporation


    He had people keeping an eye on Cody¡¯s every move. Each action that Cody look was reported to


    Kevan in a timely manner.


    However, he didn¡¯t pay much attention to this matter.


    Over the past lewyears Cody had been throwing money at different imvestments.


    Thanks to Kevan puling some strings behind the scenes, most of Cody¡¯s ventures ended up failing,


    resulting in a loss of billions of dors.


    Cody himsell didn¡¯t have that much personal wealth to invest


    Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    He invested in those ventures using the name of Sparing Corporation and embezzled funds from the


    company.


    Now that all of them incurred huge losses. Cody had no way to repay the money he¡¯d embezzled.


    The board of directors in Soaring Corporation had started to question Cody about the delict in their


    ount books.


    Because of tris, Cody was struggling financially and had been desperate for ways to raise more money.


    Naturally, Kevan wouldn¡¯t let go of this golden opportunity.


    He sent people to brainwash Cody, persistently encouraging him to engage in smuggling operations so


    that he could make enormous gains in a short period of time.


    Kevan knew that Cody was easily manipted by the words of others, otherwise he wouldn¡¯t have


    been deceived so many times.


    When Cody saw that this n seemed too good to be true, he finally made up his mind to take the risk.


    For that purpose. Cody registered a paperpary engaging in international trade and hired more than


    ten employees to make thepany seem legitimate.


    Aher that, he began negotiating deals with major shippingpanies.


    It didn¡¯t matter which shippingpany Cody partnered up with,


    What Kevan neededi to ensure that the cboration was a sess.


    Following that he would enjoy watching Cody fall from grace and let him taste the billerness of utter


    despair.


    However, Kewan didn¡¯t expect Lanssa to be involved with Gary Logan.


    The most important thing right now was to carry whether Larissa had a personal rtionship with Gary


    aside from work.


    Otherwise, she might me himter if Gary was Implicated as a consequence of Cody getting caught.


    ¡°After this. I go to the hospital with you,¡± Krvan said to Alex


    Alex widened his eyes. ¡°Didn¡¯t Dn say that you can I go to the hospital?


    Kevan replied calmly, Tim just going to visit someone¡±


    Larissa had been having a busy moming.


    On her way to drop Aster off at his kindergarten, she received a call from the manager of the


    housekeeping department.


    She informed her that the quest in the president al sulte had a seizure and an ambnce had been


    called for.


    Larissa had witnessed Gary having a seizure before, so she knew how serious his condition could be.


    Fortunately, ho assistant was with him, so there wouldn¡¯t be any immediate danger for the time being.


    She instructed the manager to wall on standby in case she couldn¡¯t reach the hotel bolore the


    ambnce arrived.


    If that happened, the manager needed to represent the hotel and apany Gary to the hospital,


    taking care of any expenses incurred.


    Fortunately, the kindergarten wasn¡¯t too far from the hotel, Larissa¡¯s driver floored the pas pedal and


    brought her to the holel belore the


    1/2


    Gary¡¯s condition had slightly improved after taking his medication. When he knew that the ambnce


    was on its way, he instructed his assistant ¡°Go downstairs and wait. When the ambnce arrives, ask


    them to go back to the hospital without me. Remember to pay them whatever is required.¡±


    Larissa frowned upon hearing this.


    Gary was grimacing from the pain and his face was deathly pale.


    ¡°It¡¯s better if you go to the hospital for a check¨Cup.¡± Larissa tried to persuade him.


    Gary forced a smile. ¡°There¡¯s no need. I just need a good rest here at the hotel¡±


    ¡°That won¡¯t do.¡± Larissa¡¯s lone was firm. The hotel is responsible for every guest¡¯s well¨Cbeing.¡±


    She stopped the assistant who was about to leave. ¡°Help me bring your boss downstairs.¡±


    Hesitating, the assistant nced back and forth between Larissa and Gary.


    Gary was staring in Larissa¡¯s direction, but it seemed as if he wasn¡¯t truly looking at her.


    Gradually, his eyes zed over.


    ¡°Mr. Logan?¡± his assistant¡¯s voice brought Gary back to his senGIL

 Chapter 485

    Chapter 485


    Chapter 485


    Gary¡¯s body jolted as if he were awakened from a dream.


    Immediately, the sadness and nostalgia in his eyes disappeared in a Bash


    I


    He smiled helplessly and said, ¡°Alright, listen to your advice.¡±


    The assistant¡¯s jaw dropped open with surprise.


    This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.


    When Gary shot him a warning ne, he quickly regained hisposure and put on a pokerce.


    Gary got into the ambnce, apanied by his assistant and Larissa.


    When they arrived at the hospital, the doctor conducted a brief examination and quickly came to a


    conclusion.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing major to be worried about. Just make sure to take your medication on time, avoid


    excessivetique, and don¡¯t put too much pressure on yourself.¡±


    Gary looked at Larissa triumphantly. ¡°See what did I say


    Larissa used her lips, but Gary¡¯s assistant interrupted her before she could speak. ¡°Mr. Logan, since


    you¡¯re already at the hospital why not stay for observation and undergo a lew more tests?


    Gary frowned as he thought his assistant was going overboard.


    However, his assistant ignored Gary¡¯s displeasure and continued tattling to Larissa. ¡°I¡¯m a bit


    concerned since Mr. Logan had two


    seizures yesterday. The attacks are bing more frequent than before.¡±


    Larissa¡¯s heart almost stopped when she heard this


    With a dark expression on his face, Gary scolded his assistant, ¡°Lewis, you¡¯re getting too big for your


    boots.¡±


    Trembling, the assistant beseeched her, ¡°Ms. Seymour, please convince Mr. Logan to undergo the


    tests. He never listens to my advice!


    ¡°Lewis Logan!¡± Cut of anger, Gary raised his voice unintentionally,


    The assistant stared at Larissa, his eyes pleading.


    Larissa nodded. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll go get the doctor.¡±


    ¡°Larissa Gary reached out to stop her, but his fingertips only managed to grase her clothes before she


    slipped away.


    Watching as she ran out of the room, Gary let out a deep sigh


    When he was reminded of Lewis¡¯s defiance, his expression became stem agai


    Tuming to Lewis, he chided him in a serious tone. ¡°Lewis, how could you overstep your boundaries


    without my permission?¡±


    ¡°Uncle Gary, I just want to care for you as your nephew!¡±


    It had been a long time since Lewis addressed Gary as his uncle.


    Taken aback, the fine lines in Gary¡¯s face softened slightly.


    ¡°Unless your daughter is found, you are my only living rtive and vice versa. I don¡¯t want anything bad


    to happen to your Lewis implored with genuine concern.


    Gary maintained a stern look on his face, but his lone sounded warmer this time, ¡°Alright, you can care


    for me, but don¡¯t trouble other people in the future,¡±


    Lewis quickly realized who he was referring to.


    ¡°You seem to favor that manager, Ms. Seymour,¡± Lewis pointed out bluntly. Is it because she saved


    your life or is it because she resembles your daughter?


    ¡°Resembles my daughter?¡± Garyughed bitterly. ¡°I¡¯ve only seen my daughter once, right after she was


    bom. How would I know I she resembles my daughter or not?¡±


    At that moment, Gary was looking at Larissa, but it seemed as the was reminiscing about someone


    from long ago.


    ¡°I was reminded of that woman.¡± Gary¡¯s expression turned cold.


    Larissa¡¯s assertiveness bore a close resemnce to that woman, even to the point where he could see


    traces of her mannerisms in


    Larissa¡¯s actions.


    Gary himself was startled at the sudden thought that came to his mind.


    ¡°Lewis he called out anxiously.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Lewis thought that Gary was feeling unwell again and quickly stepped forward to help


    him sit up.


    With a trembling hand, Gary gripped Lewis¡¯s arm tightly and hissed through gritted teeth. ¡°You need to


    help me with something ¡ª*

 Chapter 486

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    Chapter 486


    After Larissa had arranged for Gary to be admitted to the hospital and ensured that he hadpleted


    all the necessary examinations, she let the hospital


    Shortly after her departure. Alex went to meet Gary.


    Since he just suffered from a seizure. Gary wasn¡¯t feeling too well


    In addition, he had to go to different departments in different buildings of the hospital for his


    examinations.


    After getting poked and prodded at, Gary copsed on the hospital bed out of exhaustion.


    However, when he heard the sound of the door opening. Gary opened his eyes groggily.


    Initially, Gary thought that Alex was a doctoring to check up on him as he was wearing a white


    coat, so Gary forced himself to sit up.


    He did not expect to be greeted with an ingratiating smile on Alex¡¯s face as he approached the bed.


    ¡°Nice to meet you, Mr. Logan!¡±


    Gary was momentarily taken aback by Alex¡¯s effusive greeting, but the expression on his face


    remained nonchnt as he was used to people trying to curry favor with him.


    With a faint smile, Gary replied, ¡°Nice to meet you too.¡±


    Alex stretched out his hand for a handshake and introduced himself. ¡°I¡¯m the head of this department,


    Alexander Wade.¡±


    Gary shook his hand gently and asked, ¡°Dr. Wade, is there something you need from me?¡±


    There was much that Alex wanted to say, but when he remembered that someone else was waiting


    behind him, he had to put his personal issues aside first


    Tuming back, Alex muttered, ¡°It¡¯s not me, but a friend of mine who is here to see you.¡±


    Gary furrowed his brows. It was one thing for hospital staff to tter him and try to get into his good


    books. However, it was another matter entirely to leak information about his stay in the hospital and


    allow outsiders into his ward freely.


    Feeling annoyed, Gary was about to drive all of them out when he noticed the man standing behind


    Alex


    In that instant, Gary was at a loss for words.


    After Soaring Corporation extended its willingness to partner up with Blue Star Shipping, Gary


    thoroughly investigated thepany.


    Although Kevan didn¡¯t seek out the limelight like his cousins, he wasn¡¯tpletely out of the picture


    either,


    Regarding Kewan¡¯s public Information, Gary knew him well.


    At present Microworks Corporation and Blue Star Shipping had no connection whatsoever,


    However, it didn¡¯t mean that there wouldn¡¯t be potential for future partnerships.


    Naturally, Gary wanted to be courteous to Kevan.


    N?velDrama.Org owns this text.


    ¡°Who is this? Looking at Kevan, Gary asked offhandedly, but there was no hostility in his tone.


    Tm


    Kevan stepped forward with a slight smile. ¡°Im Mr. Rogers, Cody¡¯s cousin, I¡¯m working at Soaring


    Corporation as well I heard that you were admitted into the hospital, so I came on behall of the


    company to visit you.¡±


    Kevan was disguising himself as a representative of Soaring Corporation as he didn¡¯t want to reveal his


    true identity.


    Gary was caught off guard by Revan¡¯s unexpected introduction of himself


    From what he knew after Kevan got injured and fell into aa six years ago, his influence within


    Soaring Corporation gradually diminished Amough the shield a position in thepany, he had to say


    in thepany¡¯s affairs.


    Yet he imed to visit Gary on behalf of thepany


    No matter how he racked his brain, Gary could figure out Kevan¡¯s true intentions foring here.


    However, since Kevan introduced himself in this manner, Gary decided to go along with it


    ¡°I see, thank you for your concem, Mr. Rogers,¡± he replied, nodding slightly,


    Kevan gestured to Aps, who reluctantly left the ward.


    Once they were alone, Kevan pulled up a chair and sat by Gary¡¯s bed naturally, as if he were in his own


    home.


    ¡°How¡¯s your health?¡± Kevan started the conversation with this question,


    With a lock of concem on his face, he seemed like he genuinely came to visit a pallent al te hospital.


    Gary replied with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m fine, it¡¯s just some chronic aliments acting up. To be honest, I didn¡¯t need


    to be hospitalized, but ¡ª my assistant made a huge fuss and insisted that I stayed back for a thorough


    examination.¡±


    He was about to mention Larissa¡¯s name when he realized that Kevan wouldn¡¯t know her, that¡¯s why he


    switched mid¨Csentence.


    Kevan echoed slilly, ¡°Yes, it would be prudent to have a ful check¨Cup, just to be sure.¡±

 Chapter 487

    Chapter 487


    Chapter 487


    Gary chuckled awkwardly, and the conversation came to an abrupt end.


    The two men felsient, making the atmosphere more awkward.


    Changing the toolc, Kevan said, ¡°I heard that this time you¡¯re staying at the Winston Hotel instead of


    the Regal Dynasty Hole?


    Although Gary was currently relieved that he was staying at Winston Hotel, he wasn¡¯t pleased when he


    was informed that the presidential suite of Regal Onasty Hotel had been upied.


    The smile in his eyesded and he replied indiferently. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    Kevan immediately noticed the slight change in Gary¡¯s emotions as he was skilled at reading the


    expressions on people¡¯sces.


    ¡°What an idiel te is!¡± Kevan couldn¡¯t help but utter ornities under his breath at Cody¡¯s kolishness,


    despite having cursed Cody countess times before this.


    Although Cody was clinging on to the partnership with Blue Star Shipping as his lifeline, he didn¡¯t even


    care to visit the CEO himself.


    Kevan had reason to believe that even the did nothing, Cody would bring the Soaring Corporation to


    complete destruction within just one Dr two years.


    However, he couldn¡¯t wait that long.


    Kevan quickly apologized on Cody¡¯s behal. ¡°The presidential suite at Regal Dynasty Hotel has been


    upied by a quest for an extended stay, it¡¯s not that our CFO failed to reserve the suite for you.


    Anyways, I¡¯m truly sorry for the inconvenience.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Gary waved his hand dismissively.


    Even if he had grievances against Cody, he wouldn¡¯t direct that anger toward Kevan.


    ¡°To express our acologies and sincerity for the uing partnership. Soaring Corporation will take


    care of all your expenses during your stay in Bartham, including the hotel and hoselial expenses.¡±


    Kevan added.


    Gary declined as he did notck the money. ¡°That¡¯s not necessary. Besides, the respital expenses were


    already paid lot by the generall manager of the Winston Hotel, Ms. Seymour.¡±


    Coincidentally, Kevan was struggling with how to bring up the topic of Larissa.


    When he heard Gary¡¯s words he picked up on it immediately. ¡°Ws. Seymour? I¡¯m Iriends with her.¡±


    He deliberately said it in a way to imply that they were close.


    Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    Since Kevan no longer had a significant role in Soaring Corporation, Gary hadn¡¯t sent people to


    investigate his personal ile Naturaly, he didn¡¯t know about Kevan¡¯s past with Larissa.


    Gary¡¯s eyes lip with interest when he heard that Kevan and Lanssa were friends,


    Staring straight at Kevan, Gary asked curiously. ¡°Are you close to Larissa?


    Kevan nodded. ¡°We¡¯re qube close, but I¡¯m more Tamr with her son.¡±


    He could tell Gary was unusually concerned about Larissa.


    He wasn¡¯t sure if Gary was interested in Larissa as a woman, thus he brought up her son deliberately


    as a precaution.


    However, there was not a hint of surprise or deaction on Gary¡¯sce. This indicated that he had already


    known about Larissa having a son,


    ¡°Well are you acquainted with her family? Sting up, Gary asked anxiously, ¡°I mean, ctherrly members


    besides her son.¡±


    Aware of his current status as an amnesiac. Kevan shook his head. ¡°I only know her son.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Shoulders stumped Gary leaned back on els plow. His eyes had lost their sparkle,


    Lost in thought, Kevan tacked his brains for an answer when he observed Gary¡¯s event


    disappointment.


    It seemed that Gary was more interested in finding out more about Larissa¡¯s family than Larissa hersel


    Considering Gary¡¯s age, he would be acquainted with someone from the older generation.


    Was he a friend of Yvette? Or was he friends with Lar ssa¡¯s father, whose Identity was sunknown?


    Kevan knew that he needed to send people and investigate the answer to these buming questions.


    Gary was really connected to Larissa¡¯s family, his n would be at stake.


    Kevan pressed his lips together as his gaze darkened.

 Chapter 488

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    Chapter 488


    Shortly aber Larssant.med to the hotel, she heard the news of Rnd¡¯s passing.


    With Rnd¡¯s status and influence, every move that he made garnered considerable allenton, even


    though he had already taken a backseat from hispany¡¯s affairs


    Understandably, his sudden death dropped a bomb on the whole country.


    Sincest night many important figures of the business world had rushed to Fine Mansion and caused


    extensive congestion in that area. drawingints from neighbors living nearby.


    Simthy arous media outlets and govemment departments received numerousnts over the


    phone regarding the slow¨Cmoving


    Although the Winston Hotel was considered a rival to the Regal Dynasty Hotel more than hall of their


    management had jumped ship from the Regal Dynasty or other hotels and resorts under the Soaring


    Corporation. They still it a sense of gratitude toward their lormer employer.


    Even though most of them had never seen Roard in person during their employment, they expressed


    shock and sorrow upon hearing the awful news.


    Larissa was no exception.


    On top of that, her emotions were moreplicated then most.


    She had personaly met Rnd and had pleasant memories with him, despite the unfavorable oue.


    When she heard the news, tears welled up in hereses, and harnose got stuffy. For a moment, her


    vision became a blur,


    Larissa quickly suppressed her feelings.


    Among other things, what she cared most about at the moment was Kevan¡¯s corditon.


    Although she hadn¡¯t had much interaction with Rnd she could clearly see that Kevan was his


    favorite among all his grandchildren.


    They were particrly close.


    Larissa had never personally experienced the death of a loved one, because she didn¡¯t have anyone


    she would consider a loved one in This world.


    She could imagine what Kevan was going through at the moment.


    However she didn¡¯t dare to disturb him and made a chone call to Dn instead. ¡°I heard that Old Mr.


    Rogers of Soaring Corporation passed away.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t you address him as your grandfather? At the very least, you used to be his granddaughter¨Cin¨C


    law. Why make things so awkward?¡± Dn teased hall¨Cjokingly.


    Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    When Larissa heard his Fahl¨Chearted tone, she fell a sight bit of relict Kevan¡¯s concilion shouldn¡¯t be


    too bad.


    ¡°That¡¯s all in the past. There was no expression on Larissa¡¯sce, but her eyes were led with sonow.


    Lets get to the point. We have several employees who had worked within Soaring Corporation for a


    long time. They would like to pay their respects to Old Mr. Rogers. Besides, we want to offer


    condolences on behalf of curpany. you don¡¯t mind, could you tell me the time and location of the


    funeral?¡±


    ¡°The funeral is held at Pine Mansion. Since you know where it is, just go there directly,¡± Dn said.


    ¡°Alright, thank you!


    Larissa thought for a moment and asked, ¡°How Is Kevan cooing?¡±


    Dn tell the urge to reveal everything that had happened when he recalled Kewan¡¯s drunken state


    last night.


    However, Keyan¡¯s stem instructions from this morning echoed in his ear and Dn smiled sadly


    instead. ¡°He¡¯s line. You know he has annesa so Od Mr. Rogers is no different from a stranger to him.¡±


    Taken aback by what she heard, Larissa Tell a strong wave of griel wash over her


    1/2


    would be a hundred lold more than what he was experiencing now.


    Larissa and a few others discussed it briefly and decided to go to Pine Mansion in the afternoon.


    The surrounding roads were still heavily congested and several traffic police officers were directing


    traffic from the middle of the road.


    The alleyways around Pine Mansion were closed off and no cars were allowed to enter.


    Fortunately, Larissa and her colleagues had the lores ght to take the subway instead of driving there,


    so they arrived at their destination without any trouble.


    Although it was alreadyte in the afternoon, there was still a huge crowd at Pine Mans on who came


    to pay their respects


    Among them were many familiar faces andmeus seeple that Larissa had seen before on the


    television or in newspapers.


    Now that she had the chance to walk with them side by side, Larissa felt strange, as il se had gone into


    another dimension.


    Entering Pine Mansion, the first person Larissa saw was Ben, the butler.


    He had been receiving quests all day long, pulcing them in the right direction.


    Larissa had expected him to remember her.

 Chapter 489

    Chapter 489


    Chapter 489


    ¡°Young Mrs. Rogers?¡± Ben widened his eyes in disbeliel.


    Everyone nearby timed around, staring at Larissa curiously.


    Embara ssed, Larissa blushed crimson.


    It was impossible for her to pretend that she hadn I heard him, so Larissa had no choice but to deny it.


    ¡°You must have mistaken me for


    someone else.¡±


    Den opened his mouth to say that he hadn¡¯t made a mistake when he noticed Larissa making frantic


    gestures with her eyes.


    Grasping the stuation, he changed his words wisely,¡± seems so, I¡¯m getting old, so my eyesight isn¡¯t


    what it used to be.¡±


    Larissa immediately breathed a sigh of relief


    Ben informed Larissa and her group. ¡°The funeral service is being held at the main hal,¡±


    When the others left, Ben pulled Larissa site and whispered to her discreetly, ¡°You should go to see Old


    Mr. Rogers for thest time. His


    coffin is ced in his bedroom. He probably wants to see you too.¡±


    Athough Larssa highly doubted that it was the tru:¡±, che agreed nheless. ¡°Alright¡±


    went to the funeral service list.


    Both the inside and outside of the main hall were decorated with flower weaths sent by guests.


    Arge ck and white portrait of Rnd was hung on the center of the wall.


    Below the portrat was a registry table with arge registration book.


    The pages of the registration book were scribbled with names of guests and messages of condolences.


    The members of the Rogers family stood beside theble, expressing their gratitude to every guest


    who came up to them.


    Larissa¡¯s gaze swept across them. She noticed Anthony, Violel Bemard, Felby, and their families were


    all present, except for Kewan


    She was a le surprised by his absence.


    Even if he had amnesia and couldn¡¯t remember his grandfather, he shouldn¡¯t be absent from such an


    important asion.


    Did something timble happen!


    Lost in thought she waspletely distracted by Keven¡¯s absence.


    Absent-minded. she followed her colleagues and approached the Rogers family, unaware of their


    appalled looks and perplexed gars


    when they recognized her


    ¡°Lar!¡± Viclel grabbed her hand fears welling up in her eyes. ¡°How kind of you toe!¡±


    Her apologatic expression had a hint of awkwardness to


    Larissa realized that Volet had misunderstood and ntied quickly. ¡°I came here as a representative of


    the Winston Hotel.¡±


    The flower wreath she sent on behalf of the Winston Hotel was ced outside of the main tall.


    Hesitating for a minute. Violet hid the disappointment on herce and covered it up with a smile. ¡°I see.


    Regardless of why you¡¯vee. your presence would make Falher very happy.¡±


    She epted a t candle from Edmund.


    Janoring his tuming gaze, Larissa stood by Rnd¡¯s portrail and held a minule cl silence to pay her


    respects.


    Task aplished.


    ¡°We should make a move now.¡± Larissa said to Violet.


    ¡°So soon? Violet replied reluctantly. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to have ast glimpse of Father in Is bedroom


    before you leave?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t Father say that after his death, no one aside hommily members could see his body?¡± Maria


    sized Larissa up with a disdantul look. ¡°She hashing to do with ourm ly anymore. If you let her


    see his body, arent you afraid that Father will not be able to rest in peace?


    Maria¡¯s impolite words triggered Violet and mate her anger are up immediately.


    Larissa quickly stand between both of them, sees no that another fight seemed to be brawing.


    She stopped Violet saying ¡°Ma¡¯am, I can¡¯t go unfertunately. My colleagues will be waiting for me, and I


    have to retum with them.¡±This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.

 Chapter 491

    Chapter 491


    Chapter 491


    Cody retaliated immediately. ¡°Don¡¯t act like you¡¯re so innocent! You know very well that the reason you


    got together with me was because


    of my wealth! That¡¯s why you had no qualms about breaking up with your long-term boyfriend back


    then! We got together for ulterior matives of cur own, so you have no one to me for this! If you had


    been meek and obedient, I wouldn¡¯t mind keeping you as my wife, I¡¯d


    just have thought of it as raising a pel!¡±


    ¡°F uck you Cody You¡¯re the dog! No, you¡¯re a b astard! You despicable b astard Lana¡¯s sharp voice


    almost broke as she screeched in


    despair.


    ¡°If I¡¯m a b astard, what does that make you? A promiscuous sl ut?¡± Cody refused to back down.


    Despite the somber selling, their insults became increasingly vulgar, making the onlookers frown with


    disapproval


    Anthony stepped forward when he couldn¡¯t bear this any longer. ¡°Both of you, shut up immediately!¡±


    His authoritativemand silenced Lana and Cody instantly.


    N?velDrama.Org owns this text.


    ¡°If you want to quarel do it outside! What a disgrace to cause amotion here and disrespect the


    dead?¡±


    It was a rare urrence that Bernard finally agreed with Anthony on something.


    ¡°Cody, you should aways keep your dignified status in mind! Why should you stoop to the level of these


    uncivilized barbarians?¡±


    ¡°Who are you calling uncivilized? Take a good look at the sc umbag your son is! Alter he had enough of


    my daughter, he just discarded her like a used tissue! Are you proud of what he¡¯s done?¡±


    His eyes bloodshot, Xavier charged forward and swung his list, punching Bemard in the face.


    Xavier¡¯s attack plunged the scene into chaos immediately. Yvette and Maria also joined in the listlight,


    tearing at each other¡¯s clothes and


    hair.


    The air was filled with cries and shrieks of obscenities as they lought.


    Larissa was already a distance away, but when she heard Lana mention her name, she turned back


    Unexpectedly, she witnessed the whole spectacle..


    Compared to Bernard and Maria who were overweight. Xavier and Yvette were slender and smaller in


    size as they were careful with their


    diet.


    Soon, the two of them found themselves at a disadvantage in this tussle.


    Bernard rushed toward Xavier like a bull and sent him llying backward.


    Meanwhile, Maria pinned Yvelle down with her own weight.


    Yvette was helpless, unable to fight back as Ma continuously pped her on the cheek


    Standing outside, Larissa watched themotion unloid nonchntly.


    She was reminded of how Yvette treated her simrly in the past.


    At this moment, she felt no sympathy or pity for Yvelle.


    On the other hand, Larissa thought that Yvette¡¯s karma came ad toote.


    Aller so many years, only now did she finally experience the public humiliation and shame that she


    deserved.


    The guests in the main hall had all escaped outside. Some left hastly, while others yed back with


    Larissa to watch the drama,


    As Pine Mansion was closed off to traffic, there were police officers stationed everywhere in the area.


    It was unclear who called the police, but within two minutes, a team of police officers in uniform entered


    the main hall and forcefully stopped the fight.


    In the process of separating them, one of the police ollicers even got injured.


    1/2


    After listening to overdramatized testimonies of Remard and his family, the police didn¡¯t waste any time


    and physically evicted the Seymour family from Pine Mansion.


    As they were being dragged away by the police, Yvette was still cursing and shrieking. Herst words


    were a vicious threat, ¡°You just wait! We will take all of you down with us if necessary!¡¯

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    Chapter 492


    After the Seymour family left, Pine Mansion returned to its tranquil state.


    However, the guests¡¯ moods werepletely different from before.


    Rnd, the patriarch of the Rogers family was one of the most influential figures in the business world.


    He was also aplly described as a


    genius.


    Unfortunately, all three of his sons were mediocre in business management.


    His eldest son, Anthony, was slightly better than the other two, but only in terms of character. His


    intuition and shrewdness in conducting business werecking.


    Despite his three sons growing up and working within Soaring Corporation, Rnd still held the reins of


    thepany¡¯s management.


    He never truly relinquished control of Soaring Corporation until his death,


    The third generation of the Rogers family continued to deteriorate, probably due to their privileged


    background and upbringing.


    They were worse than their fathers¡¯ generation.


    Except for Kevan, all of Rnd¡¯s other grandsons ended up being useless yboys and freeloaders


    who mooched off the family¡¯s wealth.


    Rnd¡¯s close friends, who were mostly prominent businessmen, had described Kevan as the one who


    was destined to take over


    Rnd¡¯s position.


    Kevan¡¯s excellence and acumen were unmatched, so much so that Rnd had discreetly informed


    Anthony to groom Kevan as his


    sessor.


    And Kevan did not disappoint


    Even before graduating from university, he fourded Microworks Corporation from scratch and


    developed thepany so rapidly that it expanded to be a rival on Soaring Corporation¡¯s level.


    Everyone thought that Kevan would eventually inherit Soaring Corporation. However, no one could


    expect the series of cmities that


    would befall him.


    Six years ago, Kevan was shot and fell into aa.


    Bernard and Felix¡¯s families gradually built up the r influence within Soaring Corporation, driving out


    Anthony and putting Cody in his


    position.


    At that time, everyone thought that Soaring Corporation was finished.


    Moreover, some of Rnd¡¯s friends visited him personaly and gave him well-mearing advice to employ


    a professional manager to run the


    company.


    it would be a pily if his life¡¯s work were to be destroyed in the hands of his children.


    However, Rnd reassured them calmly. ¡°Everyone has their own lot in life. In another year or two, I


    will be gone and won¡¯t have to witness that happening with my own eyes.¡±


    Little did anyone know that he would be gone in less than a year.


    It was fortunate that Rnd was unable to witness the chaos caused by Cody at the funeral.


    if he knew, it would have driven him to an early grave!


    Anyone who knew Cody would describe him as a foolish idiot.


    He received poor grades all throughout school andiled to even meet the minimum requirements to


    enter college.


    Finally, Bernard sent him to a third-rate university overseas.


    He barely managed to graduate with a business degree, but Cody prided himself on returning from


    abroad.


    1/2


    Cody eamed a sry higher than 90% of the employees, but he didn¡¯t do any real work


    He spent his days wining and dining with a group of other rich scions.


    His most infamous scandal was when he rented a small ind in a neighboring country for his 25th


    birthday.


    Cody invited a group of third-rate celebrities and models from the entertainment industry to join him and


    his friends for his birthday.


    Under the influence of drugs, a few of the models posted videos that they had taken on Facebook,


    causing an uproar on the Inte.


    The Rogers family¡¯s reputation waspletely tamished and the stock prices of Soaring Corporation


    plummeted.


    Finally, Rnd ruthlessly kicked Bemard and Felix¡¯s families out from the top management in the


    headquarters to save the situation.


    It was not until extensive reforms were initiated within thepany and several major projects were


    launched that the stock prices stabilized and gradually rose back to their initia. levels.


    Everyone thought that after experiencing that catastrophic incident, Cody would turn over a new leaf


    and start afresh.


    Reality proved them wrong.


    Over the years, rumors regarding Cody¡¯s numerous afars with celebrities and influencers never


    stopped.


    In addition, Lana¡¯s words just now confirmed that he was truly rotten to the core.


    Inwardly, everyone had the same thought. ¡°II Cody were to take over Soaring Corporation¡¯s


    management no one would be willing to coborate with thepany ever again.¡±


    The risk was too great for anyone to beat.


    Atter witnessing the spectacle, Larissa urged her colleagues. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± N?velDrama.Org owns this text.

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    Chapter 493


    Gradually. Larissa¡¯s colleagues recovered from their shock just now and whispered among themselves.


    ¡°I never expected there would be such chaos within a prestigious family like the Rogers.¡±


    In fact, their curiosity was piqued when they heard Lana mention Larissa¡¯s name.


    However, Larissa was their superior. No matter how curious they were, they didn¡¯t dare lo inquire


    personally about her connection to the Rogers family.


    When she retumed to the hotel, it was almost time to pick Aster up from kindergarten.


    N?velDrama.Org owns this text.


    With a heavy heart, Larissa barely could muster up a smile when she saw Asler at kindergarten.


    Noticing her unusual state. Aster clung to Larissa¡¯s leg anxiously, asking over and over again, ¡°Mommy,


    what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Larissa caressed his head and exined. ¡°I¡¯m feeling a little sad as one of Mommy¡¯s elderly rtives


    passed away.¡±


    Aster knew what she meant.


    He immediately quietened down and held Larissa¡¯s hand lightly.


    ¡°Mommy, don¡¯t be sad. Those who have passed away will always be with you as stars in the sky,¡± Aster


    comforted her, repeating the same


    words that she had said to him before.


    Larissa couldn¡¯t help but smile at his solemn expression.


    your own good!¡±


    She pinched his nose yfully. ¡°You¡¯re getting too smart for your


    Larissa wasn¡¯t in the mood to cook dinner, so she decided to order takeout.


    Aster became increasingly worried when he saw Larissa slumped Estlessly on the couch, staring


    nkly at the television.


    He sneaked back to his room and called Kevan. ¡°Uncle Kevan, pleasee over quickly. Something¡¯s


    wrong with Mommy!¡±


    Kevan was on his way to Pine Mansion after hearing about themotion that the Seymour family had


    caused earlier in the afternoon..


    However, when Aster¡¯s phone call came, he immediately instructed his driver, ¡°Turn back to my house.¡±


    The driver swillly turned the car around.


    In a gentle voice, Kevan asked Aster, ¡°What happened to your mommy?¡±


    He couldn¡¯t help feeling anxious as Aster¡¯s lone sounded like something terrible had urred to


    Larissa.


    ¡°One of Mommy¡¯s elderly rtives passed away, and she¡¯s really sad.¡± Aster¡¯s eyes welled up with


    tears. ¡°She¡¯s so sad that she won¡¯t even


    cook dinner for me.¡±


    It was evident how deeply affected she was.


    The only elderly rtive that Kevan could think of who had passed away was Rnd, his grandfather.


    During their phone call, Violet briefly mentioned Larissa¡¯s visit to the funeral.


    Immediately, she realized her slip of the tongue and quickly changed the topic.


    Kevan hadn¡¯t expected that Larissa would appear at his grandfather¡¯s luneral Moreover, she was so


    devastated at his passing..


    dat his passion


    omar the wat


    Ever since Larissa returned to Caldor, she had tried to avoid meeting him as much as possible and


    kept her distance from anyone


    associated with him.


    However, it seemed that she wasn¡¯t as heartless as she tried to portray hersell.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be there right away.¡± Kevan told Aster, lk to your mommy and try to cheer her up, okay?¡±


    Aster hesitated for a moment. ¡°But, it doesn¡¯t seem like she wants to talk to me.¡±


    Seeing Larissa in this depressed state, Aster fell sorry for her, but he had no idea how tofort her.

 Chapter 494

    Chapter 494


    Chapter 494


    Content provided by N?velDrama.Org.


    Larissa thought she was seeing things when she saw Kevan through the peephole of the door. She


    wondered why was the here instead of at Rnd¡¯s funeral service. She opened the door with confusion


    and asked after sling up Kevan from head to toe, ¡°Do you need


    something?¡±


    He appeared unusually calm, and there was not a hint of sadness in his deep¨Csel eyes, as if he was


    unaffected by the passing of his grandfather.


    She was about to give him her condolences, but she swallowed back her words since there was no


    need for them in his case.


    ¡°My mom said you went to the funeral¡± Kevan watched her carefully. She looked normal, not as


    heartbroken or lost as Aster had described, which put his mind at ease.


    Larissa hummed in acknowledgment and waited for him to continue.


    ¡°A lot was going on at the time, so my mom didn¡¯t have time to see you off. She¡¯s very sorry about it.¡±


    He couldn¡¯t sell Aster out so he made up an excuse, and continued, ¡°I¡¯m here to thank you and


    apologize on behalf of her.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, she was being too kind.¡± Larissa smiled.


    Kevan smiled back and chuckled. ¡°As long as you¡¯re not bothered by it¡®


    The two fell into an awkward silence, and locked eyes for a moment before Larissa asked. ¡°Are you


    alright?¡±


    Kevan lowered his gaze, trying to hide his emotions, and said in a light and hoarse voice. ¡°I don¡¯t feel


    much. As far as I know, the day my grandfather passed away was the first time I saw him.¡±


    In other words, his grandfather was aplete stranger to him. Larissa was at a loss for words. Words


    offort were unnecessary, and


    other topics were inappropriate in this situation


    ¡°Do you need to see your grandfather now?¡± she tried to change the subject.


    Kevan was quite reluctant to go. He would only be subjected to the scrutiny of the Rogers family and


    he had to constantly keep his guard up to avoid exposing his ws. I was just too tiring.


    The news of his grandfather¡¯s passing and the torment from the high fever had already thoroughly worn


    him out. Right now, all he wanted was to find a quiet ce and vent his emotions.


    ¡°No, I won¡¯t go.¡± He forced a bitter smile. 1 don¡¯t feel a sense of belonging there, and only be


    reprimanded by my uncles and aunts for being cold¨Cblooded and heartless.¡±


    He spoke casually, but it made Larissa feel extremely ufortable. He was not a bad person, hence


    he didn¡¯t need to bear such a bad


    reputation.


    ¡°If you¡¯re free, you can y with Aster for a while. He wants to y a game, but I¡¯m not very good at it.¡±


    She pursed her lips and lifted her


    gaze to meet his.


    Kevan was worried about not having an excuse he could use to stay, so naturally, he agreed in a


    heartbeat when she made this offer. ¡°Of


    course, no problem,¡±


    Aster immediately jumped and cheered when he heard about this from the living room. ¡°Oh yeah!¡±


    Kevan and Aster sat cross¨Clegged on the living room Noor, ying games while Larissa cul some hult


    for the two of them, brought out all the snacks she had hidden in the house, and ced them next to


    Kevan


    Aster watched with envy and said sulky. ¡°Mommy treats Uncle Kevan better than me.¡±


    Kevan was very amused and theers of his mouthed.


    Larissa red at Aster Indignantly and pinched his ear, asking ¡°Am I not nice to you?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the best Aster hurriedly replied. When Larissa let go of his ear, he pouted and said in a low


    voice, ¡°She forbids me from eating any


    handed it over. ¡°Go ahead,¡±

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    Chapter 495


    Aster was hes tant to take it due to Larissa¡¯s presence nearby. Seeing how carelut he was being.


    Larissa was upset but amused at the same time


    ¡°Go ahead and eat¡± she said. ¡°You can indulge yourself for a day for Uncle Kevan¡¯s sake¡±


    Aster¡¯s eyes brightened up at once, his eyes looking very much like stars in the sky.


    ¡°Uncle Kevan¡± He hugged Kevan¡¯s arm with a hopeful expression willen all over hisce. ¡°Can you


    come to our house every day?¡±


    Larissa poked Aster. ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it! Uncle Kevan¡¯s busy with work. How can hee and


    y with you every day?¡±


    Kevan could only smile quietly and shove his regrets into the depths of his heart.


    Aster¡¯s routine was oute regr. The moment it was 9 pm, he would voluntarily put his game controller


    down and go to bed obediently without needing Larissa to say anything.


    Kevan helbed Larissa to put away the bags of snacks scattered all over the floor as wel as put the


    game controller back where it belonged.


    *T be heading back now.¡± He retrieved his suit jacket from the s and took one step before Larissa


    called out ¡°Wait-¡±


    Her lips twitching. Larissa struggled with hersell for a bit before saving. ¡°Stay the night. You can sleep


    here.¡±


    Kevan¡¯s eyes widened in shock. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Dn¡¯s gone on a business trip. so he can¡¯t take care of you¡± Larissa exined helplessly.


    Earlier when Kevan and Aster were gaming together, Dn personally called and asked her if she


    knew where Kevan was because he¡¯d caled him several times but got no answer.


    Larissa naturally told him the truth.


    Relieved at once. Dn said. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s great that he¡¯s at your ce! Tell him that I¡¯ve got ast¨Cminute


    job that I need to fly back to Covenford for I won¡¯t be able to go to his home to take care of him.¡±


    Larissa found it odd and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why do you need to take care of him?¡±


    Dn proceeded to tell her about Kevan¡¯s fewer yesterday.


    She had on


    once witnessed just how serious a fever could get for Kevan, so she did not doubt Dn,


    ¡°Kevan has many werd habits, and I can¡¯t hire a caregiver for him either. If It¡¯s convenient could you


    take him for a night?¡± Dn requested aver from her.


    If this was before. Larissa would have relused, Fut as it was right now ¡ª to let him go home alone


    while ill¨CWell she couldn¡¯t bear to let him do that. After a lot of ruminating and hesitation, she eventually


    agreed to Dn¡¯s request.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Kevan nodded. He did not pretend to be courteous with her. ¡°Then I have to trouble you.¡± He had


    to treasure the opportunity that Dn had made so much effort to obtain for him.


    1Content provided by N?velDrama.Org.


    Larissa let him have her bedroom. ¡°I just squeeze in with Aster.¡± She took her phone charger and the


    clothes she would wear tomorrow before exiting the room. ¡°Il you need anything, call me.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Kevan brushed past her and entered the room. He hade over to her ce several times


    before, but this was his first time entering her bedroom.


    The apartment was rented to her by thepany, so the decor was not her style at at He could not see


    her personality anywhere. The only things in the room that belonged to her were probably the clothes in


    the closet and the skincare products arranged at the head of the bed.


    Kevan was not interested in these, and he never bothered to research them either. He look a quick


    shower andy on the bed with only a bath towel wrapped around him.


    She had just changed the sheets for him, and there was a thick scent ofvender emanating from


    them. He could not catch even a whiff of


    He closed his eyes but did not feel sleepy at all

 Chapter 496

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    Chapter 496


    Aster¡¯s room had a double bed too. It was more thar enough for an adult and a child to sleep together.


    Aster had fallen asleep earlier on, and Larissay on the other side of the bed, tossing and turning


    because she could not stop worrying about Kewan, who was sick.


    By midnight, she could not stop herself and got up from the bed. She carefully snuck over and opened


    the master bedroom door. The orange night light at the head of the bed was turned on, and she was


    able to clearly see Kevan¡¯s open eyes with its aid,


    Hearing the noise, he turned over to look. Their gazes locked, and an embarrassed smile appeared on


    Larissa¡¯s face.


    ¡°You¡¯re not asker yet? She entered the room and closed the door, but let it open by a crack instead of


    closing itpletely.


    Kevan sal up slowly, his voice sounding pitiful Head hurts. Can¡¯t sleep.¡±


    Larissa became alert at once. ¡°Do you still have a favor?¡± She took a few steps closer and fell his


    forehead with her hand.


    As she was in an air¨Cconditioned room for a long time, her hand was cold¨Cso cold that the temperature


    of it was lower than his. It was to the point that she could feel that his forehead was a lille hot


    ¡°Do you want some lever medication?¡± she asked anx cust,.


    Kevan¡¯s lever had long since gone down, so he naturally did not need more medication, but he could


    not bear to give up on the care that she was giving him after so many years apart.


    Content provided by N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Sure.¡± he said.


    Ever since she¡¯d had a child, Larissa always had a sh of frequently used medication ready in the


    house. She brought over fever medication and a cooling patch. ¡°Here. These are all children¡¯s


    medications, but please make do with them. If there¡¯s no ellect, just increase the dosage.¡±


    Kevan swallowed a pill under her watchful gaze before letting her apply the cooling patch to his


    forehead. ¡°Could you chat with me for a while?¡± he asked.


    Larissa had no ns to leave anyway. Since he requested that she just went with the flow and agreed.


    ¡°Sure.¡± She sat on the edge of the bed in a rxed manner. ¡°What would you like to chat about?


    ay your n


    respects to him, right? You must know him then?¡±


    Kevan thought about it. Let¡¯s talk about my grandpa. You went to payy


    Larissa did not expect him to talk about this with her, and she was at a bit of a loss. I¡¯ve met him a lew


    times,¡± she said. ¡°The truth is, I¡¯m not famr with him.¡±


    If it were possible, she wished she could introduce Kewan¡¯s grandfather to him properly. But sadly, she


    was unable to do so despite her willingness Ic.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Kevan¡¯s expression did not change much. She could not tell if he was disappointed or not.


    ¡°However-¡°Lanssa bit her lip before telling him what she knew. ¡°Your grandpa was a pretty good


    person, and he seemed to have a good rtionship with you.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Kevan smiled faintly, but his eyes were lodom. ¡°I don¡¯t remember anymore.¡±


    Larissa¡¯s heart strangely ached for him. Composing herself, sheforted him. ¡°Actually, not


    remembering things can be a blessing too. At least, you can forget all the sad things from the past.¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯d have forgotten the happy things too.¡± Kevan gazed at her deeply. ¡°As well as important


    people.¡±


    Unexpectedly, Lanssa blurted out, ¡°I de Ruby Cole?¡±


    The moment she said that they both froze.


    Kevan frowned sightly. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t regret forgelling about her. I just wonder if I ever really Iked Ruby


    before.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Larissa¡¯s lone was certain. ¡°You liked her for so many years and had just been able to get


    together with her before your ident. But


    Their love story was riddled with hardships.

 Chapter 497

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    Chapter 497


    She¡¯d frequently wondered if Kevan had not had that ident all those years ago, would Ruby not


    be so extreme? Maybe they could have lived together happily and blissfully as a family of three.


    But it was no use dwelling on those things now.


    Kevan frowned harder. ¡°Forgetting Ruby is probably the only good thing about losing my memories,¡± he


    said. ¡°Heaven gave me a chance to right a wrerg¨Cto let me correct a mistake that I made before.¡±


    Larissa did notment with regard to his words. ¡°You may not think like this when you¡¯ve recovered


    your memory.¡±


    He loved Ruby so deeply that when he remembered everything, the only thing left would pronably be a


    huge sense of regret.


    ¡°I won¡¯t.¡± Kevan¡¯s attitude was firm, and Larissa could not be bothered to argue with him.


    Kevan suddenly asked. ¡°Although¨C How is it that you know my past so well? He eyed her skeptically.


    ¡°You¡¯ve met my grandba, and are good friends with DnLarissa, are you hiding something from me?¡±


    His scorching gaze was rather sharp, so much so that it made Larissa look down gullily.


    ¡°Have you forgotten that you¡¯re famous? Her voice had quieted down considerably, and there was no


    confidence in it at all I¡¯ve seen some of your things on the news, and I¡¯ve heard Dn mention a few


    things too.¡±


    She was clearly trying to distance herself from him.


    Kevan was a little disappointed and angry at the same time, but he dared not to push her too hard. One


    day, when she found out that he did not truly lose his memory, everything today would be the perfect


    ammunition she could use to start a crusade against him. Ci course. this was if she were still willing to


    talk to him.


    N?velDrama.Org owns this text.


    ¡°Is that so?¡± He pretended to ept her exnation before asking. ¡°What else do you know about me?


    Could you tell me? Maybe it might help me recall a memory or two.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s it.¡± Larissa did not dare say more for fear of revealing any vulnerabilities.


    Kevan sighed softly. ¡°They rarely talk about my past with me, probably due to fear that they might


    trigger something or upset me.¡±


    ¡°Maybe they think that the past is not as important as the present? II it were possible, Larissa hoped


    that he would not remember the past -il he could selectively forget anything rted to her, that was


    naturally even beller. But the chances for such a thing happening were pretty small. ¡°Live in the


    present. She advised him, ¡°The past is in the past now. It doesnt matter whether or not you remember.¡±


    Hearing her say all that to him with such calm, Kewan¡¯s feelings of hurt and reluctance grew stronger.


    Was their shared past together so worthless to her that it did not deserve to be remembered? Did it not


    matter to her il he forgot her forever?


    It seemed that his self¨Cperceived beautiful memories were worth nothing on her end.


    The light in Kevan¡¯s eyes dimmed. He stared at the emptiness before him, eyespletely devoid of


    life.


    Larissa clearly sensed his emotional changes but only thought that he was sad over losing his


    memories of the past, so she did not say


    any words offort.


    ¡°Try to sleep scon if your head isn¡¯t hurting anymore.¡± She decided to change the subject ¡°Il you¡¯re still


    burning up tomorrow morning, i will send you to the hospital to get treatment.¡±


    Kevan came back to himself quickly due to her words.


    ¡°My head still hurts a little.¡± He pressed hard or his temples and let out a grimace of pan. He was not


    lying about this. He had drunk so much yesterday night and had a high fever. Then he was cut and


    about for the whole day today, and had not been able to rest properly at all, His temples were throbbing


    still, but it was not in the extent that he would not be able to sleep.


    He just did not want Larissa to leave so soon.


    He had just barely managed to get the chance to be alone with her.

 Chapter 498

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    Chapter 498


    Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    Larissa¡¯s movements of getting up halled abruptly. Bracing hersell against the edge of the bed, she sat


    down again. ¡°Do you need me to help you massage the spot? Kevan pressed a hand on his pounding


    heart and said with restraint. ¡°No need.¡±


    Larissa suddenly remembered his weird quirk of not letting others touch him. ¡°Forgive me. I was too


    forward.¡± She apologized to him before adding, ¡°Wait a moment-


    She retrieved the aromatherapy machine she had bought but never used¨Cit was still in its original


    packaging¨Cfrom the closet she used to put her sundries in. After filling it with water, she added a few


    drops ofvender oil into the machine.


    ¡°This will help you rx and sleep.¡± She introduced the product to Kevan, ¡°Just close your eyes, and


    you¡¯ll be able to sleep soon.¡±


    The faint smell ofvender filled the air via the mist from the machine.


    Kevan obediently closed his eyes, though his headache did not lessen likely due to his tense nerves.


    Alter some time, he opened his eyes and found Larissa surprisingly asleep against the headboard of


    the bed. Her eyes were firmly shut, and her chest rose and fell rhythmically while her nose twitched


    every now and then.


    Kevan held his breath for fear of waking her. He stared at her for a long time, not even blinking with the


    help of the night light nearby. He no longer remembered when thest time he was able to stare


    indiscriminately at her was, and he did not know when he could do so again. The only thing he could do


    was to look at her a little bit more tonight.


    Kevan did not sleep for the whole night. It was only when Larissa jerked awake that he frantically shut


    his eyes. Straightening up. Larissa¡¯s fatigue vanished in an instant. The aromatherapy machine was


    still working, white mist continuing to spray from the top of it.


    Wendy was the one who insisted she buy the machine. She was worried that Larissa¡¯s sleep quality


    was bad due to her staying upte frequently for work. After Larissa bought it, she snapped a picture of


    it and sent it to Wendy as a show of proof, but she never used it at all So much so that she did not


    expect the effects of the machine would be so good.


    It was almost as it the moment her head leaned against the headboard, her eyes shut themselves


    naturally at once.


    Slowly recollecting herself, Larissa turned to see Kevan, who was lying next to her. The rectangr


    cooling pad was still firmly stuck to his forehead, and it looked somewhatical Larissa reached out


    to touch it, and the pad was still cold, which meant that it had not absorbed much heat. She carefully


    peeled it off and felt his forehead with the back of her hand¨Chis temperature was already back to


    normal.


    Larissa breathed a sigh of relief. She went to fill up the aromatherapy machine with water again before


    returning to the room next door.


    Aster was still asleep.


    He was lying on his belly, an arm and a leg stuck out from underneath the sheets. Larissa sighed and


    tucked him in again, but she did not expect such a small movement to wake him up.


    Opening his eyes blearily, Aster mumbled, ¡°Mommy¡± as he wriggled around, rolling over so he could


    hug her.


    ¡°Where did you go? he asked curiously as he looked up at her.


    Rutting his hair affectionately, Larissa answered, ¡°I went to check on Uncle Kevan next door. He¡¯s sick,


    so he slept at our cest night¡±


    Aster¡¯s energy surged up at once, his eyes sparkling brightly. ¡°Mommy, do you care about Uncle


    Kevan?¡± His Uttle hand listed into the hem of her pajamas as he swallowed excitedly yet nervously at


    the same time.


    Larissa was not unaware of his little scheme. She poked his forehead lightly with her index finger and


    scolded him. ¡°Do not think silly thoughts!¡±


    Aster held his forehead and asked her with a clueless expression on his face. ¡°What silly thoughts am I


    thinking?¡±


    This annoyed Lanssa.


    ¡°It¡¯s still early. Go back to sleep.¡± She lilled the sheets helore lying down again and pulling Aster into


    her arms.

 Chapter 499

    Chapter 499


    Chapter 499


    Aster fidgeted and asked, ¡°Mommy, is Uncle Kevan feeling better?¡±


    ¡°I guess.¡± Larissa was not too sure, but Kevan was sleeping well, and he did not say anything crazy. He


    had to feel much better now.


    ¡°You guess?¡± Aster was not satisfied with her answer and he scolded her with a serious demeanor


    which was not quite fitting for his age.¡± Mommy, how could you be so irresponsible?¡±


    Larissa raised an eyebrow. ¡°What?


    Aster pushed her. ¡°Hurry and go take care of Uncle Kevan! What if he rpses or something? I can


    sleep on my own, I don¡¯t need you to sleep with me!


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Larissa closed her eyes and yawned widely. ¡°I¡¯m tired. If you¡¯re so


    worried about your Uncle Kevan, feel free to go over and take care of him yourself.¡±


    Aster froze for one second before he escaped from her arms. Larissa squinted at him and saw him get


    out of bed from the other side.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to stay with Uncle Kevan! He ran out of the bedroom in his slippers, pitter¨Cpattering across


    the space.


    Kevan thought Larissa had returned when he heard the sound of the door opening. He did not open his


    eyes and stayed still, but he listened carefully.


    But the person¡¯s footsteps were so much more hurriedpared to Larissa¡¯s. Soon, the side of the


    bed dipped, and a faint milky smell


    watted into Kevan¡¯s nose.


    This was the smell of Aster¡¯s body wash, which was specifically meant for kids. He wiggled underneath


    Kevan¡¯s covers and into his arms. hugging him. His soft little body was a bit cold. Afraid that he might


    get sick, Kevan quickly hugged him back


    Aster looked up and stared at him seriously. The more he looked, the more satisfied he was. Uncle


    Kevan was handsome, and he was good to him and his mommy. Besides his mommy did not seem to


    be entirely uninterested in him.


    Sensing the scorching gaze fixed on his face, Kevan could not stop himself from opening his eyes. The


    moment he locked eyes with Aster, he saw the bright hope in his eyes.


    Kevan was stunned.


    ¡°Aster?¡± He pretended to have just woken up. Having been caught in the act, Aster was a bit bashful.


    But soon, he was staring openly at Kevan again, and he asked. ¡°Uncle Kevan, are you feeling better


    now?¡±


    Kevan smiled and said. ¡°Much better, yes.¡±


    ¡°Oh Aster grinned, his eyes scrunching up from his joy. ¡°Mommy is really worried about you, so she


    asked me to stay with you, solcan


    take care of you.¡±


    Kevan doubted his words. Based on his understanding of Larissa, she would never let a child take care


    of a sick person. This kid was honestly ingenious indeed. He kept trying to matchmake him and Larissa


    these days. Kevan was happy to see ite to fruition, so he naturally would not expose the kid.Content provided by N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Really?¡± He went with what Aster said. ¡°Well, thank you for your hard work.¡±


    ¡°No way! It¡¯s not hard at all Aster hugged Kevan tighter. ¡°I like Uncle Kevan. My mommy also likes


    Uncle Kevan. We¡¯re taking care of you willingly, so we don¡¯t think it¡¯s hard work.¡±


    Even though he knew Aster was only consoling him, Kevan¡¯s heart fell warm anyway.


    ¡°Your mommy likes me too?¡® he deliberately asked.


    ¡°Of course!¡± Aster replied with certainly. ¡°My mommy has never been so nice to other uncles!¡±


    His words gave Kevan cause to be on alert.


    ¡°There are other uncles?¡±


    Kevan prodded with unease. ¡°Are there any of your mommy¡¯s colleagues who are pursuing her?¡±

 Chapter 500

    Chapter 500


    Chapter 500


    Aster frequently tolewed Larissa when she went to work, so he knew most of the people she interacted


    with at work. Due to Larissa¡¯s identity, the attitudes of those people were very friendly. He could not tell


    who were the ones trying to woo Larissa or who were the ones who were only just ttering her.


    So, he gave Kevan a vague answer. ¡°I guess so?


    There was a little bit of his cunningness involved in this. If Uncle Kevan really liked his mommy, he


    might feel a sense of danger knowing that his mommy had other potential partners, so he would speed


    up the process of trying to bag his mommy. The moment Aster thought of how Uncle Kevan would soon


    be his daddy. he could not stop himself from smiling, and the happy glint in his eyes was unmistakable.


    N?velDrama.Org owns this text.


    Kevan could not understand Aster¡¯s expression. He could sense Aster¡¯s joy, but he could not get where


    it wasing from.


    Could it be he really hoped that other men would pursue Larissa?


    But-


    ¡°Aster, when you said that you liked me, you were not tying, were you?¡± Kevan was unsure now,


    ¡°Of course not! Aster¡¯s response was sure. ¡°Other than Mommy or Godma, I Ikr Lincle Kevan the most¡±


    ¡°Then whenpared to other uncles? Kevan asked again.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want other uncles. I only want Uncle Kevan! Aster hugged his neck, his face very close to his.


    Kevan felt just the slightest bit of relief, but he really disliked other people dreaming of Larissa. He


    figured that he had the need to send people to keep an eye on the men around Larissa.


    It was time for Aster to go to school Larissa switched off her rm and opened her eyes to see that


    Aster had not returned from next door


    yel. She went over to wake him up, and when she opened the door, she saw Aster and Kevan hugging


    each other like they were father and son. Their foreheads were touching and their breathing was evenly


    matched. They slept well


    She stood at the door, shockingly finding hersell unable to step into the room further¨Cshe did not wish


    to disrupt such a beautiful sight, She always knew that Aster liked Kevan and that Kewan loved Aster


    too. If it were not for all those issues from the past, Kevan was undoubtedly the best candidate to be


    his stether, and she was more than happy tofill Aster¡¯s wish.


    s¡­


    Taking in a deep breath while discarding all the nonsensical thoughts in her mind. Larissa walked over


    to the bed inrge strides, gently


    shaking Aster¡¯s shoulder.


    Aster did not move, but Kewan opened his eyes. They were bleary from sleep, and Kevan looked


    unfocused. He kind of looked cute Ike that.


    Larissa¡¯s heart julled, and she frantically looked away.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Kewan¡¯s voice was hoarse and nasaly.


    Larissa hastily parted Aster twice and said. He needs to wake up for school¡±


    Aster wrinkled his nose like a puppy and burled himself deeper into Kevan¡¯s embrace. i want to sleep


    with Daddy, not go to school.¡±


    He was mumbling, clearly not yet awake, but the word ¡°daddy stunned both Larissa and Kevan,


    Larissa only fell embarrassed. She forcefully yanked Aster out of Kevan¡¯s embrace and barked coldly.


    ¡°stair Simmons, wake up right


    now! You¡¯ll bete!


    Kevan pressed his lips together as he watched quielly, not knowing what to say.

 Chapter 501

    Chapter 501


    Chapter 501


    Finally, Aster waspletely awake.


    Pouting, he stared at Kevan who was 5 still lying on the bed, and asked Larissa. have to stay at home


    and take care of him!¡±


    Canlisko kindergarten today? Uncle Kevante list


    Aster loved going to kindergarten, so Larissa krew that this wasn¡¯t just an excuse to ski p school


    He was either genuinely worried about Kewan and wanted to take care of him, or his attachment to


    Kevan was stronger than his desire to y with his friends.


    In the first ce, Larissa¡¯s mind was already confused by distressing thoughts. Now, it seemed that


    more troublesome issues had cropped up again.


    The closer Aster was to Kevan, the more afraid Larissa became.


    Involuntarily, she wondered if one day Aster couldn¡¯t do without Kevan and insisted on having him as


    his stepfather, how was she to reject


    his request?


    Larissa wasn¡¯t sure if she could bring herself to be so heartless.


    Naturally, Kevan wanted to stay and be around Aster.


    The joy and fulfilment that this child brought to him was something that he had never experienced


    before.


    Moreover, it helped him to temporarily forget about the pain and sadness caused by his grandfather¡¯s


    passing.


    With Aster¡¯s presence, Kevan was able to sleep soundly without relying on alcohol or drugs.


    Unfortunately, he had some important things to attend to today. Moreover, Larissa didn¡¯t seem willing to


    let Aster s kip schoo.


    unnecessarly.


    Before Larissa could speak, heforted Aster. ¡°I¡¯m already much better. You should go to


    kindergarten like a good bay, I wille over Later in the evening to y games with you okay?¡± Content provided by N?velDrama.Org.


    Larissa hadn¡¯t considered letting Kevan stay over another night, but she couldn¡¯t bring hersell to forbid


    him froming over


    Aster hesitated. ¡°Are you really better?¡± The worried look in his eyes appeared genuine.


    Kevan brought his head closer to Aster and said, ¡°Here, touch and see if I¡¯m still having a fever?¡±


    Aster did as Larissa always did for him and touched Kevan¡¯s lorehead. After that, hepared it with


    his own temperature and concluded. ¡°Yep, you¡¯re not burning up anymore.¡±


    ¡°Seel You don¡¯t need to be worried about me. Let¡¯s get up and go to kindergarten!¡± Kevan smiled with


    his eyes and pinched Aster¡¯s cheek affectionately.


    ¡°Wright.¡± Although Aster¡¯s tone was reluctant, he wasn¡¯t as stubborn as before.


    Before getting off the bed, he pounced on Kevan and nted a sl oppy kiss on his chees, leaving a


    noticeable mark of welness behind.


    Larissa was stunned momentarily when she saw this happen.


    Asters intimate actions had definitely overstepped one of Kevan¡¯s boundaries.


    After Aster pot all the bed, she quickly grabbed onto his shoulders and turned him around toce


    Kevan.


    ¡°Apologize to Uncle Kevan immediately!¡± Larissa ordered him sternly,


    Both Aster and Kevan stared at Larissa in conlusion and asked in unison, ¡°Why is there a need to


    apologize?¡±


    Larissa wasken aback by their question.


    After a moment of hesitation, she asked Kevan. ¡®Arent you angry?¡±


    Kevan met her eyes, looking even more puzzled. ¡°Why would he angry?¡±


    1/2


    Upon hearing this, Aster asked Kevan cautiously, ¡°Uncle Kevan, don¡¯t you like it when I kiss you?


    Kevan denied IL ¡°No. I really like it when you do that.¡±


    With a gentle smile, he extended his arms out toward Aster. ¡°Come here.¡±


    Aster mbered back onto the bed and nested into Kevan¡¯s embrace.


    Hugging him. Kevan nted several kisses in a row on Aster¡¯s rosy cheek.


    Encouraged by Kevan¡¯s affection. Aster giggled and smothered Kevan with wet kisses all over his face.


    Larissa was greatly shocked by the change in Kavan. Staring nkly, she was speechless lor a long


    while.


    After they were done ying around, Kevan patted Aster¡¯s back and gestured toward Larissa. ¡°Go and


    wash up now! Your mom has been waiting for a long time.¡±


    ¡°Okay! Aster ran to the edge of the bed and hugged Larissa excitedly.


    After giving her a kiss as well he finally get elf the bed and grabbed her hand. ¡°Mommy, let¡¯s go


    Chapter 501


    Finally, Aster waspletely awake.


    Pouting, he stared at Kevan who was still lying on the bed, and asked Larissa, ¡°Can¡¯t I skis


    kindergarten today? Uncle Kevan¡¯s still sick. I have to stay at home and take care of him!¡±


    Aster loved going to kindergarten, so Larissa knew that this wasn¡¯t just an excuse to sk ip school.


    He was either genuinely worried about Kevan and wanted to take care of him or his attachment to


    Kevan was stronger than his desire to y with his friends.


    In the first ce, Larissa¡¯s mind was already conlused by distressing thoughts. Now, it seemed that


    more troublesome issues had cropped up again.


    The closer Aster was to Kevan, the more afraid Larissa became.


    Involuntarily, she wondered if one day Aster couldn¡¯t do without Kewan and insisted or having him as


    his stepfather, how was she to reject his request?


    Larissa wasn¡¯t sure if she could bring hersell to be so heartless.


    Naturally, Keven wanted to stay and be around Aster,


    The joy and lullilment that this child brought to him was something that he had never experienced


    before


    Moreover, it helped him to temporarily forget about the pan and sadness caused by his grandfather¡¯s


    passing.


    With Aster¡¯s presence. Kevan was able to sleep soundly without relying on alcohol or drugs.


    Unfortunately, he had some important things to attend to today. Moreover, Larissa didn¡¯t seem willing


    unnecessarily.


    lling to let Aster sk ip school


    Before Larissa could speak, heforted Aster. ¡°I¡¯m already much better, You should go to


    kindergarten like a good boy. I wille overter in the evening to y games with you okay?¡±


    Larissa hadn¡¯t considered betting Kevan stay over another night, but she couldn¡¯t bring hersell to forbid


    him froming over.


    Aster hesitated. ¡°Are you really better? The worried look in his eyes appeared genuine.


    Kewan brought his head closer to Aster and said, ¡°Here, touch and see I¡¯m still having a lever?¡±


    Aster did as Larissa always did for him and touched Kevan¡¯s forehead. After that, hepared it with


    his own temperature and concluded, ¡°Yep, you¡¯re not burning up anymore.¡±


    ¡®See! You don¡¯t need to be worried about me. Let¡¯s get up and go to kindergarten!¡± Kevan smiled with


    his eyes and pinched Aster¡¯s cheek affectionately.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Although Aster¡¯s tone was reluctant, he wasn¡¯t as stubbom as before.


    Before getting all the bed, he pounced on Kevan and panted a sl oppy kiss on his cheek, leaving a


    noticeable mark of welness behind,


    Larissa was stunned momentarily when she saw this happen.


    Aster¡¯s Intimate actions had definitely overstepped one of Kevan¡¯s boundaries.


    After Aster got all the bed, she quickly grabbed onto his shoulders and tumed him around to face


    Kewan.


    ¡°Apologize to Uncle Kevan Immediately!¡± Larissa ordered him sternly.


    Both Aster and Kewan stared at Larissa in conlusion and asked in unison. ¡°Why is there a need to


    apologize?


    Larissa wascen aback by their question.


    After a moment of hesitation, she asked Kevan, ¡°Aren¡¯t you angry?¡±


    Kevan met her eyes, looking even more puzzled, ¡°Why would I be angry?¡±


    1/2


    Upon hearing this, Aster asked Kevan cautiously. ¡°Uncle Kevan, don¡¯t you like it when I kiss you?¡±


    Kevan denied it. ¡®No, really like it when you do thal


    With a gentle smile, he extended his arms out toward Aster. ¡°Come here.¡±


    Aster mbered back onto the bed and nestled into Kevans embrace.


    Hugging him, Kevan nted several kisses in a row on Aster¡¯s rosy cheek.


    Encouraged by Kevan¡¯s affection. Aster giggled and smothered Kevan with wet kisses al over his face.


    Larissa was greatly shocked by the change in Kevan. Staring nkly, she was speechless for a long


    while.


    After they were done ying around. Kevan patted Aster¡¯s back and gestured toward Larissa. ¡°Go and


    wash up now! Your mom has been waiting for a long time.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡± Asterran to the edge of the bed and hugged Larissa excitedly.


    After giving her akss as well, he finally got off the bad and grabbed her hand. ¡®Mommy, let¡¯s go!


    Today¡¯s Bonus Offer

 Chapter 502

    Chapter 502


    Chapter 502


    Kevan left the house with Larissa and Aster


    It was the day of Rnd¡¯s funeral procession to the cemetery. Although he had missed the burial


    ceremony, he still wanted to pay hisst


    Larissa was worried about his health and initially wanted him to rest a little longer before leaving.


    However, after he exined his reasons to her, Larissa didn¡¯t insist further.


    The three of them parted ways downstairs.


    Larissa and Aster got into the car. Meanwhile, Kevan walked home alone.


    He had only walked a few steps when Larissa, who was still concerned, called after him and reminded


    him, ¡°If you¡¯re still feeling unwell, call me right away.¡±


    Turning around. Kevan gave her a nod and a reassuring smile. ¡°Alright¡±


    As the car drove by. Aster lowered the car window and shouted in Kevan¡¯s direction. ¡°Uncle Kevan!


    Don¡¯t forget toe and y with me tonight!¡±


    Kneeling in the backseat of the car, he waved excitedly at Kevan


    Stopping in his tracks, Kevan raised his hand and waved back,


    In a loud voice, he replied, ¡°I will


    As the car had driven further away, Aster leaned out of the car window and shouted at the top of his


    lungs so that Kevan could hear him,¡± It¡¯s a promiser


    Leaning out of the car window was extremely dangerous.


    Larissa hurriedly pulled Aster back into the car and wound up the window, but Aster¡¯s excitement had


    not subsided yet.


    He asked Larissa eagerly, ¡°Mommy, can I invite Uncle Kevan over to apany me every night?¡±


    She refused tly. ¡°No! I¡¯ve told you before that Uncle Kevan is very busy with work. Besides, he has


    his own child to take care of.¡±


    The reason Larissa deliberately brought up Bethany was to make Aster give up hope on Kevan and


    also to wake herself up from her o


    rown delusions.


    When she saw how intimate Aster and Kevan were earlier, a dangerous thought appeared in her mind


    involuntarily. ¡°How great would it be if Kevan was Aster¡¯s father?


    Consequently, Larissa felt a chill run down her spine when she gave it a second thought


    She was different from Aster. He was just a child who didn¡¯t know anything and could only see the


    short-term benefits.


    However, Larissa knew very well that she and Kevan had no future together.


    Even if Aster was mesmerized by Kevan, she couldn¡¯t fall into the trap as well


    She needed to be an adult and pull herself together.


    Sure enough, Aster immediately deted when Bethany was mentioned.


    He asked Larissa, ¡°Does Uncle Kevan like Bethany more than me?¡±


    Aster had a nervous expression on his face as he waited for her verdict.


    Lanssa hardened her heart and replied, ¡°Of course, Bethany is Uncle Kevan¡¯s daughter. He loves her


    most, just like how I love you the most in this world!


    Aster pouted and continued. ¡°Il Uncle Kewan knows that I don¡¯t like Bethany, will he stop liking me?¡±


    ¡°Well ¡ª¡± Larissa didn¡¯t know how to answer this question.


    She was certain that Kevan wouldn¡¯t shun Aster just because of that, but it might make him feel slightly


    difited.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell Uncle Kevan about this.¡± Larissa reminded him.


    She did this out of basic courtesy and not because she didn¡¯t want to cause resentment to arise


    between Kevan and Aster,


    Aster nodded obediently and stared at Larissa warily, ¡°I understand, I won¡¯t tell this to Uncle Kevan.


    Mommy, you shouldn¡¯t tell him either!¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t tell him about this.¡± Larissa assured him.


    Aster extended his pinky. ¡°Pinky promise! Lying is for losers!N?velDrama.Org owns this text.

 Chapter 503

    Chapter 503


    Chapter 503


    Kevan went home and look a shower. After charging his clothes, he drove to the cemetery.


    Rnd had made it clear a long time ago that when he passed away, he wanted to be buried alongside


    his wille, Jennifer Rogers. He didn¡¯t want her to be buried all alone, it was just too lonely.


    His wife¡¯s grave was located on Paradise Hil, on the outskirts of Bartham


    Paradise Hill Cemetery was thergest public cemetery in Bartham, with a beautiful view of Denver


    Lake to the north.


    At the loot of Paradise HILL there was a pict cl lend with the best view of theke.


    The area was fully enclosed and designated as an upscale burial ground, cosling wel over ten


    thousand dors per square loot.


    There were security guards manning the entrance, and some of them patrolled arcund the grounds


    regrly.


    Apart from rtives of the deceased, no one else could enter thase grounds.


    Every year, or the anniversary of Jennifer¡¯s death, Keven would apany Rnd to the cemetery to


    visit her grave.


    Kevan could make his way to her grave even with his eyes closed.


    Regardless, to put on a convincing act of his amnesia. Kevan called Violet at the entrance of the


    cemetery. ¡°I¡¯m at Paradise Hill Cemetery. Which area is Grandpa buried?¡±


    At the other end of the cal Kevan could hear solemn and mournful music ying.


    It seemed that the burial ceremony was still ongoing.


    Violet whispered, ¡°Come to Denver Gardens in the northem section. When you arrive, as the security


    guard to show you the way. They will tell you how to get here.¡±


    Walking around the foot of the hill, he amved at Denver Gardens in the north.


    The guards at Denver Gardens were the same, even after many years, so they recognized Kevan


    immediately.


    When Krvan as sed for directions, the guard was surprised. ¡°Isn¡¯t Old Mr. Rogers buried alongside OldThis is from N?velDrama.Org.


    Mrs. Rogers?


    ¡°Yes, but I don¡¯t remember,¡± Kevan exined simply.


    The guard¡¯s eyes widened with surprise, but he relented.


    Although he was buming with curiosity, they weren¡¯t acquainted well enough that he could chat casually


    with Kewan.


    ¡°Go straight ahead and turn left.¡±


    Following his directions, Kevan arrived at Rnd¡¯s grave without much trouble.


    From a distance, he could almady see arge group of people.


    They were standing in rows with their heads lowered in front of Rnd and Jennifer¡¯s grave.


    On one side, the hired pianist was ying a somber, ssical melody.


    Kevan kept a safe distance and watched the ceremony for a while to suppress the overwhelming


    sadness within him.


    Once he managed to get his emotions under control, he strode up to the crowd.


    Rnd¡¯s burial ceremony today was limited to close rtives of the Rogersmly as the cemetery was


    closed off to unrted individuals.


    Kevan hardly interacted with other members of the Rogers family. If his two uncles did not provoke him


    he wouldn¡¯t even care to deal with


    them.


    Therefore, among the people present, he didn¡¯t know anyone else except for his parents and his two


    unclesmilies.


    On the other hand, the other members of the Rogersmily knew who Kevan was.


    The moment he appeared, it caused a smallmotion as everyone¡¯s attention was drawn to him.


    1/2


    Violel¡¯s eyes were swollen from crying, and there were streaks of welness on her cheeks.


    She grasped Kevan¡¯s hand lightly as tears welled up in her eyes again.


    Kevan cripped her hand as well and gave her aforting look


    Before them, some of the cemetery¡¯s staff were recing the old tombstone with a new one that had


    Rnd and Jennifer¡¯s names


    engraved.


    At that moment, Bernard came over and questioned Kevan stemnly. ¡°You knew that it was the day for


    your grandfather¡¯s burial, why did you arrivete to the ceremony? Don¡¯t you held any regard for Old


    Mr. Rogers?¡±


    Kevan did not answer his question directly.


    Pointing toward the tombstone, he replied with a frown, ¡°Uncle Bemard, if you have something to say,


    can¡¯t you wait until we leave? Grandpa and Grandma are watching us right now. It¡¯s inappropriate for


    you to lose your temper here.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean inappropriate? Beard raised his voice, even overpowering the no music. ¡°I want


    your grandfather to see for


    himself what an ingrate his favorite grandson turned out to be

 Chapter 504

    Chapter 504


    Chapter 504


    After Bemard set the stage, usations from the other members of the Rogers family came pouring in.


    While Rnd was alive, his obvious favoritism to Kevan offended many people.


    At this moment, they wouldn¡¯t let go of the chance to humiliate Kevan


    Anthony had apologized on Kevan¡¯s behalf and tried to smooth things over, but his efforts were


    completely ignored.


    Bemard pointed his finger at Kevan and demanded, ¡°You didn¡¯t keep vigil for Old Mr. Rogers and even


    camete to the burial ceremony! A disobedient and disrespectful grandson like you has no share in


    your grandfather¡¯s inheritance!¡±


    Kevan had been suppressing his anger for some time as he didn¡¯t want to cause a scene during the


    funeral lest they disturbed his grandparents¡¯ rest.


    When he heard his uncle¡¯s demands, Kevan snorted coldly.


    ¡°Il myrdiness meant that I¡¯m disrespectful the incident that yourmily caused at the funeral service


    would be a bigger sin than mine. Now that you seem to be stiming up anothermotion in front of


    Grandpa and Grandma¡¯s grave, aren¡¯t you being disrespectful as well? How can they rest in peace?


    The expression on Bernard¡¯s face froze.


    Kevan dropped a bomb. ¡°I can give up my share of Grandpa¡¯s inheritance.¡±


    Everyone who heard this widened their eyes with shock. A few couldn¡¯t help but start chuckling with


    glee.


    Pointing at Bernard¡¯s family, Kevan continued. ¡°On the condition that none of you can receive your


    inheritance either. That would only be fair,


    Bernard¡¯s expression was as dark as thunder.


    He spat with anger, ¡°You unrepentant fool!


    Kevan smirked. ¡°I could say the same to you.¡±


    Wiping the tears from his face. Edmund walked up to Bernard and bugged on his arm. ¡°Dad, that¡¯s


    enough. Kevan didn¡¯t mean toete


    After Edmund tried to defuse the situation, Bernard relented naturally.


    At this rate, neither family would benefit if they were to confront Kevan head-on.


    ncing at Kevan with resentment, Bernard turned away in anger. ¡°Fine. There¡¯s no point arguing with


    an ingrate like him!¡±


    When Bernard gave up, the other family members didn¡¯t dare to say anything lurther as Kevan was still


    held in high regard within! family.


    it was only because of his amnesia that the rest of the family followed Bernard¡¯s lead in finding fault


    with Kevan.


    The burial ceremony continued.


    After the tombstone was ced, the family members lined up in rows to pay their respects, with Kevan


    and his family in the lead. Hanging her head. Violet couldn¡¯t help but sob uncontrobly. Even Anthony,


    who rarely showed any emotions, had tears streaming his face.


    Only Kevan appeared stoc


    He remained expressionless from the start to the end of the ceremony, without losing control of his


    emotions for even a moment.


    The other family members¡¯ reactions were simr to Violet¡¯s.


    Some who were more dramatic knelt before Rnd¡¯s grave, wailing and weeping over the tombstone


    Digging his nails into his flesh, Kevan watched quietly from one side, hoping that the pain would numb


    the surging emotions within him.


    The Rogers family hosted a banquet at the Regal Dynasty Hotel to thank rtives and friends who


    made time to pay their respects to Rnd


    Kevan declined. ¡°I can¡¯t go to the banquet as I still have some work to attend to.¡±


    ¡°What, are you the only person who¡¯s busy? Do you think the rest of us are just idling around? Felix


    said sarcastically.


    Anthony also tried to persuade Kevan. ¡°Stay back for the meal. I won¡¯t take up much of your time.¡±


    Kevan reluctantly agreed. ¡°Alright then.¡±


    During the banquet, Kevan was the center of attention. This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.


    Many of the guests came up to him to strike up a conversation or for a toast making Berard and Felix¡¯s


    families grit their teeth in frustration


    However, the guests had a sense of propriety as most of them were important figures of the business


    world.


    They avoided talking about business attairs, only offering their condolences to Kevan


    Kevan¡¯s uncles couldn¡¯t find fault with him, so they could only sulk in aer.

 Chapter 505

    Chapter 505


    While handing out gifts for the guests, Violet intentionally gave Kevan two more gifts to be given to


    Larissa and Dn,


    ¡°These are for Larissa and Dn. Since they didn¡¯te to the banquet, take these back for them,¡±


    she said.


    The gifts were just tokens of appreciation for guests, and thus were not of much mary value.


    If it were just for On, Kevan would definitely have returned the gifts to Violet.


    However, this was another opportunity to meet Larissa.


    Kevan epted the gifts and replied, ¡°Alright.¡±


    After her moming meeting. Larissa went to the hospital


    Gary was reclining on the bed with hisptop on a foldable table.


    Frowning, he seemed immersed in his work, not even noticing Larissa¡¯s entrance.


    ¡°Mr. Logan,¡± Larissa called out,


    Gary looked up, startled.


    The next moment hisce broke out into a wide smile.


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re here. Have a seat!¡± Closing hisptop, he pointed to a chair at his bedside.


    His enthusiasm exceeded Larissa¡¯s expectations.


    She wasn¡¯t sure if she was reading too much into it, but there seemed to be a sense of inexplicable


    fondness in Gary¡¯s eyes whenever he


    looked at her.


    Although he had always been kind to her, this was the first time she felt an emotion like this from


    another person.


    Feeling ill at ease, Larissa avoided his gaze and ced the fruit basket she brought on the bedside


    table.


    ¡°Would you like some fruit?


    Gary shook his head. ¡°No, thank you.¡±


    ¡°Oh, alright then.¡± Larissa replied, sitting down on the chair.


    Gary¡¯s gare followed Larissa¡¯s movements, unable to hide the smile in his eyes.


    ¡°Are you busy with work today?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Not really.¡± Larissa lied¨Cshe was never not busy with work.


    Gary continued. ¡°Lewis mentioned that he went to Old Mr. Rogers¡¯s house yesterday and ran into you.¡±


    His smile faded slightly as he fixed an intense stare on Larissa¡¯sce.


    The reason Gary came to Bartham was to discuss their partnership with Soaring Corporation,


    Now that the authority figure of Soaring Corporation had passed away, it was only appropriate that he


    offer his condolences.


    Unfortunately, Gary¡¯s deteriorating health did not allow him to leave the hospital, so Lewis went to pay


    respects on his behall,


    Who knew that Lewis would have encountered an unexpected acquaintance there?


    Larissa knew who Lewis was.


    ¡°Really? Howe I didn¡¯t see him there?¡± she said in surprise.


    There weren¡¯t many people present in the main hall, if Larissa had seen Lewis, she would have


    recognized him.


    ¡°When he arrived, the funeral service was in a mess¨Cprobably because someone caused a scene at


    that time. It¡¯s reasonable that you didn¡¯t notice him,¡± Gary exined.


    After Yvette and the Seymour family appeared all of her attention was focused on them.


    ¡°I heard from Lewis that the person who caused trouble yesterday was a popr actress long ago. I¡¯m


    not mistaken, her name starts with a Y.¡± Gary pretended to not remember Yvette¡¯s name.


    His eyes were glued to Larissa¡¯s face so that he could scrutinize her reaction discreetly.


    This is from N?velDrama.Org.


    As expected, Larissa¡¯s expression froze and the smile on her face stiffened.


    ¡°Yes, her name¡¯s Yvette, Lowering her head, Larissa mumbled in a soft voice.


    Gary continued, ¡°Are you rted to Yvette? Your name was mentioned when they caused the


    commotion yesterday.¡±


    Perhaps feeling that his probing question sounded inappropriate, he added. ¡®Don¡¯t get me wrong. I¡¯m


    not trying to pry into your private life. However, Lewis told me that they showed you attitude, and it


    seems like they treated you poorly. If you face any trouble,e to me and I will help you resolve h.¡±


    Gary¡¯s concern didn¡¯t seem out of ce, so Larissa wasn¡¯t suspicious at all.


    To ease his mind, she said. ¡°Yvette is my aunt and she raised me. There¡¯s no conflict between us, so


    she won¡¯t cause any trouble for me.¡±


    Today¡¯s Bonus Offer

 Chapter 506

    Chapter 506


    Chapter 506


    Gary had sent people to investigate Yvette.


    After all, she was once the most popr female actress in the country and many details of her life were


    public knowledge. It didn¡¯t take much effort to gather information about her.


    Her marriage to Xavier was heavily publicized, which was in stark contrast to their secretive past


    together.


    In front of the cameras, they weren¡¯t shy about disying affection for each other publicly.


    At that time, they were considered a golden couple, admired by everyone.


    Less than a year into their marriage. Yvette gave birth to their daughter. Lana.


    It was said that Yvette faced someplications after delivering Lana and nearly lost her


    Out of concem for his wife, Xavier resisted pressure from the elders in his family to bear a son. In the


    end, they never tried for a second


    child


    This was just a romanticized facade to mislead the public.


    In fact, Xavier himself desired to have a son, just as much as the elders in his family.


    After Lana. Yvette was pregnant twice, but both pregnancies were aborted shortly after the results


    showed that both were daughters.


    The multiple abortions and miscarriages had damaged Yvette¡¯s uterus, making her unable to conceive


    more children.


    In the end, Xavier was forced to give up on the idea of having a son.


    Regardless, none of this was any concern to Gary


    The only thing he wanted to know was the whereabouts of his daughter.


    in thest letter Yvette wrote to him, she mentioned that she had given the child away and was


    preparing to start a new life.


    By the time he read the letter, three years had already passed and Yvette had long since mantled


    Xavier.


    He could have gone to find her, revealing their past to Xavier and everyone who knew her.


    Moreover, he could press charges against her for bigamy and ruin her reputation.


    But he didn¡¯t.


    At that time, his guilt toward her far outweighed any resentment he felt


    Gary could understand why she¡¯d made that choice and was willing to wish for her happiness.


    However, his only concern was regarding his own daughter.


    He secretly kept an eye on Yvette and Xavier, but apart from Lana, there was no other child around


    them.


    In addition, he sent someone to inquire about his daughter¡¯s whereabouts indirectly from Yvette¡¯s


    former agent, who was considered her most trusted friend.


    If the child was truly sent away, Yvette would have gotten her former agent involved in the process.


    Yvette¡¯s agent confirmed that the child had indeed been given away to a childless couple who was


    desperate for children.


    However, she had no knowledge of the couple¡¯s names or whereabouts.


    Only then did Gary give up on finding his daughter and threw himself into expanding his career.


    Later, he heard that Yvette was helping to raise her deceased cousin¡¯s child, but he didn¡¯t think much


    about it.


    Yvette did have an older cousin, and that cousin had indeed passed away in a car ident years ago.


    As for whether she left a child behind, he wasn¡¯t familiar with Yvette¡¯s extended family and had never


    asked about it.


    C


    If he had dug deeper based on this information, perhaps he would have been able to reunite with his


    biological daughter earlier and spared her years of suffering in the Seymour family.


    Gary felt sorry for Larissa, but the look of pity he gave her only made her leel increasingly anxious, as if


    she were on pins and needles.


    Eager to leave, she said, ¡°I need to go back to work. If everything¡¯s line with you. I take my leave.¡±


    Gary didn¡¯t want her to go, but he also didn¡¯t want to be a hindrance to her work.


    This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.


    Reluctantly, he agreed, ¡°I¡¯m alright, you should go.¡±


    As Larissa got up to leave, he asked. ¡°Will youe to see me tomorrow?¡±


    Thinking for a moment she replied, ¡°Of course. I will.


    Only then did Gary feel a sense of relief.


    In the afternoon, Larissa arrived at the kindergarten on time to pick up Aster.


    On the way home. Aster kept talking about Kevan. ¡°Uncle Kevan¡¯s the best at ying games. I admire


    him the most! I¡¯m going to y games with Uncle Kevan tonight and have him sleep over with me!¡±


    He was feeling extremely excited about tonight.


    Larissa couldn¡¯t bring herself to rain on his parade.


    Once they were back, Aster waited and waited for Kevan to appear.


    However, it was 7 pm, but Kevan was still nowhere to be seen.


    Moreover, he hadn¡¯t even called or texted to inform them.


    Not just Aster, even Larissa fell anxious when he didn¡¯t turn up.


    Not showing up without a word wasn¡¯t Kevan¡¯s style of doing things.

 Chapter 507

    Chapter 507


    Chapter 507


    Larissa asked Aster to call Kevan.


    After a while, someone answered the phone.


    ¡°Hello?¡± It was a little girl who answered the phone.


    Who else could it be other than Bethany herself?


    Asterheld the phone and stared at Larissa helplessly.


    Frowning. Larissa ended the call for him.


    ¡°Uncle Kevan can¡¯te tonight because he needs to stay with Bethany.¡±


    Aster was undoubtedly disappointed


    Pouting, tears welled up in his eyes.


    ¡°Uncle Kevan is a liar!¡± he said in an aggrieved tone.


    Larissa patted his head and pulled him into her embrace.


    *she said.


    ¡°Uncle Kevan¡¯s not a liar. It¡¯s just that something important came up at thest minute, he probably


    forgot to inform you, she defended Kevan.


    Although she did not want Aster to have unrealistic fantasies about Kevan, at the same time she did


    not want to shatter Kevan¡¯s perfect image in his heart.


    After all Kevan was genuinely fond of Aster.


    ¡°If you want to y games, I¡¯ll apany you.¡± Larissa made a hugepromise. hoping to cheer


    him up.


    However, Aster showed no gratitude at all. ¡°You¡¯re bad at ying games! I¡¯d rather y by myself.¡± he


    remarked scornfully.


    Hearing that, Larissa felt like throwing the infuriating kid out of the house.


    In the end. Aster could only y alone.


    During the game, he sighed countless times. ¡°It would be much better if Uncle Kevan was here!¡± This is from N?velDrama.Org.


    Larissa was on the s, working overtime on herptop.


    She did not pay Aster any mind as she was still upset at his words earlier.


    Suddenly, the doorbell rang


    ncing at the time, Larissa realized that it was close to 9 pm.


    She couldn¡¯t imagine who woulde at thiste hour.


    Aster immediately threw his game controller down and scrambled to get up from the floor.


    ¡°It must be Uncle Kevan! Aster shouted as he ran to the entrance as fast as he could,


    Pressing up against the door, he asked, ¡°Who is it?¡±


    Kevan¡¯s deep voice was heard on the other side of the door. ¡°It¡¯s me.¡±


    A wide smile spread across Aster¡¯s face and he quickly opened the door.


    ¡°Uncle Kevan! He gave Kevan a bear hug seemingly forgetting that he had just called Kevan a liar


    earlier.


    Kevan lifted him up and nted a kiss on his cheek.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for beingte. I had something to take care of this afternoon, and it look longer than


    expected,¡± Kevan apologized to him sincerely.


    Holding on to Kevan¡¯s neck, he gave him a kiss too. ¡°Because you finally camel


    Touched. Kevan stared at Aster, his eyes filled with pride.


    Larissa closed herptop and stood up to wee Kevan.


    ¡°You could have just let me know if you had something on, you didn¡¯t have toe over,¡± she said.


    ¡°I made a promise to Aster, so I should keep it.¡± Kevan took off his hat and walked in, carrying Aster in


    his arms.


    As he walked past Larissa, he handed her the gift. ¡°My mom asked me to pass this to you.¡±


    Looking into the bag, Larissa epted it gracefully. ¡°Please thank your mom for me.¡± she replied.


    Today¡¯s Bonus Offer

 Chapter 508

    Chapter 508


    Chapter 50 8


    Since Kevan camete, it was not long before Aster¡¯s bedtime came around.


    Normally, Aster would obediently go to bed on his own, without anyone reminding him.


    However, today he was being stubbom and refused to leave the living room.


    He clung to Kevan¡¯s arm like gum, staring at him pleadingly with his wide eyes.


    ¡°Uncle Kevan, can¡¯t you spend the night with me?¡± Aster begged sweetly, his eyes filled with


    anticipation.


    Kevan didn¡¯t dare to give him a hasty answer. He turned to Larissa and waited for her response.


    Naturally, Larissa rejected him immediately. ¡°Uncle Kevan is too busy tonight¡±


    The hope in Aster¡¯s eyes faded, and Kevan himself felt a little disappointed.


    Larissa detached Aster from Kevan¡¯s body and pushed him in the direction of his bedroom. ¡°Wash up


    and go to bed now.¡±


    Dragging his feet. Aster tried to gesture to Kevan as he walked away reluctantly.


    Although Kevan didn¡¯t want to part with Aster, he was more afraid of Larissa. He could only shrug and


    gave Aster a helpless look.


    When Larissa emerged from the bathroom after making sure that Aster had finished his bath, she


    noticed Kevan asleep on the sofa.


    His brows were tightly knitted and there was a patch of stubble on his chin, making Kevan look old and


    weary.


    It was obvious that he hadn¡¯t been taking care of himself over the past two days.


    Larissa couldn¡¯t bring herself to wake him up. She brought out a nket from her room and gently


    covered him with it.


    As Kevan was a light sleeper, he immediately opened his eyes when he felt something on his body.


    At that moment Larissa was hovering over him, smoothening the nket over his body.


    The distance between their faces was only a few inches apart, so much so that Kevan could clearly see


    the pores on Larissa¡¯s face. Taken aback, he froze for a moment. Kevan couldn¡¯t distinguish whether


    he was still in a dream or he was awake in reality.


    Larissa noticed his reaction and looked away, a hint of frustration on her face.


    ¡°Did I wake you up?¡± she asked softly.


    Snapping out of his trance, Kevan croaked with a hoa rse voice, ¡°No.¡±


    He propped himself up on his elbows and rubbed his throbbing temples. ¡°Is Aster asleep?¡±


    Larissa nodded.


    Looking at how tired Kevan seemed, her heart softened. ¡°How about you sleep here tonight?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need. I might disturb your rest.¡± Kevan declined her offer.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal¡± Larissa said, feeling embarrassed.


    Yesterday, she was supposed to keep an eye on him, but she ended up sleeping earlier and failed to


    take care of him.


    Fortunately, nothing untoward happened, or else she wouldn¡¯t know how to exin it to Dn.


    ¡°Let¡¯s do as we did yesterday. You can sleep in my room and I sleep with Aster.¡± Larissa made the


    arrangements.


    However, Kevan had a different opinion. ¡°Let me sleep with Aster. He also wants me to apany


    him.¡±


    ¡°You must be exhausted. Sleeping with Aster might affect your rest.¡±


    Larissa refused Aster¡¯s request out of her consideration for Kevan¡¯s health.


    Of course, the phone call earlier had also left her feeling troubled and distracted.N?velDrama.Org content rights.

 Chapter 509

    Chapter 509


    Chapter 509


    Seeing how determined he was, Larissa relented. ¡°Aright, you can sleep with him.¡±


    Kevan lifted up the nket and stood up from the s, ¡°Ill take a shower first.¡±


    ¡°Wait a minule,¡± Larissa called out.


    ¡°Yes?¡± Kevan tumed around, a hint of contusion in his eyes.


    ¡°To be honest, you didn¡¯t have to deliberately rush over here to apany Aster,¡± Larissa sad after


    some hesitation. ¡°Con¡¯l misunderstand me. I just feel that you should spend more time with your own


    daughter.¡±


    Although she wasn¡¯t fond of Bethany, that didn¡¯t prevent her from sympathizing with the child.


    in Bethany, Larissa was vaguely reminded of her past childhood.


    Like her, Bethany had grown up without parental love.


    The loneliness, sadness, and fear she experienced was unimaginable to others.


    Kevan had exined why he wasn¡¯t close to Bethany, but his exnation didn¡¯t convince Larissa.


    ¡°At this young as, children need the patient quicance of their parents. Now that her mother is not


    around, and you refuse to pay any


    attention to her, her character will only spiral downward.¡±


    Kevan hung his head and sighed deeply.


    ¡°Actually, I also wanted to talk to you about this.¡±


    Pointing to the sofa, he asked Larissa, ¡°Shall we sit down and have a tak?¡±


    She sat down beside him. ¡°What d


    This is from N?velDrama.Org.


    do you want to talk about?¡±


    ¡°About how to educate children,¡± Worry was written all over Kevan¡¯s face.


    ¡°You know what Bethany is Eke. She¡¯s now living with my mother, so she has be somewhat


    restrained. However, the teachers report that she is still bullying other ssmates at school Today, she


    injured a boy in her ss. My mom was busy with Grandpa¡¯s funeral affairs, so I made the trip down to


    the kindergarten. The boy didn¡¯t do anything wrong. He just got in her way and she ended up punching


    him, leaving him with a swollen face. I don¡¯t have the patience to deal with such situations. If it were up


    to me, I would just give her a taste of her own medicine, but that¡¯s uneptable. You have raised Aster


    well, so I thought you might be able to give me some guidance.¡±


    Larissa never thought of herself as an expert in child¨Crearing.


    Due to her busy work schedule, she hadn¡¯t spent much time disciplining Aster as Wendy dc.


    such a short period of time, she couldn¡¯te up with any useful parenting advice to share with Kevan,


    Larissa told him the only thing she was sure of. Things will definitely worsen il you ignore her all the


    time,¡±


    Moreover, she did not think that Kevan was that Impatient.


    At the very least, he was willing to spend time listening to Aster ramble on about his superheroes and


    y meaningless games with him. Even Larissacked the patience to do that.


    ¡°While your daughter is still young, you should spend more time with her and correct her bad habits. It


    might be even more difficult when


    she grows older,¡± Larissa suggested.


    Kevan pondered for a moment and finally said, ¡°Ill give it a try.¡±


    Hearing him say that, Larissa felt conflicted.


    On one hand, the spent more time with Bethany, that would reduce his time spent with Aster


    In the end. Aster might gradually lose hope of Kevan berg his dad; that was something that Larissa


    would be d to see.


    On the other hand, the thought of him having a close rtionship with Bethany inexplicably made her


    feel diilled, a hint of jealousy


    ¡°Oh, by the way.¡± Kevan spoke up, bringing Larissa back to her senses.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Stiffly, Larissa tumed around and stared at him nkly.


    ¡°Do you want to adopt a cat? Kevan¡¯s eyebrows furrowed again. ¡°My mother has two beautiful ragdolls


    at home, but they are getting old. Recently, the household staff told me that Bethany has been abusing


    them in secret. My mother doesn¡¯t believe them, but I think that they are telling the truth. So, I n to


    send the cats away. If you¡¯re interested, rll bring them to you tomorrow.¡±


    If she wasn¡¯t mistaken, the two ragdoll cats at Violet¡¯s home should be Mullin and Cookie.


    When Larissa heard that they were being abused by Bethany, she was shocked and argy.


    Without any hesitation, she agreed immediately. ¡°I can take care of them.¡±


    Today¡¯s Bonus Offer

 Chapter 510

    Chapter 510


    Chapter 510


    After her rm clock rang. Larissa went to the next room to wake Aster up as usual


    When she waked out of her bedroom, she was surprised to see both Aster and Kevan fully dressed,


    sitting side by side in the dining room.


    ¡°Mommy,e and have breakfast! Uncle Kevan made it! It¡¯s really delicious! Aster waved at her


    excitedly.


    Larissa walked over doubtfully.


    Kevan had made a simple breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon, and pasta.


    Larissa had bought the pasta a long time ago and ced it in one of the cabs,pletely forgetting


    about its existence.


    Kevan had cooked the pasta and mixed it up with some ck pepper sauce.


    As the enticing aroma of food filled the air, Larissa couldn¡¯t help swallowing her saliva ea


    eagerly.


    She sat down across from Aster and picked up the cutlery on the table..


    ¡°Thank you for your hard work. You¡¯re unwell and yet you went through the trouble of cooking breakfast


    for us,¡± she said with apologetic look at Kevan.


    ¡°Just consider it payment for letting me stay here for two nights.¡± Kevan smiled and gestured to the


    te in front of her. ¡°Take a bite.¡±


    Larissa had witnessed his culinary skills during the time they lived together. He was pretty good at


    cooking.


    However, she hadn¡¯t expected that even after losing his memories, he still retained his cooking skills.


    ¡°It¡¯s delicious,¡± she concluded after taking a bite.


    ¡°See!¡± Aster said proudly, as it she had just praised him.


    Larissa rolled her eyes at him, but Aster didn¡¯t seem to notice her annoyance.


    Aster turned to Kevan with an expectant look. ¡°Uncle Kevan, can youe over more often to cook for


    us? Your cooking is super delicious! They are the best dishes I¡¯ve ever had!¡±


    Larissa couldn¡¯t help feeling disgruntled by Aster¡¯s effusive praise of Kevan¡¯s cooking. For the past few


    days, she had been trying her best to cook new dishes for Aster.


    Before getting off work, Larissa was already thinking of what groceries to buy for dinner, so much so


    that she had started losing more hair.


    In the end, all her effort was nothing inparison to Kevan, who had just prepared one breakfast for


    him.


    ¡°Of course! As long as you don¡¯t mind. I don¡¯t minding over to cook for you every day,¡± Kevan


    agreed readily.


    ¡°Really?¡± Aster widened his eyes which twinkled like stars in the sky.


    ¡°Nope, that¡¯s not going to happen. Do you think Uncle Kevan works as our personal chef? Or are you


    going to pay him a sry?¡± Larissa found herself being very sarcastic with Astertely.


    Pouting in silence. Aster picked up a piece of bacon and stulled it into his mouth, chewing with his head


    down.


    Kevan gave Larissa a nce and didn¡¯t say anything either.


    Breakfast was finished in silence.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to the office, so I drop Aster off at the kindergarten on the way. You can leave home a little


    later.¡± Kevan grabbed Aster¡¯s hand.


    This is from N?velDrama.Org.


    Simrly. Aster clung to Kevan¡¯s side and nodded in agreement. ¡°Yes, Mommy. You should have more


    rest at home.¡±


    Indeed, Aster¡¯s kindergarten was on the way if they left from Larissa¡¯s home to Microworks


    Corporation, so Kevan wasn¡¯t lying.


    However, Larissa was worried about inconveniencing him. ¡°That¡¯s alright, send him to kindergarten. It¡¯s


    not a big deal.¡±


    Aster¡¯sce fell immediately. Pouting, he mumbled, ¡°I want Uncle Kevan to drop me oll.¡±


    Larissa shot him a warning re.


    Feeling sorry for him, Kevan turned around and locked at Aster.


    He couldn¡¯t help smiling at his amusing antics.


    ¡°Let me take him to kindergarten. Go and get your bag, we¡¯re leaving immediately.¡± He pulled Aster out


    from behind him.


    ¡°Okay!¡± Aster ran back to his bedroom, as fast as his short legs could take him.


    In less than two minutes, he emerged with a backpack that had a superhero printed on il.


    Aster held Kevan¡¯s hand naturally and ignored Larissa, who was just beside him.


    ¡°Uncle Kevan, I¡¯m ready!¡± Looking up at Kevan, his voice rang out loud and clear.

 Chapter 511

    Chapter 511


    Chapter 511


    Kevan responded with a grunt and said to Larissa, ¡°Well we¡¯re off.¡±


    Larissa knew that she couldn¡¯t stop Aster, so she let them off the hook.


    ¡°Okay, drive sale,¡± she cautioned with a nod.


    It was Aster¡¯s first time riding in Kevan¡¯s car.


    He sat obediently in the middle of the backseat, with his hands neatly folded on his knees.


    ¡°Uncle Kevan, I¡¯m feeling very happy,¡± he said to Kevan.


    Hearing that Kevan nced at Aster through the rearview mirror. ¡°Why is that?¡±


    Aster smiled widely ¡°Because you¡¯re sending me to kindergarten!¡±


    After that, his smile faded and he asked cautiously, ¡°By the way, Uncle Kevan If my teacher asks about


    who you are, can I say that you¡¯re my daddy?¡±


    When Kevan heard Aster refer to him as his ¡°Daddy¡°, his chest tightened inexplicably.


    Instinctively, he gripped the steering wheel, nearly flooring the elerator.


    Suppressing the overwhelming joy and heartache that welled up within him. Kevan replied in a calm


    voice. ¡°Of course.¡±


    Aster clenched his fists tightly and whooped inwardly, overjoyed at Kevan¡¯s answer.


    ¡°What about my ssmates? Can I tell them the same thing?¡± he asked again.


    ¡°Sure, no problem.¡± If it were up to Kevan, this would bemon knowledge. He was eager for the


    whole world to know the truth¨Conly


    This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.


    after he managed to deal with those hidden threats within the Rogers family.


    A wide smile spread across Aster¡¯s face as he urged Kevan excitedly. ¡°Uncle Kevan, drive faster! Drive


    faster!¡±


    As soon as they got out of the car, Aster held Kevan¡¯s hand voluntarily.


    Unlike his usual posture, he held his head high and straightened his back, strutting proudly with wide,


    confident steps.


    Aster¡¯s amusing antics made Kevanugh.


    They arrived at the peak hour for parents to drop off their children at the kindergarten.


    The entrance of the kindergarten was extremely crowded with people.


    Sounds of children shouting andughing could be heard from the crowd, causing a racket.


    Kevan¡¯s physical appearance was remarkably handsome. As soon as he appeared, he became the


    center of attention.


    Many of the mothers were mesmerized by his attractiveness.


    Children of both genders, regardless of age, were staring at Kevan, transfixed.


    Some of the girls even pointed to him and eximed, ¡°Mommy, that man over there is so handsome!¡±


    Hearing such praise, Aster stuck his nose into the air, floating on cloud nine.


    Some of his ssmates purposely came over to talk to him, ¡°Aster, who is this with you?¡±


    Aster replied proudly, ¡°He is my daddy!¡±


    Kevan looked upon Aster with affection and patiently greeted each of his ssmates, as well as


    exchanged pleasantries with other


    parents.


    Finally, they reached Aster¡¯s ssroom. E was waiting at the door.


    When she saw Kevan, she was momentarily stunned.


    1/2


    Aster socke up before Kevan could respond. ¡°Ms. Gilmore, he is my daddy!¡±


    His voice was very loud, as if he wanted everyone present to hear him.


    E was taken aback at this revtion.


    Previously, Larissa was the only person who picked up and dropped Aster oft that¡¯s why she assumed


    that Aster was from a single¨Cparent


    family.


    Thus, she paid extra care and attention to Aster aspared to other children.


    E never expected that Aster had a dad and such a handsome one at that ¡ª


    ¡°Hello, rice to meet you!¡± E shed a shy smile.


    ¡°Hello, I¡¯ll ce Aster in your care.¡± Kevan said, smiling openly in return.


    Today¡¯s Bonus Offer

 Chapter 512

    Chapter 512


    Chapter 512


    When Larissa went to pick Aster up in the afternoon, she noticed that the other parents, especially the


    mothers, were looking at her with a different expression from before.


    Just as she was feeling puzzled about it, a parent who had chatted with her a few times earlier while


    waiting to pick up their children deliberately came up to Larissa.


    Raising her eyebrows, she said in a teasing manner, ¡°Your husband is really handsome! No wonder


    you seemed so secretive about him and wouldn¡¯t let him show up at the kindergarten!¡±


    Taken aback, Larissa froze for a moment before realizing that the ¡°husband¡± she was relerting to was


    probably Kevan.


    ¡°Are you still trying to feign ignorance? The other parent nudged Larissa with her elbow and gave her a


    reproachful look. ¡°I heard it myself. your son called him ¡®Daddy¡® this morning!¡±


    Aster¡­


    Larissa felt both angry and yet powerless at the same time.


    She had no energy left to argue, so Larissa simply gave her aint smile and brushed her off.


    After waiting for a while, the ssroom door opened and the children swarmed out


    Aster threw himself into Larissa¡¯s arms, his face beaming brighter than usual.


    ¡°Mommy!¡± He greeted her with a loud and cheerful voice.


    However, Larissa was unable to force a smile.


    She wasn¡¯t sure whether his unusual behavior today was rted to Kevan, but she had a feeling that it


    was highly probable.


    Some girls approached Aster timidly and asked, ¡°Asler, will your dade to the sports day


    tomorrow?¡±


    The smile on Aster¡¯sceded, and a troubled expression appeared instead.


    ¡°Im not sure. It depends on whether he has time off tomorrow.¡±


    The girls dispersed, seemingly disappointed.


    Meanwhile, Larissa overheard the crux of the conversation. ¡°What sports day?¡±


    ¡°Fun Family Sports Day. Ms. Gilmore said that she would notify the parents in the WhatsApp group


    later.¡± Aster answered.


    Larissa¡¯s heart sank. This again¡­


    Her head was already starting to throb.


    Back in Aldova, Aster¡¯s kindergarten often organized these parent¨Cchild activities. The aim was to


    increasemunication within the family and deepen the bond between parent and child.


    She didn¡¯t oppose such activities as they were beneficial for a child¡¯s growth.


    However, she couldn¡¯t attend every event due to her busy work schedule, so Wendy would go on her


    behall asionally.


    In the Aldovian¨Cspeaking environment, there was not a term to rece the word ¡°godmother¡°, so Aster


    had always referred to Wendy as his ¡°mommy¡± as well.


    Naturally, the teachers and other parents in the kindergarten mistook Larissa and Wendy for a couple.


    Although same¨Csex marriages were legal in Aldovia, people stil gave Larissa and Wendy strange


    looks, and their condescending attitudes. extended to how they treated Aster as well.


    Since then, Larissa had be very reluctant to attend parent¨Cchild activities at the kindergarten.


    E¡¯s message came earlier than Larissa had expected.


    As soon as Larissa and Aster got into the car, a WhatsApp notification appeared on her phone. ¡°The


    kindergarten will be organizing an


    everyone! Be sure not to miss it


    All the contacts in the group were tagged in the message.


    After E left her message, all the other parents typed in their replies, stating that they would allend the


    activity tomorrow,


    Larissa couldn¡¯t help but join in, typing her reply. ¡°Noted with thanks.¡±


    Once she replied to E¡¯s message. Larissa was trapped in a dilemma.


    E had made it clear that both moms and dads had to be present. Although she said that it was


    merely ¡°highly encouraged, it was obvious that most of the events required both parents to participate


    with their children.


    Larissa wished for Aster to have a great time, without any regrets.


    It she were to attend the sports day alone, not only would he miss out on many events, but it might also


    invite gossip from others.


    Having said that, Larissa couldn¡¯t just randomly find anyone to fill in for the role of Aster¡¯s dad at the


    last minute.N?velDrama.Org content rights.

 Chapter 513

    Chapter 513


    Chapter 513


    Larissa sighed deeply.


    Aster turned to look at her with concern and asked, ¡°Mommy, what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Pursing her lips, Larissa ran through what she was going to say in her head before voicing it to Aster.


    ¡°Aster, will you be disappointed if I turned up alone to the Fun Family Sports Day tomorrow?¡±


    He seemed momentarily stunned, probably not expecting Larissa to bring up this topic.


    ¡°Can¡¯t I get Uncle Kevan toe with us?¡± he asked.


    Larissa hardened her heart and emphasized firmly. ¡°Uncle Kevan¡¯s not your dad. You can¡¯t rely on him


    for everything. It is not his responsibility or obligation to help you out all the time.¡±


    The excitement in Aster¡¯s eyes died down immediately.


    Hanging his head, he replied in a low voice that was filled with disappointment, ¡°Well Mommy can


    come alone. I won¡¯t be unhappy about 11.¡±


    Seeing how sensible and understanding Aster was, Larissa felt both gratified and sorry for him at the


    same time.


    Holding Aster¡¯s hand tightly, her lips twitched as she thought offorting him, but in the end, she


    remained silent.


    There was no way that she could fulfill his wish. Nothing she said could console him.


    From the moment they got in the car, Aster¡¯s mood was downcast


    He sat quietly in the backseat and stared out of the window at the passing scenery.


    When Larissa nced at him and saw how miserable Aster seemed, her firm resolve began to waver.


    In the evening, Kevan came to their home again.


    This time, he didn¡¯te empty¨Chanded, nor was he alone.


    He carried arge cage with two sleeping Ragdoll cats inside.


    ¡°These are my mom¡¯s cats that I told you about yesterday. It go downstairs and bring up their cat food


    and the litter box.¡± Putting the cage on the floor near the door, Kevan turned around to go downstairs


    again.


    Aster grabbed Kevan¡¯s hand and eximed with excitement. ¡°Til go with your


    N?velDrama.Org content rights.


    Aster loved animals. Before this, he had asked Larissa numerous times to let him have a pet, but she


    always refused his request.


    Her reason was simple. Pets required time to care for, she and Wendy were too busy to even make


    time for Aster, let alone a pet.


    ¡°Uncle Kevan, how did you convince my mommy?¡± Aster stared at Kevan with admiration in his eyes.


    Smiling. Kevan said. ¡°I didn¡¯t persuade her, It was your mom¡¯s own decision to have a pet.¡±


    Aster was even more surprised. ¡°How is that possible? Mommy would never let me have a pel! The


    reason she decided to have pets must be because they are from you!¡±


    Kevan enjoyed the ttery and praise that Aster showered on him, even though he knew deep down


    that it wasn¡¯t true.


    ¡°Uncle Kevan, can you do me a favor?¡± Biting his lower lip, he looked at Kevan expectantly.


    ¡°Of course.¡± Kevan always amodated Aster¡¯s requests regardless of what it was.


    He never even asked what Aster needed help with in the first ce.


    ¡°My kindergarten is organizing a Fun Family Sports Day tomorrow. Can youe with my mommy and


    me?¡± Aster asked cautiously.


    Without hesitation, Kevan agreed, ¡°Sure.¡±


    However, Aster did not smile as happily as Kevan had expected.


    request came from you, she wouldn¡¯t have any objections Aster continued. He was fully convinced of


    Kevan¡¯s influence over Larissa.

 Chapter 514

    Chapter 514


    Chapter 514


    Conversely, Kevan wasn¡¯t as optimistic as Aster,


    Nheless, he couldn¡¯t bear to dampen Aster¡¯s enthusiasm, so he said, ¡°Alright, III give it a try.¡±


    By the time they brought the things upstairs, Larissa had let the cals out.


    She had them both on herp, caressing and teasing them affectionately.


    The two cats seemed to remember her. As soon as Larissa opened the cage, they eagerly rushed into


    her arms. meowing incessantly.


    N?velDrama.Org content rights.


    Cookie was just as clingy as before, swishing his tall left and right as he rubbed his head against


    Larissa.


    On the other hand, Muffin wasn¡¯t as enthusiastic as Cookie.


    Stretching out a paw, Mullin rested it on Larissa¡¯s leg and stared intently at her with her sky¨Cblue eyes


    without blinking.


    With a lump in her throat, Larissa almost cried as she hugged them tightly.


    Aster put down the cat food and ran over to Larissa.


    He squatted down beside her and watched the two cats lyingfortably in Larissa¡¯sp with curiosity.


    ¡°Mommy, can I touch them? he asked.


    Ragdoll cats were known to be gentle, and since she had previously taken care of them for some time,


    Larissa knew their personalities


    well.


    Without hesitation, she answered. ¡°Of course you can.¡±


    Aster stretched his hand out toward the cats eagerly. However, before he could even touch Mullin, he


    was scratched by her sharp ws. Three bloody scratches appeared on the back of Aster¡¯s hand.


    Mullin seemned to be startled by Aster.


    She quickly jumped out of Larissa¡¯sp, bristling with her fur puffed up as she stared warily at Aster,


    who could be considered aplete stranger to Mullin.


    However, Aster had no time to pay attention to Mullin.


    The pain radiating from his hand made him burst into tears.


    Larissa quickly put Cookie down and pulled Aster into her arms.


    In a hurry, Kevan ran over. He immediately put Mullin and Cockle back into their cage.


    Despite Mullir being the culprit. Cookie might also be a potential threat to Aster.


    Fortunately, Mullin¡¯s scratches weren¡¯t deep. Alter the initial pain subsided. Aster stopped crying.


    Although the cats had been given all their necessary injections, and Aster was also vinated against


    rables, Kevan brought Aster to the hospital as a precaution since the injury had broken skin and


    caused bleeding,


    Compared to daytime, there were fewer people in the en


    emergency department at this time, but they still had to wait in line for nearly hall an


    hour.


    When it was lime for his rables shot Aster cried again.


    After getting into the car to go home, he snuggled up in Larissa¡¯s arms and fell asleep in less than two


    minutes.


    Kevan nced in the rearview mirror and asked in a low tone, ¡°Is Aster asleep?¡±


    Larissa replied softly. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s his usual bedtime.¡±


    Wetting his chapped lips, Kevan apologized with a guilty expression on hisce, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± His sudden apology caught Larissa oll guard.


    1/2


    Kevan had been ming himself for Aster¡¯s injury the whole time.


    His feelings of guilt intensified when he saw Aster crying from the pain of the injection.


    He wanted to p himself¨Cso what if these two cats were abused by Bethany?


    It was still better than his son getting scratched by them.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to send the cats awayter,¡± he said.


    ¡°It¡¯s not your fault. I made the decision to keep the cats, and I¡¯m the one who let Aster touch them. Il


    someone were to be med for this


    incident, it would be me.¡±


    Sensing Kevan¡¯s guilt and unease, Larissa couldn¡¯t help feeling sorry for him.

 Chapter 515

    Chapter 515


    Chapter 515


    She wasn¡¯t angry with Kevan. She didn¡¯t even resent Muffin for scratching Aster.


    ¡°Hey,¡± she said, suddenly changing the subject. She asked seriously. ¡°Have you considered taking your


    daughter to a psychologist?¡±


    Although Mullin had always been more mischievous than Cookie since she was little, she was not a cat


    that would scratch people for no


    reason¨Cotherwise, Kevan wouldn¡¯t have brought her to Larissa,


    In Larissa¡¯s opinion. Muffin¡¯s strange behavior had been caused by Bethany¡¯s mistreatment.


    Larissa had noticed earlier that Muffin and Cookie¡¯s soft, beautiful long fur was particrly sparse in


    certain parts of their bod es¨Cit was clearly not due to shedding, but rather, someone had been plucking


    their fur. There was no one else she could think of except Bethany.


    Previously, when Bethany bullied ssmates at school, Larissa attributed that behavior to her family


    spoiling her. However, she likely had an innate antisocial personality or a mental illness she abused


    animals for no reason. Whatever the case was, she needed professional


    treatment.


    Kevan didn¡¯t know how to answer Larissa¡¯s question. He knew very well in his heart that Ruby had


    ruined Bethany, twisting her personality


    to a point of no return.


    He didn¡¯t pity Bethany as his


    upbringing had taught him to set


    to set even familial ties aside. Thankfully, he hadn¡¯t grown to bepletely heartless. Aside from the


    people he considered his own, he didn¡¯t feel anything toward others. On top of that, Bethany was Ruby


    and


    Cody¡¯s chid.


    However, he had to act like he cared about Bethany in front of Larissa, otherwise, she would form a


    negative opinion of him.


    He said solemnly, ¡°After my grandfather¡¯s funera, Ill discuss it with my mother.¡±


    ¡°Oh, by the way,¡± Cue to the heavy atmosphere in the car, Kevan changed the topic. ¡°Aster told me that


    their kindergarten has a family


    sports event tomorrow-


    Before he everpleted his sentence, Larissa could guess the rest of it. ¡°Did he ask you to


    apany him?¡±


    Although Kevan neither nodded nor shook his head his eyes said it all.


    If Aster hadn¡¯t been injured, Larissa would have wover him up to give him a good, proper scolding for


    always going against her wishes!


    N?velDrama.Org content rights.


    He was so different from when he first came back. Larssa couldn¡¯t help but start to think whether it was


    the right choice to let him stay here.


    ¡°Don¡¯t always indulge him,¡± she said to Kevan. ¡°Because you never refuse him, he now dares to make


    such unreasonable requests of you.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t t


    think it¡¯s an unreasonable request, Kevan spoke up for Aster. ¡°Children always hope that both their


    parents can be by their side.¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯re not his father,¡± Larissa said, shutting him down.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what history you shared with Aster¡¯s biological father, but perhaps you¡¯ve also noticed


    that Aster intends to matchmake us.¡± Kevan brought up the topic that their divorce certificate had made


    taboo.


    Unprepared to have such a frank conversation with him, Larissa was a little flustered for a moment.


    ¡°That¡¯s Just Aster¡¯s wishful thinking.¡± she muttered lowering her head and avoiding eye contact with


    Kevan.


    Afraid that he would misunderstand, she added. ¡°Of course, I don¡¯t dislike you or think you¡¯re not good


    enough. I just feel that my current state is good, and I don¡¯t want to be tied down by another person.


    Besides, think about your daughter and your parents. If we were really together, it would also be a big


    challenge for me ard Aster to get along with them.¡±

 Chapter 516

    Chapter 516


    Chapter 516


    Kevan stayed quiet. He knew better than anyone how stubbom Larissa could be.


    On top of that, it was not the best time to pursue her¨Chis intention was just to test the waters and gauge


    how open she was to the idea. As expected, she was still the same as before, unwilling to give him


    even the slightest chance. She probably trusted him even less than before¨Cafter all, he had hurt her in


    so many ways in the past.


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    His amnesia could barely allow him to be around her; il couldn¡¯t bring her to let her guard down.


    Although he had dug his own grave in the situation, he didn¡¯t regret his choice. For her salety, nothing


    else mattered.


    The car soon pulled into thepound of Larissa¡¯s residence. Kevan got out of the car first to pick up


    Aster, who was still sleeping, from the backseat. Suspended in mid¨Cair, Aster let out a groan of


    difort as he opened his heavy eyelids.


    In the dim light of the streetmps, he could barely make out Kevan¡¯sce.


    ¡°Daddy¡­¡± He smiled sweetly, murmuring solty as he reached out his arms to embrace Keyan¡¯s neck.


    Burying his head into his shoulder. he peacefully closed his eyes once again.


    Although he spoke softly, it was loud enough for both Kevan and Larissa to hear in the silent night.


    Kevan stole a nce al Larissa and noticed how she had frozen and tensed when it happened.


    Instead of breaking the silence, he tumed around and headed to the stairs. Nothing he said would only


    make the atmosphere less


    awkward.


    When Kevan ced Aster on the bed, a pair of arms wrapped tightly around his neck as soon as he let


    go.


    Frowning, Aster whined, ¡°Daddy, don¡¯t go


    Kevan froze and he could sense Larissa¡¯s troubled gazending on him. Meanwhile, Larissa¡¯s mind


    was in a mess.


    Aster¡¯s longing for his father made her heart ache.


    She didn¡¯t want to deny his wish, but doing so would undoubtedly have a significant impact on her life¨C


    she was content with her current state and wouldn¡¯t want it to change in any way. She didn¡¯t know if


    she ought to be a bit sellish or if she should sacrifice for her child.


    Kevan turned around, his eyes asking Larissa what they ought to do.


    Larissa approached them, trying to pry Asters grip open. Before she could exert any lorce, Aster


    started crying out ¡°Daddy! I¡¯m scared! Daddy! Save me!¡±


    He must be having a nightmare.


    ¡°Daddy¡¯s here.¡± Kevan said, lifting him up and tenderly palling his back. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid.¡±


    His voice was soft andforting, and Aster soor stopped crying, only sniffling asionally, Larissa


    fetched a tissue to wipe away the


    tears from his face.


    Til stay with him tonight,¡± Kevan said.


    With Aster¡¯s current state, Larissa couldn¡¯t refuse.


    ¡°Alright sorry to trouble you.¡±


    She nced at Aster, who still refused to let go, and let out a silent sigh


    Lanssa was at a crossroads in her life. She was tom between confusion and frustration. She needed


    help and advice from others, but she didn¡¯t want to conf de in Wendy¨Cit wouldn¡¯t take a genius to figure


    out that Wendy would advise her to either be with Kevan or lirdanother man.

 Chapter 517

    Chapter 517


    Chapter 517


    Larissa needed a person who could remain neutral and objectively analyze the pros and cons of each


    choice for her. The only person she


    could think of who had no connection to Kevan and had a wealth of life experience was Gary.


    Due to the family sports day, the kindergarten started an hourter than usual.


    When Kevan told Larissa to head to work as he would take Aster to the kindergarten, Larissa hesitated


    for a moment.


    Noticing that. Kevan smirked and said. ¡°I¡¯ll leave after dropping him off at the kindergarten.¡±


    Larissa was taken aback, feeling a sudden pang of guilt.


    ¡°Alright, thank you,¡± she replied, forcing a smile as she lowered her head,


    Instead of going to the hotel Larissa went to the hospital, Gary would be discharged that day, and it


    was only right for her to go and pick him up.


    Since Gary had woken up early, he had already dressed up and packed all his clothes and belongings


    into a suitcase by the time Larissa arrived.


    ¡°Why did youe so early?¡± Gary stood up quickly upon seeing Larissa, a smile ying on his lips.


    Larissa had told him yesterday that she woulde, and he had been waiting for her.


    He thought she would be dyed by dropping off her child at school and checking out of the hotel but


    she arrived a few hours earlier than he expected.


    ¡°I ran into a little trouble and wanted toe earlier to talk to you,¡± Larissa replied, smiling awkwardly.


    Gary turned solemn. ¡°What kind of trouble? is it serious?¡±


    Larissa knew he had misunderstood and quickly waved her hand. ¡°It¡¯s not the kind of trouble you¡¯re


    thinking of I¡¯m just a bit confused about my own life ns, and I was hoping you could give me some


    advice.¡±


    This is from N?velDrama.Org.


    Gary visibly rxed, ¡°Oh I see! Sure, go ahead.¡±


    He straightened his back and leaned back against the headboard.


    ¡°Well..¡± Larissa¡¯s lips suddenly felt like they were too heavy to move even though she had rehearsed


    her words countless times in her mind.


    Even though she had prepared her speech in her mind, it still felt embarrassing to say it out loud.


    ¡°As you know, I have a son,¡± she said hesitantly, struggling with her words.


    Gary nodded.


    ¡°He¡¯s an unexpected but beautiful surprise in my life.¡± Larissa couldn¡¯t help but smile lovingly as she


    thought of Aster when he was just born. ¡°He has never had a father since he was little, and he was


    raised by me and my friends.¡±


    Aster never had a father since he was littleUpon hearing that, Gary was lost in thought. He looked at


    Larissa, his eyes filled with an apology she couldn¡¯t understand.


    Larissa paused and asked, ¡°W, Logan, is something wrong?¡±


    With a jolt, Gary quickly regained hisposure, shooting a wry smile at her. ¡°It¡¯s nothing, please


    continue.¡±


    Though she was puzzled by his reaction, Larissa didn¡¯t pry further.


    ¡°Alright. My son used to be very obedient and sensible, never mentioning his father. But after returning


    here¡­ he became close to one of my male friends, and they got along well, Gradually, he developed


    other ideas¡­


    ¡°Your son wants your friend to be his father, but you don¡¯t want that. At the same time, you don¡¯t want


    to disappoint your son, right?¡± Gary quickly figured out her dilemma,


    ¡°I¡¯ve tried that,¡± Larissa sighed. ¡°He always promises me, but secretly tries to set me up with my friend.¡±


    ¡°What about giving him the cold shoulder? If you don¡¯t give him any hope, with time, he will give up on


    his own.¡± Gary suggested, ¡°Actually, you don¡¯t have to worry so much about this matter. Just follow


    your heart and do what you truly want. Many people who be parents end up living for their


    children, and I don¡¯t think that¡¯s a good thing. Everyone has their own life, and constantly


    amodating others is exhausting and you will lose yourself.¡±


    ¡°I understand what you¡¯re saying, but Larissa lowered her head, hiding the tears in her eyes, ¡°I can


    empathize with him quite well¡­¡±

 Chapter 518

    Chapter 518


    Chapter 518


    Larissa had never met her biological father before. By the time she was old enough to remember,


    Yvette was already with Xavier.


    She could only piece together a vague image of herther¡¯s appearance from Yvelle¡¯s poor


    descriptions.


    ¡°He¡¯s an ipetent piece of trash.¡± Perhaps he was skinny and meek.


    ¡°He was always tongue¨Ctied and clumsy.¡± Maybe he was a silent and introverted man who always


    doubled himself,


    This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.


    ¡°He¡¯s a freeloader who couldn¡¯t eam a penny by himself. He depends on women to pay his bills.¡± He


    probably dressed in the simplest clothes, maybe even a bit sloopy.


    In short, he was particrly impressive or good¨Clooking.


    However, Larissa always had an inkling that Yvette was not telling the truth. Just because they didn¡¯t


    share a close rtionship didn¡¯t mean she didn¡¯t understand her.


    Yvette was vain and materialistic, and if her biological father was truly as unbearable as she had


    described. Yvette would never have married him in the first ce.


    Then again, perhaps Yvette had be like that because of her failed mage. Nheless, it did


    not diminish Larissa¡¯s longing for her


    father.


    Even though Yvelte had told her countless times that her father had died somewhere in the middle of


    the sea, she still clung to the hope


    that her father would one day rescue her from the cruel Seymour family. That hope carried her through


    those long, frustrating days, preventing her frompletely losing her mind and going astray.


    She had suffered so much, which was why she always did her best to be good to Aster, to make up for


    theck of fatherly love in his life. At the same time, however, she was well aware that for a child, a


    father was irreceable. That was why she couldn¡¯t ignore Aster¡¯s demands.


    ¡°I often med my mother.¡± Larissa said. ¡°If she had cared more about my feelings, perhaps I would be


    much happier now.¡±


    ¡°Your mother ¡­ Is she not good to you?¡± Gary asked, his voice trembling.


    He could actually imagine it. Since Yvelle hated him deeply, she wouldn¡¯t treat their daughter with any


    kindness.


    However, hearing Larissa say it in person intensilied the pain he felt.


    ¡°Give me a moment.¡± Gary quickly reached into his pocket and took out some medication, swallowing a


    pill without water.


    Larissa¡¯s scrrow was immediately reced by worry, and she asked anxiously. ¡°Do you need a doctor?¡±


    Gary waved her away. Despite that, his brows lurcwed together, hisplexion turning a sickly color


    and his body was trembling with.


    pain. Fortunately, it didn¡¯tst too long, just a few minutes, and his condition gradually returned to


    normal


    ¡°You still haven¡¯t answered my question,¡± he struggled to say, sweat covering his forehead. ¡°Is your


    mother not good to you?


    Larissa had no Intention of continuing the conversation with him as his condition worried her greatly.


    ¡°Let¡¯s talk about thatter,¡± she said. ¡°Let me get the doctor to check on you again.¡±


    However, Gary refused.


    ¡°Im fine.¡± he insisted. ¡°Just tell me. Im all ears.¡±


    Larissa had no choice but to return to her seal.


    ¡°My mother,¡± she began to say with a bitterugh, ¡°I can only say that she fulfilled the duties of a


    mother and raised me to adulthood.¡±


    However, the lile she put Larissa through fell worse than hell.


    ¡°Some people might think I¡¯m an ungrateful wretch, but I genuinely have never thanked her lor it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Tears welled up in Gary¡¯s eyes.

 Chapter 519

    Chapter 519


    Chapter 519


    Larissa was taken aback, ¡°Huh?¡±


    N?velDrama.Org content rights.


    Gary avoided her gaze and asked In a low voice, ¡°What about your father?¡±


    Although Larissa was trembling, she put on a smile and said. ¡°My mom said he passed away when I


    was very young. I¡¯ve never seen my dad, and I don¡¯t even know what he looks like. That¡¯s the biggest


    regret of my life. Because of this. I can¡¯t bear to let my son¡¯s hopes be shattered.¡±


    Gary¡¯s heart, which had just calmed down, began to ache again. He wanted to tell Larissa that he was


    her father.


    But he was worried that she would me him for not appearing all these years, and might even refuse


    to acknowledge him. He wouldn¡¯t be able to maintain even a simple friendship with her.


    ¡°Do you miss your father?¡± he tentatively asked.


    ¡°When I was little, I thought about him, especially when I was sad,¡± Larissa recalled the past, as if all


    the pain had disappeared, leaving behind a faint trace of mncholy, ¡°But as I grew up. I stopped


    thinking about it because I knew it was pointless.¡±


    ¡°What if your father suddenly appeared in front of you, could you ept him?¡± Gary asked again.


    ¡°My father is already deceased, so if he appeared in front of me, he must be a ghost right? Larissa


    didn¡¯t take Gary¡¯s question seriously at all and joked with him instead. ¡°I definitely wouldn¡¯t be able to


    ept it. I might even scream in fright.¡±


    ¡°What if your father didn¡¯t pass away? Gary looked at Larissa, his gaze profound.


    Larissa¡¯s heart wavered, and she cast a strange look at Gary. ¡°Do you know something?¡± Her voice


    was trembling.


    Looking at her, Gary answered, ¡°No.¡±


    In the end, he didn¡¯t dare to tell her the truth,


    Larissa didn¡¯tpletely believe his answer. After all, his reaction was too strange. There had to be


    something more to it. Just at that moment. Lewis returned, breaking the strange tension between the


    two.


    Gary heaved a sigh of relief.


    ¡°The discharge procedures have beenpleted,¡± Lewis announced as he picked up the suitcase next


    to Gary¡¯s bed. ¡°We can leave now.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Gary quickly stood up and hurriedly walked out of the room.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    On the way back to the hotel Larissa didn¡¯t ask him any more questions because Lewis was pres


    15 present.


    She dropped them off at the hotel and instructed the assistant to take care of them before she hurried


    to the kindergarten.


    Both sides of the road leading to the kindergarten were lined with luxury cars.


    Larissa circled around the area a couple of times before finding a space to park in the underground


    parking lot of a mall.


    By the time she arrived at the kindergarten, it was already past 9 am, and the opening ceremony of the


    sports meet had already begun. The loud music made her instinctively quicken her pace.


    Fortunately, she was acquainted with the security guard, so he didn¡¯t give her a hard time and let her in


    without a hassle.


    The students were all gathered on therge sports field, and Larissa had to crane her neck before she


    finally spotted Aster¡¯s ss. Parents and children stood side by side, forming orderly lines. Almost


    every child had a pair of parents by their side, which made Larissa¡¯s heart sink.


    Aster must be feeling even worse byparing himsell to other families.


    ¡°Mommy! Mommy! Over here Aster¡¯s voice rang from a distance.


    Larissa followed the voice and saw her precious son jumping and waving at her, as well as the man


    standing beside him, Standing at a towering height, the man stood out in the crowd.

 Chapter 520

    Chapter 520


    Chapter 520


    Larissa froze in her tracks.


    She thought Kevan had already left, but with so many variables in between, it was highly likely that he


    was persuaded by Aster to stay.


    She sighed inwardly and resumed walking.


    As she approached them. Aster ran up to her in a few steps and held her hand.


    His littlece was flushed, his nose covered in sweat, and his big, bright eyes were filled with a smile.


    ¡°Why are you sote? His tone carried a hint of reproach. ¡°Daddy and I have been waiting for you for a


    long time!¡±


    He deliberately emphasized the word ¡°daddy.¡± speaking loud enough for everyone around to hear. The


    gazes they received stunned Larissa¨Cespecially when she noticed that most of those gazes were filled


    with envy.


    She lowered her head, forcing herself to smile as she silently wished to disappear. They quickly


    returned to where Kevan was.


    As soon as Larissa met Kevan¡¯s gaze, she noticed the remorse in his eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Kevan said. ¡°I didn¡¯t feel at ease leaving Aster alone. I intended to wait until you arrived


    before leaving, but you werete, and i thought something hade up and you couldn¡¯t make it¡­¡±


    Ultimately, this was Larissa¡¯s own fault, and she had no right to me anyone.


    ¡°Now that you¡¯re here, I leave now.¡± Kevan touched Aster¡¯s head and softly instructed, ¡°Have fun with


    Mommy.¡±


    There was a hint of mncholy on his face, subtle but keenly captured by Larissa.


    A thought shed through her mind, and she blurted out, ¡°Since we¡¯re all here, let¡¯s y together!¡±


    Kevan looked surprised, and Larissa turned her face away immediately, not used to meeting his gaze


    directly.


    ¡°Yay!¡± Aster was the happiest among them. He held Larissa¡¯s hand with one hand and Kevan¡¯s hand


    with the other, grinning ear to ear.


    Considering the limited patience of children aged 3 to 6, the opening ceremony went by quickly. The


    principal and the teachers¨Cin¨Ccharge gave speeches that didn¡¯t exceed five minutesbined.


    The event utilized a point collection system. All the events took ce simultaneously in different areas


    of the sports field, and parents apanied their children to choose which events to participate in¨C


    based on their physical strengths and interest, they could choose


    which events to participate in.


    Each child held a small booklet that had been distributed in advance. Afterpleting an event, the


    referee would stamp the booklet to


    record the station and the corresponding points.


    Once all the events were finished, the top three positions would be determined based on the


    umted points. The familles of the top three winners would not only appear on the award podium


    but also receive valuable mysterious gifts.


    Larissa wasn¡¯t interested in sports. From childhood to adulthood, physical education was always a


    subject that dragged her down. Every


    time there was a physical education test, she could only barely pass.


    Hence, she never thought about winning anything. On the other hand, the two guys beside her were


    both pumped up, and their passionate disy of enthusiasm frightened Larissa.


    ¡°We must get first ce!¡± Aster shouted, raising his fist in the air,


    Kevan immediately echoed, ¡°First ce will definitely be ours!


    Larissa had no idea where their confidence came from.


    The number of students in this kindergarten wasn¡¯t small. There were many students taller and


    stronger than Aster, and many parents


    Content provided by N?velDrama.Org.


    taller and stronger than her and Kevan.

 Chapter 521

    Chapter 521


    Chapter 521


    N?velDrama.Org content rights.


    ¡°Friendship firstpetitiones second.¡± She Iried to Indoctrinate them. ¡°It¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t get


    first ce.¡±


    Both males turned to look back at her with disapproving looks.


    ¡°Mommy, don¡¯t you dare hold us back!¡± Aster ¡°wamed¡± her.


    Larissa was a bit angry, ¡°Fine, I won¡¯L¡± She turned to leave. ¡°Have fun on your own, you two! I¡¯ll be


    going now!¡±


    ¡°Hey-¡± Kevan reached out quickly to stop her.


    Larissa was unable to pull the leg she put out in time, and her body fell back from the momentum right


    into Kevan¡¯s broad chest. Kevan wore a thin sports t¨Cshirt, so his protruding pecs were rather obvious.


    The moment Larissa¡¯s back hit them, she felt them immediately. Her face went beet¨Cred in a second


    before she hurriedly straightened up and put some distance between herself and Kevan.


    A lew mothers nearby let out cries of amazement. Those who were familiar with Larissa came over to


    tease her. ¡°That scene earlier was totally from a ty show!¡±


    Larissa¡¯s blush deepened.


    The first station Aster chose was the sack race. One stepped into the sack, holding on to the top of it


    before hopping forward as fast as one could. Then, one would tum back at the turning point


    approximately 164 feet from where they started and go back to the starting


    The whole family had to participate in this activity, and it utilized a ry mode,paring the time it


    took for participants to return to the starting point. The shorter the time, the higher the points gained.


    Kevan had already decided on the order of their cement, Aster was the first hopper, Larissa the


    second, while he was thest hopper- where it would be convenient for him to adjust his speed based


    on the first two hoppers¡® condition.


    The other families basically had a simr sequencing too.


    The kidspeting with them in the same group were practically all older kids. Aster did not have an


    advantage over them, but hispetitive spint was strong. When they started, he was already the


    secondst hopper, but he gained on the other kids in the middle of the race through gritted teeth.


    When he got back to the starting point, he was only just a few milliseconds slower than the first kid.


    Larissa could not help but apud him¨Cbut that resulted in her startingter than the other participants,


    and she was left behind by three mothers at once.


    ¡°Go, Mommy! Go! You can do it! Aster screamed.


    Larissa exerted all the energy and strength she could to hop forward, holding her breath even as she


    did so. Her constitution was bad. Any sport that required the littlest amount of effort had her panting


    and hutting while her body ached, her body weakening at once.


    The other mothers were not any better either. Their round could be described as ineffectual struggling.


    Larissa wanted to give up several times, thinking that she would rather just scoot herself back to the


    starting point. But when she thought of Aster¡¯s hopelul gaze, she forced herself to move her heavy


    body.


    She was about to reach the finishing point in third ce. The goal was right there, but she was unable


    to hop up when she tugged on the sack, and her body pitched forward uncontrobly.


    The screams of the people nearby were shrill and loud. Larissa closed her eyes in hopeless ear when a


    pair of strong and steady arms caught her. The pain she anticipated did note, and she was held


    suspended several inches off the ground.


    ¡°Woah!¡± A wave of exmations diew


    attention of others as they came over to see what was going on.


    Larissa frantically got to her feet with Revan¡¯s help. She had not regained her bnce when Aster


    pointed at the other fathers who had reached the turning point and urged Kevan, ¡°Daddy, hurry!¡±

 Chapter 523

    Chapter 523


    Chapter 523


    Although Kewan really wanted her to, he did not dare push his luck when he saw Larissa¡¯s face


    darkening. He reached over Aster¡¯s head and swiped the tissue out of Larissa¡¯s hand, hastily rubbing it


    over hisce.


    ¡°All done.¡± He raised his hand and threw the crumpled tissue into a trash can that was a few leet away


    in a perfect arc.


    Yet another round of exmations sounded around them, and even Larissa had to look at him in a


    whole new light.


    Aster clung to Kevan even more and asked him with puppy¨Cdog eyes, ¡°Daddy, when will you teach me


    how to shoot hoops?¡±


    Kevan replied without hesitation, ¡°When you¡¯re resting this weekend.¡±


    Aster immediately leaped three feet into the air with delight and stuck out his pinky. ¡°That¡¯s a promise!¡±


    Larissa watched this while her heart sank slowly.


    Having lost some momentum in the first activity. Kevan and Aster got Larissa to join in on every other


    activity that they could participate in to gain more points, and they gave their all in every activity.


    Larissa had never taken thepetitions seriously, having nned to pick a few easy and rxing


    activities to participate in to bond with her son, but their passion caused her to cultivate a lighting spirit


    too¨Cshe did not want to hold them back and cause them to miss out on the prize that they should have


    rightfully gotten,


    The truth was, most parents didn¡¯t share the same sentiments as Larissa. They were not very


    interested in the prize. Therefore. Larissa¡¯s family had very littlepetition. In the end, they got first


    ce as they wished, and received the prize onstage in front of everyone.


    Aster was standing with his chest puffed out his face filled with pride. Larissa had never seen him like


    this before. He was always a sweet. understanding, and mature young man toward her and Wendy. It


    was only when he was with Kewan that his childlike side would be exposed¨Che would be just as willful


    and stubborn as the other kids his age, and would cry, throw tantrums, and be inconsiderate of others


    ¡®feelings while revealing his own true feelings


    done


    Larissa shockingly did not know if this change was a good one or a bad one.


    The first prize was awarded by the principal in person. It was a seven¨Cday summer holiday trip to


    Kadon. The prize included two¨Cway tickets, pre¨Cbooked hotels, a local guide as well as tickets to


    several well¨Cknown tourist spots. It was worth around one hundred thousand dors.


    One hundred thousand dors was nothing to the parents who could send their kids into this


    kindergarten, but apletely pre¨Cnned trip that one could just enjoy? That was something very


    attractive indeed!


    Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    After the awards ceremony, someone immediately came over to Larissa to talk to her the moment they


    got off the stage. ¡°I¡¯ll give you ten thousand dors for a spot on this trip, please?¡±


    Truthfully, Larissa was interested in a summer holiday in Kadon. s, she really could not take


    seven days off work like this. Besides, the principal had emphasized that all three of them had to go,


    and no one could pull out from it when he presented the prize to them. She did not want to go on a


    vacation with Kevan, much less stay in the same room as him for seven days.


    She agreed at once. ¡°I¡¯ll give you the spot, but I don¡¯t want your money.¡±


    ¡°No Having overheard their conversation, Aster protested strongly against it. ¡°No way! I want to go to


    Kadon with Daddy and Mommy!¡±


    The moment he said that Larissa and the other mother were stuck in an awkward situation. The mother


    quickly said, ¡°Forget it then. If the kid wants to go, well, we can¡¯t say no to that, can we?¡±


    Larissa frowned hard and grabbed Aster¡¯s hand.


    ¡°I talk to him for a bit and give you an answerter.¡± She smiled apologetically as she led Aster to a


    quiet corner.


    Kevan was trapped by a group of parents he had met at work before, and he watched helplessly as


    Larissa took Aster away with an absolutely dark look on her face. He was anxious but could do nothing


    about it

 Chapter 524

    Chapter 524


    Chapter 524


    Larissa crouched in front of Aster and held his hand, calmly reasoning with him, saying, ¡°Mommy can¡¯t


    take such a long holiday, so I can¡¯t go to Kadon with you. Instead of wasting this spot, it¡¯s better to


    give it away to another student instead.¡±


    ¡°But-¡°Aster pouted, his face filled with disappointment.


    It was not that he did not know that his mommy was busy with work, and it was not that he could not


    understand¨Che had long known from a young age that Mommy and Godma only wanted to give him a


    better life by working so hard. Outpared to what they saw as a better life, he desired their


    companionship more than anything.


    ¡°I want to go with you. His voice became very small and it was filled with hurt.


    Larissa pressed her lips tightly together. She felt bad for him, and she felt quilty too. She knew that she


    had not spent much time with him over these years. While other kids were vacationing all over the


    world, having fun at carnivals and amusement parks, he was usually alone at home, either watching


    superhero movies or readingic books that he did not understandpletely due to his limited


    knowledge of vocabry.


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    ¡°How about this- Larissa tried to discuss with him, ¡°Well let Spencer¡¯s mommy have the prize, Once I¡¯m


    able to take leave. I take you to Kadon for two days, okay?¡±


    Two days was way shorter than the original seven days. But Aster knew that this was the biggest


    compromise she could give.


    ¡°What about Uncle Kevan?¡± he asked with concern.


    ¡°Uncle Kevan wont be going.¡± Larissa said even as she nced over at the man in question. He was


    still the center of the crowd, a dazzling presence that waspletely worlds apart from her.


    Even if their history together did not exist, she would not try to reach above her own station


    But her way of thinking could not influence Aster.


    ¡°But Uncle Kevan was the one who won the prize


    Aster disagreed with her decision. ¡°Forget not running things through with him


    before giving the prize away, you refuse to take him on vacation too¨CMommy, I¡¯m so disappointed in


    you.¡±


    His expression was rather stern, and there was a hint of resentment in his eyes which made Larissa


    feel a little guilty. His words were reasonable, and she could not retort.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll ask Uncle Kevan.¡± Larissa could only concede.


    She only led Aster over once the people surrounding Kevan had dispersed. She had not yet thought of


    how to broach the subject when Aster took over. ¡°Mommy wants to let Spencer¡¯s mommy have the


    chance to go to Kadon.¡±


    Kevan was not surprised.


    He had overheard some of Larissa¡¯s conversation with Spencer¡¯s mother, and he knew that this was


    the only result that could have been achieved. The truth was, he never held any hope for the three of


    them to go on a vacation together in Kadon


    Larissa¡¯s attitude to him was already quite clear bomst night. She was always indifferent and cold,


    and she would never give him a chance.


    ¡°Sure.¡± Kevan agreed to it readily.


    ¡°But¡ª¡± Aster changed the direction of the conversation. ¡°Mommy said that she would take me to


    Kadon for two days once she has the time. Unc¨CSensing the gaves from the others. Aster quickly


    changed tack. ¡°Daddy, do you want to go with us?*


    Kevan looked at Larissa first. She was expressionlessly looking at the floor, seemingly avoiding his


    gaze.


    He knew what she meant at once.


    ¡°We¡¯ll see. He did not walk himself into a dead end either. ¡°I just don¡¯t know if I¡¯d be busy at that time.¡±


    ¡°Ah ¡ª¡± Aster¡¯s head hung low, like a sad little puppy. ¡°Why are you all always so busy will work?¡± he


    grumbled quietly.


    Kevan¡¯s big handnded on his head and ruled up his hair. ¡°if we¡¯re not busy, how can we eam money


    to take you to Kdon?¡±

 Chapter 525

    Chapter 525


    Chapter 525


    Aster froze before his shoulders slumped¨Cbut he stoppedining.


    Kevan did not stay tonight. He knew when to take his leave. If he continued to find excuses to stay,


    Larissa would definitely resent him. If something happened again in the future, she would not be soft¨C


    hearted enough to let him stay anymore.


    Without Kevan, Larissa was much more rxed, but she also felt that something seemed to be missing


    at the same time. On the other hand, Aster made sure his displeasure was written all over his face. He


    kept talking about Kevan. When it was time for bed. Larissa had to tell him thrice before he reluctantly


    returned to his room.


    Having not been in the hotel for the whole day. Larissa went to the study to deal with her work that had


    piled up. When she finished, it was already almost 3 am.


    N?velDrama.Org content rights.


    Yawning, she exited the study while stretching, nearly tripping over something that was on the floor.


    She looked down and realized that it was Cookie lying on the floor near the study¡¯s door, staring at her


    innocently with big eyes


    ¡°Meow,¡± she called out to her softly, seemingly having used her paws to knead and scratch at her heart,


    tickling her so much in a strangelyforting way.


    Larissa bent down to pick her up, bringing her into her arms, Stroking her fur, Larissa went into the


    living room and asked. ¡°Where¡¯s Mutin?


    She had been in the middle of speaking when she caught sight of Muffin, who was crouched in the


    cage. The cage door had not been closed, which was why Cookie was able toe out. But Muffin


    only lifted her head for a moment when she heard Larissa¡¯s voice before dropping back down onto the


    cage floor, She was dull and lethargic. It was probably because she knew she had done something


    wrong yesterday.


    Aster¡¯s wounds were not serious, and the doctor had already said the chances of vinated house


    cats having any viruses were very low. Larissa never med Mullin, but Kevan fell so guilty that he


    wanted to send the two cals away, Larissa stopped him, however, because she could not bear to part


    with them, and she believed that Aster would be able to coexist with them harmoniously.


    However, the most important thing now was to fix Muttin¡¯s current introversion.


    Larissa lured Mullin out of the cage using canned food. While she was eating. Larissa stroked her


    gently. The thickness of her fur was uneven, Whenever Larissa touched the areas where her fur was


    sparse, Mullin would shudder rather violently as if her owner¡¯s touch pained her greatly.


    Larissa suddenly had the urge to have Bethany beaten up. It was shocking to see that her cruelty even


    exceeded that of some adults. She could not imagine what sort of abuse Bethany went through prior.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± Larissa soothed Muffin softly. ¡°No one will mistreat you both anymore.¡±


    After she fed both kittens, Larissa went to Aster¡¯s room.


    She originally wanted to see if he was having nightmares like he didst night, but the moment she


    went in, she heard him mumble, Mommy?¡± in a very soft voice that was also thick with exhaustion.


    ¡°Did I wake you up?¡± Larissa was a bit annoyed.


    Aster was usually a deep sleeper, Noises like opening the door would never wake him up usually


    ¡°Did you have a nightmare again?¡± She swiftly made her way over and sat on the edge of the bed.


    ¡°No.¡± Aster sniffled, his voice close to a sobi. ¡°I miss Uncle Kevan. I can¡¯t sleep well without him.¡±

 Chapter 527

    Chapter 527


    Chapter 527


    Violet told him. ¡°It¡¯s done.¡±


    Once he had gone through the inheritance process, the mansion would be his, and his alone,


    ¡°Bemard¡¯s and Felix¡¯s families have probably conferred behind the scenes yesterday. Today, Felix


    agreed to take just 5% of the shares and the rest of your grandpa¡¯s properties. Bernard got the rest of


    the shares.¡±


    Rnd held 56% of the shares in thepany. Felix only taking 5% meant that he was cementing


    Cody¡¯s position as president of thepany by leaving him the bigger percentage of shares.


    Although Bernard¡¯s and Felix¡¯s families were in cahoots with each other, they frequently fought among


    themselves due to their selfish natures. For Felix to agree to make such a big sacrifice meant that


    Bernard¡¯s family must have made some sort of guarantee¨Ceither that or Bernard¡¯s family had gotten


    some leverage over Felix¡¯s family.


    Kevan was not interested in the reasons that made this happen. He only cared whether or not his n


    could still proceed smoothly¨Cas long as Cody¡¯s position did not change, he had nothing else to worry


    about


    In the afternoon, he went to Pine Mansion. Aher Grandpa¡¯s funeral was over, this ce became as


    deserted as it used to be.


    Kevan knocked on the door for a long while before someone linally came, and they were sweaty from


    having run all the way.


    ¡°Y¨CYoung Mr. Rogers the stall member panted, his speech choppy.


    Kevan found it odd. ¡°Where¡¯s Ben?¡±


    Normally, Ben was in charge of weing visitors to Pine Mansion¨CAlter all most visitors who came


    here were usually from wealthy circles. It was only by having a butler of Ben¡¯s station¨Csecond only to


    Rnd himself to wee them that people would not feel that they have been neglected or snubbed.


    The staff member looked sad. ¡°Mr. Ben, he is packing up his things in his room.¡±


    Kevan owned. ¡°What for? Where is he going?¡±


    ¡°I heard that he wanted to go home.¡± the stall member said. ¡°Old Mr. Rogers is gone now, and this


    mansion is empty. None of us know what to do now Even Mr. Ben wants to leave too Sigh! Perhaps


    soon everyone will be leaving this ce!¡±


    Kevan quickly stepped into the mansion and found Ben¡¯s room.


    ¡°Ben? Are you there?¡±


    The door creaked open, and Ben stepped out slowly. ¡°Young Mr. Rogers?¡± He was very surprised when


    he saw Kevan. ¡°What brings you here?¡±


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    ¡°I¡¯ve inhended the mansion,¡± Kevan answered.


    Ben froze before letting out a smile. ¡°Oh, how fortunate indeed!¡± He eximed with somewhat teary


    eyes. ¡°Old Mr. Rogers must be resting assured now from where he is! Ben wiped his eyes with his


    sleeve. ¡°I will hand over all the keys of this ce to youter.¡±


    Histone made Kevan feel frantic for a moment.


    ¡°I heard a staff member say that you n to go home?¡± Kevan asked tentatively.


    ¡°That¡¯s right?¡± Ben smiled bitterly. ¡°Old Mr. Rogers is gone, so there¡¯s no point in me staying here


    anymore. It¡¯s better to go home and help my nephew raise his children.¡±


    Kevan had once heard Grandpa talk about Ben¨Chis wife passed early on, and he never remarried. He


    was simr to Rnd in this regard. But Ben had it worse than Rnd¨Chis wife was not able to leave


    him children, which led him to be so lonely for so many years. Because of that Ben put all of his energy


    and focus on taking care of Rnd, who became his closest friend as well as his emotional support.


    Rnd¡¯s passing was a huge blow to Ben. Kevan could understand his desire to not remain here. But-


    ¡°I hope you can stay.¡± Kevan gazed straight into Ben¡¯s eyes as he spoke with sincerity. ¡°This was not


    only Grandpa¡¯s home¨Cit¡¯s your home too.¡±


    Ben froze, his mouth opening slightly even as his eyes leared up again. ¡°Young Mr. Rogers He was so


    touched that he could not speak.

 Chapter 528

    Chapter 528


    Chapter 528


    It took Ben some time to calm himself down, Kevan patiently apanied him, and even helped him


    unpack everything, putting the things back where they hade from.


    Ben got someone to make them some hot tea before serving a full cup to Kevan.


    ¡°This is the new tea that Peighdale sent over to Old Mr. Rogers this year! It¡¯s a pity that he only drank it


    once. Ben was originally introducing the tea happily when his voice grew smaller at the end, and his


    eyes turned red again.


    Kevan took a sip. The rich and bittersweet taste engulfed his tongue, but when the tea slipped down his


    throat, he could savor a slight hint of sweetness. He did not like drinking tea Compared to alcohol and


    coffee, which were stronger, tea was too nd for him.


    But his grandpa used to drink tea like his life depended on it.


    ¡°Old Mr. Rogers always said that tea could calm the mind,¡± Ben said through sobs as he pressed his


    chest with his hand. ¡°After he passed. I¡¯ve been drinking this tea relentlessly, but my heart still aches.¡±


    Kevan said nothing. He threw back the cup of hot tea. It numbed his tongue, but the ache from his


    heart remained unchanged.


    Well, Ben was right.


    Kevan put the empty cup on the table, and Ben filled it up for him again.


    ¡°I knew too¡ªthat Old Mr. Rogers had reached quite an old age, and that this would happen one day¡­


    But Ben shook his head and sighed heavily. ¡°He passed without warning. When he was having dinner


    with Mr. Cody on the day of his death, he was quite energetic.


    Who knew.


    Kevan¡¯s eyelid twitched. ¡°Cody came on the day Grandpa passed?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Cody came to report about work,¡± Ben said. ¡°He woulde every month. Before he came at the


    beginning of every month. This time, he was hall a monthte. It was only because Old Mr. Rogers


    could not wait any longer and kept calling him that he came.¡±


    Kevan was aware of Cody¡¯s monthly meetings with Grandpa. Although Grandpa had let Cody manage


    Soaring Corporation, he would always worry. So, he could only ensure that thepany was running


    well through this method.


    However, Kevan was unaware that Cody was present on the day Grandpa passed.


    He found it odd anyway¨CThough grandpa¡¯s health could not be said to have been perfect, he did not


    have any terminal diseases, not to mention that Ben was taking care of him as well as having periodic


    visits from the family doctor No matter how he looked at it, Grandpa


    was nowhere near the end of his life.


    But life expectancy was an unpredictable thing.


    Everyone said that Grandpa¡¯s ¡°time was up¡°, and that it was a ¡°joyous departure.¡± So, he did not look


    too deeply into it. But now that he had heard Ben¡¯s words he could not help but be suspicious. ¡°Was


    Cody alone with Grandpa that day?¡±


    *They¡¯re usually alone during those meetings,¡± Ben replied honestly. ¡°You¡¯re asking me this ¡°He had


    been with Rnd for several years. so he was quick to notice things. ¡°Is it because you suspect that


    Mr. Cody has something to do with Old Mr. Rogers¡® death?¡±N?velDrama.Org content rights.


    Kevan did not say anything, but his eyes confirmed it.


    ¡°I¡¯m not trying to defend Mr. Cody Ben closed his room door and lowered his voice. ¡°But Mr. Cody


    should be innocent in this. He came in the attemoon. After reporting about work, he ate dinner with Old


    Mr. Rogers, Old Mr. Rogers was still normal then, and he was still teaching Mr. Cody about how to deal


    withpany matters. Alter dinner was finished, Mr. Cody left. I helped Old Mr. Rogers wash up and


    return to his room, and I only left after helping him lie on the bed. So, Old Mr. Rogers did not die a


    natural death, the most obvious person to have harmed him would be me, and not Mr. Cody.¡±


    But Ben did not have any motive to harm Grandpa. On the ullier hand, he could list out several motives


    that Cody may have.


    *I was just asking.¡± Kevan smiled faintly. He had no intention of arguing with Ben.

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    Besides, he was only suspecting Cody. He could not bepletely sure that he was the cause of


    Grandpa¡¯s death.


    Kevan drank another cup of tea before finding an excuse to leave Pine Mansion.


    The moment he got in the car, he called Dn, ¡°Don¡¯t you have a high school friend in the criminal


    investigation unit? I want him to help me out with something.¡±


    In the afternoon, Larissa was about to leave the hotel when she got aint from a VIP guest. This


    guest was rather hard to deal with. When she was finished, two had already passed.


    She hurried to the kindergarten. Aster was still with two other kids in the ssroom, reading children¡¯s


    books under E¡¯s lead.


    Upon seeing Larissa. E greeted her as usual but did not tell Aster to pack his things and go with her.


    ¡°Ma¡¯am, let¡¯s talk outside.¡± E¡¯s expression was a little serious, and Larissa¡¯s heart sank at once.


    Aster watched them in confusion not far away, and he did not look guilty as one would normally look


    after making a mistake.


    That only deepened the puzzlement that Larissa felt. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Ms. Gilmore?¡± she asked.


    E led her further away until she was certain that their conversation could not be overheard by the


    kids in the ssroom. ¡°An unknown man came over to pick Aster up today. He said that he was your


    friend.¡±


    that it was not right.


    Kevan¡¯s face appeared in Larissa¡¯s mind¡¯s eye at once, but after a moment of thought, she thought that


    E had met Kevan before, so she would not use ¡°unknown man¡± to describe him. The only ¡°friends¡±


    who woulde to pick Aster up would be either Kevan or Dn. She had not contacted Dn over


    the past few days, so she did not know if he was back from his business trip yet.


    Content provided by N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°But Aster said that he did not know him.¡± With this new information from E, Larissa removed Dn


    as a potential candidate at once.


    ¡°That man knows your and Aster¡¯s names as well as your job, but he refused to tell me his name. I


    found this fishy, andbined with the fact that I could not contact you, I did not let him take Aster


    away.¡± E said.


    When Larissa was working, she rarely had her phone on her. When she saw the missed calls from E,


    she figured that the homeroom teacher was asking her when she was going to pick Aster up, so she


    did not rush to respond¨Cbecause it was only a five to six¨Cminute ride from the hotel to the kindergarten.


    ¡°Sorry to trouble you.¡± Larissa was a little apologetic. ¡°However, if I am unable to pick Aster up for


    whatever reason and require someone else¡¯s help, I will definitely tell you beforehand. As for the


    person this time do you remember what he looks like?¡±


    She had never asked anyone to help pick Aster up. If it was not Kevan and Dn. She began to feel


    tense.


    Could it be ¡ª Ruby Cole again?


    E frowned as she tried her best to remember. ¡°Tall and thin, and he looks like your average guy.


    Beady eyes and a buzz cut. Doesn¡¯t sound like a Bartham local from his ent.¡±


    Her description was too abstract. Larissa could match up several people she knew to that description,


    but none of those people had a reason to pick Aster up behind her back. She looked up and found a


    surveince camera on the top of the ssroom¡¯s main door. Pointing at the camera, she asked.


    ¡°Could I see the footage from this camera?¡±

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    Time was needed to retrieve the footage, E fold Larissa to leave first and that she would send it over


    to herter.


    Larissa held Aster¡¯s hand tightly. She was really scared. The unknown man E mentioned. Although


    she had not seen him in person,


    she had a feeling that the man was not anyone with good intentions.


    ¡°Ms. Gilmore said that a man came to pick you up?¡± Larissa asked Aster.


    ¡°Yep.¡± Aster nodded, ¡°But I didn¡¯t know him, so I didn¡¯t leave with him.¡±


    ¡°Great job!¡± Larissa smiled and gave him a thumbs¨Cup.


    Ever since he was able to understand them she and Wendy had been teaching him about stranger


    danger. It seemed that their hard work


    had paid off.


    ¡°Il Mommy ever needs someone to go pick you up. I will call Ms. Gilmore beforehand, okay? if I never


    informed Ms. Gilmore, you can¡¯t leave with anyone who says that they¡¯re here to pick you up, and that


    includes Uncle Kevan and Uncle Dn, do you understand?¡±


    ¡°Aww¡ª¡± Aster¡¯s face crumpled. ¡°Why are Uncle Kevan and Uncle Dn not allowed either?¡±


    ¡°Because Mommy will worry.¡± Larissa looked down at the kid next to her, and her anxiety began to


    spiral-


    The moment Larissa reached home. E had taken a picture of a scene of the surveince footage and


    sent it over to her.


    The man¡¯s appearance was fairly visible in the picture. Larissa studied him for a long while, but could


    not recall where she had seen him before. She did not know this man, but he still called himself her


    friend and had tried to take Aster away.


    No matter how she looked at it, this was a faled kidnapping attempt. But as no harm was truly caused,


    telling the police would go


    nowhere.


    Larissa did not waste time doing that. She informed Wendy about this incident and they decided to


    send Aster back to Aldovia.


    ¡°It might be a bit difficult to handle Aster.¡± Wendy was very worried. ¡°He really likes his life now, and he


    can¡¯t leave you.¡±


    ¡°I will go back someday.¡± Larissa had already faltered once when it came to Aster. If he went back to


    Aldovia, she would have to follow.


    She would never toss him aside and let him be like that.


    Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    ¡°Anyway¡ª¡°Wendy pursed her lips. ¡°Good luck with him!¡±


    Wendy¡¯s concem was not excessive. Aster disyed a huge resistance to Larissa¡¯s ¡°Return to


    Aldovia¡¯s idea. ¡°Why do I need to go back? Aren¡¯t I just fine here? He frowned, his whole body stiff with


    tension.


    Larissa crouched in front of him and held his hands tightly, murmuring softly, ¡°Because Mommy is


    scared that someone will kidnap you again.¡± The image of Ruby beating him up violently appeared


    abruptly in her mind¡¯s eye, and she could not stop hersell from shuddering.


    Aster froze.


    ¡°The man that came to pick you up today may be a bad guy.¡± Larissa tried to use descriptions that he


    would understand, ¡°Mommy does not know who he is, nor do I know if he will have other ways to take


    you away. So, for your salety, Mommy can only send you back to Aldovia.¡±


    Thest kidnapping incident had left its grim mark on Aster¡¯s heart. He paled at once, pank and fear


    surging up at the same time, and he flung himself into Larissa¡¯s arms, hugging her tightly.


    Tu go back. His voice was muffled and shaky.


    Larissa patted his back gently, her heart feeling like it was being stabbed by needles.


    Larissa went through the procedure to temporarily suspend Aster¡¯s studies. She did not directly


    withdraw him from school probably out of some small sliver of hope¨Cthat the matter could be solved


    well, and he could stille back and resume his studies.


    After all, he did seem to like it here better.


    She did not tell E the reason for suspending Aster¡¯s studies, but as the two incidents happened in


    session, it was easy for people to connect both incidents together.

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    Larissa felt worse. She would miss Aster too, but there was no other w


    rway.


    She took three days of leave and hooked the flight tickets to Aldavia. Moreover, she had to deal with


    the handover properly before leaving and arrange tasks and assignments for the others to ensure that


    her three¨Cday leave would not affect their work progress.


    She also called every VIP quest of the hotel and informed them. ¡°I will not be in the hotel for the next


    three days, so if you have any issues. you may find our assistant manager. I will send his number over


    later.¡±


    Gary asked her. ¡°Where are you going?¡±


    Based on the information he received, Larissa was a workaholic. When she was in Aldovia, she never


    applied for a single day of leave, working from the early hours of the morning unt! thete hours of the


    night. After retum ng to Caldor, she left work earlier than she used to and would asionally apply for


    a day off or two, probably because she needed to take care of her child. But to apply for three days at


    once


    that had never happened before.


    So, he found it odd.


    Having spent time together over the past few days, Larissa and Gary were closer than before. She did


    not hesitate to tell him the truth. ¡°To send my son back to Aldovia.¡±


    Gary had also seen her son¡¯s information before. The kd looked like her, and it made him wonder if she


    was like that too when she was


    younger.


    Whenever he thought about it, he would tear up.


    ¡°Is your son on holiday? Gary asked again.


    ¡°No Larissa smiled. ¡°I am nning to send him over to study.¡±


    Gary was stunned momentarily. ¡°Then will you be returning to Aldovia too?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Larissa admitted freely. ¡°My family is over there. I will definitely have to go back.¡±


    The mention of her ¡°family¡± made Gary fall silent. His expression dulled, and Lewis was worried about


    him when he observed the changes.


    ¡°Going back is great¡± Gary finally spoke after a long while. His influence was all there, so he would be


    able to take care of her and her son, My offer still stands. If you¡¯re facing any difficulties, let me know


    anytime you wish,¡± he said.


    Larissa had agreed perfunctorily the previous few times, so Gary expected this time to be the same. To


    his surprise, he heard Larissa¡¯s hesitant voice over the phone. ¡°Mr. Logan I¡¯ve recently really run into


    some trouble


    Ever since returning from Pine Mansion, Kevan was so busy that he had no time for anything else¨Cthe


    company, Grandpa, and Cody got


    all bunched together.


    When he realized that Aster had not sought him out for several days, he called him in confusion, only to


    find that his phone was turned off.


    He did not dare call Larissa so he found an opportunity to visit in person. However, he rang the doorbell


    for quite a while, and no one opened the door for him. Kevan suddenly paricked a little.


    Larissa had walked away without saying anything once six years ago.


    He was lying in the hospital then, and when he saw the message she sent, the moment of lear and


    panic was something he had never experienced before.


    If it was not for Dn stopping him, he would have abandoned his n and chased after her to Aldovia.


    N?velDrama.Org content rights.


    He reached for his phone.


    Due to his hand trembling incessantly from anxiety and fear, he nearly threw his phone down several


    Umes when he was attempting to


    retrieve it.


    Having finally dialed Larissa¡¯s number, only a cold, robotic female voice responded to him. ¡°Sorry, the


    person you¡¯re trying to reach is


    Kevan grilled his teeth and mmed his hist against the hard will.

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    Larissa was puling her suitcase with her out of the elevator when she turned only to hall abruptly.


    Someone was sitting on the floor outside the door. His back was against the wall, and his legs were


    pulled toward himsell while his head was down, his shoulderspletely slumped. There was an aura


    of destion around him.


    She had not yet ligured out what was going or when she locked eyes with him.


    The moment he saw her, his dull eyes brightened up immediately, Kevan scrambled un from the floor


    and dashed toward Larissa while she was conlused and nking out in a few steps, grabbing her by


    the shoulders and yanking her into his arms.


    The fresh smell of mint per vaded her nose, and his broad chest as well as his strong arms caused


    Larissa¡¯s heart to pound, her body feeling hotter and hotter.


    Kevan hugged her tightly as if he were going to crush her.


    Feeling his trembling, Larissa stopped herself from pushing him away and hugged him back instead.


    ¡°¡­What¡¯s wrong?¡± she asked softly.


    Kevan buried his face into the crook of her neck, inhaling the sweet citrus scenting from her, which


    calmed down the anxiety within him bit by bit until all was calm once more.


    He reluctantly let her go before standing a step away from her.


    ¡°Went out on a business trip? He noticed the suitcase behind her.


    ¡°No.¡± Larissa did not want to say too much to him but felt that he should know too. ¡°I sent Aster back to


    Aldovia.¡± She felt inexplicably guilty, tuming away so she did not need to meet his gaze after saying


    that.


    This news was clearly shocking to Kevan, After being stunned for two seconds, he controlled his


    emotions and asked with a frown. ¡°Why?¡±


    His reaction was not as agitated as Lanssa expected, and she was able to breathe a little easier.


    ¡°Let¡¯s talk inside.¡±


    After a more than ten-hour flight, Larissa was already exhausted. She made herself a mug of coffeeThis content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.


    and downed half of it in one go, barely


    managing to give herself some energy with that.


    Kevan¡¯s frown deepened. ¡°Drink less coffee. It¡¯ste,¡± he said.


    Larissa put down the mug and said with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m used to it.¡±


    A sharp twinge pierced his heart. Kevan could not imagine how she lived here all these years.


    ¡°I n to take time to visit Ruby in two days,¡± Larissa said.


    Suddenly hearing that name, Kevan¡¯s negative emotions red up at once. He suppressed the hatred


    that roiled beneath his flesh and asked calmly. ¡°Why do you need to see her?¡±


    Ruby¡¯s intentional assault had already been proven with evidence, and she was currently detained,


    awaiting trial.


    Larissa had given thewyer full authority to handle this matter, and she rarely asked about it-she did


    not want to see anything rted to Ruby for lear that she would not be able to control her temper. But


    this time, she had to meet with Ruby at least once to sound her out for


    Aster¡¯s sake.


    ¡°I¡¯m worried that she wants to take a shot al Aster again,¡± Larissa told Kevan about what happened at


    the kindergarten.


    Kevan straightened up slowly and his eyes narrowed dangerously. ¡°Leave it be,¡± he said. ¡°Il investigate


    this thoroughly.¡±


    Alter Ruby was sent to the detention center, every move she made was known to him. Someone would


    periodically tell him what she did, and who she had met with. She had yet to do anything out of the


    ordinary recently.


    So, it did not matter who went to pick Aster up at the kindergarten that day, Rubry had nothing to do


    with II.

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    Chapter 533


    Kevan was certain that Larissa and Aster had no reason to be targeted by anyone.


    ¡°I¡¯m only doing what I should be doing.¡±


    Larissa knew that too. But she just thought that these were all Kevan¡¯s sins from before, and he should


    not be paying for them now.


    ¡°I¡¯ve already gotten a friend to look into it, so you don¡¯t have to waste your energy.¡±


    ¡°Friend?¡± Kevan studied her face.


    It was likely due to her sad childhood that Larissa never liked being close to anyone. All these years,


    the people around her had changed a lot, but Wendy remained her only friend-though Dn could be


    somewhat considered her friend too.


    Larissa would never ask Wendy, who was on the other side of the world, to help her out with this. But if


    she reached out to Dn, he would inform Kevan at once. So, this was either an excuse she used


    deliberately so he would not be troubled, or there was really such a ¡°friend¡± that he was unaware of.


    Kevan suddenly felt a sense of danger.


    ¡°Who? Do I know them?¡± Even though he knew that being inquisitive like this was not a good thing, he


    could not control himself,


    ¡°No, you don¡¯t.¡± Thankfully, Larissa did not seem to have any negative emotions or reactions to his


    questioning. But her vague answer did not satisfy him either-it seemed that he would have to have a


    good look at her currentwork of connections.


    ¡°However-¡°Larissa suddenly changed the subject as everything she needed to exin had already


    been exined. She asked him something that she had been wanting to ask ever since seeing him,


    ¡°What are you doing, sitting in front of my door at such ate hour?¡±


    Kevan panicked momentarily but was able to rpose himself quickly. He felt for the game card he


    prepared beforehand and said, ¡°Thispany will beunching a superhero game soon. It¡¯s not


    officiallyunched yet, but we are working together with them, and so we got a few game cards from


    them. I wanted to try them out with Aster, but He looked down with a bitter smile. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I¡¯ll


    even have a chance to do this in the future.¡±


    ¡°Sure there will be.¡± Larissa blurted out-but the truth was, she hersell could not be sure if Aster could


    come back. She just did not want to disappoint Kevan,


    Kevan looked up to stare at her.


    *Really?¡± His voice was tentative with hope.


    ¡°I¡¯m just sending him over to hide andy low for a while.¡± Larissa locked away to stare quiltity at the


    floor. ¡°Once the issues over here have been dealt with, I will naturally bring him back.¡±


    Kevan could only pretend that he did not notice that she was lying.


    ¡°That¡¯s great, then.¡± He smiled, but his eyes were piercingly cold.


    if he could no longer see his son, he would never spare the person responsible for this.


    After seeing Kevan off, Larissa was unable to sleep for the whole night due to the caffeine kicking in.


    But this did not trouble her. The work she had on hand had piled up again, and she used this


    opportunity to finish half of it.


    The bodyguards assigned by thepany had resumed their duties too once she had returned to


    Caldor. She instructed them, ¡°You don¡¯t need toe tomorrow.¡± With Aster gone, it was meaningless


    for her to have bodyguards.


    Everything at the hotel was still going in order.


    Larissa held several meetings in the morning and was so busy that she could hardly think straight. She


    had barely gotten some time off to rest when Gary called her. ¡°I¡¯ve found the man you told me to look


    into.¡±Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.

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    Chapter 534


    The information Gary found was more than what Larissa had anticipated. At the same time, it was


    completely different from what she


    expected,


    ¡°The man who appeared at the kindergarten that day was called Ron Jules. He¡¯s a street thug who


    extorts money from small business owners as a way of living.¡± Lewis exined to her in a neutral tone


    of voice.


    ¡°Street thug?¡± Larissa clutched the folder she had in her hand, which was something Gary just gave


    her. The papers within were slightly over an inch or so thicker, making the folder bulky.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Lewis nodded and gestured at the folder, saying, ¡°You can have a look at what¡¯s inside. Most of it


    is his criminal record.¡±


    Larissa flipped open the folder, identally letting 1 slip from her hands, and it crashed onto the floor.


    A stack of photos slic out of it. The photos were likely printed from some sort of internal system as


    almost every one of them clearly disyed the front of Ron¡¯s face, who


    had stared obediently at the camera when the pictures wereken.


    Larissa recognized Ron at once-he was the man that E had taken a picture of from the surveince


    lootage and had it sent to her. I was just that he wore a proper suit when he appeared at the


    kindergarten, and his hair was well taken care of too. He even went as far as to put on a pair of


    sses, which made him look like a gentleman, and that was a huge contrast from the photos-


    He wore a loose T-shirt and baggy shorts. His leet bore a pair of sandals, and his hair was a mess. His


    lace was a harsh and cruel one. Just based on disposition alone, he seemed to be apletely


    different person from the one he presented himself as at the kindergarten.


    Just as Lewis said, apart from the photos and some of Ron¡¯s basic information, the rest were his


    criminal records. He had broken thew multiple times for a wide variety of purposes, with extortion


    taking the cake, followed by gambling, assault, and drugs. As a result, he had been detained numerous


    times. But as these oflenses were not considered tco overly serious, he was only ever locked up for a


    few days to hall a manth, which was nothing to him. Hence, whenever he was released, he just went


    back to doing the same things he did as


    always.


    ¡°The police have no other way to deal with him.¡± Lewis said.


    Larissa casualy went through everything, but her confusion remained.


    She did not know this man and had never provoked him. His power seemed to be concentrated in the


    areas where urban and rural were mixed in chaotic manners, while her workce and ¨¹le were


    concentrated in the city center, which had a strong police presence. Ko matter how she looked at it


    there was no connection between them whatsoever.


    So, someone must have hired him.


    ¡°I hired an investigator to follow him for three days, and he got this picture.¡± Gary showed his phone to


    Larissa, where there were a few pictures of two men eating together.


    The pictures were taken secretly, so they w were not as sharp and clear as the photos from belore.


    Larissa could only rely on silhouettes alone to tell that one of them was Ron, while she had no idea


    who the other person was either, even after studying the pictures for so long.


    ¡°The one with Ron isn Price,¡± Gary said.


    lan Price was unfamiliar to Larissa too.


    ¡°Ian is one of Xavier Seymour¡¯s many assistants from Cosmic Entertainment.¡± Gary emphasized on the


    name ¡°Xavier Seymour¡± and continued. ¡°If I remember correctly, Mr. Seymour is your aunt¡¯s husband.¡±


    He stared at Larissa refusing to miss out on any changes her expression may have.


    However, he only saw dismay, which vanished as quickly as it hade, and lury.


    Lanssa had always thought that Ruby was the one behind it all. When that incident happened, she had


    never thought to Include the Seymours in her range of suspicion. She had cut off all rtions to them


    as well as cutting off contact. She could not think of any reason that they would have to target her.


    ¡°So Gary suggested a hypothesis. ¡°Could this be just a misunderstanding? Perhaps your aunt wants to


    meet your son, so she got someone to pick him up at the kindergarten ¡°This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.

 Chapter 535

    Chapter 535


    Chapter 535


    ¡°No way! Absolutely not? Larissa denied the possibility at once.


    The Seymours hated her so much, so how could they suddenly want to meet her son? Even if she


    considered things from a different perspective, they should not have let someone like Ron go pick Aster


    up if they wanted to meet him so badly.


    Her reaction was just as Gary had predicted.


    The truth was, his suggestion from before had only been just an attempt to sound Larissa out. He


    already knew that she did not have it good with the Seymours from her previous narrative. She did not


    like the Seymours, and they did not like her either. But he had not been sure if their dislike would be


    bad enough that they would take it out on an innocent child.


    ¡°Then ¡ª what could the reason be?¡± Gary asked.


    Larissa¡¯s mind was a mess. She could not answer that question at all. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± she said.


    Kidnapping Aster was either to make her upset or to gain some benefit from her. If it was the former, it


    was too sudden; but it it was thetter She was only a hotel manager. She could only give them an


    80% discount on their room rates at most.


    ¡°Is it because of money?¡±


    ¡°They are probably richer than I am,¡± Larissaughed. Money was probably the least likely reason out


    of everything else.


    Although Cosmic Entertainment went through heavy losses six years ago, where their ¡°cash cows¡± and


    ¡°backbones¡± left one by one, they had the investment of Soaring Corporation after Lana married Cody,


    expanding the scale of their operations as well as bringing in all kinds of new traffic. Their annual profit


    could be up to several hundred million dors. Even if there was a little setback from Cody¡¯s recent


    scandal as well as his and Lana¡¯s divorce. Cosmic Entertainment¡¯s position in the industry was still


    stable. Just based on their existing resources alone, the Seymours would be very well off for the rest of


    their lives; why would they care about her meager wage?


    ¡°That may not be true.¡± Gary said enigmatically even as he sipped his tea N?velDrama.Org content rights.


    After finding out Larissa was his biological daughter, he got someone to investigate the Seymours.


    Unfortunately, he probably understood Cosmic Entertainment¡¯s current operating performance better


    than Xavier.


    ¡°I heard that Cosmic Entertainment hasn¡¯t been looking too good recently.¡±


    Lana and Cody¡¯s marriage had indeed brought in arge capital flow for Cosmic Entertainment,


    allowing it to survive. But at the same time, Cosmic Entertainment became Cody¡¯s backup ¡°vault of


    gold.¡± Whenever hecked capital, he would get money from Xavier, glorifying it as


    a ¡°joint investment.¡±


    When Cody first started his investment business, he was careful and actually put in some work.


    Therefore, he earned a bit of money as well as Xavier¡¯s trust. But after that one could say that Cody


    screwed Xavier over so much that his money had all gone down the drain. Hence, Cosmic


    Entertainment was also teetering on the edge of copse.


    But Gary agreed with Larissa in that Xavier could not care less for what little money she had. Her few


    million dors in savings would not be enough to save Cosmic Entertainment.


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s no point in us guessing blindly here,¡± he said. ¡°Let¡¯s just wait and see. You¡¯ve already


    sent Aster away, so there¡¯s not much to be worried about. If they want to take it out on you, they¡¯d


    come to find you in person.¡±


    Larissa did not rx like he thought she would though-There was nothing more she hated in life than


    having to deal with the Seymours.


    If it were not for her superior¡¯s earnest persuasion, she would have long ced her reassignment


    application into the hands of her boss. She would rather not be promoted than remain here and deal


    with all those troublesome jerks.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± She put all of the information back into the folder and took a deep breath, pushing down


    all her negative emotions. ¡°Speaking of which ¨C¡± She was a little curious. ¡°A week already passed a


    long while ago, right? You still haven¡¯t linished negotiating your contract


    with Soaring Corporation?¡±

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    Chapter 536


    When Gary first came, he mentioned to her that she would stay in Bartham for a week. His room was


    also booked for a week¡¯s time. But it


    had already been a week, and he did not seem like he was going to depart at all She even heard from


    the janitors in charge of cleaning the presidential suite that Gary seemed to stay in his room all day


    long, calling the restaurant to send up all three of his daily meals.


    His idleness looked more like himing to vacation in Bartham, and not to talk about business deals.


    Gary was a little panicked with her question. ¡°No.¡± He coughed lightly into his right fist to conceal his


    unease. ¡°I was ill and was hospitalized for a time. Soaring Corporation recently had many things going


    on too, so Mr. Rogers called me to apologize and told me to wait for a few more days.¡±


    Years of working in high¨Cpressure jobs as well as his high position¨Cwhich only got higher over time¨Cin


    the industry made Gary develop a bad temper. Under normal circumstances,bined with Cody¡¯s


    neglectful attitude toward him, he would have thrown it all away and left long ago instead of bothering


    to stay here for even a day more.


    N?velDrama.Org content rights.


    But he had just managed to find his long¨Clost daughter after many years, so the only thing he had on


    his mind right now was how to close the gap between them and gradually develop a bond with her. He


    could not figure out what Larissa¡¯s thoughts were on a biological father, so he did not dare to tell her


    the truth, He could only stick around with her quietly and watch over everything that she did.


    Hence, the business deal with Soaring Corporation became his reason to ¡°tarry.¡±


    Larissa did not suspect him.


    Cody could have been extremely busy from Rnd¡¯s recent passing as well as having to officially take


    over Soaring Corporation, so it was understandable that he could not give too much attention to Gary¨C


    Besides, his working capability was probably worse than even a manager under hismand.


    ¡°I need to go out tomorrow.¡± Gary cleared his throat, afraid that she might look deeper into things, so he


    quickly changed the subject.¡± Could you arrange a car for me at around 10 am?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Larissa¡¯s attention was sessfully diverted by him. ¡°I will help you make a callter.


    Once it¡¯s been confirmed. I¡¯ll send you the driver¡¯s number,¡±


    Meanwhile, Kevan had also received Ron¡¯s information from a private investigator and had also ended


    up discoveringn by following that lead.


    Kevan had always kept an eye on Cosmic Entertainment, so he naturally knew that this was Xavier


    getting desperate, which led him to target Larissa and Aster,


    Aster had gone back to Aldovia and was temporarily out of danger, Bul Larissa ¡ª


    He instructed the bodyguards, ¡°Keep better watch on Ms. Seymour.¡±


    The leader of the bodyguards¨Cwho had been secretly keeping an eye on Larissa since her return to


    Caldor¨Ctexted a response. ¡°Mr. Rogers, there¡¯s been an extra group of people around Ms. Seymour.


    But I¡¯m not certain if they¡¯re meant to protect her or harm her.¡±


    Kevan was instantly on guard. ¡°Send a few more people to follow Ms. Seymour and have them keep an


    eye on those people. Report anything they do to me at once. If anything happens to Ms. Seymour, I¡¯m


    sure you know what the consequences will be.¡±


    His voice was terrifyingly cold. The leader shuddered involuntarily and replied nervously, ¡°Please rest


    assured, Mr. Rogers.¡±


    Larissa was a little distracted these days, and she constantly drifted off during work, wondering when


    the Seymours woulde to lind her.


    She had been bracing herself mentally for this, going as far as to decide what expression or tone she


    would use when faced with them. But surprisingly, none of the Seymours appeared before her after all


    that waiting.


    She did not let down her guard, however. On the contrary, she was more scared than ever.

 Chapter 537

    Chapter 537


    Chapter 537


    Maybe they were only waiting for a better opportunity.


    She was in a constant state of tension, bringing her assistant with her wherever she went in the hotel.


    When she was at home, she was paranoid, needing to check the windows and door many times every


    night. Sometimes, she would startle herself awake at night.


    Larissa¡¯s headache grew worse. She was sure that if things kept going on like this, she would develop


    some form of mental illness.


    Maybe this was the Seymours¡® true goal?


    Kevan and Gary were always able to gain first¨Chand knowledge of her mental state.


    Gary would find all sorts of reasons to meet with her, asking about her in roundabout ways. When she


    relented andined about her troubles, he would give her somefort.


    Kevan, on the other hand, could only be anxious¨CAster was gone, so he did not have a legitimate


    reason to meet with her. If he randomly went over to her home, she would probably chase him away.


    ¡°What should I do?¡± he asked Dn, who had long since returned from Covenford. He would go to


    Kevan¡¯s office at noon every day and have lunch with him.


    ¡°You have three options.¡± Dn raised three lingers. ¡°One, confess your love to Larissa so you can


    care about her in a justilled manner- you can pass on this option because a wuss like you would never


    choose this.¡±


    The moment he finished. Kevan gave him a piercing re, which he ignored, continuing. ¡°Two, numb


    yourself with work. If you don¡¯t see it you won¡¯t feel frustrated over it. No matter how you look at L


    Larissa is of no concem to you.¡±


    Kevan could not be bothered to even re at him this time. ¡°Enough, shut your mouth.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not even finished- Dn was displeased. ¡°Why are you so impatient?¡±


    This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need to listen to the rest to know that it¡¯s all bullshit¡± Kevan returned his attention and focus on


    the documents before him. He decided that his prior action on asking Dn for advice was his brain


    ¡°shorting out¡°-He should have known. After all when it came to research on women, Dn was no


    better than he was.


    ¡°The third way is definitely useful!¡± Dn moved closer to him, ignoring whether or not he wished to


    listen, and said in his ear, ¡°You can solve Larissa¡¯s troubles at the root cause.¡±


    Kevan was signing something when he paused, an eyebrow¨Craising as his interest was piqued by


    Dn¡¯s words.


    ¡°What are the specifics of such an approach?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Bring down Cosmic Entertainment and ensure that the Seymours are unable to make any


    comebacks.¡± Dn¡¯s eyes glinted.


    Kevan took Dn¡¯s words to heart.


    Cosmic Entertainment was on the verge of being bankrupt anyway. All he needed to do was add fuel to


    the fire-


    In a single night, the news of a bunch of Cosmic Entertainment artists doing drugs made headlines on


    several big media outlets. The paparazzi captured clear pictures in which every artist at the party was


    exposed in various unbing states.


    With such concrete proof hammered into existence, countless fans were raging online and unfollowing


    their former idols. Otherizens who were enjoying the show while fanning the mes of ¡°war¡± were


    leaving abusive tweets on the Twitter ounts of the involved artists. The police also brought all artists


    involved with doing drugs to the police station to investigate them firsthand.


    The results of the investigation were posted on the day itself. All artists who had been named in the


    news tested positive for contraband substances. Worse, the police inadvertently found several secretly


    filmed sex tapes in the phones of quite a few male artists¡® phones. The women in the tapes were


    mostly in states of unconsciousness.


    These male artists frequently shared the videos in their WhatsApp group chats topare who took


    the most tapes in secret,

 Chapter 538

    Chapter 538


    Chapter 538


    Most average people would have heard of the darkness of the entertainment industry. Somel mes


    unspoken rules and cheating scandals would be exposed, and the crowd would make an uproar.


    However, this was nothing; il was merely the tip of an iceberg lor the industry.


    The actions of these male artists from Cosmic Entertainmentpletely exceeded the knowledge of


    the public, causing many to cry out about how unbelievable it was. Moreover, this group of artists


    included the so-called honest and upstanding young gentlemen.


    All sorts of negativements started pouring in.


    Netizens unanimously demanded that these people be permanently banned.


    Of course, as the artists under their management had such a huge thing happening to them, Cosmic


    Entertainment could not escape ountability for this.


    All sorts of nastybels were given to them, and the police even created ask force that stationed


    themselves within Cosmic Entertainment to conduct a more thorough Invest gallon. To cooperate with


    the investigation, Cosmic Entertainment was forced to halt their daily operations as all artists had to


    stop their work to awalt police summoning


    This incident had too big of an impact, and many marcturingpanies quickly terminated their


    contracts with Cosmic Entertainment, Actors who were previously contracted and cast were also


    dropped by production teams.


    In just a few days. Cosmic Entertainment had paid several penalty fees. Reportedly, they were unable


    to pay up a portion of it, and the manufacturingpanies had been pushing them to pay up several


    times.


    Anyone could tell that it was over for Cosmic Entertainment. But Xavier stubbornly held on, liring


    several people but refusing to dere


    bankruptcy


    However, Yvette, who had retired for several years, suddenly announced that she wanted to shoot


    movies again at this time, which could


    be a kind of appeasement from Xavier¡¯s end whenced with his plight.


    Larissa involuntarily finished catching up to this scandal from the headlines of several media outlets.


    She did not feel pleased. On the contrary, she only felt more anxious than ever, and her m ental state


    was even more high-strung than before.


    The Seymours would never stop. The worse off they were, the higher the chances that they would


    come looking for trouble with her.


    But the truth proved that she had been overthinking it.


    The Seymours did not stop, that was true, but they did not look for trouble with her.


    ¡°Do you have too much da mn time on your hands these days? Having been called over to Dn¡¯s


    room to chat with him for who knew how many times, Larissa finally blew up at him,


    A few days ago. Dyan suddenly checked into Winston Hotel. Apparently, his celing was leaking and he


    needed to renovate the whole


    ce.


    Although Larissa was curious as to why he did not stay with Kevan, she naturally did not reluse him as


    he was generating revenue for her. However, she soon regretted it,


    He often called her over for the most trivial things, but she had no choice but to head over to his room


    in-person to solve them for him. The truth was, all the things said over the phone were excuses. His


    true motive was to chat with her over meals, and he relused to let her go if she did not finish eating.


    It was so annoyingly unfortunate that he was her customer while he stayed in the hotel, so even though


    she knew that he was lying to her. she could only acquiesce over and over again.


    ¡°Salright.¡± Dn sipped some coffee, his demeanor casual. ¡°I¡¯m not too busy.¡±


    ¡°But I. Am¡± Larissa bit out those three words through gritted teeth.


    ¡°As busy as you are, you still gotta eat, right? Dn nceit at his watch. ¡°My order should be here


    soon.¡±


    Find someone else to eat with you.¡± Larissa thought of the work that was piled up for her, and could not


    bear to stay here any longer. ¡°I¡¯m


    L


    She just reached the door when the doorbell rang, Larissa opened the door swiftly, but it was not the


    water delivering the meal it was


    Kevan with his typical cold demeanor. They both froze the moment their gazes locked together.


    Larissa reacted in time and shed a faint smile at Kevan, moving aside to let him in. ¡°Good evening,


    Mr. Rogers,¡± she said.


    Her address made Kevan frown. ¡°Just call me Kevan.¡±


    Larissa shook her head.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.

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    Chapter 539


    Chapter 539


    She was not deliberately trying to distance hersell from him-She was able to distinguish between


    situations clearly-she was working right now, and he, on the other hand, was a hotel guest.


    ¡°Please head inside, Mr. Shields has been wailing for you.¡±


    Kevan remained in front of her though, blocking her path. ¡°And you?¡± He looked down at her, his eyes


    calm. One could not see if there was any emotional turmoil within him,


    ¡°I need to go back to work.¡± Larissa brushed past his arm in an attempt to leave.


    Kevan reached back to grab her wrist Her arm was so thin that he could practically feel her bones. She


    was so much thinner than thest time he saw her. His heart ached for her while his anger was also


    stoked by thect that she did not know how to take good care of herself. His grip automatically


    tightened on her.


    Larissa hissed in pain.


    ¡°Eat first.¡± Kevan¡¯s cold voice sounded in her ear, his tone showing that he was not to be questioned.


    The chilling look in his eyes made her feel nervous. He practically dragged her back into the room.


    Dn seemed unsurprised with this result only smiling as he nced at them ncy.


    The waiter arrived with the food a few minutester, and the three of them sat around the coffee table


    to eat. They ate quielly without saying anything to each other.


    Kevan kept cing bits of food onto Larissa¡¯s te until they literally became a tiny hil


    These days. Larissa¡¯s appetite grew smaller and smaller, probably due to the fact that her meal intake


    had been irregr for a long time, as she usually ate only one meal a day.


    She only ate a little before putting her cutlery down. *¡¯m done.¡±


    Kevan¡¯s expression became unpleasant. She practically did not touch the bits of lood he gave her. ¡°Eat


    more,¡± he ordered.


    Larissa was not intimidated by him though. ¡°I can¡¯t eat anymore.¡± She simply tossed what remained of


    her meal into the trash can.


    Kevan¡¯s anger rose further. He had not yet spoken when his phone suddenly rang-the one that he usedBelongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    for work.


    The number was an unknown one. Imitated. Kesan declined the call but whoever it was called again.


    Dn advised him, ¡°Pick it up. What if someone¡¯s calling you for a billion-dor business deal?¡±


    Kevan declined the call, his eyes Exed on Larissa, who understood the concern and reproach in them.


    Suddenly, she fell a Elle apologetic and a little regretful, thinking that she should not have just thrown


    away her food.


    ¡°I guess ¡ªI¡¯ll just eat more?¡± She picked up her cullery again and only then did Kevan¡¯s expression


    mellow out.


    His phone stopped ringing, and just as everyone thought that the caller had given up, a text message


    popped out. ¡°Answer the f ucking phone! Your daughter is in my hands!¡±


    Kevan ced his phone on the coffee table. Larissa and Dn were close to him. All they needed to


    do was to take a peek to see the message clearly.


    Dn¡¯s smile gradually froze, and Larissa agitatedly eximed in a reminder to Kevan, ¡®Your daughter


    has been kidnapped!¡±


    Kevan¡¯s reaction was the calmest out of all three of them. He gave Larissa hall of what was on his te


    before starting to pick bits of food for her again as II he were not aware of what had happened.

 Chapter 540

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    Chapter 540


    *Finish your food.¡¯ Kevan finally retracted his cullery, but his oppressive gaze remained fixed on


    Larissa.


    Larissa only fell that he was being ludicrous. ¡°Your daughter has been kidnapped!¡± she repeated. ¡°How


    can you still eat?¡±


    Even she-a bynder who hated Bethany, could not help but be anxious. As Bethany¡¯s father, Kevan¡¯s


    current actions were a little too


    heartless.


    ¡°She¡¯ll be fine.¡± Kevan¡¯s lone was mild but certain.


    Larissa was stunned. ¡°How do you know?¡±


    How did he know?


    Kevan nced at his incessantly ringing phone before epting the call as well as putting it on


    speakerphone.


    ¡°Kevan Rogers?¡± It was an unknown man who called, a Bartham local from his ent. His tone was


    fierce, and it was clear that he was not someone to be messed with.


    Kevan hummed lightly. ¡°Was there something you needed?¡±


    The man seemed to be pis sed by his nonchnt atlitude, yelling. ¡°Do you not want your daughter


    anymore?¡±


    As if to y alera with him, the moment the mar stopped speaking, Bethany¡¯s wals came through.


    ¡°Daddy! Save me! Daddy! I¡¯m scared!¡±


    No matter how cun ning and maniptive Bethany was, she was still a five-year-old kid. Her voice had


    been transformed by fear, nearly every word she said was uttered tremblingly.


    Larissa closed her eyes. She did not wish to think about the abuse that Bethany may go through. She


    could only pray and hope that Bethany would be able to return safely as Kevan sald.


    ¡°How much money do you want?¡± Kevan did not beat around the bush with the kidnapper.


    ¡°One bilion! In cash!¡± The kidnapper confidently stated the amount.


    Kevan smirked and said, ¡°I can give you that, but are you sure you can take it?


    He probably did not know how much space cre billion dors could take up.


    Then, he hung up with a loud m.


    The kidnapper le silent all of a sudden. He only spoke again after a while. ¡°Wait!¡± Th


    Dn charted. ¡°This guy must be an idiot.¡±


    Kevan put his phone down, a hint of mockery in his eyes. ¡°Il he needs to save that much money. I


    suppose he really doesn¡¯t have much potential in fe.¡±


    Larissa did not understand. ¡°Who? Save what money?¡±


    Kevan did not answer her question though. ¡°How¡¯re things with Jack?¡± he asked Dn, who shook his


    head and said, ¡°The call ended too soon. Jack was not able to trace it in time.¡±


    The kidnapper¡¯s number was probably bought from someone else, as the identity was bound to be a


    fifty-something middle-aged woman who did not even live in Bartham. The police could only track the


    signal to pin down the man¡¯s location.


    ¡°Have Jack wall a Itile. He will call again.¡± Kevan was still calm. It was as if no matter how big an


    incident could be and how difficult things may gel, he would be unfazed.


    As Kevan expected, the kidnapper called after about ten minutes.


    Alter informing Jack, Kevan answered the call,


    ¡®Prepare a bank card that has one billion dors in it, and write the passcode on the back! Tomorrow


    afternoon at 3 pm, put it underneath the statue in Central Park Square! If you¡¯rete, your daughter will


    be in a body bag! Also, do not lucking call the police, or your daughter is dead meat! The kidnapper


    fired off a long stream of words before hanging up without giving Kevan time to react.


    When Kevan called over again, the phone was already turned oll.


    currently disying his chat window with Jack themander of the criminal investigation unit. ck


    said that there was still not enough time.¡±


    Kevan just grunted in acknowledgment without any expressions of disappointment or remorse.This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.

 Chapter 541

    Chapter 541


    Chapter 541


    ¡°Do you want to have someone prepare the money? On asked.


    ¡°Of course.¡± Kevan did not hesitate on this issue.


    Dn immediately got up to make a call on the balcony.


    ¡°Are you feeling better now? Kevan asked Larissa.


    He just asked this without any preamble, and Larissa took some time to gather herself bre retorting,


    ¡°Feeling better about what?¡±


    ¡°I will not ignore Bethany.¡± Kevan had a faint smile on his lips. When he spoke, he kept histhomless


    gaze on Larissa the whole time, the warmth and scorch from it causing her to be ill at ease once more.


    Pressing a hanc against her pounding heart, Larissa locked down slowly. ¡°I¡¯ve always been okay.¡± Her


    voice was lighter than the night¡¯s breeze.


    ¡°So Kevan¡¯s gaze moved away from her face and down to her te. ¡°Can you eat properly now?¡±


    Larissa was stunned. He seemed to have some sort of obsession-or was it some sort ofpulsive


    disorder? Regardless, if he did not force her to finish her food, he would not be happy. At this point, she


    did not want to create more trouble for him, and could only force herself to take in a few more spoonfuls


    el food.


    The furrow in Keven¡¯s brow finally began to loosen up slowly.


    Larissa still had work to do, so she did not stay in Dn¡¯s room for long. After she left, Kevan¡¯s face


    visibly darkened.


    He called Jack in person and said, ¡°No need to track that number. The person who kidnapped Bethany


    is Ron Jules.


    He had long looked into everything rted to Ron andn, and he had listened to the recorded audio of


    their meeting several times too. The moment the kidnapper spoke, he could immediately tell that it was


    Ron¡¯s voice.


    But he could not let Larissa know that. Decause Xavier was the person behind Ron, he was worried


    that she would feel guilty. C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.


    Dn¡¯s eyes namowed. ¡°The guy who pretended to be Larissa¡¯s friend to pick Aster up? That Ron


    Jules?¡±


    Kevan nodded Ightly.


    *So Xaver sent someone to kidnap Aster to extort money from you, and not Larissa?¡± Dn came to


    this conclusion prellyst once he had inked both incidents together-which could exin all of the


    unjustified things from before.


    Kevan had figured that one out too, but what he could not understand was. ¡°How did he know that he


    could extort me by kidnapping Aster?


    The only cres who knew that Aster was his son were himsell, Dn, and his researcher Iriend who


    helped him with the DNA test. None of


    them would have leaked this information to anyone else.


    Dn rolled his eyes at him. ¡°Well, it¡¯s your fault that you were too high profile previously. Sending


    Aster to school, and even attending some Fun Family Sports Day. So many people saw you with him,


    did you think this wouldn¡¯t get out?¡±


    Before today. Kevan had not been worried at al


    Even though many people had heard Aster calling him daddy, anyone who cared enough to check


    would not think that Aster was rted to him at all. For no other reason than the fact that Asler¡¯s name


    was stair Simmons, and Wendy¡¯s name was written in all certifying materials as his biological


    mother.


    And this was something that had led him astray once.


    However, it was clear that Xaver did not look as deeply into things as he did. He probably only heard


    from someone that he and Larissa had a son, and did not bother to verify it this was the truth, frantically


    trying to threaten him with this-coincidentally hitting the jackpot while doing so.


    Now that Kevan actually thought about it, he was actually a little scared. If the one who got kidnapped


    was Aster, he would never be as calm as he was now. In fact someone may have died.

 Chapter 542

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    Chapter 542


    ¡°Do we still prepare the money then?¡± Dn returned to the subject at hand. ¡°Since we now know that


    Ron is the one who kidnapped Bethany, the police can just go over to arrest him now, right?¡±


    Hearing this. Kevan frowned lightly. ¡°You actually gol someone to ready the money?¡±


    Dn stared at him in astonishment. ¡°Didn¡¯t you just agree to it? He found it strange then-spending one


    billion to save Cody¡¯s daughter was definitely not something Kevan would do.


    Kevan sighed soundlessly. ¡°That was because Larissa was here.¡± He did not want to leave her with an


    impression of him being heartless.


    ¡°I thought you would understand me.¡± He looked at Cn with great disappointment.


    Dn gritted his teeth and stopped himself from rolling his eyes at him. ¡°Ill call them new and tell them


    to stop gathering the money.¡±


    Once everything was arranged. Dn asked Kevar, ¡°So, should Jack go amest him now?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Kevan leaned back against the s rxedy, his legs stacked nonchntly on the edge of the


    coffee table. He was looking at his phone, finger tapping the screen incessantly while aint, happy


    smile could be seen ying about his lips.


    ¡°Just keep things hanging I ke this first,¡± he said.


    Dn peeked over curiously and saw that WhatsApp was open on Kevan¡¯s phone. ¡°Aster?¡± He


    recognized Aster¡¯s profile picture at once. When he linally got a good look at what the two were


    chatting about, he nearly rolled his eyes again. ¡°Are you two dumb or something?¡±


    Aster did not know thenguage of Caldor. When they chatted with him, they either sent video


    messages or used simple Alder. But now, Kevan had invented a whole new method of chatting with


    him-stickers.


    He and Aster kept sending each other cute stickers. Though there was no corrtion between the


    stickers, they were having a great deal of fun.


    While Dn spoke, Kevan sent a cute kitly slicker.


    ¡°You don¡¯t get it¡± His eyes were filled with warmth and happiness. Even his speech had soltened a lot Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    Overwhelmed, Dn felt momentarily difited.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, yeah, I don¡¯t get anything.¡± He looked away and sk ipped over the topic of Aster. ¡°If you


    keep things hanging like this aren¡¯t you afraid that Ron will really do something to Bethany?¡±


    ¡°What should I be afraid of? Kevan¡¯s smile had some hints of coldness to it. ¡°Bethany¡¯s safety should


    be the concern of her biological father.¡±


    Dn suddenly felt much better-this was the Kevan he knew.


    Kevan did not prepare the money at all Hence, he naturally did not follow the kidnapper¡¯s instructions


    to put the bank card in Central Park.


    He started wating at 3 pm, and the kidnapper caled him at 3:30 pm.


    ¡°Where¡¯s the money? he asked angrily.


    Kevan put down the pen in his hand and said humbly, though his eyes were flinty. My apologies. It¡¯s too


    rushed, I still haven¡¯t gotten enough money yet¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t f ucking get one bilion in a day? What kind of richest man in town are you?¡± The kidnapper


    yelled, ¡°You get one more day. Same time, same ce tomorrow afternoon. If I can¡¯t see the money,


    your daughter is dead¡± With that, he mmed the phone and ended the call again.

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    Chapter 543


    Soon, Jack called too. ¡°We¡¯ve found out where Ron is. Your daughter¡¯s with him.¡±


    Ron was temporarily living in a private house on the outskirts of the city. It was a secluded area, with


    larnd all around. The neighbors were all ced very far apart from each other, which was a perfect


    ce to hide a person.


    Jack had sent in a team lo stake out the area nearby. They were to report to him the moment they


    heard or saw anything.


    Kevan grunted in acknowledgment. ¡°Thank you for your hard work.¡±


    ¡°Not at all this is what we should be doing.¡± Jack said cheerfully. ¡°Oh, by the way, about your grandpa-¡±


    Kevan froze, his pupils dting. ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Rnd¡¯s body has been cremated, so we can¡¯t perform an autopsy, which means we cant figure out


    how he died exactly. Although i really want to help you, I can¡¯t file a case based on your suspicions. As


    for Cody. I¡¯ve used my personal connections to help you check. He did not exhibit any strange behavior


    before Rnd passed. So- Jack did not say the rest of the sentence out loud, but Kevan already


    guessed it.


    Even if Grandpa¡¯s death may be connected to Cody, he could not do anything to him because of ack


    of evidence.


    ¡°I got it.¡± Kevan replied in a low voice. He had plenty of ways to deal with Cody. But Grandpa¡ªwould


    have to remain in the alterlite now


    with his grievances, if he had any.


    Kevan raised his hand and blocked off the piercing re of the sunlight passing through the window as


    well as hiding the tears in his eyes


    from view.


    Yet another production crew had wrapped up their timing and booked a restaurant at the hotel for their


    farewell party.


    Larissa brought her assistant manager with her as usual to meet up with them.


    The party was already halfway through, and the attendees were in the midst of drinking. The banquet


    hall was packed with the sounds of people as many moved between tables and seats


    Larissa and her assistant manager squeezed past the crowd and barely managed to reach the main


    table. There were many peopleing over here to make toasts. The director, producer, and main cast


    members were already flushed from the amount of drinking that they have dore.


    ¡°Larissa! Comee The producer, Emmy Parry, waved heartily at Larissa before pulling her to her


    side. ¡°Morgan and I are still going to shoot in Bartham for our next movie, so we¡¯ll still be staying in your


    hotel by then. You¡¯ve gotta give me a discount!¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Larissa smiledposedly while responding.


    Emmy and the director, Morgan, were a married couple as well as business partners for many years.


    Morgan was quitemmous in the industry, and all the domestic television shows he directed always


    had a high viewership rating. Reportedly, many A¨Clist actors kept trying everything they could to join his


    films.


    Morgan produced his own films. He and Emmy established a film productionpary where Emmy


    was the producer as well as the coordinator. Larssa had the most interaction with Emmy, so they


    gradually grew famr with each other.


    Emmy introduced Larissa to a few of the main creators of the creative team before helping Larissa out


    with the hotel business. ¡°This is the general manager of Winston Hotel, Ms. Seymour, She¡¯s a


    wonderful person. Next time when youe to Bartham to sheet, you can find her for amodation


    matters.¡±


    Larissa went with the flow and gave her business card to every person seated at the table.


    Emmy was very hospitable, and when she got drunk, she became a challerbox loo. I was easy for


    Larissa toe here, but extremely deficult to leave.


    Emmy chatted with her nonstop. ¡°We¡¯re already casting for our next film. Currently, the male and


    female leads are Cameron Mils and Jenna Berry Hey, do you know Yvette Xander? The wife of the


    boss of Cosmic Entertainment? She was pretty famous when she young, but quit the industry and got


    married at the height of her career. Now that Cosmic is falling apart, she says she wants to shoot


    ¡°Yeah I¡¯ve seen the news.¡± Larissa said, her expression remaining unchanged.


    Emmy snorted lightly. ¡°Kinda pitiful, to be sure. But no matter whal, a pitiful person would be sure to


    have something detestable about them! That Yvette¡­¡± She leaned closer to Larissa and murmured.


    ¡°She used to be a domineering bitch in the industry and was contemptuous to everyone. Countless


    actors and actresses have been under her fire. Including Morgan! At that time, Yvette jabbed a finger at


    him and insulted him for not knowing how to shoot films, so much so that he did not even dare to


    breathe. He was as pathetic as theye!


    ¡°Guess what? Just the day before yesterday, Morgan got a call from Yvette, and she was practically


    groveling to get him to give her a role! How the tables have turned!¡±C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

 Chapter 544

    Chapter 544


    Chapter 544


    This was the first time that Larissa had ever heard of Yvette¡¯s past.


    It was not her fault for being ill¨Cinformed. The truth was, the first time she knew that Yvette was once a


    famous celebrity was during her second year in high school. She went to the teacher¡¯s office to get the


    test papers at noon when she heard a couple of teachers talking


    andmenting about it.


    Technology was not as advanced then as it was today, Computers were still luxurious items to the


    average family, and phones could only be used to call and text. Television and the news were the only


    two ways that people could get information,


    Yvette had stopped shooting movies for many years, so she was no longer prevalent in the media. The


    Seymours had never bothered with


    Larissa, and her peers at the time knew nothing about Yvelle either.


    After she had grown up and gotten to use the inte, Larissa never ever looked Yvetle up, probably


    because she hated her. It was only when some Instagram marketing ounts would periodically put


    together pictures of ¡°real¡± beauties from the past who did not rely on stic surgery or Photoshop to


    look pretty, did Larissa find out about her. Because without fail Yvette would be on the list.


    Those whomented on such posts were mostly people who had seen the works produced by these


    beauties before¨Csome were even young people who had only seen the pictures of said beauties, and


    theirments were allpliments as well as nostalgia for that bygone era.


    N?velDrama.Org content rights.


    Larissa did not know what sort of response to give Emmy, so she just smiled without saying anything.


    It was probably because Emmy felt triumphant that she got more excited with her speech as she was


    feeling good. ¡°Morgan was so cool! Just mmed the phone down!¡± When she got to this bit, she


    cackled non¨Cstop while ncing at Morgan, her voice a little teasing. ¡± tell you this in secret, don¡¯t tell


    anyone¨CDon¡¯t be fooled by his robust appearance, he¡¯s pretty petty! He¡¯s held a grudge over Yvette


    insulting him for several years! And he¡¯s finally gotten back at her!¡±


    Her voice grew louder, and so Morgan, who was next to her, heard every single word that she said.


    ¡°Honestly, you ¨C Morgan was a little ufortable as his past was exposed, but he could not blow up


    in front of so many people, so he


    smiled awkwardly instead.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be shy!¡± Emmy patted Morgan¡¯s thigh, seeminglyforting yet teasing at the same time. Just


    in this time period alone, there¡¯s got to be at least ten directors who rejected Yvette. I heard that there


    was someone going around telling all productionpanies to not


    use Yvette at al


    Although Larissa was shocked that Yvette¡¯s poprity was so bad now, she was not too surprised. She


    had witnessed Yvette¡¯s snobbery countless times, and the snobbery in the entertainment industry was


    a thousand times worse than Yvette¡¯s.


    When Yvette was popr and had some influence, all the directors and producers had to be deferential


    to her even if they hated her. Now that she had tumbled into the abyss and lost all of her status, no


    one, of course, had to treat her cordially. They were already ¡°merciful¡± enough to her when they did not


    add insult to injury and kick her further when she was down.


    ¡°Everyone still remembers the things that she did! So, serves her right, I say!¡± Emmy turned to seek


    Morgan¡¯s agreement. ¡°Am I right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s enough. It¡¯s a happy day today, why¡¯d you bring her up for?¡± Morgan waved his hand and had a


    look of disgust on his face. ¡°What a


    spoilsport!¡±


    Emmy pursed her lips but stopped taking.


    Having stayed here for too long, the assistant manager. who was s eyes. Larissa nodded and finished


    the half¨Css of red wine she had left.


    silting across the table, frantically kept sending Larissa hints with his


    ¡°Emmy, Morgan, enjoy yourselves. I have to go.¡±


    at lor!¡± Emmy hooked onto her arm. ¡°We¡¯ve still got a part two for the party! Join us!¡±


    Morgan red at Emmy and yanked her hand off Larissa¡¯s arm. ¡°Larissa sill has work to do, don¡¯t


    cause trouble!¡±


    ¡°How am I causing trouble?¡± Emmy¡¯s temper began to re a little when he chided her. I just want to


    chat with Larissa for a little while


    longer, how is that wrong? What, you can chat with Yvette, but I can¡¯t chat with Larissa?¡±


    Morgan¡¯s re made his eyes pop out even more, and hisce was redder than bellore.


    Larissa never expected things to take such a tum. Emmy had just been bragging about Morgan¡¯s


    dismissiveness of Yvette and was rather proud of it, but now when listening to her voice, it seemed like


    Morgan and Yvette had something going on.


    Sensing the strange atmosphere over here, the banquet gradually quieted down as everyone else cast


    their gazes of curiosity over to the whirpool of conflict that was churning at the moment.

 Chapter 545

    Chapter 545


    Chapter 545


    Larissa was about to say something to smooth things over when Morgan¡¯s phone rang.


    Ending the confrontation he had with Emmy, Morgan felt for his phone in his packet. In the next


    second, his face appeared frozen.


    Emmy swiftly snatched his phone from him.


    ¡°Hey! What are you doing!¡± Morgan tried to get it back, but Emmy had already backed away till she was


    hiding behind Larissa.


    C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.


    This all happened so fast that the crowd had no time to react.


    Emmy answered the call and put it on speakerphone.


    ¡°Morgan!¡± An overly attentive and sweet voice of a woman came through the phone¡¯s speakers, and


    everyone heard it.


    Larissa froze at once.


    That voice was familiar as hell, it was just that the tone was massively different from the way that she


    usually heard it.


    Emmy said nothing as she turned to look at Morgan with a cold smile on her face.


    ¡°You promised to help me make an appointment to have a meal with Mr. Stephens of Olympus


    Entertainment before. What about it? Has it been decided?¡± Yvette was filled with hope.


    Olympus Entertainment was a new film productionpany that was just establishedst year.


    Although they had only been around for a short time, they were quite well¨Cknown in the industry¨C


    everyone knew that Olympus Entertainment was filthy rich, for the paycheck they


    could give was twice as much as what otherpanies could offer.


    As a result, even if the films produced by them were box office bombs, they could still invite A¨Clisters or


    mega A¨Clisters to join their productions. An amazingpany like this naturally drew the attention of


    many.


    However, practically no one had ever heard of Kelvin Stephens, the boss of Olympus Entertainment


    until he established hispany. No one knew what his background was either. Some people guessed


    that he was the ¡°minion¡± of some bigwig, who had the mission of using this film productionpany to


    help his bossunder money.


    But this was merely spection without any solid proof.


    Emmy¡¯s eyes grew colder, and Morgan was more embarrassed than ever, sweat beginning to bead his


    forehead. He opened his mouth wanting to answer Yvette¡¯s question, but also kept looking at Emmy¡¯s


    eyes to see what signal she was giving off.


    Emmy simply handed the phone over to him.


    Morgan did not know if he should take the phone, because it seemed that no matter what he did, he


    would be making a mistake. Seeing all the people enjoying the show from his peripheral Morgan made


    himsell take the phone for his own dignity in the end.


    ¡°Sorry. Mr. Stephens is just too busy Morgan was quite polite, and did not look like he had been


    ¡°holding a grudge against Yvette for


    several years.¡±


    Emmy¡¯s face darkened at once.


    ¡°Could you give me Mr. Stephens¡® number? Il call him myself?¡± Yvette did not give up.


    *Sure. I send it to youter.¡± Morgan said before quickly ending the call,


    Emmy huffed coldly and looked away.


    ¡°I don¡¯t feel well¡± She scooped up her backpack that was on the chair and held Larissa¡¯s hand. Larissa,


    come get some fresh air with me.¡±

 Chapter 546

    Chapter 546


    Chapter 546


    Larissa went outside with Emmy while also signaling to her assistant manager with her eyes that he


    should head back himself first.


    Emmy stopped at the elevator and asked Larissa, ¡°Do you have a bar here?¡± She did not look good,


    and her smile was very forced. The fourth floor of Winston Hotel was a chill bar with all kinds of alcohol,


    and the environment was very tranquil so Larissa brought her


    there.


    The resident singer had yet to leave. Her hoa rse voice was singing softly at low pitches, which caused


    the atmosphere to be a little bleak


    for some reason.


    Emmy was not in a good state, so Larissa did not allow her to order any strong alcohol and only


    ordered two sses of tap beer for each of them.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be angry, Emmy.¡± Larissa advised her as she touched her ss to hers.


    ¡°I¡¯m not angry! Who says I am?¡± Emmy downed a huge mouthful of beer and mmed her ss down.


    With a loud bang, the golden liquid sttered everywhere on the table.


    Hearing this, the waiter came over and asked carefully it assistance was required. Larissa got him to


    clean the table before dismissing him. She did not dare speak anymore and just drank her beer quietly,


    ¡°That f ucking shameless wh ore! It¡¯s been so many years, and she still hasn¡¯t changed a bit!¡± Emmy


    snarled angrily as she cursed Yvette out through gritted teeth.


    To Larissa Yvette was very wed, but she never thought that the descriptor of ¡°wh ore¡± would ever be


    used on her.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± she asked out of curiosity, which inadvertently opened up a whole can of worms.


    Emmy was of the same generation as Yvette, even though she was younger than thetter by a few


    years, Emmy had witnessed all of Yvette¡¯s past affairs, and because they were in the same industry,


    Emmy was able to clearly see Yvette¡¯s dark side that she had hidden behind the mor of the


    spotlights. N?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    ¡°Yvette was the mistress of a wealthy businessman when she just debuted. Everyone in the industry


    knows that. Her bit chine ss at that time was because of the fact that she had a powerful backer, so no


    one dared to offend her.¡±


    Larissa listened quietly, her emotions still calm as ever. She had put herself in the shoes of a bystander


    who had no rtion to Yvette whatsoever, observing this all in aposed and objective manner,


    ¡°But that businessman was also a piece of s hit, because he made his fortune by way of his wife, and


    still f ucked around anyway. His wile wasn¡¯t someone you wanted to screw around with, ¡¯cause Yvette


    got pregnant then. Almost three months passed, and she forced Yvette to abort the baby and even got


    her banned from the industry. Yvette begged a lot of people like she¡¯s doing now, all because she¡¯s got


    a bit of charm and beauty to seduce men everywhere! That as shole Morgan nearly fell for her too!¡±


    Emmy gripped the beer cup hard as if she was clutching at Morgan.


    ¡°Thank goodness that businessman¡¯s wile was amazing with her methods, having put some really


    harsh words out there so that no one in the industry dared to actually help Yvette, Morgan and had not


    been together then, I was only a junior assistant of his. I saw how he did everything he could for Yvette,


    running around everywhere for her, and groveling to others on her behalf.


    ¡°When things never worked out, he would still call Yvette every other day to apologize, sending her


    flowers, jewelry, and all kinds of gifts, but she didn¡¯t give a s hit about him anyway, throwing a massive


    temper tantrum at him and calling him useless as well as telling him to


    stop harassing her.


    ¡°Then half a year passed, and Yvelle probably thought that she had no hope of reemerging not to


    mention all the rumors out there saying that she was not showing hersell because she had gotten


    married, so she randomly lound some honest guy who did not know about her


    Larissa guessed that the ¡°honest guy¡± Emmy spoke of was her biologicalther who had passed on


    early.


    ¡°After Yvette got married, there was no news of her for two to three years. When I saw her again, she


    was already thedy boss of Cosmic Entertainment. I have no idea how Yvelle h ooked up with Xavier-


    but she probably seduced him as she always does. If she¡¯s not showing herself in front of me, that¡¯s


    good, because I have no lucking energy to give a sh it about her. I thought Morgan had already moved


    on hom her, but who knew that the moment Yvette came looking for him, he couldn¡¯t wait to bend over


    backward to help her again!¡± Emmy¡¯s tone


    ¡°Morgan always declines Yvette¡¯s calls in front of me, but I¡¯ve secretly checked his cal history.


    Whenever I¡¯m not around, he has contacted her so many times.¡± She lifted a hard to wipe away the


    gathering tears in her eyes. ¡°What¡¯s so good about Yvette anyway? Why do so many men like her?¡±

 Chapter 547

    Chapter 547


    Chapter 547


    ¡°Maybe because deep down, men just like delicate women like Yvette Larissa replied after a moment¡¯s


    thought.


    Yvette and Ruby seemed to be the same sort of people.


    The fact that Ruby could even gain Kevan¡¯s heart proved that men really liked that sort of delicate


    frality she exuded.


    Emmy angrily downed the rest of the beer in her ss. ¡°Well aren¡¯t they just two-faced bi tches and wh


    ores? Motherf ucking punk s on of a bi tch! Men are all blind!¡± Her rage reached its peak, and the


    volume of her voice overtook the dreamy singing in the room.


    The melodious guitar stopped abruptly, and all the waiters and patrons in the bar turned to look over at


    them.


    C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.


    Emmy did not seem to notice as she raised a finger to the air and swore. ¡°If Morgan dares help Yvette


    get resources. I will f ucking divorce him at once


    Larissa quicklyforted her. ¡°M org an is definitely not that type of person! Please chill out a little.


    Emmy. Go back and have a good talk with Morgan. Don¡¯t have any misunderstandings with him!¡±


    ¡°Misunderstanding? What misunderstanding could there be? It¡¯s as if he never did those things at all


    Emmy got angrier and waved a waiter over, ¡°Give me another ss of beer!¡±


    ¡°Okay


    The water was just about to tum away when Larissa swiftly stopped him. ¡°She drank too much, you


    can¡¯t give her more.¡±


    She was pretty much the boss of the hotel So. Larissa¡¯s words were like a royal decree to the waiter,


    ¡°Yes. Ms. Seymour¡± he said before leaving quickly.


    ¡°Larissa, why are you such a spoilsport? Emmy red at Larissa with displeasure, while Larissa smiled


    apologetically as she sat next to Emmy, hooking her arm around thetter and telling her. ¡°It¡¯ste. Let


    me escort you back to your r o o m.¡±


    Emmy had drunk quite a bit, so her speech was already a little slurred.


    ¡°I won¡¯t go back! Her rejection was very decisive. ¡°I don¡¯t want to see that fucking asshole, Morgan


    ¡°I¡¯ll move you to a different room. Larissa¡¯s reaction time was always fast. ¡°You can sleep by yourself,


    and won¡¯t be sharing with Morgan.¡±


    Emmy thought about it with her head tilted to one side before conceding. ¡°Alright.¡±


    Larissa let out a sigh of reliet. She called the front desk and asked them to have a new room prepared.


    Once she had sent Emmy to that room, she contacted Morgan and exined the situation to him.


    Morgan thanked her repeatedly. ¡°So sorry to trouble you tonight, Larissa.¡± He sighed softly. Please


    don¡¯t take any terrible things Emmy has said to heart¡±


    ¡°Oh, no, no, Emmy was fine!¡± Larissa smiled, ¡°But-¡± She paused for half a second. ¡°Morgan, please


    don¡¯t think of me as a busybody-but if you really care about Emmy, please stop contacting Yvette in the


    future; otherwise. Emmy will read too much into it.¡±


    Morgan was silent for a moment. ¡°I got it.¡±

 Chapter 548

    Chapter 548


    Chapter 548


    Larissa meddled by giving Morgan advice because firstly, she wanted to bring justice for Emmy, and


    secondly, she had her own personal reasons. She could ignore and not persecute the Seymours for


    everything they did to her. But since they dared to make Aster a target for their cun ning ideas, then


    they should not me her for being heartless.


    Having worked in the hotel industry for more than ten years and having contact with numerous guests.


    Larissa had developed quite awork of connections. She found a name in her contacts list and called


    the number under it once she was certain that it was the one


    she wanted.


    The other person was also a busy bee, the phone rang for a good while before they answered.


    ¡°Larissa, what made you call me after so long?¡± A young woman¡¯s voice came through the phone,


    clearly happy but also curious.


    ¡°Are you busy these days? Could you take some time out toe to Bartham? I have a huge deal for


    you see if you want to take it,¡± Larissa smiled, but it did not reach her eyes.


    The next afternoon, Kevan had been sitting in on a nning meeting from the gaming department, and


    his work phone was with his assistant. Once the meeting was over, it was long past 3 pm.


    Kevan went back upstairs and had only just run into his assistant when he frantically handed his phone


    over to him, ¡°Mr. Rogers, your


    phone rang several times.¡±


    This phone of Kevan¡¯s may have been his work phone, but the assistant did not dare answer any of his


    calls without his permission.


    The unanswered calls all came from the same unsaved number. Kevan had seen that number so many


    times that he already knew it by


    heart.


    ¡°I think there¡¯s an MMS too, the assistant added.


    Ever since other instant messaging apps became the norm, the term ¡°MMS seemed very distant and


    far away from him. Kevan tapped into the messaging app, and the topmost message was indeed from


    Ron.


    The MMS was a video, and the only yed it after returning to his office.


    In the video, Bethany¡¯s hands were bound behind her back, and her legs were likewise tied together


    tightly. She was leaning against the wall, sitting on the filthy floor, and the twin braids that the nanny at


    home had done for her were all loose now, flowing down her back.


    messly.


    Her cheeks were terribly swollen, and her eyes were filled with terror.


    ¡°Daddy!¡± She gazed at the camera with tears streaming down her cheeks. ¡°Save me! Daddy, I¡¯m


    scared! Pleasee save me!¡±


    Kevan closed the video emotionlessly. He contacted his assistant via the internalmunication line.


    ¡°Tll be leaving now, Anything I have


    for today is to be postponed.¡±


    Kevan went straight to the detention center.


    Along the way, Ron kept calling him, and he would sometimes send threatening messages. Kevan


    ignored them all tossing his phone on


    the passenger¡¯s seat


    Having not seen each other for so long. Ruby looked very different from before-her hair had been cut


    evenly to her ears, and her face had thinned considerably. It was almost as if she only had skin


    covering herce now. She looked terribily pale, her eyes were dull, and she seemed to have aged a


    great deal


    When she saw Kevan, her eyes it up for a moment.


    ¡°Kevan!¡± She tried to pounce on him, but the prison guard held her back. ¡°Behave yoursell¡± The tall,


    female police officer barked stemty


    with imitation, her face cold.


    Ruby timidly moved her lips a little before sitting across from Kevan with her neck hunched in on itself.


    The prison guard handcuffed Ruby C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.


    ¨C ¡°Kevan ¡ª* Ruby¡¯s tears fell practically onmand. I know I was wrong. Please help me, and get


    them to let me out?¡±


    ¡°Breaking thew means going to prison. Thew will not excuse anyone.¡± Kevan presented a


    righteous appearance. ¡°My apologies,


    can¡¯t help you.¡±


    Ruby¡¯s tears fell harder than ever. ¡°But you know so many people! You must have some way, right?¡±

 Chapter 549

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    Chapter 549


    Ruby leaned in, trying to grab Kevan¡¯s hand that was resting on the table. He quickly evaded her grasp,


    casting his gaze downward to conceal the disqust in his eyes. He then repeated, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Is it because of Larissa? It¡¯s because of her, right? Her expression turned vicious. ¡°Thal bi tch must


    have said something to you! Don¡¯t believe her! She wants me dead! She¡¯s a vile woman!¡±


    If it weren¡¯t for the unfinished business, Kevan would have immediately stood up and left; the air


    seemed to turn foul wherever she was.


    ¡°It has nothing to do with anyone.¡± He forcefully suppressed his anger and pushed his phone toward


    her. ¡°I came to see you today for this.


    Her attention was diverted. She stared at his phone, looking perplexed, and asked, ¡°What about it?¡±


    Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    He yed the video for her to watch. Her expression only showed subtle changes, and her initial


    reaction wasn¡¯t as panicked as a typical mother would be. Half a minuteter, she eximed. ¡°What


    happened to Bethany? What¡¯s going on?¡±


    Kevan replied. ¡°She has been kidnapped. The kidnappers are demanding a ransom of one billion


    dors.¡±


    Ruby anxiously eximed. ¡°Then, pay the ransom and get her back! You can afford one billion, right?¡±


    He remained silent for a few seconds and lowered his voice, saying, ¡°I can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re lying!¡± She stomped her foot in frustration. ¡°How can you not afford? Microworks Corporation is


    such a bigpany! You¡¯ve even boasted about a fortune of hundreds of billions!¡±


    ¡°I really can¡¯t afford it¡± Kevan said earnestly. He rubbed his face with his hands and let out a defeated


    sigh. ¡°I experienced investment


    failures and lost a considerable amount of money.¡±


    She asked in a demanding tone, ¡®What about Bethany, then? Are you just going to stand there and


    watch her die? She¡¯s your daughter!¡± She clutched her chest, crying inconsbly. ¡°Are you really that


    heartless?¡±


    He closed his eyes upon hearing that and spoke with a mournful lone. ¡°I-I feel sorry for you and


    Bethany. If there is such a thing as another life. I hope you both never have to encounter someone like


    me.¡±


    After he said that, he hastily left the room before Ruby could further confront him. As soon as the door


    closed, his expression vanished


    without a trace.


    ¡°You can go inside now,¡± he said to the prison guard standing outside the door.


    His driver was waiting outside the detention center. ¡°Mr. Rogers, where are we going next? the driver


    asked.


    ¡®Find a secluded spot nearby and wait,¡± he instructed. He looked out the window, gripping his phone in


    his hand.


    The driver parked the car in a desteer where no one passed by. Kevan sat inside the car, with a


    clear view of the prison gate. He patiently bided his time. Finally, after over two hours of walling, a


    shy red Ferrari roared by, screeching to a halt at the main entrance of the detention center. Kevan


    recognized the car-it was the new Ferrari modell released this year, and Cody happened to own one.


    The car door swung open, and a figure stepped out from the driver¡¯s seat. Kevan locused his gaze and


    found that the person was indeed Cody. Cody spent nearly an hour inside the detention center before


    coming out. Kevan couldn¡¯t discern Cody¡¯s expression from a distance, since Cody kept his head


    lowered and waked somewhat hastly.


    When the red sports car sped away, Kevan instructed the driver, ¡°Let¡¯s go home.¡±

 Chapter 550

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    Chapter 550


    Kevan blocked Ron¡¯s number and was finally able to enjoy some peace and quiet for the afternoon.


    However, in the evening. Violet called. bombarding him with a barrage of questions. ¡°Tell me the truth,


    Has Bethany been kidnapped?¡±


    Her tone was urgent, tinged with panic. Each word quivered as it left her lips. There was no need for


    Kevan to specte: Cody must have leaked the news to her.


    ¡°Yes,¡± he admitted.


    ¡°When did it happen?¡± Her trembling intensified.


    ¡°The day before yesterday,¡± he answered.


    He reached out to his mother the same night when he received the kidnapper¡¯s call. Bethany had been


    staying with Violet all along, and it was only natural for Violet to be concerned when the nanny couldn¡¯t


    find Bethany when she went and picked Bethany up.


    Instead of telling Violet the truth, Kevan concocted an outrageous lle, saying, ¡°I brought Bethany over


    to stay with me for a few days.¡±


    Surprisingly, not only did she not suspect anything, but she was also very delighted. Her biggest wish


    was for Kevan and Bethany to deepen their bond and live harmoniously.


    ¡°Come back immediately and exin everything to me!¡± Violet¡¯s tone was cold, limm, and ruthless.


    Kevan dared not dy a moment longer and immediately made his way back to his parent¡¯s home.


    Both his parents were sitting in the living room, their faces etched with worry, and the atmosphere was


    stilling. As soon as Kevan entered. Violet sprang to her feet.


    Anthony remained somewhat calmer, only shitting his body slightly. He stared straight at Kevan and


    asked in a deep voice, ¡°What happened exactly?¡±


    Kevan removed his coat, handed it to a nearby servant, and whispered a ¡°thank you¡°. He proceeded to


    walk to the center of the living room and settled onto the adjacent single s.


    Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    ¡°Bethany has been kidnapped. They are demanding a ransom of one billion dors,¡± he spoke calmly


    and withposure.


    Violet¡¯s eyes widened in disbelief upon hearing that, ¡°One billion?¡±


    Anthony angrily eximed, ¡°That¡¯s an outrageous sum!¡±


    Kevan smirked and dered. ¡°But I have no intention of paying.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± His mother¡¯s eyes grew even wider. She asked incredulously, ¡°Are you just going to stand


    there and watch Bethany die? She¡¯s still your daughter even if you don¡¯t have affection for her! How


    can you be so heartless?¡± Her eyes gradually filled with anger and disappointment.


    Anthony chimed in, ¡°While a billion is a bit too much, we should still be able toe up


    Kevan remained calm andposed while facing their usations and dissatisfaction. ¡°She is not my


    daughter,¡± he announced.


    He had carefully considered this on his way here. He decided that he had to reveal the truth to them so


    that they would keep out of the situation and not jeopardize his n.


    Violet emotionally denied it eximing. ¡°That¡¯s impossible! I had a paternity test done for you both. The


    report clearly stated that you are her biological father!¡±


    She had arranged for a paternity test to be conducted on the day Bethany was born. Otherwise, she


    wouldn¡¯t have brought Bethany back home.


    ¡°I had it done too.¡± Kevan retrieved an electronic report from his phone. ¡°In fact, I even had the test


    done at two different institutions, and the results were the same.¡±


    Indeed, there was a biological rtionship between him and Bethany, but it hadn¡¯t reached the level of


    a father¨Cdaughter rtionship.


    Violet stared at the final result on the report, her mouth agape, unable to find words. His father put on


    his sses, took Kevan¡¯s phone, and read the report carefully from start to finish.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Kevan replied without hesitation. ¡°Both of these institutions are highly reputable, and every step


    was conducted under my supervision. There was no room for maniption.¡±

 Chapter 551

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    Chapter 551


    However, there were many ways for others to manipte the paternity test that Violet had ordered,


    reflecting on the entire situation.


    ¡°Ruby deceived me! I won¡¯t let her get away with this!¡± Violet¡¯sce turned red with anger.


    ¡°Enough!¡± Anthony grabbed her hand and sterly rebuked her, ¡°That¡¯s not the most important thing now.¡±


    He turned his gaze toward Kevan and continued, ¡°Even though Bethany isn¡¯t your biological daughter,


    she¡¯s still a human life. Not to mention we have formed a bond with her through the time we spent


    together. We just can¡¯t stand there and do nothing, especially considering the fact that she was


    kidnapped because of you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take care of this matter. You both don¡¯t need to worry.¡± Kevan assured them.


    His father had always trusted him, Besides, he couldn¡¯t control his adult son anymore. ¡°Alright then, we


    won¡¯t have much to worry about.¡±


    N?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    Anthony burned and nced at his wife, who was still in a state of shock and anger. He removed his


    sses from the bridge of his nose and rubbed his throbbing temples. ¡°I¡¯m exhausted.¡± He stood up


    and pulled Violet in the direction of the stairs. ¡°Let¡¯s go upstairs and rest. It¡¯s gettingte. Kevan, stay


    here tonight.¡±


    However, Kevan didn¡¯t stay behind. He had many things to attend to, and also, it was inconvenient for


    him to stay there.


    Jack ryed the message that Ron hadn¡¯t received the money in the afternoon and had met withn


    before returning to the outskirts.


    Jack was not sure about the details of their conversation, but their expressions did not look good when


    they came out.


    Meanwhile, the police stationed at the outskirts took the opportunity while Ron was away to infiltrate the


    house secretly. It appeared that Ron had administered Bethany some medicine to keep herin a state of


    unconsciousness. Fortunately, her vital signs remained stable. and there was no immediate danger to


    her life.


    The police installed several pinhole cameras inside the house, providingprehensive surveince


    coverage. So, they could promptly intervene and rescue Bethany if Ron tried to harm her. This was


    also why Kevan could be at ease and blocked Ron¡¯s number.


    ¡°Ron has had a few drinks in the evening and seems to be intoxicated. He¡¯s now hitting Bethany.¡± Jack


    reported the situation to Kevan Immediately. ¡°Are you certain that you don¡¯t want us to intervene?¡±


    Kevan could sense Jack¡¯s unease. After all, as a police officer, Jack possessed an extra sense of


    sympathy and responsibility toward the weak and vulnerable. Even though Kevan was not at the scene


    to witness it firsthand, he could still imagine how brutal someone like Jack


    could be when they resorted to violence. 1


    ¡°Yes, I am.¡± Kevan remained firm in his stance. ¡°Ron won¡¯t really do harm to Bethany.¡± He was very


    confident about this. After all Ron was hired by someone. As long as Xavier didn¡¯t order Ron to harm


    Bethany, Ron would never dare to take her life. As for Xavier, he wouldn¡¯t dare to let Bethany die


    before receiving the money.


    ¡°But-¡± Jack paused and let out a heavy sigh. ¡°Listen for yourself!¡±


    In the next moment, Bethany¡¯s heart-wrenching cries could be heard through the phone. The cries


    were unlike her previous acts of pretending to gain sympathy, as they were exceptionally genuine and


    piercing.


    Kevan furrowed his brows slightly. ¡°Enough.¡± He held the phone a little farther away from his ear


    He had always been cold-hearted and emotionless. His heart wouldn¡¯t sollen even for a moment if an


    ordinary child was being treated this way, let alone Bethany, who was Cody¡¯s daughter.


    Jack said helplessly, ¡°Do you know how agonizing this is for me? I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t be able to resist


    giving the order to rescue Bethany ill


    continue watching.¡±


    ¡°Then, don¡¯t watch,¡± Kevan¡¯s reply was concise and ruthless.

 Chapter 552

    Chapter 552


    Chapter 552


    Dn hadn¡¯t contacted Larissa ever since the kidnapping incident. She found it strange and decided to


    check the guest room, only to find out that he had already checked out. Without his proactive contact,


    she had lost the opportunity to inquire about the progress of the case.


    She had been diligently following the news for a few days but hadn¡¯te across any relevant


    information. Perhaps this was the best oue she could hope for, looking at it from a different


    perspective.


    She was supposed to go to the airport to pick someone up at noon, but her meeting had been dyed,


    causing her to be nearly hall an hourte. She humiedly sent a message to the person, exining her


    situation, and rushed off.


    As she reached the lobby, she nearly bumped into Gary, who had just returned from outside.


    He was dressed in a formal dark suit. She apologized and asked, ¡°Were you out for business?¡±


    Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    He nodded in response. ¡°I had a meeting with Mr. Leon from Soaring Corporation this morning, but we


    haven¡¯t reached an agreement yet.¡± He noticed Larissa was in a hurry and became somewhat curious.


    ¡°Why are you in such a rush?¡±


    I¡¯m heading to the airport to meet a client.¡± She nced at her watch. ¡°The meeting rante, and I¡¯m


    afraid I won¡¯t make it in time.¡±


    ¡°Lewis will give you a ride. He happens to be heading to the airport too.¡± Gary signaled Lewis with his


    eyes, and Lewis immediately responded, ¡°Ms. Seymour, my car is parked at the entrance.¡±


    During this period, Larissa had been relying on public transportation and hadn¡¯t been driving herself.


    Contacting a driver now would only mean more waiting time, and it wasn¡¯t easy to hall a taxi at this


    hour. So, she epted Gary¡¯s offer.


    ¡°Thank you. Lewis.¡± She smiled at him.


    She and Lewis weren¡¯t that close. Once they settled into the car, they hardly exchanged words except


    for the initial pleasantries


    Midway through the journey, her client had alreadynded in Bartham, She then arranged to meet her


    client at a specific location and repeatedly apologized for the dy.


    Lewis arrived at the airport in the shortest possible time. And she was finally able to meet up with the


    client. Just as they were about to hail a taxi, her phone rang.


    It was Lewis, with whom she had just parted ways moments ago.


    ¡°Ms. Seymour, did you manage to pick up your client? I¡¯m still waiting for you at the spot where you got


    oll.¡±


    She was a bit surprised. ¡°Did you already finish what you needed to do?¡±


    Lewis responded with a simple ¡°Yes¡± and continued. ¡°I can give you both a ride back to the hotel since


    it¡¯s on my way.¡±


    Well, Larissa dly epted the offer, since it was convenient. They retraced the steps back to where


    she got off, and sure enough, Lewis ¡°car was still there.


    During the journey back, Lewis was no longer as taciturn as before. He took the initiative to ask


    Larissa, ¡°This is ¨C?¡±


    He nced at the young woman sitting beside Larissa through the rearview mirror, and his scrutinizing


    gaze made her slightly


    ufortable.


    *This is Rena, the founder and CEO of Fairy Culture. Thepany specializes in social media


    operations, such as managing Twitter¡¯s marketing ounts, public ounts, elc. You can reach out to


    her if yourpany has any needs in the area.¡± Larissa took the opportunity to introduce Rena and her


    company to Lewis.


    Lewis disyed a peculiar expression the moment he heard the name ¡°Fairy Culture, causing Rena to


    lower her head and blush in embarrassment.

 Chapter 553

    Chapter 553


    Chapter 553


    ¡°Ch.¡± Lewis nodded subtly.


    Rena quickly changed the subject, asking, ¡°Larissa, are you thinking of letting me hardle the marketing


    strategies for your hotel?¡±


    Larissa shook her head in response. ¡°It¡¯s a bitplicated. I exin in detall when we reach the hotel.¡±


    Rena didn¡¯t press further.


    When they got out of the car, Lewis asked Rena for her business card, providing a valid reason. I reach


    out to you in case ourpany requires any marketing assistance.¡±


    Larissa personally covered the expenses for a luxurious suite for Rena and ordered a variety of dishes


    for her. After a satisfying meal Rena slumped onto the couch, rubbing her belly.


    ¡°Tell me what you want me to do. I¡¯ll make it happen if it¡¯s within my capabilities.¡± She waved her hand


    confidently.


    Larissa smiled faintly. ¡°I have a big scoop for you.¡±


    Half an hourter. Rena¡¯s eyes widened, her mouth agape as she stared in disbeliel.


    ¡°A-Are you sure you want me to break this news?¡± She looked at Larissa with aplicated


    expression. ¡°You have to think it through. This matter has a significant impact on you too.¡±


    ¡°Well I wouldn¡¯t have approached you had I not thought it through.¡± Larissa remained incredibly


    composed. ¡°I¡¯ll write up the article and send it to you. The necessary information will be included. I want


    yourpany to publish this article on all your we media channels. You


    can set the price.¡±


    ¡°Free of charge.¡± Rena finally snapped back to reality, returning to her usual professional and


    composed demeaner.


    Larissa frowned upon hearing that. ¡°Don¡¯t be like that. Im not asking you for help: I¡¯m proposing a


    business deal, Charge the appropriate amount ording to the industry standards.¡±


    ¡°No, no!¡± Rena waved her hand repeatedly. ¡°Your scoop is incredibly explosive. It will generate a


    significant amount of tram for us. I would even owe you money if we were to follow the industryN?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    standards!¡±


    Despite Rena¡¯s words, Larissa still felt incred by indebted to her. On the day they signed the contract,


    she also outsourced the hotel¡¯s


    promotion to Rera¡¯spany.


    Fairy Culture was one of the firstpanies to seize business opportunities and mize traffic during


    the rise of Twitter, it had a roster of popr influencers and operated hundreds of marketing ounts.


    They were renowned for their professionalism in the lield of online


    marketing.


    Larissa had already begun writing the article long before her discussion with Rena. Shortly alter the


    discussion, shepleted the article and sent it over to Rena, Rena then added her own ir and


    made edits in her sigrature style before handing it over to her team, instructing them to publish it on all


    theirpany-operated we media ounts.


    And so, overnight, the article titled, ¡°Shattered Childhood Filler: Unveiling the True Yvetle, spread


    across the Inte.


    For most regr viewers. Yvette held a nostalgic sentiment. Therefore, her announcement of a


    comeback stirred up a signilicant wave online. Positivements flooded warious tforms, with


    numerousizens eagerly anticipating her return and cheering her on. Some even yfully referred to


    her as ¡°The Queen Who Brought Fandom Under One Rule.¡±


    However, this situation waspletely shattered by the release of the article. Il exposed the dark side


    of Yvette¡¯s past, revealing her Involvement in transactional rtionships with wealthy businessmen, as


    well as how she underwent several abortions, Ihrewntiums on set, and mistreated her daughter from


    her previous marriage. Larissa included all the flings her mother had done to her in the article.


    There was an instant uproar online. Except for those who had close contact with Yvette in the industry


    back then, no one could have imagined that the innocent queen from their memories had such a


    scandalous side. official statement on their Twitter ount, asserting that all the information in the


    article wasbricated. They even attached awyer¡¯s


    letter with an official seal indicating their intention to take legal action against all the markeling ounts


    spreading the rumors..

 Chapter 554

    Chapter 554


    Chapter 554


    ¡°Ms. Seymour, someone¡¯s here to see you.¡± Larissa¡¯s assistant intercepted her at the elevator lobby


    just as she returned from a meeting with a client. The assistant¡¯s expression held a hint of unease, one


    that Larissa had never seen on his face before.


    ¡°Who is it?¡± Larissa¡¯s steps halted as a wave of apprehension washed over her, causing her to


    cautiously nce behind him.


    A trace of disdain shed across his eyes as he replied, ¡°It¡¯s that female celebrity, Yvette, who has


    been caught up in a bunch of scandals recently.¡± He paused for a moment and asked curiously. ¡°Are


    you acquainted with her?¡±


    She didn¡¯t answer his question, Instead, she remained still as she inquired, ¡°What does she want from


    me?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± He shook his head. ¡°She seemed quite angry and had a pretty nasty expression on her


    face.¡±


    Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    Although Yvette spoke softly, and her attitude toward him was cordial, he was not hern nor a


    greenhorn in the workce. He could somewhat discern her underlying emotions beneath her calm


    lacade. Larissa had a premonition that Yvette¡¯s visit was connected to the article. In fact, she had


    anticipated that this day woulde.


    Yvette¡¯s reputation for engaging in transactional rtionships and behaving arrogantly was widely


    known within the industry she used to be a part of. However, the part where she mistreated her


    daughter remained a secret known only to Larissa herself and the Seymour family. Given that the


    family now relied on Yvette¡¯seback to generate ie and revive Cosmic Entertainment they


    certainly wouldn¡¯t do anything to jeopardize their own interests. Therefore, it was easy for Yvette to


    figure out who exposed her past.


    Larissa took a deep breath and turned to her assistant, instructing him, ¡°Inform the security toe up.


    Lead them directly inside it there is anymotion in my officeter¡±


    The assistant widened his eyes in fear. He wanted to ask something but hesitated. In the end, he


    replied, ¡°Okay.¡±


    Larissa pushed open the door to her office. Yvette was sitting on the couch, with a cup of lukewarm


    water in front of her,


    As soon as she heard a noise, she turned and her expression changed instantly. She rose to her feet


    angrily. ¡°Was it you?¡± she eximed. The corners of her eyes fed, smoothing out the line lines.


    ¡°What are you saying?¡± Larissa leigned confusion.


    Maybe it was because she had distanced herself from her dark past for too long, or that she had


    rehearsed this moment countless times. In her head, surprisingly, she didn¡¯t feel the same lear as


    before when confronting the enraged Yvette.


    ¡°Don¡¯t y dumb with me! Yvette grabbed a decorative pillow and hurled it toward Larissa.


    Larissa swiftly dodged it, and the pillow hit the cold wall behind her, bounced back, and eventually


    landed on the floor.


    ¡°Ms. Yvette, you need to stay calm.¡± Larissa maintained a sale distance from her mother, ¡°I have


    surveince here.¡± She nced up at theer of the ceiling and said. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t want any more


    scandals to emerge, would you?


    Yvette¡¯s expression froze upon hearing that. Momentster, she gnashed her teeth in Irustration.


    ¡°Larissa, how dare you?¡±


    She red fiercely at Larissa, her eyes reddening and filed with intense resentment.


    Larissa lightly chuckled, neither confirming nor denying anything her mother had said. She bent down


    to pick up the pillow from the floor.¡± Is there anything else?¡± She then turned to open the ollice door,


    seeing no response from her mother. ¡°My time is valuable. If you don¡¯t have other business, please-¡±


    She gestured with a hand signal indicating the way out.


    A group of security guards had already been walling outside, and as soon as the door opened, they


    leaned in to look inside cautiously.


    Yvette immediately noticed the guards in their uniforms. Even if she had the Intention to make a scene,


    she had no choice but to leave for the sake of her own reputation and dignity.

 Chapter 555

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    Chapter 555


    ¡°You will pay for this!¡± she muttered angrily as she passed by Larissa.


    Larissa smirked in amusement. ¡°Ms. Xander, your payback hasn¡¯t arrived yet. So, I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll have


    to wait a little longer for mine.¡±


    Yvette was left speechless and unable to respond.


    As soon as Yvette left, Larissa¡¯s assistant hurriedly rushed in, ¡°Ms. Seymour, are you okay?¡± He looked


    at her with concern, scanning her up and down.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine. Have the security guards escort Yvetle out directly when she shows up next time,¡± she


    ordered with a sight smile.


    He nodded in response. ¡°Sure, I take care of it


    C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.


    Meantime. Yvette seethed with frustration after being humiliated by Larissa. She could only vent her


    anger by pressing the hotel elevator¡¯s buttons vigorously.


    *S lut! She¡¯s just as worthless as the useless wimpl I should have never given birth to her!¡± she


    muttered under her breath. As she cursed. the elevator reached the top nr. The doors slowly opened


    with a ding.


    She entered the elevator without looking and calided with someone about to step out


    ¡°Ah!¡± She rubbed her sore forehead and scolded without looking up. ¡°Watch where you¡¯re going! Are


    you in a hurry to die?


    ¡°The one who walked carelessly and bumped into me is you, ma¡¯am.¡± A cold voice echoed from above


    her head, with no attempt to hide the contempt. ¡°Not to mention, your foundation stained my clothes.¡±


    Although Yvette had been treated like a ser vant in the Seymour family for decades, she had always


    been showered with ttery and Indulgence when she went out. Today, encountering two prople in a


    row, who didnt consider her important, ignited a liery rage within her.


    ¡°How much are your cheap clothes even worth, anyway? Il reimburse you!¡± She took out a stack of bills


    from her wallet and pped them on the other person¡¯s face. Pink banknotes floated in the air, twirling


    like butterfies, before slowlynding on the ground.


    ¡°Well this ¡®cheap¡¯ piece of clothing of mine costs over 13,000 dors. The measly amour! you just


    tossed isn¡¯t nearly erough. If you don¡¯t have the money, forget aboutpensating me. I never said


    you had to, the other person replied with a hint of disdain.


    When had Yvette ever been looked down upon like this?


    ¡°You!¡± She red at the towering man angrily. He stood over six feet tall, forcing her to strain her neck


    to meet his gaze.


    ¡°Enough. Don¡¯t waste time. There are more important things to attend to.¡± A gravelly voice came from


    behind the man.


    ¡°Apologies. Mr. Logan.¡± The previously arrogant man suddenly assumed a respectful and submissive


    demeanor,


    This piqued Yvette¡¯s curiosity, and she couldn¡¯t help but feel curious about the man¡¯s identity. Their


    eyes locked as that person stepped out of the shadows, and in that instant, her bag sipped from her


    hand and lell to the ground.


    Her mouth hung open, and her eyes revealed a mix of fear and disbelief. ¡°Y-Y-You!¡± She pointed at


    Gary, who remainedposed, and her voice trembled as if she had seen something horrifying. ¡°Didn¡¯t


    you die?¡±


    ¡°Sorry to disappoint you.¡± Gary smiled, and coldress l ickered across his eyes. He stepped out of the


    elevator and locked his sharp, eagle-


    like gaze on Yvelte, leaving her on edge.


    ¡°After all these years, don¡¯t you have anything to exin to me?¡± Gary approached her slowly.


    She nervously stepped back ¡°1- Suddenly, something dawned on her, and she eximed, ¡®It¡¯s you! You


    and Larissa are in cahoots! You motherf uckers deserve to die!¡¯

 Chapter 556

    Chapter 556


    Chapter 556


    Just as Larissa opened the report, her assistant rushed in anxiously to say. ¡°There¡¯s an argument going


    on between Yvette and someone at the elevator!¡±


    She knew well how difficult and unpleasant vette could be, and how harsh her words could sound.


    Things never turned out well whenever she got into an argument with someone.


    She immediately dropped her mouse and hurriedly made her way toward the elevator. Little did she


    know that even from a distance, she could hear the words Yvelle shouted.


    She froze in her tracks. She could clearly see the men standing alongside Yvette. Thether she had


    thought about and longed for all these years hac appeared before her in this manner, Despite being


    familiar enough with Gary to confide in him, she felt timid and couldn¡¯t bring hersell to take another step


    closer at this moment.


    The three individuals standing at the elevator entrance hadn¡¯t noticed her yet. Even though Gary was


    slightly shorter than Yvette in high heels, he still exuded an intimidating presence that overshadowed


    her,


    Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    He sneered, ¡°Yvette. Il anyone deserves to die, it¡¯s you.¡±


    His current appearance felt foreign and unfamiliar to Yvette. In her memory. Gary was nothing more


    than an obsequicus and subservient pushover. The reason she had chosen to marry him was because


    he was the most obedient among the ordinary men she knew. She couldn¡¯t ept his mockery, let


    alone the fact that her former ¡°sve had transformed into a lofty CFO, tra mpling her underfoot..


    Immediately, a surge of pent-up anger and frustration overwhelmed her. Without thinking, she raised


    her hand to p Gary¡¯sce, just like how she would react every time he had infuriated her in the past.


    However, this time, belcre her hand could reach its target it was intercepted by someone.


    The towering man beside Gary grasped her wrist with a force that could easily snap her bones, his


    expression darkened in anger.


    ¡°Aaaaahhhhh-Yvette screamed in pain. Her once delicate face contorted into an ugly and fierce


    expression.


    Gary shook his head, and instantly, Lewis understood Gary¡¯s gesture and loosened his grip, although


    hisce still held a lingering resentment. Of course, Gary knew that Lewis was standing up for him. But


    Gary had a near-death experience once and was lucky to be able to reim his l¡¯e. so he had long let


    go of the past. He had never held any grudge against Yvette: he knew that she didn¡¯t love him and only


    married him to find someone to fill her lile. He willingly epted it because he loved her.


    However, he couldn¡¯t forgive what she had done toward Larissa. No matter how much she disliked or


    despised him, she should have never taken it out on Larissa. After all, Larissa was her biological


    daughter.


    Let¡¯s co


    go.¡± he said to Lewis.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you daree find Larissa from now on,¡± he warned Yvette. ¡°Otherwise, be prepared for


    repared for Xavier to go bankrupt and your whole family to end up on the streets.¡± He then turned and


    left without even looking in her d reclior.


    Larissa finally regained her senses from the tremendous shock. She turned around and ran toward her


    office as il fleeing from a terrifying monster. She ignored the curious gazes of those around her and


    managed to slip into her office before Gary could notice her. She sank into her chair feeling exhausted,


    her mind nk,


    The report she had previously opened remained untouched on the desk. She gathered her thoughts


    and tried to locus on work, but she couldn¡¯t read a single word even after a long while.


    There was a knock on the door. Her assistant entered and reported, ¡°Mr. Logan is here.¡±


    She was taken aback, and her hands trembled. She identally knocked the mouse onto the floor,


    making a sound.


    The assistant shrunk slightly as he asked, ¡°Should I let him in?¡±

 Chapter 557

    Chapter 557


    Chapter 557


    Should she let him in? Larissa questioned herself as well. She didn¡¯t want to see him-or rather, she


    didn¡¯t want to see anyone. All she


    wanted was sc me peace and solitude. However, she couldn¡¯t turn Gary away. Among his various


    roles, the one that mattered to her the most was his status as a valued quest at the Winston Hotel


    ¡°Sure.¡± She nodded.


    After her assistant left, she picked up the mouse from the ground. The battery, along with the cover,


    had been knocked ofL and there was even a cr ack on its surface. Frustrated, she muttered under her


    breath and threw everything she was holding into the trash bin.


    The door was opened once again. Gary and Lewis entered her office, one after another. She wasn¡¯t


    prepared m entally when she caught sight of Gary. So, her body froze, and her heartbeat involuntarily


    quickened. She lowered her head intentionally, avoiding eye contact with Gary. After taking a deep


    breath, she mustered a faint smile and asked, ¡°Is there anything I can help you with, Mr. Logan?¡±


    Gary observed her silently. His gaze was not intense but was impossible to ignore. ¡°I¡¯ve concluded the


    business with Soaring Corporation and have to return to Aldavia to handle some matters.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Larissa fell a bit flustered. She had just found out that he was her biological father, and they


    hadn¡¯t even acknowledged each other yet. And now, in the blink of an eye, they were going to part


    ways again. Naturally, she didn¡¯t want him to go, but she couldn¡¯t find the


    words to keep him. More importantly, shecked a valid reason to do so.


    Regardless of whether Gary had been made aware of her existence or not, Yvette had made it clear


    just moments ago, but he showed no intention of acknowledging her.


    The painful experiences from her childhood made her crave familial love, yet she didn¡¯t dare to hope for


    it.


    So, she decided to leave the initiative in his hands. Il he wanted to pretend not to know, she would


    never shatter that illusion. N?velDrama.Org owns this.


    ¡°Okay.¡± She lorced herself to calm down and asked in a professional tone. ¡°When are you leaving? Do


    you need me to arrange a car to take you to the airport?


    ¡°I leave early tomorrow morning. There¡¯s no need for a car. But tonight ¡ª would you be free to have


    dinner with me? He looked at her with anticipation in his eyes.


    ¡°It would be my pleasure.¡± She smiled, although it lelt a bit forced. He had already noticed something


    was amiss with her, but he didn¡¯t dwell on it, thinking it was simply Yvelle¡¯s disturbance that put her in a


    bad mood.


    ¡°I ran into your aunt at the elevator earlier, he caulicusly brought it up.


    It took her a few seconds to realize he was referring to Yvette. ¡°Oh, yeah.¡± Her smile grew more


    strained as she pretended she hadn¡¯t let her office. ¡°She didn¡¯t cause any trouble in front of you did


    she?¡±


    Gary didn¡¯t want to worry Larissa, so he casually replied, ¡°No, she didn¡¯t¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± She yed along, not wanting to expose his lie


    Gary seemed to recall something. ¡°Oh, by the way. Is your aunt nning to make aeback? I


    remember seeing it on the news.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡± she simply replied, although she added inwardly. ¡°But whether or not she can is another


    question.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not easy to make aeback at her age.¡± Gary¡¯s eyes revealed sympathy for Yvetle. ¡°Marrying the


    wrong man led to this. So. Ms. Seymour, you must keep your eyes wide open. Il you¡¯re unsure, let me


    help you make any decisions,¡± he eamestly said.


    A thought crossed her mind, and she blurted out, ¡°You sound just like my dad.¡±

 Chapter 558

    Chapter 558


    Chapter 558


    As if under a petrifying spell Gary¡¯s eyes widened, and he stood frozen in ce,pletely motionless.


    He couldn¡¯t quite describe his current state of mind¨Cthere was embarrassment, anxiety, and a hint of


    joy and anticipation.


    Finally, he managed topose himsell, even though his smile still appeared somewhat rigid.


    ¡°You can think of me as your father,¡± he said, his intense gaze fixed on Larissa,


    She disliked this kind of probing¨Ceither he acknowledged her or he didn¡¯t. These covert hints made her


    feel repulsed. As a result her previous favorable impression of him had also dwindled.


    ¡°No need.¡± She averted her gaze, giving him a casual smile. ¡°But thank you for your advice.¡±


    He felt a bit disappointed at being rejected so bluntly, but he couldn¡¯t show it too obviously, so he


    simplyughed it off. ¡°I have to leave. have a conference callter.¡± He intentionally checked his


    wristwatch.


    She licked her lips and stood up with him. ¡°I walk you out.¡±


    ¡°it¡¯s fine.¡± He stopped her. As he was just about to leave her office, he turned and said, ¡°Don¡¯t forget


    about dinner.¡±


    Larissa¡¯s resolve wavered. She didn¡¯t want to face Gary alone, wearing a deceitful mask, and engaging


    in superficial conversation. So, she called her assistant. ¡°Do I have any important engagements


    tonight?¡±


    His answer left her disappointed, ¡°No. Ms. Seymour.¡±


    ¡°Are there any tasks that can be moved up to tonight?¡± She wasn¡¯t ready to give up.


    The assistant tipped through the notebook and confidently stated, ¡°No.¡±


    She hung up the phone in frustration.


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    She remained in a daze throughout the afternoon, frequently zoning out.


    The assistant couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Are you alright? Should we go to the hospital?


    The mention of ¡°hospital¡± sessfully snapped her back to reality. Her eyes suddenly brightened.


    ¡°Yeah, I have a slight headache and


    need to go to the hospital.¡±


    She quickly saved all the files and shut down herputer.


    ¡°There are no important engagements tonight, anyway,¡± she said while grabbing her bag and walking


    toward the exit. ¡°If anythinges up, try to handle it yourself or go to the deputy, Only call me if you


    can¡¯t resolve it.¡±


    The assistant nodded, but he was filled with doubt. He had noticed something was off with Larisa


    today. He had been by her side since the opening of the Winston Hotel in his mind, she was the most


    dedicated person he had ever known.


    She would have toughed out minor headaches or ailments like this in the past. She wouldn¡¯t even take


    medicine, let alone go to the hospital. Even if she did go to the hospital, she would always prioritize


    work, asking him to give her regr updates. Now, she wouldn¡¯t


    even let him call her.


    Therefore, as soon as Larissa left, he sneaked into the restroom and dialed a number.


    ¡°Hello, Mr. Rogers. Are you avable? I have a situation.¡±


    It was rush hour when Larissa left, and the road in front of the hotel was congested with a sea of cars.


    She immediately dismissed the idea of driving and changed directions, heading toward the subway


    station a few hundred feet away.


    However, before she could take more than a few steps, a car parked in vacant space in front of the


    hotel suddenly started and rammed.

 Chapter 559

    Chapter 559


    Chapter 559


    Larissa walked with her back facing the car. So, by the time she heard the sound of the engine and


    turned to look, it was already toote.


    A sharp pain struck her lower back, and both her feet left the ground. After a brief hall¨Cminute, she fell


    to the ground in a prone position.


    The pain was so intense that her limbs became numb, and it felt as if her internal organs had shifted,


    Screams echoed in her eyes, and she could feel a warm liquid sliding down her cheek. Her vision


    darkened, and she lost consciousness


    She didn¡¯t know how long she had been unconscious, but when she woke up, everything around her


    was pitch ck without a trace of light. For a moment, she thought she lost her sight.


    Luckily, her eyes gradually adjusted to the darkness, and she could vaguely make out the outline of the


    celling above her.


    The strong scent of disinfectant filled her nostrils, reminding her that she was still in the hospital


    She tried to move her neck to look at her surroundings, but a sharp pain immediately shot through her


    body.


    ¡°Ouch!¡± she gasped in pain.


    ¡°Lari, are you awake? A voice led with surprise and concern came from beside her.


    Though she couldn¡¯t see the person clearly, she quickly recognized the voice. ¡°Mr. Logan?¡± Her throat


    was as


    dry as a dese


    sa desert.


    Gary turned the bedsidemp on, and the cold white light illuminated the entire hospital room. It was


    then that Larissa saw her current condition. It seemed that the injuries from the car ident were


    serious¨Cher right leg was wrapped and suspended high up, and she had


    a neck brace on.


    ¡°Are you experiencing any difort? Gary stepped down from the bedside chair, put on his slippers,


    and approached her. He looked visibly exhausted, clearly having spent a significant amount of time by


    her side.


    She had a sudden thought and asked, ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    Gary froze at the question. He lowered his head, avoiding her gaze. 1-1 was worried about you.¡±


    Her hope gradually faded, reced by a heavy sense of powerlessness. ¡°You won¡¯t tell me the truth,


    even at this point?¡± She didn¡¯t want to beat around the bush anymore. Perhaps it was because of her


    weakened state, but her nose tingled with a sour sensation, and tears


    began to well up in her eyes.


    Gary¡¯s heart trembled, and he widened his eyes as he looked at her in disbeliel. He hesitated for a


    moment before asking, ¡°You ¡ª knew?¡± There was a mixture of nervousness, joy, and confusion on his


    face.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.


    ¡°Yes, I overheard everything you and Yvette said,¡± she replied.


    ¡°Then, why didn¡¯t youe and ask me about it?¡± He realized his mistake as words left his mouth. He


    didn¡¯t have the right to me her. After all he was the one who had concealed the truth for long.


    She forced a bitter smile. ¡°Because I wasn¡¯t sure if you wanted to acknowledge me or not.¡±


    Her chest felt heavy, making it difficult for her to speak, ¡°What if¡± She took a deep breath and


    continued, ¡°What if you saw me as a burden? I can understand. After all, my birth was a mistake and


    you also need to consider the feelings of your other children ¡¤


    ¡°That¡¯s not true, Lari.¡± He held her hands Lightly and exined urgently. ¡°You¡¯re the most precious


    person and the most beautiful thing I have ever had in my life! I have no other children besides your


    Believe me, I¡¯ve been searching for you for all these years!¡±

 Chapter 560

    Chapter 560


    Chapter 560


    ¡°Then, why


    Larissa felt as if a foreign object was dislodged in her throat, making it difficult for her to even gulp, let


    alone speak.


    She had to increase the rate of her breathing to cope with the suffocating feeling in her chest.


    ¡°¡ª¡°Gary dared not meet her gaze as he spoke in a voice that was barely audible, ¡°I¡¯m afraid that you¡¯ll


    hate me.¡±


    He had a despondent expression on his face and his words carried a trace of uncertainty.


    Larissa stared at him intently.


    Gary did not seem to be lying and his emotions felt genuine.


    The realization of his sincerity made Larissa calm down gradually.


    Her tears stopped and her breathing slowed down to a steady pace.


    ¡°I don¡¯t hate you.¡±


    Her voice was gentle and soft, but the words she said lifted up the immense burden that was weighing


    down heavily on Gary¡¯s heart.


    Gary¡¯s hand that was holding on to Larissa shook with emotion, as it his body was jolted by electricity.


    ¡°Lari ¨C Tears welled up in his eyes and his lips trembled inexplicably.


    Her response was beyond Gary¡¯s expectations. At that moment, he was so happy that he couldn¡¯t find


    the exact words to express his


    delight.


    Wishing to hug Larissa in his embrace, Gary wanted tofort and treasure her in order to make up


    for all those years that he was absent


    from here, however.


    Her weakened state was a constant reminder that he had to make those who hurt her pay the price.


    Thinking of that, a cold glint appeared in his eyes, startling Larissa when she noticed it


    Despite that, his usual kind gaze returned in a blink of an eye, as if that instant was just a figment of her


    imagination.


    ¡°It¡¯s my fault. As your father, I should have looked for you.¡± Gary said quiltily, hanging his head.


    Both of their hearts were strangely warmed when Gary linally addressed himself as Larissa¡¯sther.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to apologize.¡± Larissa had never med him for abandoning her. Before she found out


    about his existence, she had always assured that he was dead. ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened back


    then, but I think you must have had your own reasons.¡±


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    Larissa half¨Cguessed that the main culprit who broke up the family was likely her vain, conceited


    mother.


    Gary was a victim just like her.


    Larissa¡¯s understanding of him Intensified the anguish in Gary¡¯s heart. Blinking, tears spilled out from


    his eyes and rolled down his cheeks.


    He had his reasons.


    Of course, he had his reasons.


    But those reasons were not enough to justify his absence all these years.


    He could never forgive himself for letting Larissa be abused by Yvette for so many years and even now


    ¡°Are you hurting anywhere? You got a concussion due to cervical dislocation, in addition to a shin and


    wrist fracture.¡±


    After listening to his description, Larissa finally realized how severe her condition was


    ¡°Not really, I¡¯m just feeling a little sore in my back, it¡¯s probably because Iid down for too long.¡°


    ¡°It¡¯s possible that the anesthetic on your leg had not worn off yet. Since you had surgery this afternoon,


    your leg might start to hurt in the Later hall of the night.¡± Gary exined.


    ¡°How long have I slept?¡± she asked out of curiosity.


    ¡°One whole day.¡± Gary showed her his index finger. ¡°You have been unconscious since the incident


    yesterday afternoon. Thank goodness. you finally woke up.¡±

 Chapter 561

    Chapter 561


    Chapter 561


    Otherwise, Gary wouldn¡¯t know what he would do.


    He had no idea how he managed to get through the day; it felt as if he was just walking around like a


    zombie.


    ¡°Are you hungry? 1sk Lewis to bring some food over,¡± Gary said as he reached for his phone.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need! I have no appetite. Larissa stopped him.


    Perhaps the injuries she sustained were so severe that they affected her digestive system as well.


    Even after a whole day without eating or drinking, she had no desire to consume anything.


    ¡°You should at least eat a little.¡± Gary ignored her request and called Lewis¡¯s number.


    After half an hour. Lewis appeared with two bowls of steaming hot soup.


    With him was Kevan who looked utterly exhausted. He only wore a thin shirt and his hair was in a


    mess.


    Lewis exined. ¡°Mr. Rogers¡¯s car was parked downstairs. We met coincidentally on the way here.¡±


    Gary frowned. ¡°It¡¯s already sote. Why are you still here. Mr. Rogers?¡±


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    However, Kevan did not answer his question.


    His eyes seemed to be glued on Larissa, not diverting his gaze for even a moment.


    ¡°Has the anesthesia wom off?¡± he asked with concern.


    ¡°Not yet.¡± Larissa nced at her right leg, which waspletely numb.


    Turning to Kevan, she asked the same question as Gary. ¡°It¡¯s already sote, why did youe to the


    hospital?¡±


    The truth was that Kevan didn¡¯t actuallye to the hospital, In fact, he was waiting downstairs the


    whole time and had never left.


    The incident had urred so suddenly. When Kevan¡¯s men, who were tasked to follow Larissa,


    realized that something was wrong. Larissa had already been sent lying by the car,


    Another team, who was protecting Larissa in secret as well swooped in and lifted her into a car before


    Kevan¡¯s men could do anything.


    When Kevan finally received news about the incident, Larissa was already in the emergency room.


    Kevan cut short his meeting immediately and rushed to the hospital. He ran several red lights and


    arrived at the hospitalin less than ten


    minutes.


    Even now he could still remember the overwhelming emotions of fear and anxiety that led his heart.


    On the way, Kevan had to suppress a series of distressing thoughts that popped up in his mind


    continuously.


    Fortunately, by the time he arrived, he received word that Larissa was out of danger and the doctor had


    arranged for her to be admitted


    into a regr ward.


    He immediately used his connections to move her to a single room with more privacy and a better


    environment.


    However, he was stopped by a strange man outside Larissa¡¯s ward.


    Kevan had no idea of this man¡¯s existence in Larissa¡¯s circle. Surprisingly, the other party recognized


    him.


    The man introduced himself, I¡¯m Lewis Logan, the assistant of Mr. Gary Logan, CEO of Blue Star


    Shipping.¡±


    Kevan knew about Mr. Logan from Blue Star Shipping. That man seemed to be contacting Larissa


    frequently, and he was the person who sent the other group of men to protect her.


    Kevan had suspected that Gary was interested in Larissa romantically, but after monitoring their


    interactions for a while, he realized that it wasn¡¯t the case.


    Nheless, no matter how deeply he investigated, he couldn¡¯t find any useful information connecting


    Gary and Larissa. Thus, he was unable to pinpoint what kind of feelings Gary had for Larissa.


    not well enough to take visitors, so pleasee back in a couple of days.¡± Lewis advised Kevan


    politely.


    However, his altitude rubbed Kevan the wrong way.


    ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken, my rtionship with Ms. Seymour goes back further than you or Mr. Logan,¡± Kevan


    remarked.


    Lewis¡¯s words earlier made Kevan feel like he was just an insignificant outsider to Larissa.


    Surprisingly, Lewis did not challenge him but presented things from a different perspective. ¡°Perhaps


    that¡¯s true. However, in terms of


    familial rtionships. both Mr. Logan and I are closer to Ms. Seymour inparison.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Kevan couldn¡¯t understand what he meant.


    ¡°Mr. Logan is Ms. Seymour¡¯s biological father, and I am her cousin,¡± Lewis exined.

 Chapter 562

    Chapter 562


    Chapter 562


    ¡°I came to send a client to the emergency departmer1. As I was about to leave, Iran into your cousin


    downstairs. We chatted for a bit, and he mentioned that you were awake, so I came up to visit you.¡±


    Kevan walked past Lewis and came up to Larissa¡¯s bed.


    After Lewis tumed him away yesterday. Kevan had no choice but to leave.


    Regardless, they were Larissa¡¯s rtives and had the right to be by her side.


    Secondly, Kevan wanted to talk to the doctor and understand more about Larissa¡¯s condition.


    In other words, this was the first time Kevan had mel Larissa from the moment of the ident until


    now.


    Despite hearing from the doctor that her injures were severe, Kevan couldn¡¯t help leeling shocked


    when he saw her with his own eyes.


    The pity he fell for Larissa and the desire to exact revenge on the culprit who did this to her resulted in


    an inscrutable expression on Kevan¡¯sce as hecked at her.


    However, Larissa¡¯s attention was drawn to the word ¡°cousin¡± that Kevan mentioned earlier.


    ¡°My cousin? Who is it?¡± The term ¡°cousin¡± sounded much more unfamiliar to her than the word ther.¡±


    N?velDrama.Org owns this.


    Lewis ced the bowl of soup on the bedside table. With a smile, he replied on Kevan¡¯s behall. ¡°It¡¯s


    me.¡±


    Taken aback, Larissa stared at him in surprise, and then at Gary,


    Gary addressed her confusion. ¡°Lewis is not only my assistant, but also my nephew.¡±


    Larissa had never imagined that an orphan like herself would suddenly have several rtives appear in


    the span of one night.


    Her emotions at this moment were indescribable.


    Lewis opened a bowl of soup. As he was preparing to serve it to Larissa. Kevan intercepted the bowl of


    soup and the disposable spoon in his hand.


    ¡°Let me do it.¡± Naturally, Kevan sat down on the chair beside Larissa¡¯s bed.


    However, before he could even feed Larissa a single mouthful, there was a cough of displeasure from


    Gary.


    Looking up, Kevan noticed the look of disapproval on Gary¡¯s stem face.


    ¡°Give it to me.¡± Gary stretched out his hand.


    Even if Kevan was unwilling, he wasn¡¯t foolish enough to offend his future father-inw.


    ¡°Alright.¡± With both hands, he passed the bowl of soup to Gary with a polite smile.


    This was the first time Larissa had seen Kevan a:1 so subserviently.


    A thought catre into her mind inexplicably. ¡°Did I underestimate Blue Star Shipping¡¯s reputation as an


    international shippingpany?


    Gary seemed to treat her like a child, feeding every mouthful of soup slowly and carefully.


    With every scoop, he blew on the soup for at least half a minute before bringing the spoon to her


    mouth.


    He was definitely more patient with Larissa than she ever was with Aster.


    Larissa knew that this was his way of making up for the past. Although she had no appetite and


    couldn¡¯t eat much, she did her best to consume almost half of the bowl of soup.


    As soon as Garypleted his task of feeding Larissa he immediately started showing Kevan the way


    out. ¡°Mr. Rogers, is there anything else? It¡¯s gettingte, so you should return home to rest.¡±


    Kevan¡¯s feelings regarding Larissa were written on his face inly, even a blind person could see


    Kevan¡¯s intentions to pursue Larissa.


    Having just reunited with his missing daughter, Gary certainly didn¡¯t want her to leave him so soon. It


    was impossible for Gary to act pleasantly to a guy who might take his daughter away from him again.


    dearly and shower her with love and happiness as long as possible.


    He would give her everything she wanted and make her the happiest person on this.


    Not only did Kevan understand the underlying meaning of Gary¡¯s words, but he also sensed the


    hostility Gary directed at him.


    However, he had waited downstairs for so long to meet Larissa.


    If he were to leave after just half an hour, it would be a great pity.


    After all, he didn¡¯t know if Gary would allow him to enter the hospital ward again next time.


    ¡°Aster called me this afternoon,¡± Kevan brought up the topic of Aster quickly.


    As expected, Larissa¡¯s eyes brightened. Her spirits were lifted at the mention of his name.


    ¡°What happened?¡± she asked anxiously.

 Chapter 563

    Chapter 563


    Chapter 563


    Probably because she had eaten something and her throat was moistened, her voice sounded less


    hoarse than before.


    However, she stil felt a little breathless, so she had to take longer pauses between her words.


    ¡°Your phone was turned off, so he couldn¡¯t reach you. He was so worried that he was almost in tears.


    In fact, Aster had already burst into tears. During their phone call he was sobbing so hard that he


    couldn¡¯t speak clearly. He kept repeating. ¡°Uncle Kevan, does my mommy not want me anymore?¡±


    Larissa had sent him back to Aldovia with such resolution, and now she seemed to bepletely


    cutting off contact with him.


    It wasn¡¯t surprising that a sensitive and vulnerable child like him would have such thoughts.


    Naturally, Kevan wouldn¡¯t tell the truth to Larissa.


    ¡°He¡¯s very worried about you. He kept asking if I knew where you were and what you were doing.¡±


    Feeling sorry for Aster, Larissa couldn¡¯t help the tears that welled up in her eyes, almost spilling over.


    She gritted her teeth and blinked her tears away. ¡°How did you respond to him?¡±


    C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.


    ¡°I told him that you went abroad on a business trip and would be away for some time.¡±


    Larissa¡¯s anxious heart was slightly reassured at his words.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± she said with sincerity.


    Smiling gently at Larissa, Kevan said affectionately. ¡°There¡¯s no need to be so formal with me.¡±


    Larissa¡¯s heart fluttered in her chest inexplicably.


    Flustered, she quickly averted her gaze, trying to conceal her nervousness and racing heart.


    She kept reminding herself to not fall into the same trap again,


    ¡°I have another favor to ask of you. Can you bring my two cats to the pet shop for boarding?¡± Larissa


    struggled to change the subject.


    With her injuries, it would probably take several months to recover. She would need someone to take


    care of her during this time, so she definitely wouldn¡¯t have the energy to care for those two cats.


    Thinking about it, she felt even more guilty. When she left for Aldovia, she abandoned them once, and


    now, she was abandoning them again, albeit temporarily.


    If they were human, they would probably hate her by now.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Kevan agreed readily.


    ¡°This is the password to my house. The cat food and litter are in the kitchen cabs. When you bring


    the cats to the pet shop, you can bring their stuff along, or you can just buy them directly at the shop


    itself. And also Larissa rambled on instructing Kevan about the


    cats.


    Once she finished exining everything that needed to be said, Kevan had no reason to linger any


    longer.


    With a stern face, Gary showed him out. Mr. Rogers, it¡¯s time for you to leave.¡±


    Kewan got up tactfully, taking the trash with him as he tell


    Before he left, he waved at them with a grin. ¡°I meet you again tomorrow¡±


    Gary muttered in disapproval as he stared at the closed door, ¡°Fat chance! No one¡¯s going to meet you


    tomorrow!¡±


    Sensing Larissa¡¯s gaze on him, he immediately put on a kind smile and asked her with concem, ¡°Lart,


    are you tired? Do you want to rest for a while?


    Lewis put on a straightce and turned around, covering his eyes in embarassment.


    There was something she needed to rity. ¡°Do you know who hit me?¡±


    The car ident was obviously intentional, However, everything happened so quickly, so she did not


    have the chance to see the driver¡¯sce clearly.


    Nheless, she could guess who it was.


    Seeing the troubled expression on Gary¡¯s face, she became even more certain.

 Chapter 564

    Chapter 564


    Chapter 564


    Larissa had re energy to beat around the bush. She asked straightforwardly. ¡°Was it Yvette?¡±


    From Gary¡¯s reaction, it didn¡¯t seem to be the case. Gary hesitated for a moment and shook his head,


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not her.¡±


    Needless to say. Lanssa was a little surprised by his answer. Since she returned to Calor, she had kept


    a low profile and tried to avoid any contact will her enemies in the past. It was only for Aster¡¯s sake that


    she revealed the past in an expos¨¦ out of anger recently.


    ¡°It¡¯s Lana,¡± Before Larissa could probe further, Gary told her the answer.


    Lana ¡ª Her guess wasn¡¯t too far off anyway.


    Gary carefully observed Larissa¡¯s reaction. When he didn¡¯t see any signs of sadness or disappointment


    on her face, only then did he breathe a sigh of relict.


    ¡°She has already been taken into custody by the police¡±


    Gary didn¡¯t mention that it wasrgely thanks to Kevan. His men were in a hurry to senc Larissa to the


    hospital so they were unable to intercept the culprit. Fortunately, another car rushed out in time and


    smashed into Lana¡¯s car so that she could not escape.


    Later, Gary heard that the men in that car were connected to Kevan.


    However, the case wasn¡¯t progressing as smoothly as he had imagined.


    Being caught on the spot for intentionally causing a car ident could be considered conclusive


    evidence. Considerina Larissa¡¯s severe injuries. Lana should have been thrown into prison.


    Despite that the Seymour family revealed Lana¡¯s medical diagnosis stating that she was suffering from


    severe mental illness and was unable to control her actions


    In other words, the case was brought to court there was a high chance that Lana would not be held


    ountable for the crime.


    Gary had doubled the authenticity of the diagnosis and demanded that the police conduct a thorough


    investigation.


    The chicer in charge of the case had also promised him that they would get a proless onal evaluation of


    Lana¡¯s mental state. However, he wamed Gary beforehand. ¡°The results of the evaluation might


    disappoint you, Based on her behavior during the intercsalion, it seems that she really is mentally IL


    Lana seemed deinously ecstatic about her sessful revenge. She ignored everything and everyone,


    not responding to any questions. She stared into space with lifeless eyes as she caressed her tummy,


    mumbling the same sentence repeatedly with a chilling smile, ¡°My


    dear, I have finally avenged your


    In her crazed state, it was unnerving for anyone who saw her.


    Gary knew that Lana had a miscarriage before and that ident had made her unable to conceive


    permanently. However, he did not know that Larissa was involved in that incident.


    Anyway, Gary masn¡¯t going to tell Larissa why Lana had tried to run her over. Alter all the oue was


    final What he could do now was lo keep Larissa happy so that she would recover as soon as possible.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about it, I will take care of everything for you. You just need to locus on your


    recovery.¡±


    Naturally, Larissa believed that Gary had the ability to sellle this without much difficully.


    ¡°When you can get out of bed and walk around. I will take you back to Aldova. Alter you quit your


    current job, you and Lewis can take over mypany. Holding her left hand gently, Gary firmowed his


    brows with worry as he inspected the abrasion wound on the back of her


    hand.


    From the moment he found out that Larissa was his daughter, he made the decision to hand over the


    company to her.


    It was only now that he had the courage to tell her.


    He assumed that Larissa wouldn¡¯t ept his proposal so readily. After all, she had a luight future in her


    current career, in add on, they had just been reunited, so it was natural to be a little awkward around


    each other.


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    Don¡¯t be too quick to refuse What? Gary continued p


    persuading her as he didn¡¯t realize that she had agreed to his proposilk


    Midway through his speech, he was stunned wher her positive reply dawned on him,


    His bealdered expression made Larissa chuck e. but the pain caused by the sudden movement in her


    chest made her wince.


    After a long time the pain finally subsided.


    Larissa tock a deep breath and said, ¡°When I recover, I go back to Aldovia with you.¡±

 Chapter 565

    Chapter 565


    Chapter 565


    Larissa had known that her transfer to Calder would result in such setbacks, she would have never


    returned despite not gelling promoted for the rest of her life.


    As the saying went. ¡°Once bitten, twice shy.¡±


    Nheless, Larissa had been bitten many times, and yet she still hadn¡¯t learned to keep her distance


    from danger. She had to admire hersell for her courage.


    But this time, she was truly afraid for her life.


    If she were


    were to continur staying in Caldor, it wouldn¡¯t be just a matter of losing an arm or a leg, even here


    would be at risk.


    ¡°Great¡± Gary smiled with joy, feeling incredibly relieved.


    In just a few short hours, he had resolved the two biggest challenges he had ever faced in insule


    This made him happier than closing a deal worth billions of dors.


    Since Larissa was severely injured, she still fell week and m entally exhausted although she had slept


    for a long time.


    While chatting with Gary, she could not keep her heavy eyelids open and fell asleep, utterly exhausted.


    When Larissa wake up again, she was greeted by doctors and nurses who took turns asking questions


    regarding her condition and more physical examinations.


    Although her injuries were severe, she wasn¡¯t in any immediate danger and all her bodily functions


    were normal.


    However, the doctors were still concemed.


    Larissa¡¯s skull had suffered from a heavy blow when she fell Fortunately, there was not much bleeding,


    but the doctors informed them that there might be internal injuries. These nerded to be ruled out with


    further detailed investigations.


    *During this period, you all need to pay close attention to her condition,¡± the doctor instructed Gary and


    Lewis. N?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    Then, he turned to Larissa. If you feel any difort, even if it¡¯s just vertigo, you must inform me


    immediately.¡±


    Gary apanied her in the ward the whole time.


    Since his own health wasn¡¯t great all of the errands and responsibility of their care fell to Lewis,


    Even though they were now rtives, Larissa and Lewis didn¡¯t have a close rtionship, so she was


    burdened with a sense of indebtedness to him. She also felt ufortable and guilty asking him to


    take care of her,


    ¡°How about hiring a caretaker? she suggested finally,


    On one hand, she didn¡¯t want them to be tired cut from caring for her. On the other hand, it wasn¡¯t


    convenient for two grown men to be taking care of a woman like her.


    Lewis seemed to have the same thought as well and immediately arranged for a caretaker for Larissa.


    She was in her files and one of the more experienced caretakers in the hospita


    The caretaker was called Mrs. Griffin and she came from the countryside. Although she didn¡¯t talk


    much, she did her work efficiently and meticulously.


    Larissa was pleased with her, but she could feel that Gary wasn¡¯tnd of Mrs. Griin.


    Each time Mrs. Griffin was around. Gary would have a sour


    a sour expression on his face. Whenever she talked to him, he would put on an air of arrogance and


    treat her coldly.


    Larissa asked Lewis discreetly. ¡®Mr. Logan no. my father is he acquainted with Mrs. Grillin from bre?¡±


    This was the first time she had addressed Gary as her father. Her heart thumped loudly or her chest,


    making her cheeks Bush crimson.


    Larissa had concocted a whole story in her mind involving Gary and Mrs. Grillin in a romantic


    rtionship, full of trias and Inbtions that


    1/2


    ¡°No. they aren¡¯t acquainted.¡± Lewis shook his head, denying her spection.


    ¡°Then why does my dad aci so coldly toward Mrs. Griffin?¡± Larissa was puzzled.


    *Mr. Lopar is always standoffish toward strangers. It was only because you saved his life that he


    treated you so well at first.¡± Lews exined.


    When Larissa believed his words wholeheartedly, Lewis turned around and breathed a sigh of relief.


    He couldn¡¯t tell Larissa that Gary was wary of Mrs. Griffin because of Kevan¡¯s involvement.


    In actuality, Kevan was the one who had arranged for Mrs. Griffin to take care of Larissa.


    22

 Chapter 566

    Chapter 566


    Chapter 566


    Kevan had been feeling frustrated over the past two days. He didn¡¯t know what he had done to offend


    Gary. Somehow, Gary seemed to have put Kevan on the cklist and kept preventing him from visiting


    Larissa.


    Each time he rushed to the hospital eagerly. Lewis stopped him from meeting Larissa with various


    excuses.


    In desperation, Kevan resorted to his old method of introducing a caretaker, With that he was able to


    nt an informant in Larissa¡¯s hospital ward.


    Mrs. Griffin would report Larissa¡¯s condition to him every day, but even so, he was not satisfied.


    At his wit¡¯s end, he turned to Dn for help. ¡°Help me think of a legitimate reason to meet Larissa.¡±


    Kevan had tried numerous ways to enter Larissa¡¯s ward, such as sending her meals, giving her a cell


    phone, or delivering a message from


    Despite that, Lewis was adamant about not letting Kevan in. He informed Kevan politely that he would


    ry the message to Larissa on his behall.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t visiting a sick person a legitimate enough reason?¡± Dn was unable to empathize with Kevan¡¯s


    frustrations.


    ¡°In fact, I just met Larissa yesterday. By the way, did you know that Mr. Logan, Blue Star Shipping¡¯s


    CEO and a partner of Soaring Corporation, is actually Larissa¡¯s biological father? It¡¯s so sureal, like a


    plot out of a drama! I was terribly shocked-Caught up in his excitement, Dn rambled on, but Kevan


    didn¡¯t hear a word.


    ¡°Did you meet Larissa yesterday? Did you manage to enter her hospital ward?¡± He stared at Dn


    intently, holding his breath.


    ¡°Of course, I went in, Larissa¡¯s not in the intensive care unit, why wouldn¡¯t be able to go in? Dn


    thought Kevan¡¯s question was


    ridiculous.


    Kevan couldn¡¯t believe his ears. In a daze, he probed further. ¡°The Logan family let you in?¡±


    Dn nodded. ¡°Yes, I said I was a friend of Larissa, so they didn¡¯t stop me. Larissa¡¯s dad and cousin


    are quite nice people. We had a good chat and they thanked me for taking care of Larissa all this while.


    In addition, they even said that after Larissa¡¯s discharge, they want to invite me for a proper dinner.¡±


    When Kevan heard that, he couldn¡¯t help feeling aggrieved.


    At the same time, he felt a little annoyed.


    Both he and Dn were Larissa¡¯s friends, but why was there such a difference in treatment between


    them?


    Seeing Kevan¡¯s infuriated expression, Dn realized that he was getting angry and quickly shut up.


    ¡°How about I apany you for another visit?¡± Dn suggested tentatively.


    Normally, Kevan would never be interested in riding on Dn¡¯s coattails, but now, he had no other


    choice.


    ¡°Alright,¡±


    Dn did not have the courage to ask why Kevan was repeatedly rejected at the door.


    He followed Kevan¡¯s instructions and went alone to knock on the door to Larissa¡¯s ward.


    As always, Lewis answered the door.


    When he saw Dn, a smile appeared on his face. ¡°Mr. Shields, are you here to see Larl again?¡±


    Gary had investigated Dn¡¯s background and knew that he was one of Larissa¡¯s best friends.


    Furthermore, Dn had already gotten married a few years ago, so he wouldn¡¯t be an obstacle to


    Larissa¡¯s departure with Gary.


    Therefore, they had nothing against him. Conversely, they treated him as an honored guest because of


    all the help he had given Larissa in the past.


    Dn returned a brilliant smile


    as well.


    ¡°Yes, I am.¡±


    Kevan was hiding in aer clenching his lists in anger at Lewis¡¯s double standards.


    ¡°HL Larissa.¡± Dn waved to Larissa, who was lying on the hospital bed, and ced the bouquet of


    lies he brought on the bedside table.


    The pungent smet. of disinfectant was slightly masked by the fragrance of the Hies, easing Larissa¡¯s


    furrowed brows as she took in their


    Scent.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

 Chapter 567

    Chapter 567


    Chapter 567


    Lately, Larissa had developed a liking for people toe and visit her. It was probably because she


    had to be confined to the hospital ward for a long time.


    News other ident and hospitalization had spread to the hotel stall. Many people came to visit her in


    the first two days, but all of them were stopped by Lewis at the door.


    While her body needed rest. Larissa couldn¡¯t help feeling bored when she was all alone.


    After serious consideration and thought by Gary and Lewis, Dn was the only person they allowed in.


    Dn was like a ray of light for her and Larissa looked forward to his visits eagerly.


    She greeted him energetically with a genuine smile on her face. ¡°Hello!¡±


    Her enthusiasm made Gary and Lewis feel difited. When she interacted with the two of them, she


    had never seemed that happy.


    Secretly, Gary came to a decision that they would have to restrict Dn¡¯s visits as well.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you busy today? Larissa gestured to Mrs. Griffin, and she immediately came over to raise the


    head of Larissa¡¯s bed higher.


    It was fortunate that Larissa¡¯s spine in her lower back wasn¡¯t injured in that ident. After the initial


    pain subsided, she no longer had to


    lie t all day. asionally, she could sit up or the bed and watch some television or chat with others.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not busy. I just closed a case, so I havent had much going on recently.¡± Dn plopped down


    on the s casually, making himself


    at home.


    Turning to Gary, he asked, ¡°How about you, Mr. Logan? Don¡¯t you have work to hard?¡±


    Dn heard from Kevan that Gary was always in the hospital ward, attending to Larissa around the


    clock. It was because of this that Kevan could never find an opportunity to sneak in,


    on his face. Gary look


    Gary looked londly at Larissa. It was obvious that


    ¡°At this time, nothing is more important than Lar. With a tender smile on his Larissa was the apple of his


    eye.


    Although her cheeks were flushed with embarrassment, Larissa felt a warmth within her chest.


    At this moment, there was a knock on the door.


    was obvious


    C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.


    As everyone turned in the direction of the sound. Dn got up ahead of Lewis. With a wry smile, he


    said, ¡°I get the door.¡±


    On the other side of the door was Revan, who had been lying in wait for a long time.


    A frown appeared on Gary¡¯s face, making Lewis visibly nervous. He quickly strode over to the door to


    stop Kevan from entering, but it was toote. Dn had already let him in


    Kevan had his hands full with bags of snacks that Larissa liked.


    With a faint smile on his face, he greeted them one by one politely. ¡°Good day. Uncle Gary, Lewis, and


    Lar


    Dn gaped at Kevan¡¯s attempts to suck up to Gary, If it weren¡¯t for fear of Kevan¡¯s retaliation in the


    future, he would have quickly whipped out his phone and taken a video recording of this rare sight.


    ¡°Mr. Rogers, why are you here again? Gary¡¯s attitude toward Kevan waspletely different from how


    he treated Dn.


    He did not show any pleasure at seeing Kevan, who was obviously trying to get on his good side.


    This boy was here again to seduce his precious daughter!


    Today, he would be sure to tell Kevan fly that he would never allow Larissa to be with him!


    Kevan waved the snacks in his hand. ¡®I brought some food for Lati.¡±


    He ced tworge bags of snacks into a cab and took out a mango¨Cvored crepe cake. Using a


    fork, he brought a piece of cake. near Larissas mouth.


    1/2


    Larissa could see her face reflected in his bright eyes, which were filled with anticipation and a hint of


    amusement.


    As if bewitched by his words. Larissa opened her mouth to take a bite.

 Chapter 568

    Chapter 568


    Chapter 568


    The softyers of pastry enveloped in dense cream and thengy mango chunks slid across her


    tongue. The delicate texture and multipleyers of sweetness made Larissa sigh in delight.


    Since she was forced to eat nothing but nd food and supplements for thest few days, Larissa was


    moved to the point of tears at this moment.


    If she wasn¡¯t bound to the bed, she would have hugged Kevan out of sheer gratitude, eximing,


    ¡°You¡¯re my savior!¡±


    Although the satisfied expression on Larissa¡¯s face was evident, the rest of the people in the ward felt


    different emotions that were evoked by her joy.


    The smile on Kevan¡¯sce widened and he stared at Larissa with a look of londness and love, almost


    overflowing with affection.


    Conversely, a story expression appeared on Gary¡¯s face. He pursed his lips and muttered with


    disapproval. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t eat this much junk food in the future.¡±


    Larissa s mpy acted as she didn¡¯t hear what he said.


    It was Kevan who responded politely. ¡°Okay, Uncle Gary.¡±


    Previously when they met, he addressed Gary by Mr. Logan, and yet this time he switched to


    addressing him as Uncle Gary.


    Gary gritted his teeth, displeased with Kevan¡¯s impudence and overfamiliarity. ¡°Mr. Rogers, we are not


    that close to be addressing each other on a first-name basis.¡±


    Caught off guard by Gary¡¯s remark, the fork in Kevan¡¯s hand froze in mid-air.


    Larissa could only stare helplessly at the cake. She stretched her neck as far as she could to reach the


    elusive bite of cake, but she was


    unable to move any closer.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Logan,¡± Kevan hung his head and apologized sincerely to Gary.


    He could vaguely guess the reason why Gary bore so much hostility toward him. Kevan didn¡¯t dare to


    act recklessly, not because Gary was the CEO of Blue Star Shipping, but because he was Larissa¡¯s


    biological father.


    Kevan could see that Gary genuinely cared for Larissa, so he wanted to show utmost respect to him.


    Gary snorted and turned to Larissa, asking her in earnest. ¡°Lari, do you want anything else to eat? I will


    go and get it for you.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need.¡± Larissa shook her head and looked at Kevan again. Unable to resist the sweetness


    of the mango mille crepe, she instinctively licked her lips.


    The resentment in Gary¡¯s heart grew stronger and he secretly made up his mind to poach the pastry


    chef from that bakeryter.


    He would see how that ignorant boy would try to win the heart of his precious daughter again!


    Larissa identally smeared some cream at theer of her mouth. When Kevan noticed it, his eyes


    darkened with a desire to pull her into his embrace.


    He wished to lick the cream from her mouth little by little and savor the sweetness of her lips-but doing


    that here was out of the question.


    He put down the stic fork in his hand and wiped the corner of her mouth with his finger, removing the


    cream from her lips.


    Giving Larissa a meaningful smile, he remarked. ¡°Why are you so careless?¡±


    Although the words sounded like he was teasing her, Kevan¡¯s voice was gentle,ced with an


    underlying lendemess to his tone.


    Larissa¡¯s face flushed crimson. It was not only because of her embarrassment but also because she


    fell extremely shy at Kevan¡¯s intimate


    actions.


    Dn and Lewis simply averted their eyes from the disconcerting scene. Out of sight, cul of mind.


    On the other hand, Gary was trembling with rage.


    Old Kevan think that he was a pushover?


    ¡­ . ¡­¡­¡­ ¡­. .. .. ¡­


    He leaned across the hospital bed and forcibly took the te of cake from Kevan¡¯s hard.


    ¡°Don¡¯t trouble yourself Mr. Rogers. I will feed Lar mysell!¡± Gary said through gritted teeth, suppressing


    his anger.


    had a n


    Kevan


    nonchnt smile on his face to mask his disappointment. ¡°Til go and wash my hands.¡±


    Waving his fingers coated in cream, he get up and walked to the restroom.


    Once insice, he locked the door behind him. The restroom was quite cramped and there was a mirror


    above the sink, facing the door.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

 Chapter 569

    Chapter 569


    Chapter 569


    A handsome, attractive face was reflected in the mimor. At this moment, he had an expression of


    aroused lust on his face.


    His cheeks were flushed red from being tumed on and his eyes were burning with desire.


    Parting his los, Kevan raised his hand and stretched out his tongue. His eyes were half¨Cclosed as he


    licked every bit of the cream off his fingers slowly, imagining himself licking her soft and juicy pink lips.


    However, this was just a futile attempt to querch his thirst for her touch.


    Not only did it not satisfy him, his actions further intensed his longing to be intimate with her.


    Kevan clenched his fists, digging his nals into his flesh as he tried to alleviate his pent¨Cup desire by the


    pain radiating from his palm.


    After about live minutes, he emerged from the restroom.


    Afraid of arousing suspicion, he even pretended to flush the toilet bowl.


    Larissa had already finished the cake and Gary was wiping her mouth with a tissue.


    When Gary heard the sound of the restroom door creaking, he nced at Kevan briefly and asked, ¡°Mr.


    Rogers, is there anything else before you leave?¡±


    Looking straight at Gary, Kevan nodded solemnly. ¡°I reed to talk to you about the partnership with


    Soaring Corporation and Blue Star Shipping.¡±


    Gary refused coldly. ¡°Im on vacation, so no business talk.¡±


    In order to locus on taking care of Larissa, Gary had handed over the running of hispany affairs to


    a trusted subordinate on the other side of the globe, only making crucial decisions on important


    projects.


    ¡°Well¡­¡± Kevan tumed to Lewis instead.


    Naturally, Lewis did not dare to dely Gary. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Mr. Rogers. I¡¯m on vacation as well¡± he replied


    helplessly.


    Kevan grabbed onto his arm and dragged Lewis out of the hospital ward. ¡°It will only take three


    minutes.¡±


    Dn followed alter them in a hurry. As he lett, he waved goodbye to Larissa. ¡°I¡¯lle to see you


    when I have time! Goodbye¡±


    Kevan dragged Lewis to an empty stairwell.


    Larissa was staying on the upper floors of the orthopedic ward. The stairs were usually deserted as


    most of the people used the elevators to go up or down, making it a good ce to talk discreetly.


    Lewis waspletely taken by surprise from the moment Kevan dragged him out of the hospital ward.


    The dim surroundings at the stairwell made Lewis leel ufortable and even a little nervous. ¡°Mr.


    Rogers, what are you trying to do?¡±


    Breaking free from Kevan¡¯s grasp. Lewis climbed two steps up the stairs, so that he was lowering


    above Kevan. This made him feel more


    secure.


    ¡°I already told you, I need to talk to you about the partnership between Soaring Corporation and Blue


    Star Shipping.¡± Kevan answered.


    ¡°Mr. Logan is personally handling this project, so talking to me won¡¯t be of any use. Besides, you are


    not affiliated with Soaring Corporation any longer, aren¡¯t you, Mr. Rogers? Lewis didn¡¯t know what


    Kevan was up to, so he had his guard up.


    ¡°It¡¯s true that I have no connection to Soaring Corporation now, but I received some insider information


    that might be helpful to you¡± Kevan replied with a smile.


    After a moment, Lewis eximed in shock, ¡°Are you are you telling the truth?¡±


    He couldn¡¯t help stuttering when he heard the astounding news from Kevan.


    Kevan nodded. ¡°I have no reason to lie to you.¡±


    Lewis look out his phone immediately and apologized to Kevan, ¡°Let me make a call.¡±


    Lewis made a call and when the call was connected, he ordered impatiently. ¡°There¡¯s a problem with


    that batch of goods. Slop everything this instant!¡±C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

 Chapter 570

    Chapter 570


    Chapter 570


    Blue Star Shipping was a famous multinational shippingpany with a history of nearly thirty years


    since Gary had established thepany.


    They had their own anchoring points and warehouses in almost every port city in the world, making the


    company an indispensable part of international trade.


    Despite his humble background and limited education, Gary had exceptionally clear principles and


    boundaries. He would never engage in any illegal business or activities.


    In the whole process of transporting goods, he ced utmost importance on the inspection of cargo


    and it was the part that was under the most scrutiny as well.


    It was unheard of for any incidences of smuggling or transportation of prohibited goods to ur within


    Blue Star Shipping.


    It was said that a major drug lord had once approached Gary before, offering him amission of over


    a hundred million dors to partner up and smuggle drugs overseas, but his proposal was decisively


    rejected.


    Gary¡¯s integrity was praised worldwide. Coupled with the fact that Blue Star Shipping was never


    involved in any scandals, customs authorities in many countries had assigned the green circuit to Blue


    Star Shipping, allowing them to have faster custom clearance and were less stringent with them


    compared to otherpanies.


    Cody probably saw this as an opportunity and approached Gary to ship his goods, using the pretext of


    importing maternal and baby supplies into supermarkets run by the Soaring Corporation.


    What¡¯s more, he even presented distribution contracts signed with several intant productpanies


    overseas.


    Thesepanies were internationally recognized and many of them had previously worked with Blue


    Star Shipping as well. Gary had no reason to suspect Cody and signed the coboration agreement


    readily after negotiating the terms.


    The day after the agreement was signed, Cody called for an urgent shipment of form milk powderN?velDrama.Org owns this.


    from Aldovia to Caldor.


    Imported milk powder was always in high demand. Some famous brands would even be sold out as


    soon as they hit the shelves, as eager mothers would rush to stock up.


    The batch of mik powder that Cody nned to ship in was one of the most sought-after among the


    other brands. Within Calder, the brand was almost always out of stock, so Cody¡¯s urgency in bringing in


    the shipment didn¡¯t seem out of ce.


    Since Soaring Corporation had a significant influence in Caldor, Gary naturally had to establish a good


    rtionship withrge enterprises like them as he nned to shift thepany¡¯s focus back to his


    home country.


    Therefore, Gary had specifically given the order to bring forward Cody¡¯s goods and ship them into


    Caldor as soon as possible.


    When Lewis called the person in charge, the ship carrying Cody¡¯s goods was already out at sea. If he


    received the news a few dayster.


    the ship would likely have reached Caldor by then.


    Lewis shouted his instructions into the phone anxiously, ¡°Make the ship turn back right now, this instant!


    Turn back!¡±


    His voice was so loud that it echoed in the empty and deserted stairwell.


    The person on the other end of the call must have said something to annoy Lewis, making the


    expression of displeasure on Lewis¡¯s face


    more apparent.


    ¡°Even if there are other shipments on board, the ship must retreall i made myself clear, there are


    prohibited goods on that ship! Prohibited goods! Can¡¯t you understand me? Do you want to get caught


    by the customs authorities in Caldor, ruining the entirepany¡¯s reputation?


    ¡°Alright, that¡¯s all. Report to me immediately if anything happens.¡±


    Lewis hung up, still in a temper.


    Taking a deep breath to regain hisposure, he spoke to Kevan calmly, ¡°I have ordered the ship to


    turn back. Our statt will thoroughly inspect the shipment from Soaring Corporation to see if there are


    any prohibited goods. Mr. Rogers, I believe that you are a principled man and you won¡¯t involve others


    in your personal grudge against Cody.¡±


    ¡°Of course. If the information that I provided was wrong, I am willing topensale yourpany for


    any losses that may ur. Kevan reassured him with a smile.


    Lew¡¯s smirked as well. ¡°Thank you for understanding, Mr. Rogers. I will inform Mr. Logan about this


    matter, however he paused, somewhat puzzled, ¡°il Cody is really involved in drug trafficking, wouldn¡¯t it


    be better for you to catch him in the act when he receives the


    prohibited goods?¡±


    Drug trafficking was considered a serious crime in Caldor. With such arge quantity of smuggled


    goods, it would be enough for Cody to


    get the death sentence.


    Lewis was certain that this was the true oue that Kevan was aiming for.

 Chapter 571

    Chapter 571


    Now that Kevan had leaked insider information to him and recalled the ship, there wouldn¡¯t be any


    conclusive evidence of Cody¡¯s misdeeds


    Cody could easily find a way out to shift the me to the suppliers overseas.


    The most serious consequence to him would only be the loss of the money he¡¯d invested. If Cody had


    signed a contract with overseas suppliers for payment upon delivery, he wouldn¡¯t suffer from any losses


    at all


    ¡°As you said, I have my own principles. I will not drag other people into a personal grudge against my


    cousin,¡± Kevan replied in a deep voice that had art of amusement in it.


    Lewis was taken aback initially, but he quickly recovered. ¡°Is it because of Lari??


    Smiling at him meaningfully, Kevan tumed around and went up the stairs withrge strides, taking two


    steps at a time.


    At the top of the stairs, he stood with his back facing Lewis. With a hand in his pocket, he carelessly


    waved the other hand al Lewis. ¡°See you.¡±


    Larissa keenly noticed that the expression on Lewis¡¯sce was significantly changed alter returning to


    the hospital ward.


    Time and again, he stole nces at Gary repeatedly, as if he had something important to discuss with


    him.


    Recalling what Kevan said when he dragged Lewis out of the room. Larissa could vaguely guess that


    Lewis wanted to talk about some problems with thepany.


    However, Gary had just made it clear that he would discuss anything about work during his vacation,


    and Lewis was hesitant to bring it up directly.


    Larissa gave him a way out by asking intentionally, ¡°What did Kevan say to you?¡±


    Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    Lewis quickly followed up on her question, ¡°There¡¯s a problem regarding our partnership with Soaring


    Corporation He briefly nced at Gary, waiting for his reaction.


    Frowning, Gary looked at Larissa on the hospital bed and instructed Lewis, ¡°Let¡¯s talk outside.¡± He


    didn¡¯t want to disturb Larissa¡¯s rest.


    They didn¡¯t go too far. just in the corridor outside the VIP ward.


    Since Larissa alone was staying in this area, doctors and nurses rarely came around unless necessary.


    Lewis recourted in detal everything he heard from Kevan to Gary.


    Gary¡¯s expression darkened considerably. ¡°Find out who is responsible for inspecting this shipment. If


    there are really prohibited goods. let the legal department handle them, I want the person ountable


    for this blunder to go bankrupt and rat in jail!¡±


    Afraid that Larissa would overhear him, Gary deliberately lowered his voice. Even so, he couldn¡¯t hide


    his fuming outrage.


    Since the beginning. Gary had never thought that Cody would dare to scheme against him. Moreover,


    he never expected that the subordinates that he had mentored for many years could be bought off to


    commit such hical and illegal acts,


    He had only let go of thepany¡¯s reins for a week and yet the management of thepany was


    already in such burmoll,


    This indirectly reflected the ipetence of all the subordinates under him.


    ¡°Lewis, you are the only one I can trust now. When I¡¯m gone, I entrust you with Lar and thepany,¡±


    Gary said with a deep sign and patted Lewis¡¯s shoulder.


    His was already in poor condition, so it was possible that he would suddenly pass on without warning.


    Initially, his only concem was regarding thepany, but now he had another person to worry about.


    Lewis held on to Gary¡¯s hand and dered solemnly ¡°Taking care of Lari is already my responsibility.¡±


    Gary had raised him since he was a child and had given him afortable life that he¡¯d enjoyed, so it


    was time for him to repay his debis.


    ¡°However there are some things that you may want to handle personally.¡±

 Chapter 572

    Chapter 572


    The revtion of Yvette¡¯s scandal in the past by the anonymous social media ount not only


    completely ruined her chances of making aeback in the entertainment industry, but also pushed


    her illegitimate daughter into the spotlight.


    The article that was published was written by Larissa herself, so she blurred out any information that


    would identify her. During the editing process, Rena carefully reviewed the article to ensure that


    Larissa¡¯s identity wouldn¡¯t be exposed before uploading it online.


    Nheless, no secret could be hidden forever.


    Larissa had lived with the Seymour family for many years. Although she was publicly introduced as


    Yvette¡¯s niece, those who were close to the Seymour family could guess that she was actually Yvette¡¯s


    illegitimate daughter after reading the expos¨¦.


    In the initial stages, this incident was just casual gossip discussed among the upper echelons.


    However, after the gossip had spread further, it naturally reached the ears of the media


    Several media outlets had called the Winston Hotel to schedule an interview with Larissa, but they


    were all turned down by her assistant with various excuses.


    Unwilling to give up, the journalists even put on disguises and loitered around the hotel for a few days


    to lie in wait for Larissa. When that didn¡¯t work, they pretended to be hotel guests and made multiple


    comints, creating a scene so that they could demand a meeting with the general manager, which


    was Larissa.


    Finally, the exhausted manager of the housekeeping department revealed that Larissa had been


    hospitalized due to a car ident.


    The media outlets had an extensivework of information sources, so it wasn¡¯t difficult for them to find


    out which hospital Larissa was admitted to and even which ward she was in.


    The only problem was, there were two groups of men taking shifts, guarding outside her ward around


    the clock. Not even a fly could enter


    her ward, let alone a human.


    When they could not get an interview with Larissa, the journalists harassed the attending doctors and


    nurses who were in charge of her, even fellow patients on the same floor who had never met Larissa


    before.


    Fed up with the media¡¯s disturbances, the hospital received numerousints from everyone on


    Larissa¡¯s floor. In the end, the hospital had to negotiate with Lewis, hoping that he could handle the


    media, who were bing a terrible nuisance.


    Lewis had been working alongside Gary since he was young, so he picked up some tricks from him on


    handling troublesome people ke the journalists.


    Knowing the importance of media in the Inte era Lewis didn¡¯t engage in conflict with them.


    Conversely, he politely invited all the journalists to a coffee shop nearby and provided them with


    sensational news that satisfied their curiosity. In exchange, they were prohibited froming to the


    hospital to disturb the staff, nor could they try to dig up information about Larissa from other channels.


    That night headlines that read ¡°Yvette¡¯s Two Daughters at Odds¡± were trending on the Inte.


    Surveince footage of Lana ramming her car into Larissa was uploaded online, and the number of


    views exceeded ten million.


    Lana¡¯s actions were deliberate and intentional, making it clear that she had attempted to murder


    Larissa. There was no way that it could be brushed off as an ident.


    The whole Inte was shocked.


    Countless viewers online were terrified and rmed at Lana¡¯s brazenness ofmitting murder in


    broad daylight, showing her contempl for thew.


    Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    Except for a few individuals with psychopathic tendencies and paid posters by the Seymour family,


    most of thements left byizens. online expressed their hope for severe punishment of the


    culprit.


    At such a heated moment, an anonymous insider who described himself as a legal worker dashed


    everyone¡¯s hopes with a status update on Facebook. ¡°The culbrit is known to be men tally ill so she


    won¡¯t go to prison. Everyone, just calm down and move on.¡±


    However, public outrage by theizens wasn¡¯t extinguished Instead, it grew more intense.


    ¡°Now, all the murderers will im that they are m entally


    an excuse to get off scot-heel her?


    ¡°it¡¯s terrifying! What il Lencounter a p sycho one day? I can¡¯t even imagine it! I urge the police to lock


    the culprit up and prevent her from harming others in the future!¡±


    ¡°Why can¡¯t m entally il people be sentenced? Does that mean the victims who were killed by these


    people died in vain? Da mn it, I can¡¯t


    ept this! Who exactly is thew supposed to protect?¡±


    ¡°Yvette¡¯s husband must be extremely rich, It wouldn¡¯t be difficult for him to take a medical certificate for


    his daughter¡¯s diagnosis. I suggest that the police investigate thoroughly in case she is trying to


    pretend to be m entally il,¡±


    The anonymous insider replied to thement above. ¡°The investigation has been carried out. She


    does have a me ntal illness, and it¡¯s quite severe, in fact. So yeah.¡±

 Chapter 573

    Chapter 573


    Because of this, the official Facebook pages of the Bartham City Police Bureau and Bartham City Court


    were constantly tagged in thements.


    Everyone was demanding an exnation and insisting that they shouldn¡¯t let Lana ge so easily just


    because she was m entally il


    Under pressure from public opinion, the Bartham City Court released a statement expressing their


    intent to handle the case ording to


    Thew and asked everyone to remain calm.


    ¡°Mr. Cun ningham called and told me that the judge is considering sending Lana to the Bartham M


    ental Asylum.¡± Lewis said.


    The Bartham Me ntal Asylum was the biggest psychiatric hospital in Bartham and one of the more


    strictly managed Institullons. Many patients with severe me ntal illnesses were forcibly sent there for


    treatment and isted from the outside world. Of course, opinions from the patientsmily members


    would be taken into consideration as well


    ¡°The current stuation right now that the court has to take urgent measures against Lana as pressure


    from the public is mounting. However, Lana¡¯swyer is difficult to deal with, il we send Lana to the me


    ntal asylum by force, the other party would just keep submitting appeals ic bring her out again. This


    case would never be resolved. And there¡¯s also one more thing-Yvette contacted Mr. Cu nningham She


    is trying to use her identity as Larissa¡¯s biological mother to represent her and sellle the suit with Lana


    Lewis exined with a troubled expression on his face.


    Gary felt his chest tighten with anger. He cursed, ¡®Yvetle, that wicked woman!¡±


    Although he already knew that Larissa suffered inhumane treatment from the Seymour family,


    witnessing Yvette¡¯s cruelly lcward her made his heart ache terribly, as if he was stabbed repeatedly by


    a knife.


    ¡°Tell Mr. Curningham that we will never settel Il Lana isn¡¯t going to prison, she must be locked up in the


    m ental asylum!¡¯ Gary dered firmly, his voice as cold as ice.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Lewis nodded with understanding.


    ¡°How is Cosmic Entertainment doing recently?¡± Gary continued.


    He used to pay more attention to Xavier and thepany, but when Cosmic Entertainment was on the


    verge of bankruptcy with no hope of recovery. Gary didn¡¯t want to waste time and energy in dealing


    with Xavier..


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    Now that both Yvette and Lana had caused so much trouble for Larissa Gary lost patience with the


    miserable Seymour family and decided to put a stop to their desperate struggles by wiping them out at


    once..


    ¡°Thepany¡¯s not doing well, Banks are refusing to loan any money to Xavier, so he is looking for


    investments everywhere, but Lewis replied honesty and pursed his lips, the silence implying the words


    that were not said.


    ¡°Go and have a chat with him. We will invest fifty million dors in Cosmic Entertainment, Gary


    instructed.


    ¡°What?¡± Lewis thought that he must have misheard Gary.


    Gary didn¡¯t exin further. ¡°Just do as I said.¡±


    In the end, Lew¡¯s didn¡¯t find Xavier personally. Since Yvetle had seen him before and knew of his


    rtionship with Gary, Lewis was worried


    that their n would be exposed.


    He made a call overseas and had a friend fly over from Aldovia to put on an act for him. His friend¡¯s


    name was Frank Moore, a senior executive of arge film productionpany in Tinseltown, Frank


    and Lewis were roommates in college and werest Iriends ever since.


    Therefore, when Lewis approached him to carry out the n, Frank agreed to his request without


    hesitation.


    To make the performance more realistic, Frank even found an intermediary who had business dealings


    with hispany and Cosmic Entertainment to set up a meeting with Xavier.


    Xavier¡¯s financial state was in dire straits. Upon hearing that someone was interested in investing in his


    company, he didn¡¯t even bother with a background check and immediately agreed to meet in person.

 Chapter 574

    Chapter 574


    Lewis had already instructed Frank on what to say and do when he met Xavier.


    N?velDrama.Org owns this.


    That day. Frank brought a trusted associate with him, who was disguised as a trantor,


    On the other hand, Xavier appeared with his loyal assistant,n, who had stayed by his side from the


    beginning.


    The location of their meeting was in an executive suite at the Regal Dynasty Hotel where Frank was


    staying. Lewis didn¡¯t dare lo book Frank a room at the Winston Hotel for fear that Xavier would suspect


    foul y.


    Lewis had his men set up hidden cameras In Frank¡¯s room beforehand, and everything happening in


    the room would be simultaneously transmitted to Lewis¡¯puter in the adjacent suite.


    Frank was wearing a discreet earpiece that was connected to Lewis so that he could direct Frank¡¯s


    every move without much difficulty.


    Following Lew¡¯s¡¯ instructions, Frank received Xavier politely but without excessive enthusiasm,


    Inviting Xavier andn to take a seat he greeted them warmly in broken Caldorian.


    This was the first time Frank had met Xavier. Before this. Frank had never even heard of his name. His


    knowledge of Xavier was solely based on Lewis¡¯s brief introduction. In Frank s imagination, Xavier


    would appear disheveled and downtrodden, just like any aiher person on the verge of bankruptcy.


    However, it did not turn out as Frank had expected.


    Dressed in an expensive tailored suit and shiny back shoes, Xavier appeared well-kept with his salt-


    and-pepper hair meticulouslybed back. Compared to other people younger than him, he had a


    fuller hairline, making him look much younger than his age.


    In the adjacent suite, Lewis was astonished when he saw Xavier as well.


    Pondering as he rubbed his chin, it seemed that Xavier hadn¡¯t reached a dead end yet In that case, he


    would give Xavier a hand.


    Professionals in the film industry worldwide always held a blind admiration for Tinsellown and Xavier


    was no exception. He was clearly much more enthusiasticpared to Frank. With an ingratiating


    smile and cager gaze, hepletely lost the arrogance and pomposity that he exhibited previously


    when he had the upper hard.


    Xavier didn¡¯t ever bother beating around the bush with pleasantries. After introducing himself, he went


    straight to the point, I heard that you¡¯re interested in investing in ourpany?¡±


    Frank denied it with a wave of his hand and corrected Xavier¡¯s statement. ¡°No, I¡¯m not interested in


    investing in thepany per se! I want to invest in one of yourpany¡¯s film projects.¡±


    With a smile, he added. ¡°After all, I also want to make money.¡±


    A blush of embaras sment appeared on Xavier¡¯s face as he forced out augh,


    Awkwardly, he chimed in, ¡°Of course, everyone wants to make money. No one would deny that.¡±


    Seemingly unaware of Xavier¡¯s embarrassment. Frank deliberately gushed in gratitude, ¡°Mr. Seymour,


    thank you so much for your understanding


    As Xavier chucked dryly, Lewis figured that he was probably cursing inwardly at that moment.


    ¡°Mr. Seymour, I sought you out for the sole reason of getting the script for Migration to Mars, Frank


    continued.


    ¡°Migration to Mars was a book from a series of science fiction novels, written by a young but famous


    sci-ll author from Caldor, Pluto Vin..


    When Cosmic Entertainment first secured a massive investment from Soaring Corporation in order to


    enter the film industry, it acquired the rights to a number of intellectual properties.


    In recent years, Cosmic Entertainment had produced several dramas and films from those intellectual


    properties, but most of them were from the romance gente.


    Sci-fi works like ¡°Migration to Mars¡± were neglected due to the uncertainty of lis sess insufficient


    funding, and Cosmic


    In the end, the shooting for this particr novel was continually postponed and put on the back burner,


    bing a burden to thepany.

 Chapter 575

    Chapter 575


    There was a little episode in the process of acquiring the rights to ¡°Migration to Mars.¡±


    When Cosmic Entertainment bought the IP, Pluto was still an unknown author. No one was willing to


    buy the copyrights to his novels, even when the publisher bundled his novels together at a low price.


    N?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    At that time, the person in charge of Cosmic Entertainment¡¯s film production department had a personal


    rtionship with Pluto¡¯s editor, so they purchased the rights to this particr book out of goodwill


    Two years ago, Pluto¡¯s new book, ¡°Wormhole,¡± won an international award, which brought his works


    into the spotlight


    The copyright of ¡°Wormhole¡± was bought by VisualBox, a streaming tform under Microworks


    Corporation, They engaged a foreign team overseas who took two whole years to produce a sci-fi film


    of exceptional quality. The film achieved tremendous sess due to raving reviews, despite being


    released in an unpopr time slot. It eventually grossed over four billion dors at the box office,


    breaking the record for Caldor¡¯s highest-grossing film in history:


    Following the sess of ¡°Wormhole. Pluto¡¯s other works were quickly snapped up by other im


    productionpanies, including the one that he was currently writing. These novels were adapted to


    film and went into production one after another, except for ¡°Migration to Mars,¡±


    Cosmic Entertainment was strapped for cash, but they were also unwing to let go of this potential


    goldmine to otherpanies.


    Xavier¡¯s smile vanished instantly and he replied sternly, I¡¯m sorry, but that is not for sale¡±


    Frank quickly exined, ¡°Mr. Seymour. I think you¡¯ve misunderstood. Im not buying the copyright of


    Migration to Mars, but I am interested in coborating to produce the film, 111 provide the funding,


    anduce the film.¡±


    That was exactly what Xavier wanted.


    ¡°I see. That we can discuss.¡± Xavier answered with an air of arrogance, as he felt he was gradually


    gaining the upper hand in the negotiation.


    Suppressing the urge to kick Xavier out of the room, Frank remarked casually. ¡°However


    Xavier was startled by the sudden turn of the tables. Narrowing his eyes, he said, ¡°What is q


    ¡°Although we are keen to produce Migration to Mars, a sessful film needs more than just a good


    script. I hope that you can assemble a production crew worthy of my investment Frank said.


    Hearing that Frank wasn¡¯t going to pull out of the coboration, Xavier breathed a sigh of relief.


    ¡°To be honest, already have a perfect team in mind. However, I¡¯m hesitant to approach them due to


    insufficient funding,¡± he replied.


    Frank assured him confidently. ¡°You don¡¯t have to wo


    worry about the funding. At this moment, I have approval for a budget of fifty million dors. The costs


    for post-production are not included as well. Besides, ourpany has thetest technology in the


    production of visual effects. We¡¯ll take care of the post-production editing. So you wouldn¡¯t have to


    spend any money on that.¡±


    However, Xavier still let that the budget was not enough. ¡°Fifty million dors would only be enough for


    the director and actors remuneration. For a film like this, two hundred million dors should be the


    starting point.¡±


    His audacious demand startled Frank. Since the money wasn¡¯t his, he didn¡¯t know how to respond to


    Xavier¡¯s request


    Lewis suggested. ¡°Ask him to finalize the crew and submit to you a detailed budget. Then, you will


    negotiate with thepar the budget that he provided.¡±


    Frank repeated his words verbatim.


    ¡°Alright.¡± This was Xavier¡¯sst strand of hope, so he could only agree. Eagerly, he asked, ¡°When will


    we sign the contract?¡±


    based on Frank answeredposedly, ¡°Once the project takes shape. As I said before. I am here to


    make money. If you want my investment, I need to see the potential for profit.¡±


    Xavier was displeased with Frank¡¯s answer, but he couldn¡¯t show it nheless.


    thest this opportunity, he didn¡¯t know whether he would be able to turn things around for the


    company.

 Chapter 576

    Chapter 576


    ¡°Migration to Mars¡± was one of Pluto¡¯s early works. Although it wasn¡¯t as famous as ¡°Wormhole¡± and


    his writing style was more immature in that novel its content was simpler to understand.


    The science fictionmunity regarded this particr novel as an entry into the rabbit hole as it did not


    contain an excessive amount of obscure knowledge, making it more ptable to the general audience.


    After assessment by professionals in the film industry, they estimated that ¡°Migration to Mars¡± would


    be Pluto¡¯s most sessful work, given that the level of production quality was simr to


    ¡°Wormhole.¡±


    Nheless, ¡°Wormhole¡± had set the bar too high, VisualBox had financial backing from Microworks


    Corporation, so they could afford to hire a top-notch production crew from Tinseltown and put the most


    realistic visual effects into the film. Other productionpanies in Caldor couldn¡¯tpete on the


    same level.


    When Xavier was dreaming of making it big with ¡°Migration to Mars, many of his friends had advised


    him, saying. ¡°Instead of wasting money on a film destined to be a flop, it is better to sell off the


    copyrights and invest the money in other sound projects.¡±


    N?velDrama.Org owns this.


    However, Xavier refused to take their advice. ¡°As long as I can secure sufficient investment and hire


    the post-production team who had worked on ¡°Wormhole.¡± breaking even would be a piece of cake!¡±


    He found out through the grapevine that VisualBox had only invested around a hundred million dors


    on their post-production costs. Back when he still had Cody¡¯s support, the marketing and promotion


    budget for an average film easily exceeded that amount.


    At Xavier¡¯s insistence, the friends who genuinely cared about him could only fall silent. Because of that,


    Xavier presumptuously thought that he had sessfully convinced his friends.


    The fifty million dors promised by Frank was definitely not enough for Xavier. However, at least they


    could save money on post- production expenses, which was a significant reliet.


    ¡°Did you check up on ¡®Fantasy Utopia¡¯? Is it well-known? Recalling his question, Xavier askedn.


    Although Cosmic Entertainment was involved in the film and television industry, it operated as an


    independent and separate subsidiarypany with a president of their own,pletely segregated


    from the artist management business.


    Before Cosmic Entertainment was beleaguered by financial difficulties, Xavier had never concerned


    himsell with the affairs of the film production department, nor did he pay attention to the local and


    international film market. As his assistant, the same was true forn


    In the eyes of others who worked in the film industry, it was unthinkable to have never heard of Fantasy


    Utopia. However, when it came to Xavier, it seemed perfectly normal that he had no knowledge of them


    whatsoever.


    ¡°Did you mean¡­ Fantasy Utopia is apany on par with Crescent Legend? Is that true?¡± Feeling


    excited, Xavier urged with anticipation.


    Beaming widely from ear to ear, the joy on Xavier¡¯s face was apparent as he clenched his fists. ¡°The


    company is saved!¡±


    Suddenly, Xavier seemed to have recalled something. With a dark expression on his face, his eyes


    glinted with hostility. ¡°Tell your friend to hurry up and push for the money. It¡¯s been almost a month but


    the money is st not in yet!¡±


    Although Ron hadmitted many crimes in the past, this was the first time he did something of this


    scale, like kidnapping a child. In fact, Ron wasn¡¯t that concerned as he had been a scoundrel all his life


    andcked any sense of ethics. Besides, he suffered chronic brain damage from long-term use of


    prohibited drugs, so he would do anything for money.


    On the other hand,n was different.


    Although he and Ron were childhood friends,n studied hard and managed to get into university with


    his own efforts.


    ¡­¡­¡­

 Chapter 577

    Chapter 577


    Chapter 577


    Xavier had justified his actions by saying that this was the only way for them to get the money.


    This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.


    He dropped his bossy attitude and poured out his frustrations onn. When he spoke about his


    struggles, he even shed emotional tears.


    When they were carrying out the kidnapping,n was constantly on edge. He warned Ron repeatedly.


    ¡°Do not hurt the child.¡±


    If they merely held Bethany captive, they still had a chance of getting off the h ook lightly, but if she was


    harmed in any way, the consequences would be catastrophic.


    Ron agreed readily. Initially, he followedn¡¯s instructions and sent videos of Bethany regrly,


    confirming that she was alive and well. As time passed, Ron¡¯s patience grew thin as Kevan continued


    to dy paying the ransom. He had calledn several times toin in arage.


    In one of the videos that he sentn could clearly see the bruises on Bethany¡¯s face. Terrified for their


    lives, he quickly sent money to cate Ron, urging him to not harm Bethany any further. However,


    once the money was gone, the effects didn¡¯tst long.


    A week ago, Ron did not send any videos of Bethany at the designated time,n panicked and called


    Ron, but his phone was inactivated.


    Refusing to give up,n topped up Ron¡¯s phone with a hundred dors to reactivate it. Now the call


    could go through, but no one picked. up the call.


    Extremely worried,n dropped everything he was doing and took a cab to Ron¡¯s ce in a ghetto. Ron


    was living in a run-down bungalow. At 9 pm, the bungalow was inplete darkness.


    Lan knocked on the door continuously and shouted Ron¡¯s name, but he did not appear at the door.


    Instead, a neighbor shouted in response, ¡°Stop shouting! His ce has been empty for two weeks, so


    he¡¯s probably back in jail¡±n¡¯s heart sank to the pit of his stomach


    Ron¡¯s family had long abandoned him. Even if he sought them out, he wouldn¡¯t get any information


    about Ron from them. On the other hand, he couldn¡¯t go to the police station to inquire about Ron¡¯s


    whereabouts either. In the end,n could only return home empty-handed, filled with anxiety and worry.


    For the following week,n had been desperately searching for Ron, but there was no sign of him.n


    lived in constant fear as he didn¡¯t dare to tell Xavier about this, so he tried to hide the truth for as long


    as he could.


    ¡°1¡ª¡±n hesitated as beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. The look of anxiety became more


    apparent on his face.


    Finally, Xavier noticedn¡¯s uneasiness. He straightened up and staredn down with a piercing gaze,


    makingn shudder inexplicably.¡± What¡¯s wrong? Did something happen with that friend of yours?¡±


    <pn hung his head to avoid meeting Xavier¡¯s eyes. Stammering, his teeth chattered from nervousness.


    ¡°Mr. Seymour, I¡¯m sorry but I can¡¯t reach my friend I¡¯m afraid that he has been arrested by the police.¡±

 Chapter 578

    Chapter 578


    Indeed, Ron was arrested by the police, but it had nothing to do with the kidnapping.


    He had a history of drug abuse for over ten years and was heavily dependent on drugs. Whenn sent


    him some money, he immediately spent it all on drugs. With the substantial amount of money he


    received. Ron could allord to get drugs that were of higher quality. Feeling proud, he invited a group of


    friends to have a party at the karaoke bar.


    Jack had been keeping an eye on Ron all along. At first, they didn¡¯t even take action when Ron


    purchased the drugs to avoid blowing their cover. However, thanks to Ron, the police managed to


    uncover a significant drug smuggling ring by tracking his suppliers


    Now that a group of Ron¡¯s friends had gathered together to do drugs, the police couldn¡¯t turn a blind


    eye any longer. Jack decided to inform Kevan beforehand.


    Kevan had never paid much attention to Bethany¡¯s safety. Whenever Jack called to report the situation,


    Kevan would only listen passively without inquiring about their progress in saving Bethany,


    ¡°You can handle things as you see fit,¡± Kevan replied nonchntly.


    With his approval, Jack had nothing to worry about. He rounded up Ron and his friends, bringing them


    to the police station, and closed down the karaoke bar all at once.


    Since Ron was taken into custody, there was no one to take care of Bethany. The long-term n they


    had to capture the true mastermind behind the kidnapping was abandoned. Jack ¡®rescued¡± Bethany


    and brought her to Kevan. e, all this was done in secret without alerting anyone, including Kevan¡¯s


    parents.


    Of course.


    Bethany had suffered tembly while she was being held captive. Although she had endured years of


    abuse from Ruby, Ron¡¯s blows were much more severe. Once he got high from drugs, he lost all sense


    of reason and did not hold himself back while beating her up.


    Jack cautioned Kevan specifically, ¡°The young girl is in a dreadful state, m entally and physically, I


    suggest that you find a psychologist to


    treat her as soon as possible.¡±


    Kevan nced at Bethany, who was standing beside Jack limidly.


    She had lost a ton of weight. There were numerous bruises on her exposed limbs and some of the


    wounds on her body were still bleeding.


    The sight of her was gut-wrenching.


    N?velDrama.Org owns this.


    What changed the most about Bethany was her personalty.


    She was brought up by Ruby and did not receive any lessons on basic etiquette, so she always had


    poor posture. However, Bethany had


    never been so withdrawn and antisocial as she was now.


    She seemed to constantly have her quard up and was wary of anyone who approached her, Even if


    someone touched her Iglly, she would be extremely startled and quickly withdraw to a safe distance.


    shouting hystericaly, ¡°I know what I did wrong! Don¡¯t hit me!¡±


    As Jack exined Bethany¡¯s condition, he was filled with sympathy and quilt.


    Several of his colleagues who were responsible for monitoring the surveince had requested


    numerous times for permission to break in and rescue Bethany. They pleaded, ¡°Jack, please give the


    order. We can¡¯t bear to watch this anymore!¡±


    However, Jack gritted his teeth and refused to give in. Despite that things didn¡¯t turn out as they had


    expected. They weren¡¯t able to hold


    out until Ron and Xavier had direct contact.


    Jack muttered in self-me, ¡°I had known that things would end like this. I should have arrested Ron


    from the beginning.¡± Then Bethany


    wouldn¡¯t have had to suffer so much harm.


    Kevan remained indifferent. Inparison to Bethany, he was more concerned about the two cats that


    she had tormented.


    Because of her actions, those cats would never let their guard down around other humans, even after


    such a long time.


    Jack squatled down in front of Bethany and gave her a kind smile,


    Nervously. Bethany stared at him with widened eyes, like a startled animal.


    ¡°Go home with your father!¡± It was rare for a strong, bury man like Jack to speak in such a gentle and


    kind tone.


    Her beady eyes flickered with a glimmer of longing and hope, but Kevan ignored herpletely.


    Turning around, he ordered his men.¡± Take her away.¡±

 Chapter 579

    Chapter 579


    Standing beside Kevan was a group of burly men with expressionless faces dressed in ck suits. As


    one of them took a step toward Bethany, she burst into tears, wailing loudly.


    She grabbed onto the hem of Jack¡¯s uniform and hid behind him, using his body as a shield. Caught off


    guard. Jack was almost pulled off bnce and he barely managed to stop himself from falling over by


    cing a hand on the ground.


    N?velDrama.Org owns this.


    Jack looked up at Kevan helplessly. ¡°Maybe you should personally bring her home.¡±


    Upon hearing this, Kevan furrowed his brows in disgust. Just the thought of holding her hand in his


    made his stomach churn.


    He waved at Bethany and ordered in an impatient tone. ¡°Come over here.¡±


    When she heard his voice, Bethany stopped crying and cautiously peered over at Kevan from behind


    Jack, After making sure that Kevan was calling her, she gradually inched closer toward him with baby


    steps.


    As she reached out her hand toward Kevan, he turned away, leaving her outstretched hard hovering


    limply in the air for a few seconds.


    Biting her lip in disappointment, Bethany sniffed her tears away and hurried after Kevan¡¯s retreating


    footsteps.


    Kevan did not bring Bethany home to his parents. Instead, he locked her up in another vacant house


    with a female bodyguard to apany her instead.


    Although Bethany tried to resist by throwing a tantrum, one nce from Kevan was all it took to shut


    her up as she was afraid of him,


    When Dn learned about this, he asked Kevan, ¡°How long are you nning to keep her locked up?¡±


    Kevan gave a vague answer. ¡°A while longer.¡±


    Dn was worried about Bethany¡¯s condition. ¡°If you keep her locked up any longer, her entire future


    could be ruined.¡±


    Kevan sneered. ¡°Well just consider it as her paying back her parents¡® debts for them.¡±


    Although Dn was familiar with Kevan¡¯s cold and ruthless personality, hearing him say this still sent


    chills down his spine.


    ¡°She is just a child.¡± He tried to change Kevan¡¯s mind.


    are bolh


    However, Kevan looked straight at Dn with a piercing gaze and remarked, ¡°Don¡¯t forget what she did


    to Aster. Although they ar children, they are not the same.¡±


    Dn had nothing to say in reply. He continued. ¡°How about Xavier and Cody?¡±


    ¡°Rx, neither of them will be able to escape,¡± Kevan dered as a determined glint appeared in his


    eyes.


    ¡°What did you say?¡® In the backseat of the car, Xavier was so furious that he flung the cigar that was


    between his fingers.


    The lit cigar bounced off the back of the front seat andnded on Xavier¡¯s pants, burning a hole in his


    expensive suit. When the lit end touched his skin, Xavier screamed in pain,


    Xavier kicked him hard, causing him to m into the car door. ¡°You useless piece of trash! Get the hell


    away from me!¡±


    Feeling guilly, Lan didn¡¯t dare speak.


    ¡°Damn it! I paid you such a high sry, and this is now you do your job? What¡¯s the point of keeping


    you around? I might as well get a dog Instead!¡± Xavier ranted as he reached for his phone and called a


    number.


    ¡°Hello, is this M. Donovan? Are you busytely? Do you have time to have a meal together? Xavier


    spoke in an ingratiating tone.

 Chapter 580

    Chapter 580


    It was raining cats and dogs outside the window. The rain was apanied by the rumbling sounds of


    thunder and asional shes of lightning.


    The news had reported that this torrential rain was a rare urrence that would only happen once in a


    decade, causing severe flooding in many parts of the city and leaving people stranded in their cars.


    Gary had returned to the Winston Hotel yesterday to deal with some business matters and he would be


    back in the morning. Despite that, It was almost noon, but Lewis and Gary were nowhere to be seen.


    Larissa couldn¡¯t help but feel worried.


    However, her phone waspletely destroyed in that ident. Lewis had set up call forwarding for her


    and settled the procedures of her resignation, but he did not get her a recement phone or a new


    number. As a result, she had no way of contacting them at all.


    When Mrs. Griffin finished washing the map in the bathroom, she walked past the balcony and peered


    down below. Shaking her head, she eximed with a surprised expression on her face. ¡°Goodness


    gracious! Even the parking lot is flooded!¡±


    Larissa¡¯s worry intensified and she asked Mrs. Griffin for help, ¡°Mrs. Griffin, can you make a call to


    Lewis?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Mrs. Griffin fished out an old-fashioned mobile phone. Squinting as she scrolled down her


    contact list, she finally found Lewis¡¯ number.


    The call was connected quickly, however, the signal on both ends was weak due to the terrible weather,


    Lewis¡¯ voice was choppy and


    broken over the call forcing him to repeat himself several times before Mrs. Griffin finally understood


    what he was saying.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did something happen to Lari?¡± Lewis asked anxiously.


    ¡°No, no! Lari, speak to Lewis! Waving her hands in a panic, Mrs. Griffin quickly held the phone to


    Larissa¡¯s ear.


    Larissa questioned. ¡°Lewis, where are you now?¡± Lewis replied with difficulty as his voice wasn¡¯t clear


    over the phone, ¡°We¡¯re still at the hotel! The heavy rain caused the underground parking lot to be


    flooded. We can¡¯t get out and we can¡¯t get a cab as well. At this rate, it might take some time for us to


    get to the hospital¡±


    Hearing that they were sale, Larissa felt instantly relieved.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Mrs. Griffin is here with me! Both of you should stay at the hotel and not venture out for


    now!¡± she advised.


    Lewis didn¡¯t agree immediately. ¡°Let¡¯s see how the situation turns out.¡± A family member had to be at


    the hospital with Larissa at all times. Otherwise, if an emergency happened, Mrs. Griffin was unable to


    make any urgent decisions on behalf of Larissa.


    ¡°If the rain eases off a little. I¡¯ll try to get there on the subway.¡±


    The heavy rain and severe flooding had a widespread impact, causing several public bus routes in the


    city to be suspended, but the subway was still operational for the time being. Thus, the subway was


    much more crowded than usual due to the sudden increase in demand.


    ¡°Don¡¯t trouble yourself! If you dare to appear in my ward today. I¡¯ll chase you out on the spot. Mark my


    words!¡± Larissa tried to deter him


    and threatened Lewis hall-jokingly.


    Lewis chuckled but he didn¡¯t take her words seriously. ¡°Of course, I believe you. Alright, I¡¯ll stay put at


    the hotel. Pass the phone to Mrs.


    Griffin, I want to have a word with her.¡±


    The old-fashioned mobile phone was unusually loud, so anyone standing nearby could hear the


    conversation clearly even without putting the call on speakerphone.


    Without waiting for Larissa to inform her, Mrs. Griffin withdrew her hand and brought the phone to her


    own ear. ¡°Hello?¡±


    Lewis said, ¡°Mrs. Griffin, please get the doctor as I need to talk to him.¡±


    Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    ¡°Okay, wait a minute! Mrs. Griffin ran out of the ward in a hurry.


    Even without listening to the conversation, Larissa could already guess what Lewis was going to say. It


    was probably something along the lines of asking the doctor to take good care of her and inform him


    immediately if something bad happened.


    Larissa had a hard time adjusting to their slightly overprotective care. Since she grew up in a cold and


    unweing environment with the Seymours, she had always relied on herself.


    The sudden appearance of a father and an older cousin did take her by surprise, but Larissa didn¡¯t feel


    turned off by their concern and love.


    With a sigh of resignation, a smile spread across her face.

 Chapter 581

    Chapter 581


    By afternoon, the rain did not seem that it would slop any time soon. The gray clouds had hidden the


    sun. It was only 2 pm, but it was so dark that one would think that it was nighttime right now.


    Larissa woke up from her nap and felt around for the remote control Mrs. Grillin left for her near the


    edge of the bed, turning on the television with it. The TV screen shed once before turning dark once


    more. Almost at the same time, the room lights went out as well.


    Mrs. Griffin was so shocked that she leaped up from the bedside chair. ¡°The TV can¡¯t have been struck


    by lightning, right? She was so startled that her eyes widened a great deal.


    Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    Larissa was calmer than she was. ¡°It must just be a regr power outage. Even though the timing was


    too coincidental.


    The room waspletely dark. Mrs. Griffin felt for her own slippers before she got out of the chair,


    ¡°I ask a nurse.¡±


    A few minutester, she came back and said. ¡°The nurse said that the lightning struck the electrical


    pole nearby, and the circuit¡¯s malfunctioning. So we need to wait for the electricpany to repair it.


    She even said that the hospital has a backup generator that will


    restore power soon and that we don¡¯t need to panic.¡±


    Thank goodness that it was not summer. Otherwise one would not survive without air conditioning.


    Larissa was not a critical patient that needed all sorts of equipment either. Other than the fact that she


    might be a little bored, a power


    outage did not have that much effect on her.


    Closing her eyes, Larissa said. ¡°I sleep for a little while longer then.¡±


    Mrs. Grittin sat back down on the bedside chair too.


    Before they could really sleep, the hospital¡¯s backup generator was in motion. The room lights flickered


    on, piercing through Larissa¡¯s eyelids so much that it hurt her eyes. She turned on the television again,


    and the screen showed the news channel that she had stopped at and turned off during the morning.


    The huge power outage near the hospital also made the live news. The news anchor reported


    anxiously. ¡°Due to the heavy rain, il is difficult for repair work to be put in motion. Therefore, it can only


    be postponed. Rted authorities say that the power supply will be restoredtest before tonight.¡±


    Mrs. Griffin sighed heavily. ¡°Who knows how long this rain wil pour! This is temible!¡±


    Larissa pressed her lips together and changed the channel,


    There was nothing really nice to watch during a weekday aftemoon, there would normally only be TV


    show reruns. She picked a local tv show that Mrs. Griffin Iked and watched it with her as a way to pass


    the time.


    Mrs. Griffin liked discussing the plot with someone else, and she kept insulting the show while she


    watched as if she were watching a livestream. Whenever she said something, Larissa would just echo


    her sentiments. Back and forth they went and it somehow added a sense of fun to it all.


    Just as Mrs. Griffin wasining about a character in the show, someone suddenly pushed open


    the ward door.


    Startled, Larissa turned her head as best as she could to look at the door. All it took was one look to


    stun her. The man standing at the door waspetely drenched; his wet hair was stered to his


    scalp, and there were countless droplets of water dripping down his soaked locks. Ins clothes were


    Kevan braced himself against the door frame, his chest heaving as he panted, the sounds of which


    Larissa could hear very, very clearly. He was pale, but his eyes showed anxiety.


    ¡°W-Why are you here? Larissa did not know why her tongue fell a little tangled up.


    Kevan took one step forward but remained far away from her.


    ¡°I did not have much going on today, so I came to see you.¡± He smiled a little. Mixed with the sounds of


    rain, his deep voice sounded strangely pleasam.

 Chapter 582

    Chapter 582


    Thunder boomed loudly, precisely ovepping the sounds of Larissa¡¯s pounding heartbeat in her ears.


    Collecting herself, she looked at the puddle gathering around Kevan¡¯s feet and frowned


    subconsciously.


    ¡°It¡¯s raining so heavily out there. The rest of herint died in her throat when Kevan suddenly


    interrupted her with a loud sneeze.


    Kevan awkwardly covered his nose. His gaze darted to and fro, likely out of embarrassment as he


    refused to lock eyes with Larissa. There was even a faint flush on his pale face.


    Pretending not to see his difort, Larissa got Mrs. Griffin to get him some tissues. Kevan swiftly


    turned around and wiped away any snot that had sprayed out identally.


    ¡°My apologies.¡± His face was still red, but he was much more collected than before. Larissa did not find


    his prior actions to be rude though -on the contrary, the way he looked so disheveled now made him


    seem a little bit more human, which well was kind of cute.


    ¡°Hurry up and go shower!¡± Mrs. Griffin conjured a clean towel from nowhere and handed it to Kevan.


    ¡°Any more dys and you¡¯ll have a lever from the cold!¡± She pushed Kevan toward the bathroom as


    she spoke.


    Kevan¡¯s expression shifted slightly when her hand touched him. He held himself back instead of


    blowing up for Larissa¡¯s sake. He then took a big step forward to put some distance between them.


    Such a minuscule act did not escape Larissa¡¯s eye. The truth was, she was quite worried for Mrs.


    Griffin. But luckily, Kevan did not do anything that made it hard on the poor woman.


    She hurriedly called Mrs. Griffin back and said, ¡°Please go to the third floor and help me buy an L-sized


    hospital gown, then buy a pair of disposable underwear as well.¡±


    Kevan¡¯s clothes werepletely soaked, and it was raining cats and dogs out there, so it was


    impossible to buy him a set of new clothes at the mall. He would have to make do with hospital


    garments for now.


    Mrs. Grittin knew that these were for Kevan, but she did not understand why. ¡°Didn¡¯t your father leave


    some clothes here? Kevan can wear them, why the need to buy new ones?¡±


    Gary stayed with Larissa at the hospital every day to the point that he had even moved his luggage


    from the hotel over to the ward.


    ¡°He can¡¯t wear my dad¡¯s clothes.¡±


    Gary and Kevan¡¯s body types were still pretty different, and most importantly ¡°He¡¯s a clean freak, and


    won¡¯t wear clothes that someone else has worn before.¡±


    ¡°Clean freak?¡± Mrs. Griffin looked like she had heard the most ridiculous thing ever in her life. Turning


    to the bathroom door that was firmly closed, she said. ¡°He doesn¡¯t look like he¡¯s a clean freak!¡±


    One could not fault Mrs. Griffin for that. If anyone else saw Kevan in his muddied state earlier, they


    would have found it difficult to see him as an ¡°extreme clean freak¡± too.


    Larissa did not want to dwell further on this topic, and she urged Mrs. Griffin. ¡°Please hurry up!¡±


    Kevan¡¯s shower was quite long. Mrs. Griffin had already returned from her errand, but the sounds of


    running water could still be heard in the bathroom. Mrs. Griffin went over to knock on the door twice.


    ¡°Tve put the clothes out here. You can get themter yourself.¡±


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    Kevan¡¯s dull voice came through the door. ¡°Of course, thank you.¡±


    Sitting next to Larissa, Mrs. Grillin muttered quietly to her, ¡°I can see him being a clean freak now.


    Honestly, he¡¯s taking such a long shower!


    Larissa smiled and held her hand. ¡°Leave him be. Let¡¯s watch TV.


    About ten minutester, Kevan finally emerged from the bathroom. He looked more normal now that


    the mud had been washed away, and his face was flushed from the steam of the hot shower.


    His hair was still damp, dripping onto the hospital gown¡¯s shoulders and back, but he was no longer as


    disheveled as before. Larissa knew Long ago that Kevan was a walking fashion statement-having a


    height of 6 feet and 3 inches, broad shoulders, a narrow waist, fantastic proportions, as well as a


    prominently handsome face. Even a rag would look dignified and fashionable when draped upon him.

 Chapter 583

    Chapter 583


    The hospital gowns were all the same. Just based on him and her alone, the feeling one could get from


    the way they wore these gowns


    was immensely different. With her, it was just a regr hospital gown; ? high-end luxury brand¡¯stest


    season. Even the cheap fabric someho


    Mrs, Griffin was stunned for two seconds before she grinned, a han


    to tease Larissa too. ¡°You¡¯re in luck, Lari, dear!


    was ke anew line of haute couture that came from a


    ecame ssier.


    nouth. ¡°What a handsome young man? She did not forget


    ¡°We¡¯re not in that kind of rtionship


    Larissa quickly denied it


    looking at Kevan at the same time. He was smiling at her, his


    expression calm, but his eyes seemed to show a hint of dis


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, I know!¡¯ Mrs. Griffin gave her an get it look while also ¡°considerately leaving the room to


    let them have the space. ¡°Have a nice time chatting I be going out for a stroll¡±


    When Larissa and Kevan were alone, the atmosphete would usual


    The both of them wondered what subject they shoul


    ¡°You


    Her words ovepped with Kevan¡¯s. Stunned.


    The air stilled again.


    Larissa sucked in a deep breath, ¡°Me first I guess.¡±


    Kevan nodded. ¡°Alright.¡±


    ¡°How did you get here? Larissa asked.


    Just as Kevan was showering, Lewis called again, saying thu practically at a standstill. Even the trains


    were affected. He was


    they let the other have the foon ¡°You frst.¡±


    as out of power and that the transport system was able to reach the hospital today.


    The news showed live footage of various ces in the city. The flooding caused by the storm was quite


    severe. The cars on the road were half submerged in the water,pletely stuck and ruined where


    they were, and causing congestion on the majority of the roads. Every relevant authority was calling on


    the citizens to stay home as much as they can and not leave their houses. Despite that, the number of


    people going missing in the storm was increasing steadily.


    Although Kevan was sitting just fine before her. Larissa still felt a chill run down her spine when she


    thought of the possible hardships he must have er dured to get here.


    ¡°I drove, of course. How else?¡± Kevan threw it out pretty casually, but Larissa did not believe him


    ¡°The news said that it¡¯s impossible to drive right now.¡±


    ¡°I came out early. It was not that flooded then. Kevan tried to get out of it with this excuse.


    Larissa¡¯s eyes were still filled with suspicion though.


    ¡°Howe Mr. Logan is not here today?¡± He forcibly changed the subject. ¡°Was there only Mrs. Griffin


    apanying you?¡±


    ¡°They went back to the hotel yesterday.¡± Larissa said.


    ¡°Will they came today then? Kevan asked.


    N?velDrama.Org owns this.


    Larissa shook her head. ¡°The rain¡¯s too heavy. They can¡¯te.¡±


    Kevan¡¯s brows rxed for a moment before scrunching up again. ¡°This rain¡¯s pretty bad.¡± He looked


    worried. ¡°I have no idea how I¡¯ll be leaving after this.¡±


    Thinking of the families of the missing victims shown crying in the news, Larissa blurted. ¡°Why don¡¯t


    you just stay back today instead?¡±

 Chapter 584

    Chapter 584


    Kevan was momentarily dazed. Even if he had thought of staying behind, he did not expect Larissa to


    agree to this notior so easily. After recollecting himself, he did his best to fight against the smile forming


    on his face before surveying the ward brielly, musing in an


    C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    awkwardly low voice. ¡°There¡¯s only one bedside chair. Mrs. Grillin¡­¡±


    ¡°Just get the nurses to add another,¡± Larissa said as she reached out for the call bution at the head of


    the bed.


    ¡°Adding another chair¡± was not the result that Kevan wanted. I there was someone around-even if they


    were only staying in the same room he could not sleep. But at least he could apany her.


    It was easy for another chair to be added to the ward, especially VIP wards. The nurse brought in


    another chair along with a couple of other nurses, and Mrs. Grillin saw them blocking the door when


    she came back from her stroll,


    Hurrying over. Mrs. Griffin asked at a one and a hall feet distance from them, ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    A nurse nced back at her. ¡°Adding a chair.¡±


    ¡°What for?¡± Mrs. Griffin asked before peering into the ward to see Kevan, and she figured it out at once.


    ¡°No need to bring it in! She sto


    stopped the nurse. ¡°Just leave it at the door!¡±


    The nurse was a hit confused. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Til just stay outside! Mrs. Griffin cheerfully took the initiative to bring the chair back out. ¡°This ward is


    small. To have one bed and two chairs inside is too crowded!¡±


    The nurses did not really mind-it did not matter to them where the chair was ced. Larissa anxiously


    stretched her neck to look shouting to Mrs. Griffin, Mrs. Griffin, please bring the chair in! It¡¯s cold out


    there!¡±


    During this season, the temperature at night would drop to single digits. Although the hospital had a


    centralized heating system running through the whole ce. the corridors were rather sp acious and


    empty, so it was not as warm as the patient wards.


    Mrs. Griffin waved her hand andughed. ¡°It¡¯s not a problem! I just wrap the nket tighter around


    myself!¡± She swifty traded the things on the chair from one to the other. ¡°These are new.¡± She


    deliberately emphasized to Kewan. ¡°You can use them with assurance,¡±


    Kevan smiled faintly and thanked her sincerely. ¡°Sorry to trouble you.¡±


    Mrs. Griffin brought Kevan¡¯s dirty clothes with her and went to theundry room, Larissa and Kevan


    were the only


    by ones left in the ward again.


    Larissa handed the television remote over. ¡°You can switch to whatever channel you like.¡±


    Kevan rejected her kind offer. ¡°I¡¯ll be dealing with some work.¡± He sat on the chair and went through his


    inbox on his phone.


    Larissa awkwardly pulled her hand back before turning the volume down so as to not disturb him from


    working.


    But how could Kevan actually focus on work? He had only been searching for an excuse to prevent her


    from having to force herself to have a stilted conversation with him. They never had anymon topics


    of interest anyway, and he could sense her reservedness whenever she was facing him. This made


    him feel very discouraged, but he could not change anything.


    rk emails


    His inbox was full of work emails. Kevan randomy chose one to tap into to read, albell rather


    distractedly. He kept Larissa in the corner of his eye, and could only see her vague side profile. Hence,


    he did not notice that she was also sneaking looks at him


    Larissa could not understand Kevan; he was already so busy, why on earth did he sill go through that


    ridiculous storm toe see her? However, the way he looked while working, with pressed lips and a


    furrowed brow, was surprisingly somewhat s exy.

 Chapter 585

    Chapter 585


    The sudden pounding of her heart caused Larissa to look away. She forced herself to locus on the


    series on television.


    The email Kevan tapped into was the proposal for the movie ¡°Traveling Through Time¡± from the film


    production department. ¡°Traveling Through Time¡± was the newest novel published by Plutost year,


    breaking the sales record for his previous work, ¡°Wormhole.¡± The various film adaptation rights had


    helped generate a lot of revenue for Microworks.


    Unlike ¡°Wormhole. Microworks directly got Pluto himself to be the screenwriter for ¡°Traveling Through


    Time.¡± The movie¡¯s script was alreadypleted, and they were going to start casting for the film.


    Due to the explosive sess of ¡°Wormhole. Microworks treated ¡°Traveling Through Time¡± very


    seriously to the point that whenever the proposal for the movie was edited, they had to submit it to


    Kevan for him to review it in person so as to achieve the results closest to perfection.


    Distracted by Larissa, Kevan went through every line very slowly. But this did not stop him from


    nitpicking. Finding the contact number of the general manager of the film production department on


    WhatsApp, he demanded, ¡°Why is the expected screening time for Traveling Through Time pushed


    back a year from the original proposal?


    Based on the original proposal, it could take a year for the movie to be filmed and to go through post-


    production, which would just so happen to allow it to be screened at Christmas next year. But thetest


    proposal showed that the screening time would be during the year after next.


    The general manager had already braced himsell for questioning, so he responded calmly. ¡°Mr.


    Rogers, we recently got word that Cosmic got some investment from Tinseltown and will be shooting


    Migration to Mars¡¯ soon. If there are no unexpected drawbacks, they might sh with our screening


    time. I¡¯m sure you are aware of the appraisal of these two intellectual properties in the industry.


    Migration to Mars¡¯ will have an easier time bing poprpared to ¡°Traveling Through Time.¡±


    Our goal is to surpass the fame we garnered with Wormhole,¡± but if we sh with Migration to Mars,


    I¡¯m afraid that we will not meet our goal.¡±


    C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    Ever since Bethany had been kidnapped, Kevan had been paying more attention to Cosmic than


    Microworks. If anything happened to them he would know firsthand. It was not news to him that Xavier


    wanted to shoot ¡°Migration to Mars.¡±


    ¡°No need to change the screening time.¡± A hint of mockery shed through Kevan¡¯s eyes. Although he


    did not know what caused Fantasy Utopia to work with Cosmic, he was certain that they could not


    produce ¡°Migration to Mars.¡± Even if Xavier somehow managed to get enough investment to get the


    project in motion, it was hard to say how far he could go with this.


    Mrs. Griffin went out for quite a while and only returned with some food when she got back in the


    evening.


    ¡°I bought these in the hospital cafeteria. Just make do with it, okay? The power is out for many ces


    nearby, and it¡¯s storming hard out there. The restaurants have stopped operating, and the delivery


    services aren¡¯t working either.¡±


    She helped Larissa to set up the meal table and spoke to her while setting the table, ¡°Your father called


    me earller and asked me how you were.¡±


    With all sorts of new developments that arose from the bad weather, Gary was a little worried as he


    was not staying with her at the hospital.


    ¡°What did you say to him?¡± Larissa followed along with the conversation.


    ¡°I said that Kevan and I are here and that he could rest assured.¡± Mrs. Grillin Muttered her eyes at


    Larissa, a triumphant smile on herce.


    Kevan¡¯s hands jerked in the midst of opening his box of food. Gary was so guarded against him, one


    would think that Kevan was a thief or something. Il Gary knew that he was here¡­


    ¡°Did Mr. Logan say anything?¡± he pretended to ask nonchntly.


    ¡°He just said that he got it and hung up.¡± Mrs. Grillin was not familiar with Gary, so she could not sense


    the impending ¡°hurricane¡± in those three words of his.


    Kevan was not afraid of Gary-but that was only limited to the business sector. As Gary had a hold on


    his weak spot, he had to treat him


    Randomly taking a low bites of his food. Kevan went outside to call Lewis.


    Lewis already heard about him going to the hospital from Gary, so before Kevan could speak, he said,


    ¡°I can help you hold my uncle back. and stop him from going over to murder you, but in exchange, you


    have to help me out with something.¡±

 Chapter 586

    Chapter 586


    Lewis¡¯ request was easy for Kevan. ¡°I need you to put it out there that Microworks will be working


    together with Fantasy Utopia for Traveling Through Time, the movie that you¡¯re shooting this year.¡±


    The momentum of Microworks buying the rights to ¡°Traveling Through Time¡± was pretty big. Even


    people who did not bother paying attention to it would have heard of it. But Lewis knowing about it had


    exceeded Kevan¡¯s expectations. Even more so was the fact that


    Lewis mentioned Fantasy Utopia.


    Kevan was familiar with thepany, Fantasy Utopia. When they were shooting ¡°Wormhole,¡± he had


    once struggled to decide between Fantasy Utopia and Crescent Legend for their post-production team,


    Later, a movie that Crescent Legend had done the special effects for was screened, gaining pretty


    good box office sales, and their reputation began to surge too.


    In order to ride out on this bit of sess. thepany brass decided on Crescent Legend as a bid for


    a favorable oue.


    Bothpanies worked well together, and ¡°Wormhole¡± did not disappoint in breaking box office


    records. Hence, Crescent Legend was naturally chosen again for the post-production work for


    ¡°Traveling Through Time.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve already signed with Crescent Legend though.¡± Kevan frowned as he was in a dilemma.


    If he could help, even if Lewis did not return the favor, he would do everything he could to help.


    Except- ¡°I¡¯m not asking you to really work together with Fantasy Utopia.¡± Lewis exined. ¡°Let me put it


    this way-it¡¯s just for Xavier Seymour to think that that¡¯s what you¡¯re going to do.¡±


    Xavier?


    Kevan¡¯s frown deepened. He suddenly recalled that Cosmic was preparing to shoot ¡°Migration to Mars,


    and that they seemed to be intending to work with Fantasy Utopia for post-production. Was Lewis


    trying to get him to mess this up by pretending?


    The more he thought about it, the more possible it seemed.


    ¡°I need to let Crescent Legend know,¡± Kevan said.


    Even if it was not real he needed to think about his business partner¡¯s feelings. If they misunderstood


    him, the ones getting messed up would be them instead.


    It was easy to talk to Crescent Legend¡¯s president.


    Kevan only said that it was due to promotional purposes, and the president agreed to let him hype


    things up with the idea that Microworks was ¡°going to work with Fantasy Utopia.¡±


    As for Fantasy Utopia-


    Lewis said that he would handle it. Moreover, he even sent over a number and told Kevan to call at a


    specified time, going as far as to


    ensure that he would know what to say about it.


    The time Lewis specified was tomorrow. Kevan memorized the script for what he was going to say


    before returning to Larissa¡¯s ward.


    He had gone out for an hour, Larissa had already finished her dinner, and Mrs. Griffin was giving her a


    wipe-down.


    When Keyan went inside, he saw Larissa lying on the bed with her gown partially undone. His eyes


    darkened at once, and his blood began to rush downward.


    Hearing the noise by the door, Larissa struggled to her head. When she locked eyes will Kevan, she


    bellowed out of both embarrassment and shame, ¡°Outl


    Kevan heeded her desires and turned around, pushing down the disappointment that he left. ¡°My


    apologies,¡± he said in a deep voice, but remained at the door and did not leave. ¡°It¡¯s a little cold.¡± He


    made a show of rubbing his arms. ¡°Could I stay in the ward? I promise that I won¡¯t look.¡±


    His tone was surprisingly sincere, and there was a hint of a plea in il not knowing what to say.


    Original content from N?velDrama.Org.


    It seemed that she did not have anything to threaten him with.


    Kevan could imagine the way she was frowning and biting her lip at the moment-the way that she


    normally looked when struggling with something. A smile began to rise on his lips, and he happily


    picked up where she left off, ¡°Otherwise, I¡¯ll go out and be struck by lightning.¡±


    He was used to not caring about taboos because he did not believe in them, so he tended to swear


    rather harshly-But the only person


    who could make him promise like this was Larissa.

 Chapter 587

    Chapter 587


    Larissa was angrier than ever, spitting a few times as she eximed. ¡°What the hell are you saying?¡±


    Kevan¡¯s smile grew bigger, so much so that it reached his eyes. She still cared about him. How


    wonderful


    Because Kevan was standing there by the door-regardless of how well-behaved he was. Larissa. Grit


    in to hurry up with the wipe-down,


    Ivery ill at ease, getting Mrs.


    The thundering outside finally stopped, and the rain began to thin slowly. But the power had not been


    restored yet. Other than the hospital there was no light in the nearby skyscrapers.


    Kevan checked the balcony and the bathroom window, only retuming to the room once he was certain


    that everything was closed properly.


    Larissa was still watching television-she could not do anything else other than that anyway. ¡°Are you


    going to sleep soon? she asked Kevan, who cic not answer her question, He asked her instead. ¡°What


    about you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to sleep, Larissa yawned and turned off the television


    Kevan immediately went closer to lower the bed for her sot the bed to the head, bracing one hand


    against the railing sum


    His close proximity made Larissa freeze.


    the could te t. ¡°Do you need anything else?¡± He moved from the foot of e bed as he leaned down


    sightly.


    ¡°No, thanks. She smiled, her gaze darting about without daring to stay on his face for long.


    nd he was


    Kevan c¡¯d notice her panic. But the way she forced herself to be calm when she was clearly freaking


    out was rather adorable, and reluctant to leck away.


    He sounded like he was sighing when he spoke.


    Larissa shuddered and hummed in response. ¡°What?¡± She carefully moved her gaze back to him,


    automatically freezing again when she saw his affectionate face and fathomless eyes. An inexplicable


    sense of fear rose up from within her, causing her to sputter. ¡°I really don¡¯t ineed anything else: please


    go to sleep! I¡¯m tired, goodnight.¡±


    With that said, she seemingly tried to deceive herself by closing her eyes.


    Kevan did not manage to hold himself back from chuckling. ¡°Why are you so cute? The gentleness in


    his gaze was enough to drown someone-but it was a pity that Larissa did not see it. However, his


    words still made her blush, Cute? She was not a child!


    Kevan let go of the railing and slowly straightened up, Larissa listened attentively, only rxing when


    she heard his footsteps heading toward the other side.


    Kevan¡¯s phone happened to ring at this time. When he looked at it, it was Aster requesting a video call


    with him. He rejected it at once-he could not let Aster see the ward nor the hospital gown he was


    wearing.


    Aster may be young, but it was not easy to fool him.


    ¡°I be making a call¡¯ Kevan said to Larissa. ¡°Right here.¡±Original content from N?velDrama.Org.


    Larissa had no thoughts on that. ¡°Sure.¡±


    Kevan immediately made an audio call and Aster practically answered at the first ring.


    ¡°Daddy!¡± His clear, delighted voice rang out in the ward.


    Larissa¡¯s eyes snapped open.

 Chapter 588

    Chapter 588


    Larissa did not remember how long it had been since shest heard Aster¡¯s voice. She kept thinking


    about it, to the point that int that she was


    close to hallucinating. She could frequently hear Aster calling her ¡°Mommy,¡± repeatedly in happiness,


    joy, depression, sadness ¨C But she knew all too well that those were merely hallucinations.


    However, it was different this time.


    ¡°Are you working? Aster¡¯s voice held some confusion and tentativeness in it


    Larissa stared at Kevan¡¯s phone so hard that her vision actually blurred out, though she did not know if


    the staring was what caused it to happen.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Kevan peeked at Larissa out of theer of his eye, his tone gentle as it always was


    whenever he was chatting with Aster.


    ¡°Aw¡± Aster drew out the word with disappointment. ¡°I callter then¡±¡±


    He video-called Kevan at this time almost every day, so naturally, he thought that Kevan was free right


    now,


    ¡°No need.¡± Kevan stopped him and took the initiative in the conversation. ¡°Did anything interesting


    happen in school today?¡±


    ¡°Ms. Judy praised me today!¡± Aster¡¯s tone pitched upward, the pride obvious in it


    Kevan¡¯s gaze softened a great deal, Cocking an eyebrow slightly, he asked with some curiosity. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I found a hurt little bird! its wing was broken, and it was so pitiful. It could not even fly anymore! I


    brought it to the infirmary and got Dr. Mora to wrap its injuries. I even used some wood to build a little


    house for it! Ms. Judy said I was very kind, and that my little house was very nice!¡± Aster giggled. ¡°I


    took some pictures. I¡¯ll send them to you!¡±


    He had just finished speaking when Kevan¡¯s phone vibrated, surely having received the sent pictures


    Larissa¡¯s heart was itching. She did her best to stretch her neck to look, but because she was too far


    away, she could only see a blurry mess of colors.


    ¡°Daddy, did you see it?¡± Aster asked eagerly.


    Kevan¡¯s smile grew bigger. ¡°Yes.¡± He gazed at the pictures Aster sent and did not look away for a long


    time.


    ¡°Is it nice?¡± Aster¡¯s voice held a subdued hint of hope.


    Kevan chuckled, his deep voice oh, so wonderfully soft and gentle. ¡°Of course it is. You made it.¡±


    Aster giggled again,


    Their intimate and natural conversation made Larissa just a tad jealous. But at the same time, she was


    somehow a little satisfied?


    She figured that she must have gone mad.


    Keeping Larissa¡¯s health in mind. Kevan did not chat with Aster for long. About half an hourter, he


    found an excuse to hang up. Turning back, he saw theplicated expression on Larissa¡¯s face, who


    was clearly deep in thought.


    ¡°You and Aster video call every day?¡± she asked.C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    Kevan could not make heads or talls out of her emotions based on her expressions and tone of voice


    alone, so he answered very carefully. ¡°Sometimes.¡± She did not like him and Aster getting close before.


    Besides, Aster called him ¡°Daddy.¡± earlier.


    Larissa licked her chapped lips, and asked somewhat embarrassedly. ¡°Could you let me see the


    pictures he sent?¡±


    Kevan acted fast getting out of the chair and going over to crouch at the head of the bed. He then


    raised his phone before her.


    In the picture, Aster was holding that colorful bird of a breed she did not know about with a sunny smile


    on his face. On the table next to


    him, there was a little wooden house. The structure was simple, likely made by sticking a few pieces of


    wood together, but it was very well done. The walls were even painted with colors that the bird had.


    Larissa kept looking until her tears started falling.


    down in her heart burst out, and she could not stop it even if she tried.


    Kevan could not stand Larissa¡¯s tears. He would feel badr her whenever she cried.

 Chapter 589

    Chapter 589


    He used a tissue to carefully wipe her tears away, letting out a very soft sigh. ¡°If you miss him so much,


    why don¡¯t you tell him the truth? Then she would not need to act shifty or anything like that and video


    call him as she was,


    ¡°No.¡± Larissa¡¯s refusal was very decisive.


    Aster was precociouspared to other kids his age, and he was much more mature than them too. A


    regr kid might not understand


    what a car crash or broken legs meant but Aster did.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want him to worry about me.


    They were an ocean apart. She could never make Wendy bring him back again. Therefore, he could


    only panic over there, or worry needlessly over her every day. She did not wish for that to happen. Her


    only wish was for Aster to live happily every single day.


    Kevan clearly saw the forlornness in her eyes. His heart softening, he nearly suggested helping her


    transfer over to Aldavia. He had his own private ne. so transferring an immobile patient on a bed


    was not a problem.


    But- He knew that il she went back, she might nevere back to Caldor. He could not bear to part


    with her, nor was he willing to spend the rest of his days gazing at her pictures like he did six years


    ago. He wanted her to be by his side, alive and human. 50. he had to hurry up and remove any


    obstacle that prevented them from being together as well as eliminating all her concems.


    The Seymours were the first.


    Original content from N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Can I request something of you? Larissa¡¯s sen question brought Kevan back,


    ¡°Tell me.¡±


    ¡°If you have nothing on at night could youe to the hospital? I would like to listen when you and


    Aster call each other.¡± Larissa¡¯s gaze was camest.


    Kewan did not hesitate at all. ¡°Sure.¡± He could barely describe his feelings right now-being thrilled


    made up a good had cl it, but there was some worry as wel. From this day onward, he did not need to


    wrangle his brain ler excuses toe see her, and he coulde over as he pleased. Sadly, Gary¡¯s


    animosity toward him would increase further.


    Having cried so much, fatigue overtook Larissa very quickly. Unable to hold on, she closed her eyes,


    blearity bidding Kevan goodnight.


    After her breathing had evened out. Kevan got out of his char again to sit at the head of the bed,


    watching her quietly for quite a while by way of the weak light filtering through the little window above


    the door.


    He had not had the chance to be alone with her for a very long time. Once the sky brightened up, the


    rain stopped, transport was restored. and when the Logans came, he would have to leave. Therefore,


    every minute and every second here was very precious to him, and he could not bear to waste time.


    The rain increased and decreased at times, changing from roaring downpours to pitter-patters. The


    gray clouds gradually dissipated, and the sun peeked through a crack in the clouds, and the sky


    brightened quite a bit.


    is gaze frally moved Smiling, he leaned down to kiss Larissa¡¯s forehead gently. ¡°Good morning, baby.

 Chapter 590

    Chapter 590


    As Bartham was the leading city out of all the major cities, all transport Unes and power were swiftly


    restored after the storm. It was only around 8 am when Gary rushed over to the hospital with Lewis in


    tow, yanking Kevan-who was still asleep in the chair-up and chasing him out, ¡°Mr. Rogers, you can go


    now.¡±


    Kevan had slept for less than two hours, and he could barely keep his eyes open. But his back


    straightened up out of habit as he sat back dazedly in the chair, which made him look kind of cute.


    Larissa could not bear it and told Gary, ¡°Let him sleep for a little while longer.¡±


    Her plea only caused the jealousy in Gary¡¯s heart to bum hotter. But he could not say any words of


    denial to her, so he could onlypromise. ¡°Isn¡¯t the ward next door empty? Let the nurse know that


    he will be going over there to sleep. To show his ¡°consideration,¡± Gary added. ¡°So that we won¡¯t disturb


    him here.¡±


    His suggestion was fairly reliable to Larissa. The wards on their floor were all VIP wards and the cost of


    staying in one was fairly expensive. When regr wards are not filled up, almost no one would stay in


    a VIP ward, so the idea of using up resources unnecessarily was unfounded.


    However, before she could agree, Kevan woke uppletely. ¡°No need.¡± His bleary eyes gradually


    became clear, and he rose up from the chair. Til head right back,¡±


    The clothes he was wearing yesterday had been sent to theundry room by Mrs. Griffin, and they had


    been cleaned, dried, and returned. The hospital¡¯sundry room was not as professional asundromats


    cutside though, and Mrs. Griffin had not paid much attention to it. So, the custom tailor-made shirt had


    a few creases on it, making it look crumpled. Kevan frowned.


    Knowing his temperament, Larissa was afraid that he might get angry at Mrs. Griffin, so she hurriedly


    found an excuse to get Mrs. Griffin out of the ward. Mrs. Griffin rubbed her hands and prepared to


    leave when Kevan stopped her.


    ¡°Mrs. Griffin.¡± His expression was mild, and there was a faint smile on his lips, his voice surprisingly


    humble, ¡°Thank you for your hard work.¡±


    A little ttered, Mrs. Griffin quickly waved her hand, stammering. ¡°N-No worries! Not at all?


    Kevan brought his clothes with him into the bathroom to get changed. When he came out in the same


    getup from yesterday, the bedraggled mess that was him yesterday no longer existed. He exuded an


    elegant air that could not be deterred by the wrinkled shirt.


    Larissa¡¯s eyes brightened, and Gary¡¯s expression grew more and more sour. He could bother to be


    graceful any longer and waved his hand Imitably, ¡°Shool Get out now, Go!¡±


    Kevan heeded him, bidding Larissa goodbye before he left. ¡°See you tonight.¡±


    Gary exploded at once. ¡°Why is he stilling over tonight? What for?¡±


    His reaction amused Larissa so much that she was not sure if she shouldugh or cry. ¡°He wants to


    call Aster, and I want to listen,¡± she exined.


    Gary had long known about his grandson but was unable to meet him officially in person. ¡°When are


    you going to introduce me to Aster?¡± he grumbled sourly, clearly filled with jealousy.


    Having spent time with Gary during these few days, Larissa had long since seen the truece he hid


    behind a mild-mannered mask-petty. a grudge holder, and a person with a penchant for sulking.


    Seeing that his emotions were off, she immediately promised him. ¡°Once I¡¯ve recovered fully. I let you


    both meet.¡±


    Only then did Gary let her off the h ook, but he still minded a bit about Kevan, ¡°So, he will being


    every night then? Upon receiving Larissa¡¯s affirmative answer, his expression darkened so much that


    one would think his face was a thundercloud, but he could not explode.


    ¡°I must be here when hees.¡± he emphasized strongly.


    C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    Larissa agreed helplessly. ¡°Okay, okay, okay!¡±

 Chapter 591

    Chapter 591


    Kevan¡¯s assistant was waiting downstairs at the hospital. The city¡¯s power supply was cut off


    completely yesterday, and all transport was at a standstill. They came from the office together, and


    hallway through the journey, their car was submerged in water and shut down.


    The rain had been pouring heavily then, but Kevan ignored his assistant¡¯s advice and jumped out of the


    car into the rain, leaving him behind. The assistant waited in ce for almost three hours before a tow


    truck came, and he finally got out of his arduous situation. Early this morning, he got a call from Kevan


    telling him toe pick him up as well as buy a set of new clothes, including underwear. Kevan had


    just settled in the hackseat when the a ss stant passed over a few shopping bags hom the passenger¡¯s


    seat.


    C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    ¡°Your lhes, Mr. Rogers.¡±


    Kevan changed into his new suit and tossed the wrinked set aside. When he got out of the car, the


    assistant asked him, ¡°Should this outfit be in the car. Mr. Rogers?¡±


    Kevan replied coldly, ¡°Throw it away.¡±


    The moment he reached thepany, Kevan summoned everyone involved in ¡°Traveling Through


    Time¡± for a meeting, informing them of his decision to create hype with Crescent Legend and Fantasy


    Utopia. The movie needed some poprity. This sort of hype would not create any losses for the film


    producers and was something that the public Iked. So, no one objected to the idea at the meeting.


    Kewan warned them. ¡°The promotional n must be kept secret from the public this time. If anyone


    asks, just say that you can¡¯t talk about


    Otherwise, everything they had worked so hard for would be ruined.


    Around noon. Lewis called to remind Kevan to go forward with their n, Kevan immediately dialed the


    number Lewis had sent him previously.


    On the other end of the phone call Frank was having a meal with Xavier in the restaurant at the Regal


    Dynasty Hotel Frank had specifically taken some lime out toe to Bartham, so he would only be


    staying for two nights. When Xavier found out about his schedule, he personally invited Frank out for a


    meal as a way to send him off.


    Frank had no reason to refuse him.


    As both parties had onlye to a verbal agreement without signing any contracts, Xav er was afraid


    that Frank would have second thoughts after he went back so he wanted to chat more with him and


    develop aser connection with thetter,


    After three drinks, Xavier was a little drunk, and his actions were more casual than bre. He h ooked


    an arm around Frank¡¯s neck, acting like they were close friends as he bragged. ¡°I tel you Frank,


    Cosmic Entertainment is the best Ilm productionpany in Caldor. We will delinitely earn some big


    bucks through our joint venture!¡±


    Frank frowned with disgust at the pungent smel of alcohol He discreetly pushed Xavier away from him


    while smiling politely. ¡°Of course. We have faith in Cosmic Entertainment as well as Migration to Mars.


    Xavierughed insolently, ¡°I¡¯m not bragging. This movie will totally make a box office of litly billion


    dors!


    Frank went along with it. ¡°That¡¯s definitely true.¡± Right at this moment, his phone rang. He remembered


    what Lewis told him so he smiled apologeticaly at Xavier and said, ¡°Let me just answer a cal.¡±


    Xavier was very unhappy, but as he was begging the other, he could only pretend to be magnanimous


    and said, ¡°Sure, go ahead.¡±


    Frank did not leave his seat. In fact he even shilled closer lo Xavier. The moment the call connected,


    Xavier could hear Kevan¡¯s voice through the phone.


    ¡°Mr. Moore? I¡¯d like to talk with you about the movie Traveling Through Time.¡±

 Chapter 592

    Chapter 592


    Kevan used Aldevian, but Xavier recognized his voice due to how unique the former¡¯s voice was. He


    sobered up immediately.


    Frank pretended not to notice Xavier¡¯s anxiety, ¡°coldly¡± replying to Kevan, ¡°Sorry, It¡¯s not convenient for


    me right now. If you have time tomorrow, pleasee before 8 am to the Regal Dynasty Hotel. I will


    give you half an hour.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Kevan was fairly ¡°generous,¡± and he did not show any displeasure at Frank¡¯s attitude.


    ¡°We¡¯ll see each other tomorrow then,¡± Frank ended the call without waiting for Kevan¡¯s response.


    His ¡°performance¡± caused Xavier to stare with his jaw hanging. Other than the Rogers themselves,


    there was no one in Caldor who would dare to be so discourteous with Kevan, Alter taking some time


    topose himself, Xavier forced a smile and asked Frank, ¡°is yourpany also responsible for the


    post-production of Traveling Through Time?¡±


    Seeing how unfazed Frank was toward Kevan, Xavier was more careful than ever, not daring to have


    any intimate physical contact with Frank for fear of angering him.


    Frank frowned, seemingly imitated. ¡°I have not decided yet,¡± he said. ¡°This was not a part of our n,


    but Mr. Rogers of Microworks keeps calling me these days. To be honest, instead of just working on


    post-production, I am more Interested in getting involved in film production through investing. This way,


    our revenue would increase 100.¡±


    Xavier quickly made his stance known. ¡°Tve already contacted many A-list actors in the country. They


    are very interested in ¡®Migration to Mars. For directors, I would like to have Stephen del Rio on board. I


    wonder if you could reler him to us, Mr. Moore?¡±


    Stephen del Rio was one of the big-shot veteran directors in Tinseltown, and he was adept at shooting


    sci-fi tims. Many popr sci-fi films released by Fantasy Utopia were directed by him. All of this


    information was found out byn yesterday when he spent the whole day digging up things on Fantasy


    Utopia for his survey report.


    Recently, Caldor¡¯s film industry had entered a recession in which many intellectual properties failed.


    Although Xavier was very confident in ¡°Migration to Mars.¡± he decided to use the most star-studded


    crew possible-famous directors, actors, and productionpanies that would carry the movie¡¯s box


    office-to ensure that nothing went wrong.


    As for capital-once he had the director and actors figured out, there would naturally be countless


    companies who would want a piece of all the action.


    This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.


    Frank agreed readily. ¡°Of course. Stephen and I are old friends. I let him know then, and have him meet


    you soon.¡±


    Xavier thought to himself. ¡°Myeback n has progressed to lifty percent now.¡± With Fantasy


    Utopia and Stephen del Rio backing him. all those actors who were waiting on the sidelines or


    hesitating would likely agree to sign with him at once. He happily drank tworge sses of liquor.


    When the meal came to an end, Frank confided in him. ¡°I really favor Migration to Mars¡± and your


    capabilities. I will find an excuse to refuse ¡®Traveling Through Time¡¯ tomorrow, so don¡¯t disappoint me.¡±


    Xavier immediately patted his chest in promise. ¡°We won¡¯t!¡±

 Chapter 593

    Chapter 593


    Having one-upped Krvan with a ¡°sessful business talk with Frank Xavier got a little carried away,


    First, he contacted all the actors he had called before, boasting with the same script. ¡°I just had a meal


    with the bass of Fantasy Utopia and he rejected the offer to coborate with Visualox¡¯s Traveling


    Through Time in front of me! Because he favors Migration to Mars! Moreover, he will try and get


    Stephen del Rio to direct this movie! Do you know Stephen del Rio? it¡¯s that famous sci-ilm director


    who got two Diamond Reel Honors and three tinum Film Awards, among other awards¨C


    The cirction of information in the entertainment industry was always thestest, so amest everyone


    knew that Xavier was in ongoing negotiations with Fantasy Utopia. However, due to Cosmic


    Entertainment¡¯s unfavorable stuation, no one really believed that he really established a connection


    with Fantasy Litopia.


    Besides, VsuaBox just released the news in the afternoon, saying that Fantasy Utopia was in charge of


    the post-production for ¡°Traveling Through Time.¡± As VisualBox was under Microworks the credibility of


    their news was higher. Therefore, some people mocked Xavier mercilessly. ¡°Please! Give it up! Don¡¯t


    end up being embara ssedter!


    Dutraged, Xavier said. ¡°We¡¯ll see who will be the ones to get embarrassed by then!¡±


    In just one day, the news of VisualBox¡¯s cooperation with Fantasy Utopia to produce ¡°Traveling


    Through Time¡± together went viral on the Internel. Most nelizens treated this news with positivity, and


    only a lew Crescent Legend fans expressed regret over this-but that was IL Just regret. After all,


    Fantasy Utopia and Crescent Legend were rivalpanies in Tinseltown, I did not matter who


    produced the movie. the effects would be good either way.


    This news trended on Twitter for a day, and several celebrity teams called to confront Xavier. ¡°Didn¡¯t


    you say that Fantasy Utopia was going to work with you? Why are they working with VisualBox now?¡±Original content from N?velDrama.Org.


    Xavier had no idea about this either, and he frantically called Frank, Frank was on his light back to


    Aldovia, so the call only connected by night Expressing his surprise, Frank said, ¡°What? I clearly told


    Mr. Rogers that we wou d not be working together this lime! They ve gone too far! Don¡¯t worry, Mr.


    Seymour, I will have thepany release a statement to strongly condemn the depraved acts of


    VisualBox!¡± Half an hourter, the official Twitter ount that Fantasy Utopia had made, but never


    used, released a solemn statement that cleared the air about the matter of theirbse cooperation with


    VisualBox.


    Soon. Visua Box responded too. ¡°We have indeed negotiated with Fantasy Utopia before, but due to


    some considerations, they have decided not to work with us. We are understanding of their decision,


    and we ept the final oue. An employee of ourpany. Mr. Bradley leakedpany ns


    before the release of urate information, causing a disturbance. To this, we express our sincerest


    apologies. Mr. Bradley has currently resigned from his position, and we will take responsibility for his


    mistake. We will co what we can topensate for the losses that Fantasy Utopia has sullered.¡±


    This was honestly not a big deal. There was al sinds of information circting on the Inte and many


    official statements would always backpedal on what they have said, so it was nothing new, Netizens did


    not really react to this, and most of them just wanted to know i VisuaRoe was not working with Fantasy


    Utopia would they reach out to Crescent Legend again,


    However, Visualbox did not respond to this question.


    With this, Xavier grewcent. To ease his mind, Frank quickly arranged for Xaver¡¯s meeting with


    Stephen del Rio, going as far as to get Stephen toe to Caldor, and he was seen at the almort by


    the paparaz zi.


    The celebrity learns who doubted Xavier came over to alter him, apologizing while tesling the waters


    with him, hoping to bag a role for a celebrity under their management. Manypanies who previously


    relused to invest in ¡®Migrating to Mars also blew up Xailer¡¯s phone wanting to do everything they could


    to shove their money into his pockets.

 Chapter 594

    Chapter 594


    ¡®Mr. Seymour, Mr. Cine of Eagle Entertainment just caled to ask you were free tonight. He wants to


    treat you to dinner,¡±


    ¡°Mr. Seymour, Mr. yton of Holos Media sert you an invitation to attend his daughter¡¯s wedding on


    Saturday, and he hopes that you will attend.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Seymour. Mr. Simpson Jr. of WinterSky Entertainment wants to invest one hundred million dors


    in our movie. He says that if you fret that it is encugh, he can add more to ¡±


    Ever since Xavier met with Stephen,n was constantly running over to Xavier¡¯s office to inform him of


    one thing or another. Compared to the previous months, he was doing this a lot more than usual.


    Xavier In a cigar that he had been saving up for a very long time, one leg resting on the knee of his


    other. He had a lock cl absolute self- satisfaction on his face as he puffed on his cigar.


    ¡°Tell Mr. Simpson Jr, that our project requires, at the very least, a starting investment of two hundred


    million dors, and there are limited spots. Firste, first served¡± he said unhumedy, his tone smug. It


    was a major contrast hom the way he was begging people to Invest in his movie like a loser a few days


    ago,


    Thankfully, he did not need to do that.


    Now that everything was going well with the project. Xaver did not even bother to investigate the


    disappearance of Ron, and he even said that once thepany had been rebuilt, he worked to give


    lan a vice-presidential position.


    Despite the high position that Mr. Simpson Jr, hald, he was very polite ton. ¡®Thar < you for your hard


    work, Mr. Price! Il you have time tonight, why don¡¯t we have dinner together?¡±


    With that thought in mind, he agreed to Mr. Simpson ar¡¯s invitation.


    The phone rang again after he hung up. This was the norm these days, son did not find it edd. He


    picked up the phone and said ¡°Hello? very coldly.


    It was the voice of the receptionist, and she sounded like she was in a dilemma, While she spoke, there


    was a shillemale voice ringing loudly nearby. Hon date you not let me in! Don¡¯t think that I won¡¯t have


    you fred right now!¡±


    Althoughn had not heard that woman¡¯s voice cllen, he was familiar with it.


    ¡°Um ¡ªMrs. Seymour is here, and she wants toe in now The receptionist sounded really timid,


    probably because Yvelle had screamed at her, so much so that even her voice had changed.


    in Alter that, Xavier practically moved out of the Seymour home. Apart from the mansion they lived is


    the rest of the Seymour family properties have been repossessed by the bank. It led Xavier to stay at a


    hotel long-term, paying an extravagant room price that cost more than a thousand dors every day.


    The building where Cosmic Entertainment used to be was naturally gone, and thepany employees


    have mostly resigned too. It was only during these two days that Xavier took the over three hundred


    million dor investment by severalpaniesbined to rent one


    Important core employees from the oldpany with high snes,

 Chapter 595

    Chapter 595


    Who knew that Yvette woulde looking for them shortly after thepany reopened?


    Lan pushed open Xavier¡¯s office door, immediately getting a whiff of the smoke in the room. But as


    cigars were good quality smokes, the smell was not too bad. Xavier sat in the midst of the wispy


    smoko, idly flicking away the ash gathered on the end of the cigar.


    ¡°Who¡¯s looking for me again? He smiled, trying his best to appear nonchnt. But he could not hide the


    smugness in his eyes.


    Xavier¡¯s smile turned into a frown at once, his expression turning cold as well as carrying a hint of


    disgust. ¡°Get security to chase her out.¡±


    His apathy and heartlessness stunnedn for a moment, until Xavier¡¯s shout of ¡°Well, why are you still


    standing there? Go startled him into action.


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Seymour. Right awayn hurried out once again and called the building¡¯s management, telling


    them to send security up at once. But he had yet to inform the reception when he heard the sounds of a


    commotion at the end of the corridor, which was where the door was


    ¡°You can¡¯t go inside!¡± said the poor receptionist, who sounded close to crying.


    ¡°Get the f uck out of my way!¡± snapped Yvette, who sounded contemptuous, imitated, and furious.


    There were only a few people working in thepany in total so when they heard the noise, they


    stopped what they were doing and looked over


    Yvette knewn, but their superficial acquaintanceship did not earn an even a shred of respect from


    her, Yvette showed him aside. shouting, ¡± F uck off before barging inside.


    Asn was a man, he could not bring himsell toy his hands on her. He could only ask the receptionist


    to help, ¡°Pull her back¡±


    The young receptionist hupped Yvette around the waist tightly, and Yvette wed at her hand, her long


    nails raking across the back of the poor girl¡¯s hand leaving several hideous bl oody scratches behind


    The receptionist wailed in pain and let go, allowing Yvette to continue her rampage inside.


    With such a ¡°precedent¡± from the receptionist, the other female employees only watched from a


    distance. None of them dared to step forward. However, the male employees took the intiative to


    surround Yvette and block her off this way.


    Yvette was not the least bit afraid of them, taking advantage of her status as their employer¡¯s wife to


    curse, kick, and beat them. She also kept threatening to live them.


    Original content from N?velDrama.Org.


    One of the male employees finally could not stand it anymore. He rolled up his sleeves and pped her


    hard. ¡°F ucking bit ch, shut the hell. upt if you want to fire me, go right ahead! I don¡¯t wanna work here


    anymore anyway!


    With that said, he returned to his seat and grabbed his bag. He ignored the calls of the others as he


    headed out


    Yvelle was momentarily disorientated by Keh¡¯s p, When she came back to hersell she became


    crazier, grabbing something off the table closest to her and throwing it at someone. She was screaming


    at the same time too, ¡°Xavier Seymourt Get the motherf ucking hell out here! Nana is going to gel


    finished by that dam ned b itch, Larissal Why are you still holed up in here like a da mned cowand!¡±

 Chapter 596

    Chapter 596


    Xavier had long since heard themotion outside. Out Yvelle got exposed previously, causing him to


    be humiliated loe, not to mention that she was now useless to him. So, he made up his mind to ignore


    her. If it were not for the fact that divorcing her now would appear to be adding insult to injury, easily


    tuming him into a target of ire, he would never let her continue to hold the title of ¡°Mrs. Seymour¡± so


    amogantly up until now


    True, he could ignore Yvette now, but Lana was his only daughter. The moment he heard that


    something was wrong with her, he could not sit still any longer. He carefully extinguished the me of


    the cigar and set it aside before leaving his office.


    It was chaps out here.


    Folders and A4 papers were sca ttered all over the floor. There was even some earthy sell nearby, as


    well as a flower pot so broken that one could not tell what it used to look like.


    With a bang, another flower pot smashed right at Xavier¡¯s feel the soll damp soil covering his polished


    ck leather shoes. A small bit of seil flew into his shoe digging hard into his fact that caused it to hurt.


    Xavier was started by this. When he saw Yvettes contorted face, his fury surged up at once. ¡°What the f


    ucking hell do you think you¡¯re doing!!¡± he roared.


    But that did not stop Yvette from smashing things.


    ¡°What am I doing? Sheughed coldly before throwing actoo she swiped right at Xaver.


    As the others cried out in shock and hemor Xavier was able to dodge away in time. Thectop crashed


    onto the floor, and the screen cked out at once without further reaction.


    ¡°My proposal & female employee looked close to bears.


    The others locked sympathetic and sad for her, but Yvette seemed not to have heard anything as she


    jabbed a linger at Xavier, yelling, Xavier, you heartless b astard! You¡¯re going to ignore Nana and me


    after you¡¯ve made aeback, Isn¡¯t that right?!¡±


    Xavier¡¯s face was very unpleasant. Yvette was always subservient before him in their many years of


    manage, and she had never been so insolent as she was today. He felt that his authority had been


    vited. Out as there were so many people watching them, he did not want


    them to see this and ridicule him,


    ¡°What are e you saying? Xavier forced himself to lower his voice as he stepped forward to grab her


    hand before she could throw another


    thing. ¡°We¡¯ll talk inside.


    Xavier locked his office door. Once he was sure that those outside would not be able to see him, his


    countenance changed at once.


    ¡°Yvette Xander, there is nothing left between us ever since the day I moved out! The or ly reason I


    didn¡¯t divorce you cutright is because I¡¯m letting you keep some of your dignity, If you don¡¯t want it, we


    can go to the City Hall to get divorced right now!¡±


    ¡°F uck you! That won¡¯t happen Yvette was trembling from her rage.


    if this was dunng the days of her youth, she would have agreed to Xavier¡¯s wish to divorce-there were


    many men who liked her, why would she need to lie hersell down to him? However, limes had changed.


    Although she had not yet grown old, her reption has beenpletely ruined by that ungrateful


    Larissa. Almost every man who admired her before shunned her now. She could only cling to Xavier,


    who was now her only lifeline. No matter how had his allitude was, she could not let go.


    ¡°This marriage is not for you to end whenever you want it to reuse


    ¡°It¡¯s not up to your Xavier yanked on Yvelle¡¯s har, his eyes seeing red. He threw her down on the Noor


    before kicking her in the stomach, sneering coldly as he asked. ¡°Will you agree to a divorce? His voice


    was dark and sinister, sounding like he was the Grim Reaper himself.


    N?velDrama.Org holds ? this.


    Yvette waled in pain, but gritted her teeth and started. ¡®Til You can beat me to death see if you dare!¡±


    Her words enraged Xayler for good.


    ¡°See ill darr? Watch me, bi tch!¡±


    Yvette felt that her bones were shattering. Unbearable pain flooded every inch of her body, and she


    kept screaming-every scream


    bing more agonizing than thest. Cold sweat began to form inyers on her forehead and back.

 Chapter 597

    Chapter 597


    ¡°Help! Someone heb!¡±


    Xavier¡¯s office was not that big, and it was not furnished with soundproofing equipment. So. Yvelle¡¯s


    howls could be clearly heard by the others outside.


    ¡°I this goes on. Mr. Seymour may really beat his wile to death-


    ¡°Should we try to break it up? It¡¯s not good if someone dies.¡±


    ¡°If you want to break it up, go right ahead! At any rate, I won¡¯t be the one doing it!


    After a discussion, the job of breaking up the light between Xavier and Yvette fell onr¡¯s head as he


    was the most trusted subordinate of their boss.


    N?velDrama.Org holds ? this.


    ¡°It¡¯s up to you now. Mr. Price!¡±


    ¡°You can do it,n, we believe in you!¡±


    Althoughn was not willing to risk having Xavier¡¯s rage directed at him, his fear grew stronger when


    Yvelle¡¯s howls grew weaker.


    The security sent by the management arrivedte, and when they saw the mess in the clice, they


    asked quickly, ¡°Where is she? Where did she go?¡±


    Though the guards were confused, they left awkwardly after confirming thatn did not need them


    there.


    Xavier had aread, lost his rationality, His body was under the control of his emotions and not his brain.


    The sounds ofn¡¯s pounding on the door linally brought him back, and when he heard the word


    ¡°security,¡± he stopped at once.


    Yvette was lying motionlessly on the floor, her eyes Fall-lidded, looking like a lifeless ragdol. Xavier


    panicked at once. He quickly crouched down to put two lingers under Yvette¡¯s rose. Thankfully, she


    was still breathing, albeit rather weakly.


    Xavier did not dare dy further and quickly let an in.n was also shocked when he saw Yvette¡¯s te


    on the floor, ¡°Mr. Seymour, Mrs. Seymour is ¡ª He began to tremble.


    Xavier pretended to be calm. ¡°She¡¯s not dead.¡±


    ¡®Give everyone the day off, and tell them to leave now. After that find a way to gel Yvelle out of here


    and send her to the hospital. Don¡¯t let her die.¡± Xavier instructed.


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±n followed his instructions and forced everyone to pack up and leave In the shortest time


    possible. He also found an excuse to send the security guards waiting at the reception desk away.


    Once everyone was gone,n carried Yvelle on his back and walked down the stairs to avoid the


    people in the buliding. He carefully entered the car park this way.


    However, before he could find Xavier¡¯s car, several shes blinded him, and the sounds of a camera


    shuller clicking could be heard,n spun around with alertness and saw an old, ck Santana driving


    toward the exit nott away.

 Chapter 598

    Chapter 598


    Yvette having her pictures taken secretly white in such a state would definitely cause a huge


    commotion when news of it got out


    Butn had no one else with him right now, and Yvette was not in a good state either. So, after


    deliberating for a few seconds, he stil decided to send her to the hospital first.


    While he started the car,n called Xavier and told him about what happened. Xavier was quiet for a


    moment before saying ¡°I got it. I will


    have someone deal with it.¡±


    ¨C


    Yvette did not wake up even after reaching the hospitaln was anxious, and he got the doctor to check


    her over properly. When the


    results


    is came out, he was very panicked. Yvelle had many fractures all over her wheir body, and there was a


    dent in the back of her head. Her spleen had also ruptured from all the kicking.


    Stoneced, the doctor asked sterly and sharply, ¡°You did this to her?¡±


    The doctor asked again, ¡°Have you called the police?¡±


    Feeling guilty,n said. ¡°No. Well I was in a hurry te bring her here, wasn¡¯t I? Couldn¡¯t call with all the


    rush.¡±


    ¡°She will be hosptalized. Her treatment will be handled by the doctors of any rted departments.¡± The


    doctor pushed up his sses and stopped asking questions, instructing the nurse to transler Yvette to


    the orthopedic department. He also pulled the nurse aside to whisper to her, ¡°Call the police too.¡±


    After Yvette was transferred to the orthopedic department,n made sure to get her a VIP ward due to


    her identity. He also epted the


    nurse¡¯s rmendation and hired a caretaker.


    Once all of that was done, the afternoon had already gone by,n checked his watch. It was almost


    time to meet with Mr. Simpson Jr. of WinterSky Entertainment. After giving the caretaker clear and strict


    instructions,n rushed to drive to the restaurant booked by Mr.


    Simpson Jr.


    Right aftern left. Gary pushed Larissa out of the ward next door. Although Larissa¡¯s injuries were


    serious, she had recovered quite well due to the meticulous care from a group of people. The doctor


    had finally allowed her to get out of bed and take a stroll in her wheelchair.


    Having been stuck in the hospital bed for so many months, Larissa was obviously happy and delighted


    to see the world beyond her ward- even if her leg and arm were still stuck in a heavy cast.


    ¡°Can I go downstairs to get some sun?¡± she asked Gary.


    After the storm, the weather in Bartham was still pretty bad as it was either windy or rainy. But the sun


    made an exception and came out today.


    ¡°No.¡± Gary denied her tly. ¡°The doctor already said that you¡¯re restricted to this floor.¡±


    This hospital was in the heart of the city, on a highly valuable piece ofnd. Even is parking space was


    painfully smal, so naturally there


    was no garden for the patients to take a stroll in. There were many peopleing and going between


    the bulldings of the hospital. If


    someone identally knocked into Larissa, she would have to spend a few more montis to have her


    bones fully healed.


    The moment Gary brought up the doctor, Larissa could only hold her tongue. She tumed to see the


    closed door of the next word, and let out a ¡°Huh?¡± of confusion.


    ¡°Is there someone new in the next ward?¡± she asked.


    There were many new patients hospitalized in the orthopedic department, but the VIP wards were


    always emply.


    Gary rarely left Larissa¡¯s ward while he was at the hospital, so he did not care in the least about the


    people or matters around him.¡± Probably,¡± he said mildly.


    yet time to patrol the wards. They chatted while they worked.


    heard that she was badly wounded. Two of her ribs were broken!¡± ¡°It¡¯s more than that, hey! Her spleen


    had ruptured! It¡¯s temble!¡±


    Yvette having her pictures taken secretly white in such a state would definitely cause a huge


    commotion when news of it got out


    Butn had no one else with him right now, and Yvette was not in a good state either. So, after


    deliberating for a few seconds, he stil decided to send her to the hospital first.


    While he started the car,n called Xavier and told him about what happened. Xavier was quiet for a


    moment before saying ¡°I got it. I will have someone deal with it.¡±


    Yvette did not wake up even after reaching the hospitaln was anxious, and he got the doctor to check


    her over properly. When the results is came out, he was very panicked. Yvelle had many fractures all


    over her wheir body, and there was a dent in the back of her head. Her spleen had also ruptured from


    all the kicking.


    Stoneced, the doctor asked sterly and sharply, ¡°You did this to her?¡±


    The doctor asked again, ¡°Have you called the police?¡±


    Feeling guilty,n said. ¡°No. Well I was in a hurry te bring her here, wasn¡¯t I? Couldn¡¯t call with all the


    rush.¡±


    ¡°She will be hosptalized. Her treatment will be handled by the doctors of any rted departments.¡± The


    doctor pushed up his sses and stopped asking questions, instructing the nurse to transler Yvette to


    the orthopedic department. He also pulled the nurse aside to whisper to her, ¡°Call the police too.¡±


    After Yvette was transferred to the orthopedic department,n made sure to get her a VIP ward due to


    her identity. He also epted the


    nurse¡¯s rmendation and hired a caretaker.


    Once all of that was done, the afternoon had already gone by,n checked his watch. It was almost


    time to meet with Mr. Simpson Jr. of WinterSky Entertainment. After giving the caretaker clear and strict


    instructions,n rushed to drive to the restaurant booked by Mr.


    Simpson Jr.


    Right aftern left. Gary pushed Larissa out of the ward next door. Although Larissa¡¯s injuries were


    serious, she had recovered quite well due to the meticulous care from a group of people. The doctor


    had finally allowed her to get out of bed and take a stroll in her wheelchair.


    Having been stuck in the hospital bed for so many months, Larissa was obviously happy and delighted


    to see the world beyond her ward- even if her leg and arm were still stuck in a heavy cast.


    ¡°Can I go downstairs to get some sun?¡± she asked Gary.


    After the storm, the weather in Bartham was still pretty bad as it was either windy or rainy. But the sun


    made an exception and came out today.


    ¡°No.¡± Gary denied her tly. ¡°The doctor already said that you¡¯re restricted to this floor.¡±


    This hospital was in the heart of the city, on a highly valuable piece ofnd. Even is parking space was


    painfully smal, so naturally there


    was no garden for the patients to take a stroll in. There were many peopleing and going between


    the bulldings of the hospital. If


    someone identally knocked into Larissa, she would have to spend a few more montis to have her


    bones fully healed.


    This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.


    The moment Gary brought up the doctor, Larissa could only hold her tongue. She tumed to see the


    closed door of the next word, and let out a ¡°Huh?¡± of confusion.


    ¡°Is there someone new in the next ward?¡± she asked.


    There were many new patients hospitalized in the orthopedic department, but the VIP wards were


    always emply.


    Gary rarely left Larissa¡¯s ward while he was at the hospital, so he did not care in the least about the


    people or matters around him.¡± Probably,¡± he said mildly.


    yet time to patrol the wards. They chatted while they worked.


    heard that she was badly wounded. Two of her ribs were broken!¡± ¡°It¡¯s more than that, hey! Her spleen


    had ruptured! It¡¯s temble!¡±

 Chapter 599

    Chapter 599


    ¡°The E.R. said that they called the police when they brought her here, but they didn¡¯t say how she got


    hurt


    ¡°She must have been beaten up by someone. Otherwise, how do you exin her injuries?!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t celebrities have agents, bodyguards, and stuff? Normal people wouldn¡¯t be able to get close to


    them, so how the hell did someone even beat her up?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s for celebs who are popr now! For a washed-up one like Yvette, what agent would care about


    her, especially with the huge scandal that got exposed so recently?¡±


    Larissa was originally listening to the gossip as a way to relieve her boredom, but when the name


    ¡°Yvette¡± popped out of a nurse¡¯s mouth, she froze at once. Once she had connected the previous


    dialogues to this, she was very surprised.


    Yvette was beaten up by someone? But who would do that?


    Like Larissa, Gary¡¯s attention was also drawn by the nurses¡¯ conversation. He slowed down until he


    decided to just stop walking.


    There were only two nurses who were in charge of Larissa. But as the only VIP patient on this floor


    until today, Larissa¡¯s and Gary¡¯s presence was known to every nurse here. They were quickly noticed


    by the chatting nurses.


    The head nurse in charge of Larissa, Anya Bet, hurriedly put down her work and left the station


    with some nervousness, while also asking in a pleasant manner. ¡°What brings you here? is there


    something you need? If there is, just press the button in your room we will go over to you.¡±


    Larissa smiled faintly and waved her off. ¡°No. there was nothing. The doctor has allowed me to leave


    the bed, so I came out for a stroll¡±


    It was only then that Anya allowed herself to rx. ¡°Do you need me to take you along for the stroll?


    She looked at Larissa before looking at Gary.


    ¡°Sure.¡± Larissa said kindly,


    Her answer surprised Gary a little, and he looked down at her for a moment but said nothing. Anya took


    the lead, introducing the structure of the floor as well as the purpose of every room they passed by.


    Larissa listened attentively. After going one round around the floor, she pretended to ask nonchntly,


    ¡°There seems to be someone new in the ward next to mine.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Anya nodded once, suddenly lowering her voice as she said, ¡°It¡¯s that actress, Yvette Xander. Do


    you know her?¡±


    Although Larissa had already guessed, she was still a little panicked when her guess was confirmed to


    be true. She spent six years healing her trauma all the way on the other side of the globe, and she had


    barely managed to walk out of her traumatic childhood grief when the recent car ident made her


    fearful of Yvette and anyone from the Seymour family all over again.


    To her, they were all insane. There was nothing that they could not do in this world.


    C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    Larissa subconsciously bit down on her lip, her uninjured right hand clutching at the armrest of the


    wheelchair. Her knuckles lost their color due to how light her grip was.


    Now that Yvette was so close to her, even if she was heavily injured-Larissa could not be sure if this


    was another scheme against her. Perhaps her so-called ¡°wounds¡± were only another act for her to see


    She turned Swillly to cast a pleading look at Gary, whose heart sank at once upon receiving her signal.


    ¡°No, we don¡¯t,¡± Gary said, before bending down a little to remind Larissa gently. ¡°Alright, we¡¯ve been out


    for quite a while now. It¡¯s time to go back¡±


    After letting Anya know, Gary pushed Larissa back to her ward. When he passed by Yvelle¡¯s ward, he


    deliberately hastened his footsteps.


    Mrs. Griffin was in the middle of cleaning. While Larissa was out, she changed the sheets into hest


    ones, and she also used disinfectant to mop the floor.


    When she heard the noise of their return, she looked up at the door. ¡°Why are you back so soon? She


    did not expect this to happen. ¡°The door isn¡¯t even dry yell


    Gary did not answer her question, only looked around before asking coldly, ¡°Where¡¯s Lewis?

 Chapter 600

    Chapter 600


    Chapter 600


    Lewis hade to the hospital early, spending nearly hall an hour reporting to Gary about work-rted


    things. Then he stayed here, asionally giving Mrs. Griffin a hand, though most of the time he sat on


    a sofa nearby with hisptop in hisp to deal with work.


    When Gary pushed Larissa out of the ward, Lewis was still focused on reading work emails from


    Aldovia.


    Mrs. Griffin looked outside the door. ¡°He went to answer a call and left. But his things are still here, so


    he will probably be back soon.¡± As she said, Lewis¡±ptop was still ced on the s he had been


    sitting on, and the power indicator was still lit, which clearly meant that he had just left not long ago.


    This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.


    Gary passed Larissa over to Mrs. Grillin. ¡°Help Lari get into the bed. I will call Lewis. However, before


    the call went through. Lewis came back. The phone in his hand rang at this time, Lewis looked down to


    see before asking Gary in surprise. ¡°You were looking for me, Gary?¡±


    Gary did not rush to speak. He waited until Mrs. Grimin helped Larissa get into the bed before using an


    excuse to get her out of the room. then he closed the door.


    ¡°Yvette¡¯s next door. Go find out what is going on with her.¡±


    Lewis¡¯ eyes widened. ¡°Yvette¡¯s in the ward next door?¡± He did see someone enter the ward next door,


    but he did not expect the patient in


    there to be Yvette. ¡°I¡¯ll ask a doctor.¡±


    Ever since Larissa was hospitalized, he visited the doctor¡¯s ollice almost every day to get updates on


    Larecovery progress. V


    such frequency, he was now familiar with all the doctors in the department so getting this kind of


    information was easy for him.


    It only took three to five minutes for Lewis to figure things out, and he came back from the doctor¡¯s


    office.


    ¡°She¡¯s really hurt, and it¡¯s quite severe. Someone must have beaten her. She¡¯s not awake yet so no


    one knows what happened to her.¡±


    Although Yvette was her biological mother, Larissa felt nothing as she listened to what Lewis said.


    However, Gary¡¯s face darkened, and his expression was quite solemn. Soon, some noise could be


    heard outside.


    Lewis went out for a look, saying. ¡°The police are here. They went next door.¡±


    For this matter to involve the police meant that it was not as simple as it looked. However, the police


    did not stay in Yvette¡¯s ward for long. probably because she was still unconscious.


    Lewis ryed the information to them at once. ¡°They seem to be going to the doctor¡¯s office.¡±


    ¡°Enough.¡± Gary waved his hand. ¡°Come Inside.¡±


    The police would not get any more information than they already have from the doctors.


    ¡°Is Rogersing today? Gary asked Larissa.


    Kevan came to the hospital every day, contributing to Gary¡¯s mounting displeasure. From the more


    polite address of ¡°Mr. Rogers,¡± he¡¯d changed it into just ¡°Rogers¡± with utmost imitability.


    Larissa scolded him several times for that, but Gary was very stubborn about this. Moreover, the more


    she defended Kevan, the more bones he had to pick with the man. Over time, Larissa could not be


    bothered to care about this anymore.


    Thankfully, Kevan was open-minded and did not fuss over this with Gary. No matter how bad Gary¡¯s


    attitude was, Kevan was always polite and tactful whenever he visited. This only heightened Larissa¡¯s


    impression of him.


    ¡°Yeah, I guess so,¡± she said.


    Kevan knew that she did not have a phone. If he could note due to some reason, he would let her


    know the day before to prevent her


    from waiting up for him for the whole night,


    ¡°He won¡¯t being.¡± Lewis said, his tone more certain than hers


    Gary looked at him, and Lewis exined, ¡°He called me and said that he had something on tonight so


    he won¡¯t be able toe. I came back after the call, then you told me to look into Yvette, so I forgot all


    about it. I just remembered now,¡°


    ¡°What could he possibly have going on tonight?¡± Gary was not satisfied with this vague exnation.


    ¡°When I¡¯m not looking for him, hees here every day, and I can¡¯t even kick him out. But now that I¡¯m


    looking for him, he has something going on!¡±

 Chapter 601

    Chapter 601


    Lewis was a Stile resigned, and he could not help but feel sorry for Kevan


    ¡°It¡¯s his Uncle Bemard¡¯s 60th birthday today. He originally did not want to go, but his parents insisted


    that he attended, so ..¡±Lewis defended Kevan. ¡°If you have something really important to tell him, I will


    contact him now.¡±


    ¡°No need.¡± Gary rejected his suggestion. ¡°Telling him tomorrow when hees is line too.¡±


    Lewis and Larissa looked at each other, and they pursed their lips simultaneously.


    There were all kinds of luxurious cars parked in front of the Regal Dynasty Hotel. This spectacle


    caused many passers-by to stop and


    stare while letting out a series of fuelulmentaliers.


    Kevan parked his car in the midst of all of them, and his phone rang just as he pushed open the car


    door.


    ¡°Kevan, are you here yet? Violet¡¯s voice came through the speakers.


    Kevan held his phone in one hand, while his other hand reached to the passenger¡¯s seat to grab the


    wrapped gift. ¡°I just am ved.¡±


    ¡°Oh, good, good. good! Violet seemed to sign in reliel. ¡°Come inside quickly. Everyone¡¯s waiting for


    you!¡±


    Kevan get out of the driver¡¯s seat, and a mocking smile appeared on his face in the dark,


    Waiting for him?


    It seemed that Soaring Corporation was in quite some trouble. Otherwise, why would those two families


    force Anthony to make hime and even be polite to him with how much they hated him?


    Although Soaring Corporation had serious intemal problems, Cody kept pretending that everything was


    just line to prevent morale from falling. One could airan a little of that from the scale of Demard¡¯s


    birthday least. Tonight, the entirety of the Regal Dynasty¡¯s third floor, in which the bargurt hall was, was


    not open to others in order to ensure the privacy and safety of all guests attending the least.


    Moreover, early in the morning, all the premium ingredients that Edmund had ordered were delivered


    from their areas of production and flown over to Bartham by a private ne before being delivered to


    the Regal Dynasty¡¯s kitchens. The alcohol that would be served to the guests were made by famous


    local and international winery or vineyards, with the price of each bottle starting at tens of thousands


    and increasing from there.


    When Bernard went over to Microworks to give him the invitation in person two days ago, he gloated


    about all this smugly, and that made Kevan genuinely happy. It was great because this meant that they


    were only so much closer to their own funerals.


    The big screen outside the hotel had the location of Bernard¡¯s birthday least disyed. The moment


    Kevan entered the hotel, there was a whole bunch of smiling front desk people who led him toward the


    elevator. The other guests who arrived with or after him received a


    simr treatment.


    One could see the uniformed front desk staff going to and from the venue on the sp acious third floor.


    The banquet hall Bernard used was naturally the biggest hall the hotel had to offer. They seemed to


    have added a lot of tables to the hall so much so that it was overflowing through the door, and the


    aisles were very narrow,


    Even though the decorations in the hall were magnificent, the guests were all crammed together, so


    many people were not smiling at all Some even looked annoyed.


    But the moment Kevan entered, their expressions changed.


    C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    ¡°Mr. Rogers!¡¯


    ¡°Mr. Rogers, you¡¯ve finally here!¡±


    Mr. Rogers! Please take a seal here!¡±


    Mr. Rogers, here! Sit with us!


    Almost everyone called for Kevan to go over to them, regardless of whether or not he knew them.


    ¡°I¡¯ll meet with my Uncle Bemard first.¡± Kevan smiled slightly and rejected the offers from the crowd. He


    passed through the long, narrow aisle with great difficulty before reaching the head tables where the


    Rogers family were.

 Chapter 602

    Chapter 602


    Sitting at the main head table were the three Rogers brothers and their sons. The women and


    grandchildren were arranged to sit at the next head table close by.


    The moment Kevan got closer, Anthony stood up and waved at him, ¡°Kevan, here!¡±


    The gazes of everyone else at the table only fell on him then.


    Original content from N?velDrama.Org.


    There was an empty seat next to Anthony, which had clearly been left for Kevan.


    Kevan did not take his seat at once but went over to Bemard to give him the prepared gill. ¡°Happy


    birthday. Uncle Bernard.¡± Kevan smiled faintly, his voice hac a rare trace of gentleness when faced with


    all these people he was always good with pulling superficial


    performances, even during the years in which the rtionship of his side and theirs was at its most


    strained. He never did anything that could allow anyone to hold leverage over him when it came to


    public and social settings.


    It was just that ever since he ¡°lost¡± his memory, he was colder to his family and friends. So, his attitude


    today surprised Bernard quite a hit


    *Thank you. Kevan!¡± Bernard was in a good mood as it was his birthday today, so he did not


    deliberately show displeasure to Kevan as he usually did. Instead, heughed joyfully as he hugged


    the exquisite wooden box, and his crow¡¯s feet deepened when he felt the sloshing lould inside the bax.


    Kevan had given him alcohol, which was basically him pandering to Bemard¡¯s desires. Bernard drank


    like his fe depended on it, but he was very unbearable once he got drunk. Therefore, he¡¯d embarrassed


    himself multiple times because of this.


    Maria¡¯s shrill voice from the next table demanded. ¡°You gave him liquor?!¡± Her voice was quite loud,


    and the high volume easily cul through the surrounding chatter, which scared everyone into shutting


    their mouths.


    Bernard¡¯s smile froze on his face immediately.


    Kevan stopped smiling and turned to look at Maria, raising an eyebrow in confusion.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you know that your uncle has stomach and liver problems? The doctor said that he can¡¯t drink!¡±


    Maria red at Kevan angrily. hatred burning in her garr as if Kevan was a murderer who enjoyed


    taking the lives of others.


    To Kevan, Bernard was just an arrogant loser who used to live off his parents, and now lived off his


    son. Although he had big ambitions, he could not make any huge waves. Because of thal, Kevan never


    sent anyone to monitor Bernard¡¯s actions. Therefore, he was naturally unclear about Bernard¡¯s health


    condition.


    ¡°My apologies, I was unaware.¡± Although Kevan was unhappy with Maria¡¯s rudeness, he did not show


    it. He apologized politely before discussing it with them, ¡°I will pick a different gift for Uncle Bernard


    another day. As for this bottle of liquor¡­¡±


    Bernard cut him off at once. ¡°Let meke it home as a decoration! It¡¯s not that bad looking to be one!¡±


    Based on the wooden box alone, Kevan¡¯s liquor was not cheap. Bernard was naturally reluctant to part


    with it. It was true that he had all kinds of health issues, and the doctor did instruct him to not drink too


    much-but this was ¡°not too much. Having an asional cup or two was fine. He nced at his wile


    over at the other table and grumbled to himself internally. ¡°This st upid bi tch, always overreacting and


    being a drama queen!¡±


    However, Kevan had not yet spoken when a hand covered with rings and bracelets stretched in from


    nowhere and sna tched the box away.


    Bernard frove for a moment. When he finally came back to himself enough to try to get the liquor back,


    a loud smash could be heard as the Low was thrown hard onto the floor. The purplish-red liquid seeped


    through the box very quickly and started brickling out of IL The smell of liquor overtook the whole


    banquet hall swillly too.


    ¡°What the heil are you doing?!¡± Bernard roared angrily as it someone had taken his lifeline from him.


    Maria was not to be outdone either as she put her hands on her hips and shouted back, ¡°Do you want


    to die?¡±


    The banquet hall fell silent for good this time as all the guests burned to where they were with curiosity.

 Chapter 603

    Chapter 603


    Seeing that the atmosphere had be awkward, Cody and Edmund Immediately came to smooth


    things over. One pulled on Bernard while the other went to persuade Maria.


    ¡°Dad, Mom is only doing this for your own good! Please don¡¯t be angry!¡±


    This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.


    ¡°Forget it Mom, It¡¯s Cad¡¯s 60th birthday today. Just show him a bit of respect and not cause a scene


    here, please? There are people watching!¡¯


    No one bothered to apologize to Kevan-of course, he never expected them to either. In the confusion,


    he silently went over to sit in his seat, trading a look with Anthony before quietly observing this farce.


    However, the farce did notst long. Alter both sons had persuaded them,bined with the stares


    from the guests, Bernard and Maria calmed down very quickly.


    Cody got a waiter to clean up the mess on the floor, and once Bernard¡¯s emotions were fully calm, the


    feast officially started.


    There was an emcee for the feast. Cody had spent a great deal of money on this too, for he had hired a


    well-known host from SterTV to ensure that thiros ran smoothly. Other than that, he also invited


    several famous singers to perform.


    The guests were mainly older political and business cliles, so they were not interested in any of these


    ridiculous programs. Hence, no matter how high-energy the performances were, the atmosphere off-


    stage was stil. lileless. Many even rubbed their ears andined about how noisy it was, and they


    could barely hear the person speaking next to them.


    As for the main star of the event, Bemard was watching the performances with relish, his eyes


    frequently drifting to the bodies of the female stars, wt ile a nasty smile yed on the corners of his


    lips. Those who shared his table pretended to not have seen anything while Maria was gritting her teeth


    angrily, but kept hersell as calm as possible due to needing to show him courtesy on his big day.


    The performancessted for nearly an hour. Thankfully, the dishes were served about hallway through,


    or a great deal of the guests might have gone berser


    After thest singer finished their performance, Berard went up the stage at the invitation of the emcee


    to deliver a speech to the quests.


    ¡°Thank you, thank you all foring despite your busy schedules! I am very, very honored! I am also


    thankful to my two dutiful sons, for they were the ones who did everything they could to organize such


    a grand feast Ik e this one, and made my wishese true?


    Bernard¡¯s face was filled with pride, and his eyes seemingly kept dritting over to Anthony and Kevan,


    seemingly gloating on purpose.


    Cody helped him by asking. ¡°Kevan, Uncle Anthony¡¯s 60th birthday was not celebrated well. Don¡¯t you


    want to give him a grand one to


    make it up to him?¡±


    The father and son pair had indeed touched upon a sore point for Kevan. Anthony was older than


    Bernard by three years. But Kevan was still in a a¡¯ at that time, so naturally, he could not celebrate


    his 60th birthday. Besides. Anthony and Violet had no heart to do anything like that ether as they were


    worried about their son, who was still hospitalized then.


    Anthony saw the guilt on Kevan¡¯s face. So, he said, ¡®it¡¯s alright¡± while shaking his head, smiling warmly


    at his son as he patted his hand. ¡±


    don¡¯t care about these formalities.¡±


    These words were meant for Kevan as well as the others sealed with them. But his sincere words were


    taken as him ¡°desperately¡± trying


    to preserve his reputation by those with ulterior motives.


    Maria followed along in their attempts to sow discord. ¡°Kevan, boy, your father only sald that he doesn¡¯t


    care so you wouldn¡¯t feel bad. You can¡¯t take it as it is, you know! Look at your Uncle Bernard, he¡¯s so


    glorious today! I tell you, bay, he has never been as happy as he is today for the longest time! If you


    organize a party like this for your dad, he will definitely be as happy as ark loof

 Chapter 604

    Chapter 604


    Kevan ignored her words, feeling for his phone to text Dn via WhatsApp. ¡°Give me a call in ten


    minutes.¡±


    He only came for his parents sake. Now that a.. social lormalities had been taken care of, it was time to


    ¡°retreat.¡± He did think of apanying his parents until the end of the event, but it was annoying to be


    in thepany of Uncle Bernard¡¯s family, and he could not stand their drivel


    N?velDrama.Org holds ? this.


    Seeing that Kevan disregarded herpletely, Maria had trouble keeping the smile on her face.


    ¡°Kevan, boy, it¡¯s not that I¡¯m criticizing you or whatever.¡± The reproach in her voice grew stronger.


    ¡°Earning money may be important, but you should be supporting your parents well too! When your


    parents are gone a few yearster, who are you going to spend all that money on?¡±


    *Don¡¯t worry, Aunt Maria. Kevan put his phone down and smiled faintly. ¡°The money I give my parents


    every year is more than what your sons are able to eambined. Besides, I have a daughter to raise


    too, so I must work hard to earn more.¡±


    Maria¡¯s face had originally darkened when she heard the first half of his words. After hearing the rest,


    she could not stop herself from smiling even as her gaze was filled with smugness as well as .


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s true too.¡± She went along with his train of thought. ¡°Girls must be nurtured well. You only


    have one daughter, Bethany, so you must prepare and educate her so that she can seed you.¡±


    Kevan just grunted in response.


    ¡°However-¡°Maria suddenly frowned and changed the subject. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you bring Beth along today? I


    haven¡¯t seen her in a while, and I miss her.¡±


    Kevan let out a hirt of panic at the appropriate time, while poorly attempting to maintain hisposure


    as he said. ¡°She went to ssmate¡¯s home to y.¡± His expression and tone of voice were very much


    unnatural.


    Cody knew about Bethany¡¯s kidnapping, and he was constantly paying attention to the progression of


    the kidnapping case. But because all his information came from Ruby, he did not know who the culprit


    behind Bethany¡¯s kidnapping was. He could only send people to keep an eye on Anthony and Violet to


    see if Bethany had been salely rescued. But Bethany did not appear up till now, so he could not help


    but be agitated.


    Cody had known from the start that Bethany was his daughter. Ruby¡¯s pregnancy was something he


    nned too. His original scheme had been this: Kevan would get murdered on his and Lana¡¯s wedding,


    and Ruby¡¯s child would be the only kid from his line, who would naturally inherit Microworks. By


    then, she could give Microworks to him.


    However, man proposed, and Go d disposed. Alter being in aa for six years, Kevan woke up


    miraculously. Thank goodness he had lost his memories, so he did not remember his past with Ruby.


    As a result, he did not know that Bethany was not really his daughter.


    Cody¡¯s n was able to continue, but his acquisition of Microworks would have to be dyed by a few


    more years. He could wait though.


    Since he was able to plot against Kevan once, he could do it again. And for the second time, he would


    not allow any idents to happen.


    However, Bethany was crucial to this whole n. There would be no Microworks without her.


    ¡°Really?¡± Cody asked. ¡°Kevan, I did hear some things.¡± He paused before adding, ¡°About Beth,¡±


    Kevan¡¯s panic was more obvious. ¡°What is it?¡± He asked ¡°quilly,¡± refusing to meet Cody¡¯s gaze.


    Anthony and Violet were well aware of the situation as their faces had be a little solemn. The


    other Rogers also leaned in curiously. afraid that they might miss a word.


    ¡°Beth has been kidnapped, hasn¡¯t she?¡± Cody¡¯s gaze was sharp, looking as if he could see through


    Kevan.


    When the others heard that, they gasped in shock


    ¡°Beth has been kidnapped? When did this happen?¡± ¡°Goodness gracious! How could this happen to


    us?¡±

 Chapter 605

    Chapter 605


    ¡°Has the police been called? What did they say?¡±


    ¡°Did the kidnapper call? How much money do they want?¡±


    The chattering discussion attracted the attention of the surrounding quests, to the point that Bernard,


    who was still in the midst of delivering his speech on stage, was ignored. Bemard deliberately tapped


    the mic with is fingers and cleared his throat twice, but he was unable to draw the attention of the


    crowd back to him,


    Kevan looked down, his hands clenched into lists on the table.


    ¡°Yes.¡± After a long moment, he hit out this word with great difficulty.


    ¡°It¡¯s been so long! Has she not yet been rescued?! Cody¡¯s voice grew louder from his anxiety.


    The guests further away were startled as they looked over as one.


    Cody wanted this matter to be known by all so he did not control the volume of his voice. ¡°Beth is your


    biological daughter! How can you be so heartless. Kevan? It¡¯s not like youck that bit of money! Can


    you bear to just watch her die? His ¡°indignant¡± series of questions caused people¡¯s eyes to widen


    further in shock.


    ¡°Kevan, dic you not pay the ransom money?¡±


    ¡°How long has it been? Beth can¡¯t be already?


    Original content from N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Did the police not save the child?¡±


    Kevan pressed his lips lightly together with his eyes cast downward, his eyshes concealing the true


    emotions in his eyes.


    ¡°They want a hundred million,¡± he said. ¡°I can¡¯t get so much money in such a short amount of time.


    When I¡¯d gathered enough money. I


    lost contact with the kidnapper.¡±


    Anthony and Violet were aware of what the real inside story was, so when they saw Kevan weaving a


    tapestry of lies to lool the others, they could only cooperate with him and pretend to look sad-Molet


    even lowered her head to wipe at her tears.


    Maria was very pale, the secret delight long gone. Her mouth hung slightly open as she stared, her


    eyes nk as if she could not ept this cruel truth.


    ¡°How could you be like that!¡± Cody leaped to his feet and grabbed at Kevan¡¯s cer angrily, dragging


    him up to the same height as he was, and bellowed. ¡°Kevan Rogers, you heartless son of a bi tch!


    ¡°That¡¯s an innocent life!¡±


    ¡°Is your daughter¡¯s life not worth a hundred million?!


    ¡°You¡¯re not suited to be a father?


    Kevan could no longer bear the usations flooding in. The insincerity of these a ssholes ruined his


    appetite, and he did not want to stay for even a second more.


    ¡°Enough.¡± He jerked tree of Cody¡¯s grasp and spoke in a cold voice. ¡°My family matters have nothing to


    do with you.¡± He straightened out his clothes and dusted off non-existent dust. ¡°You must be clear that I


    am also a victim of this, and there is no one else in the world who would want my daughter to be saved


    more than I do. If you have any grievances, gose it out on the kidnapper instead. Il you can find


    whoever it is. I will be very grateful to you.¡±


    The group was struck speechless by him-all except for Cody. ¡°Keep pretending, you b astard! You just


    can¡¯t bear to spend a hundred million! All your so-called care and desire to rescue your daughter is


    fake! You¡¯re a heartless hypocrite who disowned his family long ago! Nothing is more important to you


    than your money!


    However, Kevan did not wait for him to finish before leaving the table, heading toward the exit through


    the nanow alsle.


    Cody¡¯s roars of age kept sounding from behind him, and all kinds of stares were cast at Kevan, who


    ignored them all including the shouting. He simply walked out of the venue with his back straight and


    his pace steady and sure.

 Chapter 606

    Chapter 606


    Dn¡¯s phone call only came after Kevan had reached the bottom floor of the hotel. ¡°I¡¯m already out.¡±


    Kevan waved off the lobby manager and walked straight out of the hotel before getting into his car.


    ¡°So soon?¡± Dn was a little surprised but figured it out after a moment¡¯s thought. Those vampires


    tried to create trouble for you again?¡±


    Although Kevan did not like those two families, he never started anything on his end. He only ever


    retaliated because the two Rogers branch families kept provoking him on purpose. Not warting to dwell


    on this subject further, Kevan asked Dn, ¡°How¡¯re things with you?¡±


    Dn nced at the ward door that was firmly shul next door before lowering his voice. ¡°Something did


    happen.¡±


    Kevan¡¯s nerves were pulled taut at once as he mmed the gas pedal all the way down. The ck


    Maserati shot out like an arrow loose from a bow as it raced away through the night.


    It normally took 45 minutes to get to Victory General Hospital from Regal Dynasty by car. Kevan


    forcibly shortened halved that time. He raced all the way from the parking lot to the surgical building.


    When the elevator reached the orthopedic department, he lock wide steps and rushed over to Larissa¡¯s


    ward in the shortest time possible.


    When he opened the door, he could hearughter from within. Kevan subconsciously paused in his


    footsteps.


    Dn saw him first. ¡°Kevan!


    Everyone else turned to the door. Kevan smiled and walked right in.


    Larissa was very surprised to see him. ¡°Didn¡¯t you go to altend your Uncle Bernard¡¯s birthday?¡±


    ¡°I got into a bit of conflict with them, so I left first. Kevan did not avoid mentioning these things to her.


    ¡°Have you eaten, then? Do we need to order takeout for you?¡±


    Larissa¡¯s concern softened the frown on Kevan¡¯s face as well as calming the agitation he felt. However,


    before he could speak, Gary cul him off. ¡°He¡¯s an adult, he can¡¯t have not eaten when hungry.¡±


    ¡°Dad-¡°Larissa was very resigned. ¡°Can¡¯t you just be nicer to him?¡±


    Gary just red at Kevan before harrumphing coldy and looking away.


    C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    ¡°Uncle Gary¡¯s right.¡± Kevan pulled a chair over to sit near the head of the bed, his smile growing. ¡®I¡¯m


    an adult, and I do indeed know that i


    should eat when I¡¯m hungry.¡±


    Larissa saw Dn opening and closing his mouth, and she was struck with an idea. Rubbing her


    stomach, she looked at Lewis and said.¡± I¡¯m hungry. Lewis. I want some pancakes.¡±


    The Logans had always given Larissa whatever she wanted. The moment Larissa asked, Lewis


    Immediately picked up his phone. Gary threw out an idea too. ¡°The butter pancakes we hadst time


    weren¡¯t bad.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Lew¡¯s prepared to order.


    Larissa raised two fingers and said with an ingratiating smile, ¡°Lewis, I want two portions.¡±


    Lewis was not dumb, and he knew exactly what she was after. He eyed Gary carefully out of the corner


    of his eye, and only when his uncle did not protest did he agree to Larissa¡¯s request. ¡°Quay.¡±


    Now that the pleasantries had been observed, Kevan gol down to business. ¡°What happened?¡±


    Dn did not give many details on the phone, only saying that he would talk about Il after Kevan got


    here.


    Kevan thought that Larissa¡¯s condition had worsened or something and he was very worried on the


    way here. But now that he saw her


    lying just fine on the bed, he was a little confused and curious,

 Chapter 607

    Chapter 607


    ¡°Yvette¡¯s in the ward next door. And Keh said that he can¡¯t bear to stay in Cosmic any longer,¡±


    Dn sighed softly.


    These two things did not affect Kevan too much. ¡°What happened to them?¡± he asked with a frown.


    ¡°Yvette went to Cosmic to cause trouble today. Kerh tried to stop her a bil, and she pped him.


    After that, Xavier beal the sh it out of her, so she ended up getting hospitalized. It seems to be pretty


    bad.¡± The moment he heard that Yvette was hospitalized, Dn


    immediately got someone to find out what had happened. But because their nt, Keh, had left


    Cosmic in advance, no one could get a precise result but only a spected one.


    ¡°Yvette still hasn¡¯t woken up. The police came once in the afternoon, and they left without getting any


    info.¡±


    With how severely injured Yvette was, she could not threaten Larissa¡¯s safety. The rm in Kevan¡¯s


    heart vanished at once, and he rxed. ¡°I will have someone keep an eye on the ward next door.¡± He


    would be able to know firsthand if anything changed. ¡°You don¡¯t


    have to worry too much.¡± Heforted Larissa, Gary, and Lewis.


    ¡°What¡¯s the point of having someone keep an eye on things?¡± Gary scoffed at his words. ¡°You had


    someone keep an eye on Larissa too


    then, but she still get sent into the hospital by that p sycho!¡±


    This was one of Kevan¡¯s deepest scars in his heart, and a memory that he refused to recall the most


    out of the rest. The light in his eyes faded away as he apologized hoa rsely to Larissa. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not your fault, what is there for you to be sorry for?¡± Larissa gently held his hand, a warm smile on


    herce. Her voice was light andforting. ¡°My dad¡¯s just worried and using you as a punching bag!


    Don¡¯t fuss with him over this.¡±


    The soft flesh of her palm was nestled close to his. Kevan¡¯s heart stuttered suddenly as his fingers


    gradually closed around her hand. wrapping it safely in his ownrge one. He hummed salty in


    response, and his voice was just as airy as his excited mood.


    Gary¡¯s reaction was the exact opposite of his.


    Seeing his uncle¡¯s livid face. Lewis quickly spoke up to smooth things over. ¡°I will keep an eye on


    Yvette¡¯s ward too. If anything happens, I transfer Lari out of here at once.¡± Since Larissa could get out


    of bed now, transferring her became an easy task. If it was necessary. he could evenke her back to


    Aldovia directly for treatment.


    ¡°Transfer her tomorrow,¡± Gary spoke, his attitude unyielding and firm. He was unwiling to take that risk,


    no matter how small it was. He did not wish to experience the same pain as before. ¡®It¡¯s time for us to


    go back too.¡±


    The other three in the ward were shocked by his words.


    Original content from N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Go back where? Aldovia? Larissa asked. She looked at Kevan subconsciously, her heart filled with a


    somewhat inexplicable mess of


    panic and reluctance.


    Kevan felt the same way.


    ¡°If you want to transfer her to another hospital, there are many other top-tier hospitals in Barlham. If you


    want privacy, there are some good private hospitals. It¡¯s not necessary for you to go back to Aldovia for


    treatment. Besides, Larissa has not healed yet ard she shouldn¡¯t be going through a long-term journey.


    It will increase the chances of her getting hurt again.¡± It was rare for him to say so much at once, and


    the speed of his speech was so fast that he did not even notice.


    Dn continued his words and said, ¡°I have a friend who established his own hospital. A good deal of


    wealthy people get their treatment from there. If you want, I can have him get a ward ready for Larissa.¡±


    ¡°No need. Gary had already made up his mind. ¡°It¡¯s too dangerous to stay in Bartham. My influence is


    not here, so I cannot ensure Larl¡¯s safelypletely.¡±


    Yvette¡¯s hospitalization was not the only reason that made him want to leave, Xavier and Cody were


    licking time bombs for Larissa too. Gary knew that they did not have much time left before those two


    bombs exploded.


    ¡°Besides, you can only carry out your ns wilhgul distraction when Ike Lail away.¡±

 Chapter 608

    Chapter 608


    Larissa did not know how many times she hade to and left Bartham Airport. The weirdest thing


    about it was that whenever she was


    here, her mood would be strangely grave-it was as if she had gone back to that fateful day when


    she left Caldor six years ago.


    ¡°Time to go.¡± When it was almost time to board the flight, Lewis helped Gary up before reaching out to


    grip the handles of the wheelchair.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Feeling the wheelchair move, Larissa put away all her nonsensical thoughts and gripped the


    phone that Kevan forced into her handst night tightly.


    Gary was walking next to her, and he saw that phone. Snorting coldly, he sneered. ¡°We¡¯re about to


    leave, and he doesn¡¯t even want toe see us off


    He had not named the subject in his words, but Larissa knew who he wasining about. She


    flipped the phone over, and the screen It up because of her actions-there was still no word from him.


    Larissa pressed her lips tightly together, and the empty hole in her heart felt cold


    Gary had booked the whole business ss on this flight to ensure Larissa¡¯s safety. The three of them


    sat separately so that they would have a certain amount of personal space where they would not


    disturb each other.


    Lewis turned on hisptop the moment he sat down, lingers cking away on the keyboard, looking


    strangely busy while Gary adjusted


    his seat and asked for a nket from the flight attendant, going straight to sleep.


    They followed Larissa¡¯s request and did not smother her with too much attention.


    Larissa had slept for too longst night so she did not feel tired. But the entertainment on the ne was


    very dull. She picked a movie before putting on headphones. The movie had just yed when the


    announcement about the ne taking off sounded, instructing all passengers to turn off their phones.


    Larissa¡¯s finger touched the power button, and she was about to press down on it when her phone


    vibrated, a message popping up on the screen. This phone was brand new, and only Kevan knew the


    number of it.


    Larissa¡¯s heart began to race a little faster. Her hand trembled even as she opened the message.


    ¡°I will wait for you toe back.¡±


    These eight words caused a wave of emotion to surge up within her. She stared at the message,


    complicated feelings engulfing her all at once, choking her by the throat even as she teared up. She


    typed an ¡°Okay¡± in the text box, but she was unable to send the message even after a long while. After


    all even she did not know if she woulde back in the future.


    ¡°Miss, please turn off your mobile phone.¡± The beautiful flight attendant crouched next to her with a


    gentle smile, but the tone of her voice clearly left no room for dispute.


    ¡°Oh! Right.¡± Larissa came back to herself and did as she was told.


    C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    Lewis had already made appropriate arrangements for what came next. Afternding in Westonia,


    Larissa was sent to a very high-end private hospital, receivingplete treatment and care from the


    doctors and nurses. She was practically cut off from the world beyond, and the phone that Kevan gave


    her was confiscated by Gary and tossed to G od knew where. Because of that, she missed a series of


    big. shocking news that urred in Bartham. It was less than three months since the exposure of


    Yvette¡¯s dark history, and she had appeared in the headlines of all the major news outlets once more-


    Yvelle Hospitalized! Severely Wounded, Suspected Physical Abuse!¡±


    The papara zzi had uploaded the video of her getting hauled into the car byn in the parking lot. The


    video showed that her eyes were closed, and her body was hanging lifelessly fromn¡¯s shoulders like


    a corpse.n¡¯sce had been blurred out so no one could tell who it was, but this did not stopizens


    from trying to identify him via all kinds of traces or clues that they could lind.


    This got pretty big, and it was difficult forn, who was involved, to not know about it. He frantically


    went to lind Xavier and said, ¡°What do we do now, Mr. Seymour?¡± He could never have known that


    there would be papa raz zi lying in wait in the basement parking lot.

 Chapter 609

    Chapter 609


    ¡°You¡¯ve been following me for so long, and yet, you¡¯re still so useless.¡± Xavier sneered and cast a


    disdainful nce atn while leisurely puffing on his cigar. ¡°I¡¯ll handle this matter. Just keep your mouth


    shut, and don¡¯t go around talking about it,¡± Xavier said confidently.


    Xavier¡¯s expression changed upon hearing that, and he mmed the table hard. ¡°How care he show us


    attitude when we¡¯re being gracious to him.¡±


    ¡°That damn bitch!¡± Xavier¡¯s anger shifted back to Yvetle. ¡°I regret not killing her!¡±


    It took a while for Xavier to calm down.


    ¡°Go find Keh again and ask him to state his conditions. We¡¯ll try to satisfy him if it is within our


    means,¡± Xavier ordered.


    Xavier had gone to great lengths to recruit Keh, who had an irreceable position in the


    entertainment industry. Xavier did notck money. Rather, hecked a blockbuster movie to make his


    comeback. He was willing to spare no expense and assemble the best team to ensure sess.


    So,n followed Xavier¡¯s orders and went to Keh¡¯s house again. However, Kevan and Cn were


    also waiting for him apart from Keh. This was the first timen had a formal meeting with the two,


    and he immediately became nervous, instinctively taking a lew steps back.


    ¡°I visit another day since you have guests.¡±n forced a smile and attempted to open the door, But


    Keh blocked his way.


    ¡®Come in,n. We¡¯ve been waiting for you,¡± Kevan said softly.


    N?velDrama.Org holds ? this.


    Keh pushed nim into the living room from behind.


    Kevan and Dn upied the central seats on the couch, while Keh pressedn to sit on the side.


    Kevan smiled. ¡°Well I do have a few things to discuss with you. Let me sort them out first.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s start with the most recent incident.¡± Kevan signaled Keh with his eyes, and Keh turned


    on the TV and gestured forn to watch.


    Althoughn had seen the footage on the TV many times before, this time, there seemed to be a slight


    difference. The 75-inch screen disyed his face clearly, without any obstructions, Even the mole on


    the right side of his nose was sharply captured by the camera.


    ¡°How did you get this video?¡±n eximed in shock.


    ¡°We have more recordings as well. Keyan¡¯s smile deepened. As he spoke, the TV screen changed


    again, showing two people sitting in a luxurious private room in a restaurant.


    ¡°This is¡±n gasped.


    The entire process of his transaction with Mr. Simpson Jr. from WinterSky Entertainment was recorded.


    Every word they said that day now echoed in his ears.


    Soon, the screen switched again, this time showing him and Ron. There was no doubl that their


    conversation


    ¡°Enough!¡±n covered his eyes as if doing so would make everything in front of him disappear. ¡°What


    exactly do you want?¡±

 Chapter 610

    Chapter 610


    Lately. Xavier had been incredibly swamped as he attended one dinner party after another. The


    organizers of these parties ranged from bosses of entertainmentpanies, agents, actors, and of


    course, major investors, who were eager to impress him and gain his favor.


    That night, he was being entertained by a B-list female star. After wining and dining, it was a no-brainer


    that they booked a hotel room together. Just as they had removed their clothes and gotten cozy in the


    bedroom, the door was pounded on violently.


    ¡°Open up Police!¡±


    Xavier¡¯s buzz vanished in an instant.


    The female star, who was clinging to him like an octopus just moments ago, freaked out. She pushed


    him away and scrambled to put on her clothes.


    Xavier grabbed his underwear, shook with nerves as he got dressed, and put on his slippers before


    cautiously approaching the door.


    He ced his hand on the doorknob and cautiously peered through the peephole-there stood several


    tall men in police uniforms standing outside. In a quick pivot, he retreated and put on all his clothes.


    The banging persisted, and the officers were losing patience. ¡°Open up! We know you¡¯re in there!


    We¡¯reing in if you don¡¯t open up!¡±


    N?velDrama.Org holds ? this.


    The hotel staff trailed alongside the officers, and Xavier could clearly hear one of the officers asking for


    the room key. He quickly opened the door before the officers could barge in and put on aposed


    lace, pretending to be calm as he asked. ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡±


    The head officer exchanged a nce with his colleague, who swiftly stepped forward and cuffed


    Xavier.


    ¡°Xavier, we¡¯ve received a report from the public that you¡¯re involved in an intentional assault case. Now,


    you¡¯reing with us for questioning.¡± the officer stated.


    Xavier was momentarily stunned but quickly understood what the officer was referring to. He


    vehemently shouted, ¡°What do you mean. intentional assault? I¡¯m being set up He attempted to break


    free from the handcuffs, but they were tightly secured.


    ¡°You guys are arresting people without evidence! I have the right to sue you!¡± He exuded confidence.


    After all, only Yvette andn knew about the incident with Yvette. Yvette was currently unconscious,


    andn would never betray him.


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t you worry.¡± The officer smirked. ¡°We have got plenty of evidence.¡±


    As soon as Xavier stepped out of the room, the hallway lit up with countless camera shes, forcing


    him to shield his eyes with his hand


    ¡°Mr. Seymour, is it true that you were the one who hit Yvette?¡±


    ¡°Officers, is Xavier¡¯s arrest rted to what happened with Yvette?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Seymour, is F anny inside the room? Why were you two together sote at night?¡±


    The reporters bombarded Xavier with questions, making him increasingly irritable.


    A few officers formed a barrier around him, pushing through the crowd of over a dozen reporters.


    ¡°Move! We¡¯re conducting official business! Please cooperate!¡±


    The reporters reluctantly made way upon the officers¡¯ request, but their camera shutters kept clicking.


    They followed Xavier all the way until he was escorted into the police car.


    ¡°I know Chief Hanson. You¡¯d better release me soon if you don¡¯t want to lose your job.¡± Xavder


    threatened as soon as he got into the car.


    putting on a high-handed demeanor.

 Chapter 611

    Chapter 611


    The officer behind the wheel hit the gas pedal, while the one in the passenger seat casually turned


    around and asked Xavier, ¡°Do you have your phone with you?¡±


    Xavier became alert and countered. ¡°What do you need it for?¡±


    ¡°We want you to call Chief Hanson!¡± The officer chuckled. ¡°You can use mine if you don¡¯t have it.¡± As


    he spoke, he pulled out his own phone and handed it over.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need! I¡¯ve got mine! Take it from my right pocket!¡± Xavier was used to giving orders. So,


    instinctively, he also used an assertive tone even when taking to the officer,


    The officer wasn¡¯t bothered by Xavier¡¯s tone. Instead, he fetched the phone and handed it to him.


    Xavier dialed Chief Hanson¡¯s number, However, within seconds, he heard a cold, mechanical voice


    saying. ¡°The person you called is unavable. Please try againter.¡± No matter how many times he


    tried, the result was still the same.


    The young officer sitting on Xavier¡¯s right side, who had handed him the phone, kindly reminded him,


    ¡°Chief Hanson from the central police bureau got arrestedst month for corruption. His number is


    probably not active anymore.¡±


    That¡¯s when Xavier realized that the officers had allowed him to call Chief Hanson just to embarrass


    him! He gathered himself, trying hard not to show signs of panic.


    ¡°Well it¡¯s not just Chiel Hanson I know. I¡¯m also acquainted with Deputy Minister Dustin from the


    Ministry of Public Security


    ¡°Oh, did I not mention? Deputy Minister Dustin got nabbed along with Chief Hanson. They¡¯ve been


    cracking down on organized crime recently, and they¡¯re thoroughly investigating the police department.


    If you know anyone else involved. spill the beans. We¡¯ll report those we haven¡¯t caught yet and they¡¯ll


    be taken in on the spotl


    Xavier felt utterly defeated hearing the young officer¡¯s words.


    He had boasted ton that he could handle the Yvette incident because of his connections within the


    police department. But now, the connections were useless. If the police caughtn,n would inevitably


    expose him too. He felt waves of despair washing over him.


    ¡°Hey, buddy,¡± Xavier put on a smile and started cozying up to the officers around him. ¡°I swear I didn¡¯t


    hurt anyone. Are you sure you got the right person?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll find out when we get back to the station.¡±


    The officers remained unmoved: they gave Xavier the cold shoulder no matter what he tried to say to


    them afterward.


    The one in charge of interrogating Xavier was Jack


    ¡°Do you known? He¡¯s confessed everything¡± sald Jack


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible! Xavier instinctively denied it but then he quickly realized his mistake and tried to


    cover it up, saying. ¡°I mean, I haven¡¯tmitted any crimes. So, even ifn confessed, it has nothing to


    do with me.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not whatn said, though.¡± Jack yed the recording ofn¡¯s confession. In the recording,n


    was fearful and confessed everything after Kevan¡¯s Intimidation. He not only came to the police station


    willingly but spilled all the details of his Illegal activities done for Xavier, including hiring someone to


    kidnap Bethany


    The more Xavier listened, the pater he became.


    ¡°Lies! He¡¯s spewing nonsensel He did all those things himself, and he¡¯s trying to pin it on me! Xavier


    denied It vehemently.


    ¡°Wel,n has provided us with very important evidence.¡± Jack clicked a couple of times on the


    computer screen and yed several more recordings.


    Original content from N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Find someone you trust to kidnap Larissa¡¯s son,¡±


    ¡°You useless plece of c rap! You can¡¯t even handle such a small task! Forget it. Just kidnap Kevan¡¯s


    daughter instead!¡±


    she doesn¡¯t die.¡±


    ¡°Thandle this matter. Keep your mouth shut, and don¡¯t go around talking about it.¡±


    There was no doubt that it was Xavier¡¯s voice in the recordings. He instantly felt powerless as he


    couldn¡¯t find other excuses and waspletely slumped in his chair,

 Chapter 612

    Chapter 612


    The news of Yvette¡¯s hospitalization due to her injures garnered significant media attention. The


    reporters went all out, leaving no stone unturned in their quest to uncover the truth. So, when the news


    spread that Xavier was the culprit, the media exploded with overwhelming coverage.


    Numerous social media ounts jumped on the bandwagen, dishing out ¡°insider informalion.¡± They


    used the statements from other Cosmic Studios employees to fabricate reasons for Xavier¡¯s attack on


    Yvetle. Some even went so far as to create detailed recreations of the incident, turning this sensational


    news that spanned society and entertainment into a top headline.


    Xavier naturally couldn¡¯t evade the consequences of thew, with charges of ¡°intentional assault¡± and


    ¡°kidnapping¡± being pped against him. Furthermore, even thoughn tumed himself in leading to a


    reduced sentence, he stillced two to three years behind bars.


    At this moment, Cosmic Studios found itself in utter disarray, with no one at the helm. Some employees


    had already started sending out job applications to other simrpanies, and the more proactive


    ones had even secured new positions through sessful interviews.


    Cosmic Stud as was falling apart, and the future of ¡°Migration to Mars¡± became a major concern for


    everyone. Although this project was still in the nning stage, most of the funding had already been


    secured, and some roles had been cast with contracts signed.


    The core creative team was almostplete, and il cther filmpanies were interested in taking over


    the IP from Xavier, there was still a possibility for the movie to move forward.


    However, just as everyone was cinsely eyeing the project Fantasy Uho released a statement


    dering the premature termination of their coboration with Cosmic Studios. Additionally, Stephen


    del Rio, who was supposed to direct the film, announced that he would no longer be involved in the


    project on his social media ount


    Both Fantasy Utopia and Stephen del Rio were vital to the movie¡¯s potential sess at the box office.


    With their departure. ¡°Migration to Mars¡± went from being a highly sought¨Cafter gem to an unwanted


    piece of trash that no are wanted to touch.


    N?velDrama.Org holds ? this.


    So even if Xavier were willing to sell the IP, no one was willing to take over it. As the move fell through,


    the biggest losers were the investors who had rushed to get involved earlier. They had invested a


    substantial amount of money, much of which Xavier nad squandered. To recover their losses, they had


    no choice but to hirewyers and sue in hopes of auctioning off Xavier¡¯s properties through the court to


    impensation.


    Xavier¡¯s properties were gradually sealed with official stamos. In just one week, Lana was forced to


    move several times. The court officials would show up and ruthlessly evict her every time she was still


    sorting out her belongings.


    When thest property was sealed, she stood outside with her luggage, and her fear peaked. Her


    father was now a criminal in prison, and her mother was lying in the hospital lighting for her life. As for


    hersell, she was divorced, broke and had no ce to call home. She had no idea where to go next.


    In her most desperate moment, she decided to seek refuge at her grandparents home. Although the


    Seymour family had been wealthy for generations, it was only during Xavier¡¯s time that they secured


    their position in high society,rgely due to Xavier¡¯s achievements.


    The Seymour family had never been known for itsrge size, and Lana¡¯s grandparents only had two


    children, Xavier and her aunt. Being the sessful child Xavier naturally received all of his parents¡®


    love. Despite their disapproval of Yvelle, they had always doled on Lana because of her association


    with Xavier..


    However, Lana never expected to be stopped by the housekeeper right at the front gate.

 Chapter 613

    Chapter 613


    The housekeeper, who used to greet Lana with a fake smile and ttery, now had a stern expression.


    He coldly informed her. ¡°Mr. and Mrs. Seymour Senior are not at home.¡±


    Lana noticed the change in the housekeeper¡¯s attitude, but she didn¡¯t think much of it. She merely


    assumed that he was cking off because her grandparents were away. So, she treated him just as


    she always did-by giving him a bad attitude.


    She impatiently pushed the housekeeper aside and snapped, ¡°Move out of my way!


    The housekeeper could no longer be bothered to hide his disdain for her. He steadied himself against


    the wall with one hand and sneered. ¡°Do you think you¡¯re still the Ms. Seymour of this house? Let me


    be frank with you. Mr. and Mrs. Seymour Senior are in the living room right now. When I said they¡¯re


    not at home, it¡¯s because they don¡¯t want to see you!¡±


    Lana was taken aback, ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡±


    Before the housekeeper could answer, the loud rewing sound of a sports car approached and


    eventually stopped in front of the Seymour mansion.


    Ho nk! H onk!


    The ring horn made Lana¡¯s ears ache a bit.


    Instantly, the housekeeper¡¯s demeanor changed; he quickly nodded, exining the situation through


    the car window to the person inside. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.


    Ms. Moe. I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t open the gate for you right now.¡± He nced hesitantly at Lana and


    continued. ¡°Lana is here, and Mr. and Mrs. Seymour Senior don¡¯t want her inside. I can open the gate


    for you, but I bet Lana might try to follow you in.¡±N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    The person inside the sports car was Lana¡¯s aunt and Xavier¡¯s sister, Mige Mige heard what the


    housekeeper said, and she turned off


    the engine and stepped out of the car. 1


    Mige was approaching her sixties but still dressed as if she were in her thirties or forties. She had red


    curls, heavy makeup, a small zer, wide-leg pants, and towering heels measuring over four inches.


    Still, she appeared younger than Lana, who was actually in herte twenties.


    ¡°Well, well look who¡¯s here! It¡¯s our very own Ms. Seymour, who has graced us with her presence!¡±


    Mige swayed her hips and confidently approached Lana. She was wearing heels. Therefore, she


    stood a few inches taller than Lana and exuded an even stronger presence.


    Due to her parents¡¯ favoritism, Mige had always harbored great resentment toward Xavier¡¯s family.


    But because she relied on Xavier for financial support, she had to suppress her feelings and swallow


    her pride.


    Now that Xavier had fallen from grace, she found great satisfaction in seeing Lana in a miserable state.


    Lana didn¡¯t think highly of Mige either, so she never bothered to engage with her aunt much


    whenever they met. But today was different.


    ¡°Mig Lana dropped her suitcase and hugged Mige¡¯s arm as she pleaded tearfully. ¡°I have nowhere


    else to go. My dad had treated you well in the past, so in return, could you please take me in to see


    Grandpa and Grandma?¡±


    Mige turrowed her brow in disgust and forcefully pulled Lana away.


    ¡°This is all because of your jinx of a mother! When your grandparents see you, it¡¯s like seeing her all


    over again. Do you really think they want to deal with that?¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯m their granddaughter. I can even cut ties with my mother il they want me to! Lana grew anxious


    and tried to grab Mige¡¯s hand.


    Miceita quickly evaded, keeping a safe distance between them.


    ¡°Give up! No matter what you do, they won¡¯t want to see you.¡± Her eyes darted around as she noticed


    Lana¡¯s desperate and sorrowful expression, ¡°But if you truly have nowhere else to go, I can take you in.


    But you must obey whatever I say.¡±


    ¡°Of course! I do whatever you say? Lana nudded desperately.

 Chapter 614

    Chapter 614


    After a long wait, the day finally came for Lana¡¯s trial case, However, neither of the parties involved


    showed up in court. Larissa was si recovering in Aldovia, so it was not convenient for her to make a


    long trip back home. She entrusted herwyer to handle everything on her behall


    As for Lana, it seemed as if she hadpletely disappeared: herwyer couldn¡¯t reach her.


    Considering the possibility of her fleeing to escape punishment, the court immediately suspended the


    trial, and the police began searching for her.


    There were no records of Lana purchasing any flight or train tickets in the system. But that alone didn¡¯t


    necessarily mean she hadn¡¯t left Bartham. After searching all the hotels and questhouses, as well as


    visiting hundreds of neighborhoods and streets in the city without any luck, the police had no choice but


    to issue a nationwide warrant for Lana and set a reward of ten thousand dors for finding her.


    ¡°Hey, should I provide some tips to the police and im the ten grand reward?¡± Dn joked with Kevan


    Kevan-busy packing his luggage-didn¡¯t bother to raise his head as he asked calmly. ¡°Do you need that


    ten grand?¡±


    I Of course, Dn didn¡¯t need it. ¡°Well, I¡¯m rted to the police, so I feel bad watching them struggle to


    find Lana. It¡¯s a waste of resources.¡± Dn lelt a slight pang of guill


    Kewan, on the other hand, did not have as strong of a sense of social responsibility as Dn let alone


    much empathy.


    ¡°Let¡¯s talk about it when I¡¯m back.¡± He recalled the tie he¡¯d received a few hours ago. ¡°Now is not the


    time.¡± The punishment Lana received was far from satisfactory to him.


    ¡°It¡¯s going to be half a monthter by the time you¡¯ll be back.¡± Dn wanted to persuade him further but


    gave up in the end knowing his personality well. ¡°Alright, I won¡¯t bother you much about this matter.¡±


    Dn changed the subject, saying ¡°Are you going to have a serious talk with Larissa when you go


    there?¡±


    Kevan¡¯s actions halled.


    ¡°Before, you didn¡¯t confess your feelings because your two uncles were still around, right? Now that


    they are in prison, and the Seymour family won¡¯t be an obstacle anymore, what are you afraid of?¡±


    Dn encouraged him further, saying, ¡°Go for it! can tell that Larissa¡¯s attitude toward you is very


    different from when she just came back from Aldovia. Besides, you two have a son together.¡±


    Original content from N?velDrama.Org.


    Kevan lelt overwhelmed when thinking about Aster. He didn¡¯t know how to tell Larissa that he was


    Aster¡¯s biological father. He didn¡¯t want to keep it a secret forever, although this seemed to be the


    easiest option for him.


    ¡°Let me think about it.¡± He couldn¡¯t make the right decision now. Despite his usual assertiveness in


    other matters, he kept postponing this ont.


    Dn had many things to say, but he chose to stay quiet. After all, it was Kevan¡¯s private matter, and


    he had no right to interfere too much. Besides, he had a pile of issues from his own family waiting for


    him to address.


    This wasn¡¯t the first time Kevan had traveled to Aldovia, but surprisingly, he fell nervous and couldn¡¯t


    fall asleep on the ne this time. He didn¡¯t manage to rest his eyes throughout the ten-hour long


    journey.


    As soon as he cleared customs, the person sent by Lewis picked him up and took him to the pre-


    arranged hotel Kevan had alreadymunicated with Lewis, and Lewis would be arranging everything


    for Kevan.


    The hotel was conveniently close to the hospital where Larisa was. It was just two streets away, which


    was about a ten-minute walk.

 Chapter 615

    Chapter 615


    Because Kevan was eager to see Larissa, he didn¡¯t bother adjusting to the time difference. After a


    quick shower, he headed straight to the hospital where Lewis was waiting for him at the entrance.


    N?velDrama.Org holds ? this.


    It had been several months since they hadst seen each other, but Lewis hadn¡¯t changed much. He


    still had that serious and business- like demeanor, but his gaze had softened a bit.


    They exchanged greetings. Kevan wasted no time in asking, ¡°How¡¯s Larissa doing?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s recovering well. She can walk on her own now.¡± Lewis replied.


    Larissa received more attentive care than before being in Gary¡¯s territory, leaving her with little to worry


    about. Naturally, her health was improving day by day, though the only downside was that she had


    gained some weight due to theck of exercise. Kevan noticed this the moment he saw her.


    Compared to thest time he saw her, she looked healthier and fuller. She was no longer the frail


    skeletal woman he¡¯d known, Kevan¡¯s heart eased, but at the same time, there was a twinge of


    bitterness-she could thrive even without him by her side.


    As he walked in, she was being assisted by a caretaker, practicing her walking. She was unaware that


    Kevan wasing and thought it was Gary who opened the door.


    ¡°Your meeting ended early today?¡± she asked. As she lifted her head and smiled, she locked eyes with


    a pair of deep eyes. She was momentarily stunned.


    Kevan smiled as he took a few strides to her side, gesturing for the caregiver to let him take over the


    support.


    The sensation of his touch on her arm felt so real that she finally regained herposure. She licked


    her lips and asked in a slightly uneasy manner. ¡°Why are you here?


    to talk to Uncle Gary about something, Kevan answered.


    ¡°I came to see you and Aster. Also, I need to talk to Uncle


    Larissa¡¯s heart started to race involuntarily, and her cheeks flushed slightly. She sat down at the edge


    of the bed and pointed to the couch


    opposite her before saying. ¡°Take a seat.¡±


    However, he chose to sit right next to her. His eyes were fixated on her as if he couldn¡¯t get enough of


    looking at her. These few months were insignificantpared to the six years without her, but his


    yearning for her far surpassed that time, and now, it overflowed.


    Larissa blushed even more under his intense gaze, feeling unsure of where to put her hand and feet.


    She awkwardly smoothed out her hair and tried to break the silence. ¡°Has Lana been found yet?¡±


    Since returning to Aldovia. Gary no longer restricted her from using her phone. She had ess to the


    Inte and was aware of almost everything happening back home.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Kevan nodded.


    ¡°What will happen to the case then?¡±


    ¡°We can only proceed if we find Lana. But it¡¯s also possible that she¡¯s no longer with us.¡± Kevan¡¯s tone


    remained calm. ¡°This oue is


    probably the best for you and her.


    Larissa had already heard about the turmoil in the Seymour family. Other than feeling that they got


    what they deserved, she didn¡¯t have many other thoughts-Gary was so worried that she would leel


    guilty about what had transpired.


    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± She recalled Lana¡¯s hysterical appearance at Rnd¡¯s memorial and the m ental health


    evaluation provided by the Seymour family.


    Now that the family was facing such a huge crisis-Xavier and Yvelle couldn¡¯t even protect themselves,


    let alone Lana-Lana¡¯s life would


    still be challenging if she survived.

 Chapter 616

    Chapter 616


    Kevan didn¡¯t spend much time at the hospital, Besides meeting Larissa, he had an important task to


    aplish during his visit to Aldovia -to exchange information and strategize with Gary.


    When Gary¡¯s meeting ended, Lewis drove Kevan to Blue Star Shipping¡¯s headquarters which was


    located in the heart of Westonia. Westonia was one of the most developed cities in Aldovia, and many


    internationally renownedpanies had their headquarters established here.


    As they drove away from the hospital, they were surrounded by lowering buildings, which lined up on


    both sides of the road, blocking the blue sky. Even the sunlight couldn¡¯t reach the pedestrians directly.


    ¡°The pace of life here is too fast. I¡¯m not a fan,¡± Lewis chatted with Kevan while driving. Over the past


    few months, they had maintained constantmunication, and their rtionship had grown closer than


    before.


    Kevan looked out the window, observing the hurried white¨Ccor workers holding their coffee cups, and


    didn¡¯t find this scene unfamiliar. Hence, he replied, ¡°Well, you¡¯ll see a simrly fast pace at CBD in


    Bartham too.¡±


    ¡°Things are better back home.¡± Lewis sighed and continued. ¡°Racial discrimination is quite an issue


    here. Just look at Gary; he holds a high position. And yet, asionally, he still faces condescension


    and sabotage from those locals.¡±


    Kevan had always focused on his career back home. Although Microworks Corporallon coborated


    with some foreignpanies, its standing in the high¨Ctech industry had never been underestimated, so


    he couldn¡¯t fully rte to Gary¡¯s experience.


    ¡°When Gary and Lari first acknowledged each other, he thought about gradually moving thepany¡¯s


    operations back home to be with her. Butter, he realized that there are too many safety concems


    there. So, now he¡¯s going through the immigration process for her, so she can stay in Aldovia


    permanently.¡± Lewis nced at Kevan through the rearview mirror and said meaningfully, ¡°Your path


    ahead is filled with challenges. Be prepared for a long battle.¡±


    From the moment he found out that Gary was Larissa¡¯s biological father, Kevan anticipated the


    multitude of difficulties that woulde his way.


    ¡°I¡¯m addressing those safety concems one by one. I just need one more month.¡± Kevan replied. The


    Seymour family had fallen, his two uncles were entangled in legal troubles, and their only patron, Cody,


    was about to be unable to protect them anymore. Just one more month and no one would be able to


    threaten Larissa¡¯s safety ever again.


    ¡°The things you¡¯re telling me won¡¯t change anything. Save them for when you talk to Garyter.


    Although Lewis didn¡¯t explicitly state his stance, he¡¯d already sided with Kevan in his heart. Unlike


    Gary, Lewis was not the jealous type. He could see how good Kevan was to


    Larissa, and he hoped that Larissa would find a good partner


    Original content from N?velDrama.Org.


    Kevan pursed his lips, feeling nervous at the thought of meeting Gary soon. He tightened his grip on


    his hands, and his palms even started to sweat.


    Blue Star Shipping upied the top two floors of the Blue Star Tower, while the other sevenly floors


    were leased to otherpanies.


    Kevan had seen pictures of this towering building from a private delective before, but when he saw it in


    person, it felt even more grand and impressive.


    Lewis took him directly to the top floor, where Gary was wailing in his office, Gary¡¯s office wasn¡¯t as


    spacious as Kevan¡¯s, but it boasted a floor¨Cto¨Cceiling window that let in the bright sunlight. Even in the


    harsh winter, it brought in some warmth.


    Gary still didn¡¯t have a good attitude when taking to Kevan ¡°Have a seal¡± Gary ordered, as he remained


    seated in his chair, without bothering to stand up as a symbol of wee.


    However, Kevan didn¡¯t mind, he had already grown ustomed to Gary¡¯s behavior.

 Chapter 617

    Chapter 617


    Lewis helped Kevan pull out a chair, addressing him politely as ¡°Mr. Rogers.¡±


    Kevan thanked him with a smile.


    Once they were both seated, Gary spoke. ¡°Our ship will arrive at port tomorrow.¡±


    The ship he spoke of was the one that helped Cody transport contraband things¨Cthe one that they had


    called back at thest minute. Gary had used a lot of effort to catch the mole. He did not subject him to


    private justice nor did he hand the guy over to the police. He even absolved any form of punishment


    that could have urred.


    He only had one request¨Cto continue working with Cody and pretend that nothing had happened.


    They changed the cargo that was meant to be smuggled into Caldor as flour¨Csmuggling four was not


    considered a major crime, Besides. they had even dered the flour and other cargo to customs.


    Although Cody could not be sentenced with just this, he had paid in full for that batch of cargo. With this


    happening, tens of millions of dors were gone to waste. If this deficiency could not be made up for,


    the public funds he moved out could not be covered up in time, so Cody getting sent to prison was


    going to happen sooner orter.


    ¡°I hear your two uncles have been arrested. Is that rted to this?¡± Gary frowned, a hint of worry in his


    face. Even if he did not think Kevan would do something like spooking their enemies, sill what it


    ¡°No.¡± Kevan¡¯s answer gave Gary relie


    ¡°My two uncles were arrested because they were exploiting minors.¡±


    This news was in headlines not long ago, inciting debate among hundreds of millions of people, and it


    even sparked a wave of criticism of the currentws that were implemented. Gary was probably not


    paying attention to Caldorian news, which exined why he did not know.


    ¡°Exploiting minors? Gary¡¯s eyes widened with shock as if he thought this preposterous.


    The truth was, when Kevan heard about it for the first time, the shock he fell was simr to what Gary


    felt now. Kevan always knew that his two uncles¡® private lives were very promiscuous and that they


    were second to none to Cody in this. He had always let them be regardless of what he heard about


    them. After all one could not have broken thew when it was consensual on all sides. Moreover, moral


    condemnation meant nothing to them.


    Original content from N?velDrama.Org.


    He just never expected them to have no bottom line at all.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Kevan¡¯s voice became deeper.


    ¡°Did they really do that sort of thing, or did you Gary studied him, his sharp gaze rather scorching.


    ¡°They really did it,¡± Kevan answered truthfully. But he definitely helped to get it exposed, All this


    happened due to a picture.


    To prevent Lana from doing anything that would harm Larissa, Kevan sent someone to keep an eye on


    her. He knew that she went back to the Seymours for help, and knew that Miqe had taken her away,


    But Mige did not take Lana home.


    Having depended on Xavier for so long, Mige established a small modelingpany. Although it


    was called a ¡°modeling¡±pany, was really an establishment of entertainment. Mige was the


    madame, relying on Xavier¡¯s connections to send young models to the bosses of bigpanies and


    get heftypensation from it in the process.


    She led her young models to roam all sorts of high¨Cend clubs and had a bit of poprity in the industry.


    There were evenpany


    bosses who tried to tter Kevan by helping him ¡°personalize¡± services from Mige¡¯spany¨Cof


    course. Kevan rejected such offers. and the business deals fell apart as a result.


    Migr took Lana away because she had the idea of sending her to receive clients.

 Chapter 618

    Chapter 618


    Lana was, after all a youngdy who had been spoiled. She was very well-loved as a child and was


    quite coddled. She was not as mature and cun ning as some other girls her age-an y cunn ingness she


    may have had in this life was all spent on Larissa.


    To her. Mige was just a lousy aunt who constantly tailed after Xavier in a subservient manner, hoping


    for a bite of his wealth. As this lousy aunt of hers had gained a great deal of benefits from her own


    family, it was time for her to pay back what she was given. Therefore, she did not suspect Mige at all


    when she left with her, and things were developing the way she expected them to.


    She checked into a high-end hotel and got a bunch of pretty clothes, including expensive cosmetics.


    Her life was now like this-sleeping after eating, then waking up to repeat the process. Quile the


    wonderful perfect life Indeed.


    However, this onlysted for three days. After that, she officially stepped into hell.


    she Kevan would receive email reports about Lana¡¯s recent developments every night. For the first


    three days after leaving with Mig e.s did not go anywhere and remained in her hotel room. The only


    person who entered her room was Mige and the waiter who delivered the food.


    Kevan almost thought that Mige really cared about her niece, and wanted to take responsibility for


    her brother¡¯s daughter by supporting her. Three dayster though, the content of the emails he


    received changed.


    Lana finally left her room, following Mige to an extremely private club that ran on a members-only


    system. Kevan had been to this club a few times to talk business, and the club owner had oncee


    over to their private room to toast him before trading contact numbers with him.


    Kevan only needed to call the owner to get him to agree to let Kevan¡¯s people in.


    Kevan saw Lana¡¯s life through pictures. Every night, she would be taken to that club to y hostess to


    one client, sometimes two. Those clients had a high standing in the business realm, but most of these


    kinds of people were older men. Some of them were even overweight and creepy.


    Although Mige had dressed Lana up morously, no amount of expensive cosmetics could cover up


    her badplexion over time. Her cheeks were sunken in, and her eyes dead, looking very much like


    a soulless zombie.


    Just a week before Kevan¡¯s flight to Aldovia, he received word that Mige had taken Lana to a small,


    private clinic. That clinic probably had some ties to Mige, because whenever her ¡°models¡± got sick,


    they went to that clinic to get checked.


    As for what kind of checking it was mostly unmentionable.


    Kevan did not care about Lana¡¯s bodily health though. People in this line of work usually contracted


    some form of disease-to the extent of contracting AIDS, at worst. Lana¡¯s health had already been


    ruined by Cody when she was still with him a long time ago. Kevan had no doubt that she would die


    miserably.


    The most important thing was, he just so happened to be busy adding fuel to the fire to get his two


    uncles into jail at that time. In the picture of Lana sent by his subordinate, he keenly noticed a partially


    blurred face in theer of it-It was Uncle Bernard¡¯s face.


    Kevan was most definitely surprised at Bernard¡¯s appearance at such a ce. He gave extra attention


    to this, sending another team of people to watch Bernard, which led to him finding out about the


    disgusting things his two uncles were up to.


    Kevan did not poke the homet¡¯s nest. Instead, he used this lead to dig out apany that specialized


    in exploiting minors.N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.

 Chapter 619

    Chapter 619


    This was a huge case that was enough to gain some form of meritorious credit. Kevan did Jack a favor


    by passing this case to him before seeking a news outlet to expose thispany¡¯s abhorrent practices.


    Of course, his uncles¡¯ pictures also ¡°identally ended up in the news.


    The exploitation of minors was a serious crime anywhere. To get the media in on this would mean that


    everyone would know. Theizens were so enraged by this that the govemment-in order to reassure


    the public-naturally treated this case seriously.


    With Bernard and Felix being on the news and having their identities exposed by some other person,


    they became the most obvious people to target. The Rogers were a big family with severalrge


    businesses, so they had connections in many domains. But this time, no matter how many connections


    they tried to reach out to no matter how many multi-million-dor gifts they sent, no one dared to stand


    up for them.


    The government had already given the order: these two men had to be severely prosecuted.


    After Gary listened to the whole story, his gaze on Kevan gained a hint ofmendation. Although he


    did not want to admit it, Kevan was indeed someone who was worthy of Larissa out of everyone else


    he had seen. He would go so far as to say that Kevan would be a more suitable candidate to seed


    himpared to Lewis.


    However, he could not let Kevan know about this. Otherwise, this brat would start prancing around like


    a sted peacock.


    ¡°Alright, if there¡¯s nothing else, you may go.¡± Gary pretended to chase him off with an imitated wave of


    his hand. ¡°I need to get to work.¡±


    Lewis looked at his watch and spoke a little hesitantly, ¡°Mr. Logan, it¡¯s almost time for lunch. Why don¡¯t


    we let Mr. Rogers join us for a meal?¡±N?velDrama.Org holds ? this.


    ¡°Do you think you have time to eat lunch? Gary red at him with displeasure. ¡°Where is the financial


    report I asked from you yesterday?¡±


    ¡°My apologies, Mr. Logan, I have not yet finished it.¡± Lewis was screaming internally. If he had known


    that he would be suffering with Kevan, he would never ever have spoken up for the guy.


    Kevan had no ns to stay for lunch either. He had long nned with Aster to pick him up from school


    today before having lunch together with him.


    Aster¡¯s kindergarten was an hour¡¯s ride away from here. If he took congestion into consideration, he


    could catch Aster right at his school dismissal time if he set off now. After bidding goodbye to Gary and


    Lewis, Kevan hailed a cab and went straight to Aster¡¯s school.


    The congestion in the city was not as bad as he had thought. He walled outside for a while before the


    kindergarten dismissed their students. As Kevan did not know which ss Aster was in, he did not


    enter the ssroom directly like the other parents but stood at the field on the bottom floor to wait for


    the kid.


    In this school which had a majority of locals. Kevan was fairly tall among all the parents here, and his


    Caldorian looks were quite striking as well. Many people looked back at him several times when they


    passed by him, and many women would gaze at him with smitten looks.


    Kevan was long since immune to the stares from others, so he ignored them and kept his gaze fixed on


    the staircase entrance that Aster would have to take to leave, his eyes jumping from one boy to another


    for lear that he would miss the kid.


    After about ten minutester, that familiar silhouette finally entered his field of vision. Kevan¡¯s stoic face


    gained a faint hint of a gentle smile, which made more people pause to stare at him.


    Aster was also looking for him too.


    When their eyes locked onto each other, a huge grin split across Aster¡¯s face as his eyes it up with


    utmost delight.


    ¡°Daddy!¡± he screamed, racing toward Kevan with his short legs.

 Chapter 620

    Chapter 620


    Aster was taller than thest time Kevan saw him, and he was a little stronger too. When he mmed


    into Kevan, the man was knocked back a few steps. But luckily, he was able to catch Aster while


    remaining on his leel


    ¡°Daddy¡± Aster¡¯s arms were wrapped firmly around Kevan¡¯s neck, his little face beaming with joy.


    Kevan hummer lightly in response, turning around to leave with the kid in his arms. ¡°Hungry?¡± Kevan


    asked, and Aster nodded, his eyes sparkling with anticipation. I want to eat Daddy¡¯s cooking!¡±


    This was what Kevan promised him before he came here. ¡°Sure! Kevan agreed dly.


    There was no pantry in the hotel suite, so Kevan followed Aster home.


    The three¨Cbedroom apartment was jointly purchased by Larissa and Wendy, and they were both


    paying the monthly mortgage together. The location of the apartment was not bad, and it was just a few


    hundred yards away from Aster¡¯s kindergarten. There was an abundance ofmercial streets nearby


    too. Although it was crowded, one could not hear that much noise due to how high the apartment was


    in the building.


    Aster yed the role of a homeowner very well giving Kevan a pair of slopers after they entered the


    house. ¡°Sorry, Caddy, we only have this-


    Larissa and Wendy never invited anyone ever because they were afraid of it being troublesome as well


    as worrying that Aster would not be used to it Sc, the whole apartment only had their belongings. It was


    pretty bad. because Asterbed through the whole shoe cab


    but still could not find a pair of men¡¯s slippers.


    Kevan stared at the pink cotton slippers in his hands, momentarily stuck in a dilemma.


    ¡°These are Mommy¡¯s slippers!¡± Aster knew that Kevan had a serious clean freak issue, so he hastened


    to exin. ¡°My godma just washed all the slippers in the housest week and no one has worn


    Mommy¡¯s slippers, so it¡¯s not dirty at allr


    Kevan naturally did not think of Larissa as a filthy person¨Ceven if she had worn it before, he did not


    think it was dirty either. He was hesitating because this pair of slippers were too feminine, shing


    horribly with his style. But he had no choice.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± He ruffled Aster¡¯s short hair and out the slippers on.


    Larissa¡¯s feet were smaller than his, and had his heels were hanging out of the slipper, so he had to


    tiptoe somewhat when walking, which made him assume a rather ridiculous posture.


    Aster gave him a tour of the apartment. ¡°This is the living room, the dining room, and that¡¯s the kitchen.¡±


    Kevan gave them all a cursory nce. The apartment was decorated in a slightly artistic and refreshing


    style, with pastel reds, yellows. and blues appearing frequently. It was simr to the currently trendy


    Instagram style, so he did not think that this was Lailssa¡¯s aesthetic preference. Upon asking Aster,


    sure enough, Wendy was the one who was in charge of every single thing about the decoration and


    Item cement.


    ¡°This is my godma¡¯s room.¡± Aster pointed at the room closest to the living room, unknowingly ruining


    Wendy¡¯s reputation. ¡°It¡¯s a bit messy inside, so we won¡¯t go see it.¡±


    Original content from N?velDrama.Org.


    A couple of steps forward brought them to the second room. ¡°This is my room.¡± Aster happily opened


    the door and dragged Kevan in. The walls of his room were papered with colorful cartoon pictures,


    Kevan studied them and recognized a few superheroes on them.


    ¡°Hang on!¡± Aster kicked his slippers oll and climbed up the bay window, drawing the curtains tightly so


    that no light could shine through the windows.


    ¡°Ta¨Cda!¡± Kevan was still confused when he heard Aster exim with excitement, ¡°Lock¡±


    Aster lipped a switch on the wall, and a soft yellow light it up the whole room.

 Chapter 621

    Chapter 621


    Kevan locked up and saw the deep blue ceiling. It was covered in star¨Cshaped lights. A sparkling silver


    gxy surrounded the lights. Gold dust shimmered around it.


    ¡°These were all painted by Mommy! Godma told me that whenever Mommy had time, she woulde


    here to paint stars for me, even when she was really busy!¡± Aster boasted proudly.


    A scene of a slender and delicate woman standing alone on adder appeared in Kevan¡¯s mind.


    She held a palette in one hand and a brush in the other. She was focused on painting the ceiling. How


    did she feel at that time? Probably happy. Just like how he felt right now, looking at her masterpiece.¡±


    However,pared to her, he also felt a hint of irexplicable bittemess.


    N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    ¡°Does Mommy like. I mean, the stars in the sky? Kevan struggled to speak, His voice was hushed and


    hoarse.


    Larissa must have liked stars a lot. He couldn¡¯t think of any other reasons she would name her son


    ¡°Aster¡± and put so much effort into decorating the room.


    Aster locked puzzled. He tilted his head, thinking about Kevan¡¯s question for some time. Only then did


    he reply. ¡°Im not sure.¡±


    Then, why did she name you ¡®Aster?¡± Kevan asked.


    Aster had an answer to this question. His expression instantly brightened. His tone was filled with


    confidence as he replied, ¡°Well that¡¯s because I was the only light in Mommy¡¯s darkest times! Just like


    the stars that only appear at night I gave her hope to keep going. That¡¯s why my full name is stair


    Simmons!¡±


    He learned this from his godmother. He didn¡¯t fully understand the meaning. Still he memorized it since


    it was the origin of his name.


    Kevan was taken aback. Words like ¡°only light¡± and ¡°darkest times¡± struck his heart with pain.


    He couldn¡¯t imagine the emotions Larissa must have experienced when she left her home after going


    through such a diflicult time. She even gave birth to a child with an unknown father. He always knew


    she was strong. He never doubled that she could thrive on her own after losing him.


    But now, he suddenly became anxious hearing all this. What il ¡­ what if she hadn¡¯t be pregnant


    with Aster? What if that was thest


    lime he would ever see her again?


    His heart skipped a beat just by the thought of it. He hurriedly took big strides forward, embracing Aster


    tightly.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Daddy?¡± Aster asked. After the initial confusion, he fell a tile scared. He had never seen


    Kevan like this. His arms were tightly wrapped around Aster, and his body trembed.


    Kevan gritted his teeth, trying to force out a smile and say, ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± like he always did. s, It was too


    difficult.


    His throat felt blocked. He was unable to make a sound. His nose felt stuffy. His eyes were buming. His


    heart fell as if it was breaking.


    He could only cope by holding Aster tighter, trying to convince himself that the terrifying things he


    feared hadn¡¯t happened. His reaction was too extreme, and it might have scared Aster.


    He closed his eyes and took a long time to calm down. Atst, he let go of Aster and supported himself


    to stand up by cing his hand on the edge of the bed.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you were hungry? Come on, I¡¯ll cook something for you to eat.¡± He smiled and held


    Aster¡¯s hand.

 Chapter 622

    Chapter 622


    Kevan had always been a good cook. But due to his busy schedule, he didn¡¯t get many chances to


    cook.


    Kevan unbuttoned his cults and rolled up his sleeves, revealing his forearms. He also took off his


    wristwatch and ced it on the coffee table in the living room.


    Wendy was always concerned about the hygiene cloutside food. So, she would make dinner for Aster


    every day, no matter how busy or


    tired she was. As a result, Kevan found the ingredients she had yet to use up from the fridge.


    Yet, when Kevan took out the steak andrge prawns from the freezer. Aster immediately showed a


    disappointed face.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want steak or prawns for dinner,¡± he expressed his opinion.


    Wendy¡¯s home¨Ccocked meals were limited. She would usually try by the steak a


    and prawns in butter and sprinkle some ck pepper on them.


    This would be their usual dinner whenever she returned homete.


    N?velDrama.Org holds ? this.


    ¡°I¡¯m tired of them.¡± Aster wrinkled his face. He nced at the steak and prawns before turning away,


    He understood his godmother¡¯s situation. So, he never asked her to change the menu. He would


    always eat both dishes.


    But today, Duddy was linally here. And Daddy had said he would try to fulfill any request he made.


    Kevan searched the fridge for quite a while. But aside from the steak and prawns. there were only a


    few sweet potatoes and tomatoes lett. Wendy bought these for her diet meals.


    Kevan wasn¡¯t familiar with the area around the ce. Thus, he didn¡¯t know where the supermarket


    was. Besides, it was too cold outside. He didn¡¯t want to take Aster out again after they had spent so


    much time getting him out of his winter gear.


    ¡°Til try a different approach.¡± Kevan said, bending down and looking Aster in the eyes. He proposed. ¡°I


    promise it taste better than what your godmother makes. How does that sound?¡±


    Aster tilted his head, thinking for a moment. He locked al Kevan¡¯s genuine expression and replied.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Kevan cut the steak into small pieces, skewering them with toothpicks. Then, he seasoned them with


    cumin and other spices. He sel them aside to marinate. Also, he deveined the shrimp, peeled, and cut


    the sweet potatoes into chunks. Then he prepared the tomatoes by


    cutting them into pieces.


    Aster brought a small stool. He sat at the kitchen doorway. He propped up his face with both hands,


    watching Kevan¡¯s Iuld movements in awe. Wendy also used a knife when cooking. But she tended to


    cut things slowly, and the shapes and sizes of the ingredients often varied. unlike Kevar¡¯s precision.


    At that moment Aster felt overwhelmed with pride. This man was skilled, and he was his daddy.


    However, not long after. Aster¡¯s spirits dropped, and the brightness in his eyesded.


    Kevan immediately sensed the shilt in Aster¡¯s mocd. He set down the knife and waked over, squatting


    in front of Aster.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong¡± He gently tousled Aster¡¯s hat, showing genuine care and concern in his every gesture.


    Aster looked at him, hesitated to speak, and then swallowed his words.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± He shook his head, but his voice exuded disappointment and sadness.


    Kevan held Asler¡¯s chin, making sure their eyes mel. ¡®Remember, you can tell me anything.¡±


    s, his words didn¡¯t have the desired effect. Instead, Aster mped his lips even lighter, and lears


    began to well up in his eyes.


    Kevan felt a moment of panic. He quickly embraced Aster and settled him on hisp.


    ¡°Aster?¡± he asked gently. He had always had a good rtionship with Aster, and he had never said


    anything to make him cry. He was unsure of how to handle the situation.

 Chapter 623

    Chapter 623


    What¡¯s wrong? Tell Daddy, I promise I¡¯ll help you out¡± Kevan assured Aster.


    When Aster heard the word ¡°Daddy,¡± his heartache intensified, and tears started flowing down his


    cheeks. His tears soaked Kevan¡¯s shirt.


    Kevan grew even more concerned,forting Aster with one hand on his back while gently wiping


    away the tears from his face.


    really don¡¯t want steak and prawns, Til go out right now and get you something else. Please, don¡¯t cry


    anymore, alright?¡± Kevan spoke softly and tenderly. He lifted Aster in his arms and walked to the living


    room in big strides.


    ¡°No¡­¡± Aster stammered. Kevan¡¯s heart clenched at the sight of his son¡¯s teary, pitiful expression. ¡°I¡­


    it¡¯s not because of that¡­¡± Aster¡¯s breath was unsteady, and his words came out in fragments.


    ¡°What¡¯s it about then?¡± Kevan remained extremely patient, showing no hint of annoyance.


    Aster fell silent again. There was a mix of hesitation, conflict, and fear in his eyes. Kevan remained


    quiet; he did not urge Aster to speak.


    After a long while, Aster finally gathered the courage to say. ¡°I¡¯m just feeling a little sad.¡± His voice was


    barely audible, and Kevan had to lean in to hear him clearly.


    ¡°Why are you feeling sad?¡± Kevan asked.


    N?velDrama.Org holds ? this.


    ¡°Why¡­


    ¡­Why can¡¯t you be my real daddy?¡± Aster¡¯s tears welled up again as he uttered thest syble.


    Despite calling Kevan ¡°Daddy¡± and proudly boasting about having such a great ¡°Daddy¡± to everyone,


    deep down, he knew that Kevan wasn¡¯t his biological father. Not to mention that Mommy wouldn¡¯t let


    Kevan be his real dad. Everything he did was just self¨Cdeception. Only Kevan was willing to y


    along


    After a brief moment of shack, tremendous pain struck Kevan. He was so close to revealing the truth to


    Aster. He desperately wanted to tell Aster. ¡°I am your real daddy.¡±


    But at thest moment, reason held him back. Admitting that he was Aster¡¯s biological father was a


    simple matter. However, he didn¡¯t know how to exin his years of absence to Aster. He didn¡¯t know


    how to say it in a way that would minimize the hurt he might cause to Aster.


    ¡°I¨CYou can think of me as your real daddy. And I¡¯ll love and care for you like a real daddy would,¡± Kevan


    said, licking his dry lips.


    ¡°Just like how you treat Bethany?¡± Aster stared at Kevan with teary but hopeful eyes. Kevan was


    momentarily taken aback by the unexpected mention of her name. He suppressed any hint of


    annoyance that the name evoked before nting a gentle kiss on Aster¡¯s


    forehead. ¡°Even better than her,¡±


    Aster immediately leaned forward, wrapping his arms tightly around Kevan¡¯s neck, and buried his face


    in Kevan¡¯s shoulder. Then, he wiped


    away the tears and snot on Kevan¡¯s shirt.


    Yet, Kevan didn¡¯t show the slightest hint of disgust or repulsion. His eyes were filled with tendemess.


    ¡°Alright, stop crying now,¡± he said, patting Aster¡¯s bottom. ¡°Are you still hungry?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Aster mumbled.


    ¡°Good.¡± Kevan smiled. He turned around and went back to the kitchen.


    Aster¨Cperching on Kevan¡¯s shoulder¨Csuddenly raised his head. He had a determined expression.


    ¡°When will you finally win Mommy over?

 Chapter 624

    Chapter 624


    Kevan fried the marinated beet. He also cooked the prawns that had been cleaned. Then, he coated


    the prawns with a sauce made from Greek yogurt and lemon juice. He also prepared the sweet


    potatoes and quickly whipped up some scrambled eggs.


    The spaghetti was ready by then, so he served two helpings and brought them to Aster, Aster was


    already eagerly waiting in the dining room


    ¡°Whoa!¡± Aster couldn¡¯t help but drool, but he refrained from picking up his utensils until Kevan sal


    down.


    ¡°Daddy, you should go ahead and eat first!¡± Although he was speaking to Kevan, his eyes were locked


    on the mouthwatering skewered meat.


    Kevan smiled and picked up a piece of skewered meat, cing it on Aster¡¯s te. ¡°Give it a try and tell


    me how it tastes.¡±


    The meat had cooled down by then. Aster grabbed the skewer and took a big bite. The seasoning


    smeared all over his mouth. However, he seemed oblivious to it. With a big thumbs up, he eximed.


    ¡°This is the most delicious thing I¡¯ve ever eaten!¡±


    Even though it sounded like he was buttering Kevan up in an exaggerated way, it still pleased Kevan.


    ¡°If you like I¡¯ll make it for you again in the future,¡± Kevan promised.


    Aster jumped up with excitement and hugged Keven¡¯s neck, leaving an olly kiss on Kevan¡¯s cheek.


    ¡°You¡¯re the best, Caddy!¡±


    Kevan wasn¡¯t bothered at all instead, he smiled and asked. ¡°Do you love Daddy more than Mommy?¡±


    Aster responded calmly. ¡°I love you both the same! You¡¯re both my favorite people!¡±


    Kevan patted his head and praised. ¡°That¡¯s my boy. Remember to say these things in front of Mommy


    too, okay?¡±


    Earlier. Aster had asked him a question he couldn¡¯t give a definite answer to. He didn¡¯t even know


    when he would be able to win Larissa over. So he could only tell Aster, you can make Mommy believe


    that I can be a good daddy to you, maybe she¡¯ll ept me sooner. Then, I can truly be your real


    daddy.¡±


    To Larissa. Aster was the most important person. She always tried her best to fulfill his requests. It was


    just that Kevan wasn¡¯t sure it she wouldpromise on this matter.


    Aster enjoyed every dish Kevan made. Together, they cleared all the tes.


    N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    After the meal, Astery on the couch, holding his round tummy. Meanwhile, Kevan washed the dishes


    and then took out some fruit from the fridge. He brought them into the living room after carefully


    washing and cutting them into pieces.


    Although Aster imed he was full, he quickly changed his mind. He crawled over to Kevan and used a


    fork to eat a strawberry. Immediately, hested the sweet juice. His eyes squirted with enjoyment.


    Kevan couldn¡¯t help but let out augh at the sight. He grabbed a tissue and gently wiped the red juice


    from Aster¡¯s mouth, his eyes filled with tenderness.


    When Wendy entered the room, this was the scene that greeted her. It was so heartwarming that she


    didn¡¯t want to disturb them,


    Eventually, Kevan noticed her presence. Although he had never met Wendy in person, he had a thick


    stack of information about her in his drawer. So, recognizing her wasn¡¯t a difficult task for him.


    ¡°Hello, Ms. Simmons. You¡¯re back early today,¡± Kesan greeted her with a courteous smile.


    ording to Aster, Wendy usually got home around 6 pm, but today, it wasn¡¯t even 5 pm,


    Originally, Kevan had nned to leave before Wendy arrived, as he wasn¡¯t particrly lond of


    Interacting with strangers, even If she was Larissa¡¯s close friend and Aster¡¯s godmother. However,


    since they bumped into each other, he fell Il was only right to be friendly and make a good impression.

 Chapter 625

    Chapter 625


    Wendy had seen photos of Kevan on Aster¡¯s phone. Also, Aster had already informed her that Kevan


    would being to cook for him today. So, she rushed back from work as soon as possible.


    Fortunately, she caught him just in time.


    ¡°Mr. Rogers, I¡¯ve heard so much about you.¡±


    She showed no sign of hesitation as she confidently approached him and extended her hand.


    He stared at her hand. He hesitated for a moment before finally shaking it.


    Of course, she didn¡¯t miss this small detail. She had heard about how much of a clean freak Kevan


    was. That was why she took the


    initiative to shake hands with him, just to see how he would react


    She had anticipated a refusal, but whatever happened only deepened her smile.


    ¡°I heard from Aster that you¡¯re going to cook for him today? She nced at the dining table, which was


    empty. She continued. ¡°Is the dinner not ready yet?¡±


    Aster chimed in. ¡°We¡¯ve already eaten! Daddy¡¯s cooking is super delicious! Even better than.. I mean,


    the food at restaurants!¡±


    Originally, he wanted to say ¡°better than what you make,¡± but he was afraid of hurting Wendy¡¯s feelings.


    So, he changed his sentence on the spot.


    Aster¡¯s admiration seemed genuine, and even though Wendy doubted whether someone as busy as


    Kevan had time to practice cooking. she still expressed regret, saying, ¡°Looks like I missed out¡±


    ¡°Well if you haven¡¯t eaten. I don¡¯t mind whipping up a few things with the leftover ingredients. It won¡¯t


    take long.¡±


    Kevan set the fruit tter down and started to move toward the kitchen,


    ¡°It¡¯s alright no need!¡± Wendy hurriedly stopped him. I¡¯m on a diet. I just steam a sweet potatoter.¡±


    As soon as sweet potatoes were mentioned, Aster smacked his lips and said, ¡°Daddy¡¯s candied sweet


    potatoes are so delicious! They¡¯re soft and coated with ayer of sweet sugar. Ah, I want them now!¡±


    Wendy had long given up on such calorie¨Cpacked treats. But Aster¡¯s description tempted her a bit.


    This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.


    Kevan noticed the change in her expression and suggested, ¡°Why don¡¯t we take a break from the diet


    today? I do the cooking, and you


    can have some fun with Aster.¡±


    In the end, Wendy yielded to the temptation of candled sweet potatoes.


    Kevan prepared another set of the same four dishes he made for Aster, but this time with smaller


    portions. When he brought them to the dining table, Wendy¡¯s eyes lit up with excitement.


    ¡°Just a sec! Let me post this on Facebook first.¡± She took out her phone and snapped several photos of


    the dishes from different angles. However, instead of posting them on Facebook, she sent them to


    Larissa via WhatsApp.


    Since getting her new phone. Larissa had been in touch with Wendy, who had also secretly visited her


    at the hospital several times without telling Aster.


    ¡°These are the dishes Kevan made for me! Are you Jealous?¡±


    At that moment, Larissa was also having dinner. She looked at her soup and bread andpared


    them to the photos of the sumptuous least Wendy was enjoying. She was so frustrated that she felt like


    flipping the table.


    Kevan was being so unreasonable! He traveled all the way to Aldowa, iming toe to see her. Yet


    he couldn¡¯t even cook a meal for her! She sent him an angry emol, thinking of this.


    When Kevan¡¯s phone notified him of a message from Larissa, his heartbeat quickened. Joy crept up to


    hisce. But as soon as he read the contents, all the joy vanished in an instant.


    He replied with a puzzled expression.

 Chapter 626

    Chapter 626


    Kevan couldn¡¯t figure out what had angered Larissa. After he replied to her, she didn¡¯t respond to him


    anymore.


    On the other hand, Wendy was exceptionally polite to him. She even brought out her best vodka as a


    ¡°thank you¡± gesture.


    They sat on the couch, sloping vodka and chatting, while Aster nestled in Kevan¡¯s arms, quietly ying


    with his toys.


    Wendy shifted the topic to Aster, saying. ¡°He really likes you.¡±


    Kevan smiled softly as he gently patted Aster¡¯s head. ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s your n? About your future with Larissa. I mean,¡± she asked directly, her eyes locked onto


    his.


    Kevan, for a rare moment, avoided her gaze, his fingers unconsciously tracing the rim of the vodka


    ss. What did he think? Cl course. he would love to have a future with Larissa. But the crucial


    question was, what did Larissa think?


    He had hurt Larissa deeply in the past. Although she hadn¡¯t shown any aversion to him now, he still


    feared that she would push him away once more if he proposed getting back together,


    ¡°I know about your past with Larissa.¡± Wendy¡¯s candid confession made Kevan tremble slightly. He


    subconsciously lightened his grip on Aster.


    ¡°If this had happened a year ago, I would¡¯ve kicked you out of here,¡± Wendy raised her eyebrows and


    chuckled lightly.


    Aster didn¡¯t understand what she said; he gazed at Kevan in question. Kevan grew even more


    ufortable, feeling deeply ashamed.


    N?velDrama.Org holds ? this.


    She noticed his unease. Even though this was what she intended, she didn¡¯t want to ruin the image


    Aster had of Kevan, as she knew how much Aster adored him.


    ¡°Aster, why don¡¯t you go to your room for a moment? I have something to talk about with Uncle Kevan.¡±


    Aster pouted and reluctantly got off the couch, saying. ¡°You better call me when you¡¯re done!¡± Then, he


    turned to look at Kevan with a pitiful expression, adding, ¡°No sneaking away!¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Kevan promised. He felt somewhat relieved once he heard the door close behind Aster. But


    when he met Wendy¡¯s gaze again, his body tensed, and he grew nervous. Wendy was not someone


    easily handled.


    Compared to Kevan, Wendy appeared more sef-assured.


    ¡°Mr. Rogers, let me be upfront with you. I¡¯ve never actually wanted you and Larissa to be together,¡± she


    said.


    Kevan¡¯s breathing became lighter. He had tried hard to muster a more natural smile, but it eluded him.


    She continued ¡°Your previous marriage with Larssa might have been an arrangement, but she has


    developed feelings for you.¡± Larissa never disclosed this to her, but Wendy could easily discern it.


    Otherwise, Larissa wouldn¡¯t have been so heartbroken over Kevan¡¯s high- profile attar.


    Kevan was taken aback. He looked at Wendy with surprise. ¡°What are you saying?¡±


    Larissa developed feelings? When did that happen? Throughout that time, she had been cold and


    indifferent toward him. Even when he used Ruby to provoke her, she never disyed a hint of jealousy


    or anger that a typical wife would.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you sense it? Wendy was also astonished. She had assumed that Kevan, with his keen mind,


    would have figured out Larissa¡¯s feelings long ago.

 Chapter 627

    Chapter 627


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I had an ident a few years ago, and I don¡¯t remember anything from the past,¡± Kevan


    apologized with a smile, using ¡°amnesia as an excuse for hisck of recollection.


    ¡°Oh, right.¡± Only then did Wendy recall that Larissa had mentioned this before. She felt a bit annoyed


    with herself¨Chad she been talking to a brick wall earlier?


    Kevan continued to y his part, acting as il he truly had amnesia. ¡°Did I know Larissa bre? No one


    has ever told me about it. Can you give me more details about what you said earlier?¡±


    ¡°Forget it.¡± Wendy wasn¡¯t sure how to exin theirplicated history in such a short time. ¡°Since you


    don¡¯t remember, let¡¯s just start fresh, shall we? Do you like Larissa?¡± she asked him earnestly.


    Though he couldn¡¯t find the right words to express himself to Larissa, with Wendy, he responded


    smoothly. ¡°Yes. I do.¡± even though he blushed with shyness.


    ¡°Do you want to be with her?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Do you promise to treat Aster as your own and take good care of him without any ses?¡±


    ¡°I promise.¡±


    ¡°Good. I¡¯ll help you. then.¡± Wendy admired his honesty. This surprised Kevan; he thought it would take


    more ellort to gain acknowledgment from Wendy.


    As if she could read his mind. Wendy emphasized. ¡°I¡¯m helping you not for your sake, but because


    Aster really likes you. I want to fulfill his wish.¡±


    Kevan responded with a simple ¡°Hmm¡± and replied. ¡°Regardless, I still have to thank you for that.¡±


    ¡°Just treat Larissa and Aster well if you want to thank me.¡± Wendy pointed to her eyes and then to him.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be keeping a close eye on you. If you ever act as despicable as you did in the past, I won¡¯t hesitate


    to take them away from you.¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t need to do that.¡± Kevan smiled. ¡°Uncle Gary would personally see to that.¡±


    Wendyughed, recalling the protective stance that Gary often assumed when it came to Larissa.


    ¡°You¡¯re probably right¡±


    Kevan yed with Aster for a while before leaving. Once back at the hotel, he finally had time to check


    his inbox, which was now filled with new emails. He hadn¡¯t given any orders to stop receiving updates,


    so his subordinates continued to send him information about Lana.


    He clicked on today¡¯s email which contained several images of Lana¡¯s medical reports. The reports


    were full of professional terminology and various numerical values that he couldn¡¯t make sense of. But


    the one thing he could understand was the final diagnosis of HIV. In simple terms. Lana had been


    diagnosed with AIDS.


    AIDS was an incurable disease, and Lana would eventually sumb to it. However, there was no


    guarantee that she wouldn¡¯t maliciously harm others or drag a few more people down with her during


    that process.


    His expression tumed cold at the thought, and he quickly replied to his subordinale¡¯s email ¡®Keep a


    close eye on Lana. Report to me immediately if you notice any unusual behavior.¡±


    Within two minutes, another email notification appeared. It was still about Lana.


    This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.


    ¡°Migr kicked Lana out of the hotel Lana then went back to the Seymour family, but they also didn¡¯t


    wee her. Now, she¡¯s gone to Yvette¡¯s ward.¡±


    Yvette had already regained consciousness, but due to her brain injury, she was now mentally


    challenged and couldn¡¯t speak or take care of herself. Her injuries were severe, and she hadn¡¯t fully


    recovered yet. With Xavier in pilson,n was no longer wiling to cover her medical expenses. Due to


    Yveite¡¯sme and the public¡¯s attention to her case, the hospital didn¡¯t dare lo evict her and instead


    moved her to a regr ward, providing continuous care.

 Chapter 628

    Chapter 628


    In the early morning, Kevan headed to the hospital. He was carrying the breakfast he had packed from


    the hotel. To his surprise, he found the room empty. He quickly stopped a passing nurse and pointed to


    the vacant ward. He asked, ¡°Where did the patient ao?


    The nurses at this hospital were all experienced. Therefore, they were all older. However, when the


    nurse¨Ca middle¨Caged local with


    extensive experience¨Csaw Kevan¡¯s face, she still showed visible admiration.


    ¡°Wow, you speak the Aldoviannguage well. Your ent is quite charming as well¡± sheplimented


    instinctively.


    Although Kevan hadn¡¯t studied abroad, his grandfather had the foresight to hire an Aldovian tutor for


    him when he was young. This was to prepare him for expanding thepany¡¯s business overseas.


    The tutor was a native Aldovian speaker. He had a beautiful and sexy Aldovian ent. Kevan had


    learned his intonation perfectly.


    Kevan had received numerouspliments on his ent from foreign business partners. So, he didn¡¯t


    react much to the nurse¡¯s words.


    He simply replied with a cold ¡°Thank you.¡± He then repeated. ¡°Can you tell me where the patient went?¡±


    The nurse finally snapped out of it and said. ¡°Oh, you mean Larissa? Well, her brother teck her


    downstairs for rehabilitation.¡±


    Kevan had learned from Lewis that Larissa¡¯s leg muscles had slightly atrophied due to months of being


    bedridden.


    Fortunately. Il wasn¡¯t severe. Her bones had healed, and now, she needed to focus on daily walking


    exercises to regain strength in her legs.


    ¡°How long have they been gone? When will they be back? he inquired further.


    ¡°It¡¯s been about an hour. They should be back soon, You- The nurse was about to say more, but


    another nurse hurried over and tugged her sleeve.


    She urged, ¡°Shely, Dr. Ramond has been looking for you for a while. Why are you still here?¡±


    Just before she was about to be pulled away, She.ly turned and blinked at Kevan, ¡®Find me if you need


    anything. I¡¯m Shely, remember that.


    Due to his aponarance, he often attracted prople who wanted to flirt with him, regardless of age or


    gender. He was used to such encounters and didn¡¯t pay much attention to her words.


    He was about to find someone else to ask about the rehabilitation room when a cold voice came from


    behind him, ¡°Mr. Rogers, seems like you¡¯re attracting admirers wherever you go. How fortunate!¡±


    Immediately, his spints were lifted. He swiftly turned around.


    Gary and Lewis were standing a few feet away. Larissa was between them. Both men wore unfriendly


    expressions as they looked at him. Yet she had a leasing expression on her face with a hint of


    amusement.


    Kevan¡¯s heart immediately sank.


    ¡°I was just asking where you guys went,¡± he hurriedly exined, but Gary wasn¡¯t interested in listening.


    Gary waved his hand and cut Kevan off. ¡°Ainght, alright! Weren¡¯t you here yesterday loa? Why are you


    back again today? is Microworks Corporation about to go bankrupt? Otherwise, why are you so idleN?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    every day?¡±


    Kevan was left sosechless for a moment. It had I been too long since Larissa saw Gary leasing Keyan.


    She found herself oddly missing that somewhat sadistic sight. Perhaps it was because she enjoyed


    seeing Kevan being delealed and acting all pitiful, which was drerent from his usual alool demeanor.


    She couldn¡¯t help but find it adorable.


    Nevertheless, she had to save him from further embarrassment.


    ¡°Dad! She pretended to be angry as she red at Gary, who immediately backed alle a grumble.


    Kevan¡¯s heart warmed gradually seeing her standing up for him. He smiled.


    s, Gary was getting annoyed at Kevan¡¯s smug appearance and wanted to scold him. But he didn¡¯t


    want to be reprimanded by his


    Kevan followed the three of them into the ward.

 Chapter 629

    Chapter 629


    Larissa sat on the bed. Gary smoothly poured a cup of hot tea for her. Lewis went to the restroom and


    returned with a towel to wipe the sweat off herce.


    Kevan stood awkwardly on the side, unable to find a way to join in.


    Her attention had been on him all along. Sensing his difort, she quickly changed the look, asking.


    ¡°Why are you here so early?¡±


    He shook the breakfast container in his hand, his tone carrying a hint of bitte mess, ¡°I thought you were


    still asleep, so I brought you breakfast.¡±


    ¡°Ch¡­¡± She inexplicably felt a bit apologetic. ¡°I wake up at 7 am every day. Then, I have breakfast and


    do the rehabilitation.¡±


    She had been a model patient at the hospital, sticking to a routine of early to bed and early to rise,


    actively cooperating with treatment. and showing remarkable progress in recovery. The doctors often


    use her as an example to motivate other patients.


    *It¡¯s line.¡± Kevan replied indiferently. He raised his arm, about to toss the breakfast container into the


    trash can when Larissa anxiously yelled. ¡°Wait¡±


    His motion froze, and he looked at her in confusion.


    Well I feel hungry again after doing the exercises.¡± she said with a sheepish smile as she touched her


    belly. Her gaze fell on the container in his hand, and she asked, ¡°Can I have some?¡±


    After a briel moment of bewilderment, he opened the container and quickly handed it over to her. ¡°Of


    course!¡±


    However, when she saw the breakfast-fried eggs and bacon still steaming hot, along with various fresh


    fruits-her excitement dimmed. Naturally, he noticed the change in her expression but couldn¡¯t


    understand why.


    He hadsted the breast before, and it was cute delicious. The dishes were of high quality too.


    Besides, the ones he had picked were her favorite.


    Larissa gritted her teeth and questioned him in In.stration, ¡°Where is my marinated steak? Or candied


    sweet potatoes? At the very least, you could have made me scrambled eggs!¡±


    When she received the photos Wendy sent her yesterday, she had been craving those dishes the


    whole evening. She even dreamed about eating them in her sleep. ¡°Kevan, you¡¯re showing way too


    much favoritism, you know that? She was genuinely upset.


    ¡°Huh?¡± He was momentarily puzzled. Finally, he managed to connect the angry emoji she sent him


    yesterday. He ligured out the mystery that had been bothering him all night.


    ¡°Well if you really want them, I¡¯ll find a ce to make them for you right now.¡±


    ¡°Lar, those things are too greasy. You shouldn¡¯t be eating them: They will hinder your recovery!¡±


    Gary frowned with concern and red disapprovingly at Kevan. ¡°You¡¯d beller leave now! Don¡¯t bother


    my daughter Leave today!Lewis. book him a flight ticket now and send him to the alipoit. Make sure he


    leaves. You can¡¯te back if he doesn¡¯t!¡±


    C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.


    Lewis locked at Gary and then at Kevan torn between the two,


    ¡°Dad, can you stop being so unreasonable?¡±


    Larissa was at her wit¡¯s end with Gary. He was usually reliable and serious. But every time he faced


    Kevan, he became unusually chidish. Sometimes, she leli embara ssed by his actions.


    ¡°If you keep this up, I won¡¯t let youe to the hospital anymore,¡± she threatened.

 Chapter 630

    Chapter 630


    Since Gary still had a meeting, he left with Lewis. He was unhappy after getting lectured by Larissa.


    Kevan stayed behind to keep Larissapany.


    To cheer her up, he brought her downstairs in a wheelchair to bask in the sun,


    The small park at the hospital was one of the few peaceful ces in Westonia. There weren¡¯t many tall


    buildings around to block out the sun. So, the warm sunrays shone down on the people in the park. It


    bathed them in a dazzling golden glow.


    Before they went out, Kevan wrapped Larissa in a thick down coat and covered her legs with a thick


    nket Still Larissa bund herself feeling hot after a couple of minutes. She unzipped the coat.


    Kevan frowned in disapproval. He went around the wheelchair. He knell in front of her, zipping the coat


    back up to her chin.


    His fingers were long and slender. In contrast to the red coat, his skin looked even paler than usual. It


    made the bluish veins underneath more apparent.


    Larissa couldn¡¯t help but stare at Kevan. She waspletely entranced. She sighed at how unfair lite


    seemed to be. It had given Kevan the best of everything. s, no one would want to be in his shoes


    either.


    ¡°You might feel cold as it¡¯s windy,¡± Kevan said in a low voice beside Larissa¡¯s ear. It brought her back to


    her senses.


    ¡°The doctor said that your body is still weak, and your immunity would be weaker than normal¡± he


    continued in a gentle tone.


    At that moment, Larissa suddenly understood why Aster liked Kevan so much.


    She nodded, her gaze locused on Kevan. Hall of her face was hidden by the cor of the coat. Only her


    clear and bright eyes were visible. Although Larissa did not mean to do that, Kevan couldn¡¯t help but


    feel burned on by her innocent and unwavering gaze. He hadn¡¯t felt such a strong urge in a long time.


    Blushing. Kevan quickly stood up and turned hisce away.


    He changed the subject ¡°Aster¡¯s eyes are exactly like yours.¡± His voice was hoarse as his throat


    tightened with desire.


    Larissa didn¡¯t notice anything unusual about Kevan. She replied, ¡°Of course, I¡¯m his mother!¡±


    Her reservation and aloof demeanor had faded a bit after being away from the workce for so long.


    Now, there was soft femininity and gentleness in her mannerisms.


    Kevan swallowed with difficulty due to the dryness in his throat. Still, Larissa was oblivious to Kevan¡¯s


    difort


    She continued chattering. ¡°You should have seen my childhood photos! Aster is practically a carbon


    copy of me when I was little!¡±


    That was what she was most grateful for. Aster seemed to not have inherited any of his biological


    father¡¯s genes.


    Kevan suppressed the urge to correct her. He had indeed seen her childhood photos. In fact, he had


    seen quite a few of them.


    Larissa was definitely exaggerating when she said that Aster was a carbon copy of her when she was


    younger.


    The only feature in Aster that resembled Larissa was his bright eyes. In truth, his other features were


    more simr to Kevan¡¯s.


    N?velDrama.Org holds ? this.


    Kevan pushed Larissa¡¯s wheelchair as they took a walk around the park. When Larissa finally fell silent,


    he stopped in his tracks and sat down on a nearby bench.


    ¡°Actually, I came here for a reason. I need to talk to you about something.¡±


    Hesitating for a moment to gather his courage, he finally decided to speak up.


    Looking into his somber eyes, Larissa suddenly tell a tle anxious. The serious expression on his face


    was theplete opposite of how he acted yesterday.


    Larissa couldn¡¯tthom what he was going to say. Biting her lower lip, she waited for him to continue.

 Chapter 631

    Chapter 631


    ¡°I heard about our past from Dn,¡±


    In the end, Kevan still couldn¡¯t be honest with her. Using Dn as an excuse, he tried to bring up their


    history together.


    C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.


    s, this news shocked Larissa,


    The expression on her face froze. Her body stiffened when she heard Kevan¡¯s words.


    To Larissa, Kevan, who had lost his memories might appear to be the same person as Kevan from


    before. s, he was still quite different.


    He didn¡¯t have the unpleasant memories of their past together, nor was he as sarcastic and harsh as


    before.


    Their improved rtionship right now was based on the foundation that she didn¡¯t feel embarrassed


    about herself in front of him anymore.


    Things would be different if he regained his previous memories. She could forgive Kevan in his current


    state.


    s, she couldn¡¯t let go of the pain that he had caused her in the past.


    As her guard went up, Kevan could see the change in her eyes which had turned cold with suspicion.


    His heart ached. It was as if it was


    pierced by a knife. He was also seized with anxiety and worry.


    ¡°He only told me part of it,¡± Kevan tried to save the situation. But Larissa¡¯s attitude remained indifferent


    and distant.


    Kevan was debating whether he should press on. But he knew that if he didn¡¯t say it now, he might


    never get the chance again.


    He spoke up. ¡°He only told me that we were married.¡±


    Larissa couldn¡¯t stop herself from trembling. She gripped the nket covering her knees.


    After some difficulty, Kevan swallowed and managed to moisten his parched throat.


    ¡°¨C I¡¯m sorry,¡± he replied, struggling to get the words out of his mouth.


    Larissa didn¡¯t know why he was apologizing, but regardless of the reason, she didn¡¯t care.


    ¡°It¡¯s all in the past. Trying to avoid his gaze, she answered in a hoa rse voice. It was as if there was a


    foreign object lodged in her throat.


    ¡°The reason I brought this up is not to make you feel ufortable. I¡¯m just thinking if we were married


    before, is it possible that Aster is my son?¡± Kevan¡¯s speech slowed down even more than usual. He


    asked this with genuine concern.


    Larissa was taken aback by his question.


    ¡ª


    Widening her eyes, she instinctively shrunk backward from Kevan, She bumped into the backrest of the


    chair, causing the wheelchair to rock.


    In a sh, Kevan quickly held onto the armrests of the chair to stabilize it. So Larissa would not be


    thrown off.


    Soon, she regained herposure.


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible. Although I have no idea who Aster¡¯s father is, I¡¯m sure that it¡¯s not you.¡± Larissa


    replied firmly..


    When she was pregnant with Aster, Kevan was still in aa. ¡°I got pregnant with Aster after our


    divorce.¡±


    ¡°Even if we¡¯re divorced, it doesn¡¯t mean that he could not be my son. I want to get a paternity test,


    Kevan insisted.


    He had already nned everything in advance. Once Larissa saw the test results and found out that


    Aster was his son, he would push all the me onto his past sell,


    Now that he had lost his memories, he would naturally know nothing about how he managed to


    impregnate her.


    ¡°Don¡¯t bother, it¡¯s not necessary,¡± Larissa rejected him.


    Feeling cold, she pulled the down coat tighter around her body. ¡°I want to go back Indoors.¡±


    Looking up, the sun was still shining in the blue sky. Despite the beautiful weather and scenery, she


    couldn¡¯t stay there for another moment longer,

 Chapter 632

    Chapter 632


    They returned to the hospital ward. The vibe between them was very different from before.


    Kevan had regained some of his past memories. So. Larissa didn¡¯t know how to act around him. He


    was eager to talk about their past. Yet she couldn¡¯t muster up the courage to do so. That was the topic


    she wanted to avoid the most.


    Covering her mouth. Larissa pretended to yawn. ¡°I¡¯m feeling a bit tired. You can go about your business


    while I take a nap.¡± She got into bed and puled the covers up to her chin.


    Kevan knew that it was an excuse. So he didn¡¯t want to trouble her further.


    N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    He went along with her and replied. ¡°Alright get a good rest.¡±


    Kevan came to Westonia for two purposes. First to visit Larissa and second to discuss how to deal with


    Cody with Gary.


    Thetter issue waspletely resolved the day before. Thus, the reason he stayed back was to


    spend more time with Larissa, hoping that it would alleviate his feelings of loneliness while they were


    apart.


    Still it seemed as il Larissa was unwilling to spend time with him after he brought up the past.


    Rather than being persistent and annoying her lurther. It would be better for him to be understanding.


    He had to let her have some space to think about the situation.


    Kevan had cancried all his work duties for the day. He nned to spend the whole day at the hospital


    at first.


    Once Kevan returned to the hotel he called his secretary to rearrange his schedule and 17 up the


    afternoon with work.


    His employees groaned at Kevan¡¯s sudden change of ns.


    After the lengthy video conference, Kevan¡¯s secretary messaged him.


    ¡°Mr. Rogers, M. Hermes of the Torqua Corporation is having his son¡¯s wedding next Saturday. The


    invitation was just delivered to your office today. Mr. Hermes personally called to invite you. Will you be


    attending?¡±


    The Torque Corporation? It had been a long time since Kevan heard that name.


    He remembered that thepany¡¯s reputation had been on the decline for the past few years. It was


    only this year that business improved due to Lucas¡¯s rtionship with the youngest daughter of the


    Davis family.


    Dn mentioned before that the Davis family wasn¡¯t satisfied with Lucas.


    Lucas had been in a rtionship with Lana in the past, and he wasn¡¯t outstanding in terms of


    achievements. He didn¡¯t seem like the best choice for a son¨Cinw. Still, the youngest daughter of the


    Davis family was determined to marry him.


    Ms. Davis was used to getting her own way. Despite her family¡¯s objections, she wouldn¡¯t change her


    mind. Kevan never expected that they would actually get married in the end.


    ¡°I attend the wedding.¡± Kevan typed his reply. Although he wasn¡¯t close to the Hermes family, he


    needed to show his courtesy to the Davis family


    ¡°Alright, wil inform Mr. Hermes,¡± his secretary responded.


    That night, Dn called Kevan out of the blue, asking when he would return to Caldor


    ¡°Yes?¡± Kevan asked.


    Dn would never waste his money on expensive international calls without an important reason.


    *Do you remember Larissa¡¯s ex¨Chusband. Or should I say, her first ex¨Chusband? Dn asked.


    That man was the only person whom Larissa had loved.


    Kevan had been Jealous of him for many years. He couldn¡¯trgel Travis even if he tried.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t he dead? Kevan replied.


    To settle things with his family, Yvette paid them a milion dors aspensation.


    ¡°Yes. But I saw his parents this morning at the entrance of our apartmentplex¡±


    Travis¡® parents were infamous for their greed. News about them was still circting online.


    Having a strong impression of them, Dn could recognize them without any difficulty.


    At that time, the couple was quarreling with the security at the apartmentplex.


    Even from a distance. Dn could hear their loud voices cursing the security guards.


    He left the scene and returned to the security boothter to learn about the situation.

 Chapter 633

    Chapter 633


    The security guards told Dn that the couple came to look for their daughter-inw. They mentioned


    that her name was Larissa Seymour.


    However, the apartmentplex had light security measures. Even if Larissa¡¯s name was on the


    resident¡¯s list, the security guards couldn¡¯t let them in.


    The guard had informed them that they had to either wait for their daughter-inw toe and pick


    them up or have her call the security office. After receiving her call, only then could they enter the


    apartmentplex


    Travis¡¯ parents refused both options. They insisted on kicking up a fuss at the entrance of the


    apartmentplex


    In the end, the security guards had to call the police to take them away.


    Hearing this, Kevan furrowed his brows. After the Hardy family took the one million dors from Yvette,


    they returned to their hometown. No one had heard anything from them since.


    Kevan didn¡¯t bother wasting his time to follow up on them as they didn¡¯t stir up any trouble.


    Who could have expected that they would reappear after so many years?


    ¡°Why were they looking for Larissa?¡± Kevan¡¯s tone was cold.


    If Dn were face-to-face with Kevan at this moment, he would have noticed the icy look in Kevan¡¯s


    eyes.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about that. But I heard that those two had caused some trouble at the Winston Hotel


    beforeing to the apartmentplex¡± Dn didn¡¯t have the influence nor the ability to investigate


    everything within just an hour or two.


    Kevan narrowed his eyes and replied. ¡°I¡¯ll return to Caldor tomorrow morning.¡±


    The news of his return to Caldor was only revealed to Lewis and Aster.


    Kevan did not specify the reason but simply said that there was something urgent he needed to deal


    with. Since he was in charge of managing a huge corporation like Microworks, no one would suspect


    anything because of the numerous fires he had to put out daily.


    When Lewis sent him to the airport, Kevan took out a document sealed in a kraft paper bag from his


    briefcase.


    This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.


    ¡°Could you pass this to Larissa?¡±


    Lewis held the paper bag and rubbed it between his fingers. The contents inside seemed very thin, as it


    there was nothing in it.


    ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll pass it to her.¡± he said.


    Kevan lelt very early in the morning. Alter Lewis dropped him off and went to the hospital, it was not yet


    am.


    Larissa did not have a good restst night, so she woke upter than usual.


    When Lewis arrived, she had just gotten out of bed. The caretaker was helping her brush her teeth in


    the bathroom.


    ¡°Why did youe so early today?¡± With her mouth full of toothpaste, Larissa poked her head out of


    the bathroom. She looked at Lewis in confusion, who was making himselffortable on the sofa.


    ¡°I just came over from the airport.¡± Lewis answered.


    Larissa seemed more puzzled than before. So, he exined, ¡°Mr. Rogers had returned to Caldor.¡±


    Looking at Larissa, he took note of the surprise and slight disappointment on her face.


    Larissaposed herself and hid her emotions. Diverting her gaze, Larissa withdrew back into the


    bathroom with an indifferent reply. ¡°Oh.


    The sound of running water was heard for quite some time before it stopped.


    Larissa emerged from the bathroom with the support of the caretaker. After washing up, she looked


    refreshed. Still there was a gloomy expression on her face.


    Larissa turned to re at Lewis. She remarked, ¡°What nonsense are you spouting? I couldn¡¯t care less


    about him?¡±


    Although Lewis could see through Larissa¡¯s pretense, he smiled. He changed the subject. With a wave


    of his hand, he said, ¡°Mr. Rogers


    asked me to deliver something to you. Have a look at it.¡±

 Chapter 634

    Chapter 634


    Kevan¡¯s ne touched down at Bartham early in the moming. He had notified his assistant before


    getting on the ne. Thus, a car was waiting for Kevan to pick him up,


    C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.


    Despite the long flight, Kevan didn¡¯t seem tired at all, He went home and got changed.


    After that he headed straight to thepany without needing any time to get used to the time


    difference.


    Yesterday, Kevan had gone through most of his work that had piled up.


    While driving, Kevan¡¯s assistant suggested. ¡°Mr. Rogers, you don¡¯t need to rush back to the office. You


    should take some time off to rest at home instead ¨C


    With a frown, Kevan waved his hand to dismiss his assistant, who fell silent with a look of concern on


    his face.


    Kevan checked his emails on his phone, browsing through the unread messages that he missed during


    the light.


    He continued receiving updates about Lana¡¯s situation.


    Since Yvette¡¯s hospital ward was not a single room, Lana could only sit on the bedside chair for a


    moment. Sometimes, when the nurses


    weren¡¯t paying attention, she climbed into Yvette¡¯s hospital bed for a nap.


    Lana knew that the police were looking for her because Mige had threatened her before.


    ¡°If you¡¯re disobedient. I will send you to the police station and have you rot in jail for the rest of your


    life!¡±


    When Lana arrived at the hospital, she did not reveal her true identity. She imed to be a caretaker


    sent by the Seymour family.


    The nurses had their doubts about this. The Seymour family did not even pay for Yvette¡¯s medical


    expenses. How was it possible for them to hire a caretaker for Yvette?


    Besides. Lana¡¯s current appearance was thin and frail She looked more like a patient rather than a


    caretaker.


    Some of the nurses tried to ask her when the Seymour family would pay for Yvette¡¯s medical expenses.


    But Lana feigned ignorance.


    She said that she wasn¡¯t close to the Seymour Lamily. She didn¡¯t know how to get in contact with them.


    With that, the nurses were at a loss as well,


    Kevan¡¯s subordinate sent an email to him.


    ¡°Mr. Rogers, should we report this to the police?¡±


    Lana was a wanted fugitive. Her crime of attempted murder was serious enough for a long-term


    sentence in jail, Her condition could kill her in jail too.


    At any rate, she was no longer a threat to Kevan.


    Kevan pondered for a moment after reading the email.


    He replied, ¡°Let¡¯s walt a little longer.¡±


    He had to wait until next Saturday at least. Now that he had settled the first matter, another bigger


    problem cropped up.


    After his call with Dn, he immediately arranged for his men to follow up on Travis parents.


    His subordinate had sent an email saying that the relevant documents were in Kevan¡¯s office.


    This was the reason why Kevan was so anxious to reach his office as soon as possible.


    Although Kevan hadpleted much of his work in Westonia, his office desk was buried under


    documents.


    He found a thick paper bag hidden under a stack of blue liles.


    The word ¡°Hardy¡± was scribbled on the cover of the paper bag.


    Kevan undid the wrapped string on the paper bag and opened it. As he pulled out the documents


    Inside, his fingers trembled.

 Chapter 635

    Chapter 635


    Kevan was afraid.


    He seemed to be more anxious after reuniting with Larissa.


    Kevan could guess the reason why the Hardy family was looking for Larissa. It was because of money.


    After their abuse, Kevan knew that Larissa would not ept the Hardy family¡¯s demands.


    Still, they might use Travis¡¯ death as a ploy to soften Larissa¡¯s heart.


    Kevan didn¡¯t know everything about Larissa. Still he knew a lot about her. They had been together for


    so many years, after all


    Despite her sharp tongue and stubborn personality, she would relent if one persisted.


    N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    Kevan only liked it when Larissa relented for him,


    Kevan narrowed his eyes. Since Travis was dead, he had to disappear from this world. He could not be


    a hindrance to Larissa ever again.


    A thick stack of documents slid out of the paper bag. They plopped on his office desk.


    At first nce, Kevan¡¯s eyes fell on a photo attached to a resume on the first page.


    Earlier, his subordinate had given him information on the members of the Hardy family.


    Kevan recognized that man in the photo as Travis¡¯ younger brother, Andrew.


    When Kevan first learned about him, Andrew was still a university student.


    He ranked in the top three in his major. He also obtained the most prestigious schrships every year.


    He also held important positions in


    the student association and various clubs.


    Judging from this, Andrew should have a brighter future than Travis. This would make him the only


    hope for the Hardy family after Travis¡± death.


    s, the problem with Andrew was his rotten character.


    When Andrew became the president of the student association, he became arrogant.


    None of his peers liked him, especially those from middle-ss familles.


    Such an unlikeable person would struggle to excel after entering the job market.


    Andrew¡¯s resume proved that things did unfold as Kevan predicted.


    He graduated with a master¡¯s degree. He also managed to secure a job offer from one of the Fortune


    500panies. This elevated him ahead of his peers.


    Andrew¡¯s sess didn¡¯tst long. His bad traits got the better of him.


    Not only did he offend his colleagues, he even angered his direct superior.


    In the end, they fired Andrew. His superiors couldn¡¯t stand having him around.


    Otherpanies would call Andrew¡¯s ex-superior for his feedback. s, he didn¡¯t hold back and


    exposed Andrew¡¯s past ollenses at thepany. This caused many job opportunities for Andrew to go


    down the drain.


    Andrew had tried to beg for his ex-superior to be lenient on him, but he lgnored his pleas. In the end,


    Andrew sought legal counsel. He attempted to sue his former employer.


    s, thepany presented surveince footage of him stealing thepany¡¯s supplies. With that,


    Andrew had no choice but to give up on thewsuit.


    After this ordeal mostpanies within the industry heard about his misdeeds. They refused to hire


    him. Even the smallpanies that Andrew ed before rejected his applications.


    With no other options, he had to return to his hometown and leech of his parent¡¯s money.


    Travis didn¡¯t leave behind much of an inheritance. Also, Amber took hall of it by force.


    They had a basic house without renovations and the one million dors that Yvette gave them.


    One million drs was a small sum. But it was enough to sustain Travis¡¯ parents for the rest of their


    lives. s, Andrew had an expensive Mestyle.


    Travis used to give him arge monthly allowance.


    Aber he passed away, Andrew did not change his habits.


    In a few years, Andrew wasted that one million dors.


    Travis¡¯ parents had to return to the workforce to support their son.


    They took on add jobs. They also helped Andrew out by submitting his resume to variouspanies.


    Still, they did not receive any response.


    At their wits end, they decided to plot against Larissa.

 Chapter 636

    Chapter 636


    Chapter 636


    The Hardymly had no money, power, or connections. They enjoyed a short period of poprity within


    theirmunity from having two


    sessful sons.


    Many close and distant rtives came knocking on their door with gifts to ask forvors.


    Some of them requested that Travis find a job for their children in Covenford. And some of them


    requested to borrowrge sums of money.


    D ick and Janine were snobs who cared about their reputation. But they loved money


    y even more.


    Those who came to borrow money were sent away with various excuses.


    As for those who came to ask for jobs. Travis was forced to fulfill each of their requests. This was


    because they didn¡¯t need to spend a cent to receive admiration from their rtives.


    Larissa was not spared as well. She was also forced to use her connections at work tond jobs at the


    Regal Dynasty Hotel for the Hardy family¡¯s rtives.


    Still people were pragmatic. They saw that Andrew had returned to his hometown and started living off


    his parents. Those who used to


    curry favor with the Hardy family disappeared without a trace.


    Due to Travis¡¯ sess in his career, the Hardy family walked around in a haughly manner, especially


    Janine and her malicious tongue. She oftenced almost everyone around them.


    No one liked the Hardy family. People who visited them were there to poke fun at the handy family¡¯s


    downfall They wanted to have


    something to gossip about.


    Realizing that no one was willing to help them, they remembered their former daughter-inw.


    For the past few years, they hadn¡¯t contacted Larissa as Yvette requested. Thus, they had no idea


    about her whereabouts,


    Thus, the couple went to the Regal Dynasty Hotel in Covenlord. They wanted to confront Larissa as


    before.


    Their bad behavior had spread throughout Covenford. When the security guards saw them, they


    quickly drove them away.


    ¡°Leave right new Ms. Seymour is no longer working here.¡±


    They thought that the guards were sent by Larissa lo deceive them. They didn¡¯t believe their words,


    D ick and Janine Hardy waited for Larissa at the front and back entrances of the hotel for a week.


    A week had passed. They did not see any trace of Larissa entering or leaving the hotel. Thus, they


    realized that Larissa was not working at the hotel anymore. StL this wasn¡¯t going to make them give up.


    Di k and Janire were told that Larissa had been transferred to the Regal Dynasty Hotel in Bartham


    Their eyes lit up. their excitement evident. Larissa had gone to Bartham, where all the big shots were!


    Il Andrew were to work in Bartham as well and gel acquainted with a wealthy youngdy from a


    prominentmity


    That thought was enough to make Di ck and Jarine giln.


    They bought tickets for the night train and endured a whole night of difort.


    When they arrived at Bartham, D ick and Jarine dragged their luggage to the Regal Dynasty Hotel


    despite their sore muscles.


    s, they received the same answer.


    ¡°Ms. Seymour left her job here a long time ago.¡±


    Fortunately, the person in charge gave them a key piece of information.


    ¡°Theard that Mr. Seymour is now the general manager of Winston Hotel.¡±


    The Winston Hotel had just started their business in Caldor, This was their first hotel in Marlham.


    D ick and Janine had never heard of it. So they thought that Larissa was working at a low-ss hotel.


    1/2


    Still, D ick and Janine had no one else to turn to for help except for Larissa. They found the Winston


    Hotel with great difficulty.


    They saw the majestic appearance of the Winston Hotel; they were once again filled with joy. Larissa


    was the general manager here! She could definitely arrange for a well-paying and easy job for Andrew! N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    The staff of the Winston Hotel didn¡¯t know who Di ck and Janine were


    Upon hearing that they were Ms. Seymour¡¯s parents-inw, the stall treated them as esteemed guests


    of the hotel 1


    Not only were D ck and Janine invited into the reception lounge to rest, they were served tea and


    cookies by the staff.


    The Hardy couple were country bumpkins who had no manners.


    When the stall of the hotel treated them kindly, they started being rude and demanding. This led to


    some of the employeesining about them.


    ¡°Ms. Seymour is such a nice person. Why are her parents-inw so strange?¡±


    Only a few people knew that Larissa had gone to Aldovia to recuperate.


    The headquarters even kept her position vacant telling the other stall that Larissa was on long-term


    medical leave. Her return date was still unconfirmed.


    Thus, when Di ck and Janine found out Larissa¡¯s address, they went straight to her ce.


    They didn¡¯t know that Larissa wasn¡¯t staying there any longer. They didn¡¯t expect Dn to notice them.

 Chapter 637

    Chapter 637


    Chapter 637


    Kevan skimmed through all the information. He ced the stack of documents down. He picked up the


    phone on his office desk.


    ¡°Check and see if any department in thepany received a resume from a man named Andrew


    Hardy.¡±


    He received a reply soon after, ¡°Farnworth Finances received his resume.¡±


    Famworth Finances was a financial servicepany under Microworks Corporation. Since Andrew


    was a finance graduale, it was understandable that he sent his resume there.


    Kevan tapped on the desk lightly with his index and pondered for a moment. Nobily him toe in for


    work as soon as possible¡±


    If Andrew wanted a job, he would give him what he wanted, as long as that family would stop stirring up


    more trouble for Larissa.


    Time flew by, and it was Saturday. Early in the morning, Dn knocked on Kevan¡¯s door, ¡°Are you


    ready? Can we leave now?¡±


    Unlike Dn, who was dressed up in a suit Kevan was in his ck silk pajamas leisurely drinking a cup


    of coffee in his living room. Holding the mug in one hand, he held his phone in the other, fully focused


    on the screen. Smiling faintly, Kevan¡¯s eyes had a hint of amusement in them.


    Dn could tell what Kevan was doing at a nce. ¡°Are you chatting with Aster?¡±


    Without looking up at him, Kevan responded with a grunt. Now that Aster knew more vocabry, he


    asionally would send text messages to Kevan during their chats. However, it was inevitable that


    Aster would make spelling mistakes as he was still a young child. Because of that Kevan was always


    patient toect his mistakes and help Aster improve.


    Dn nudged Kevan with his feet. ¡°Can¡¯t you chat with him tomorrow? It¡¯s gettingte, so we need to


    hurry. Kevan tumed around and shot him with a fierce re. ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯m the one getting married.


    Why do I have to leave so early?¡± Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    The wedding invitation stated the event would start at 11:30 am. It would take no more than hall an


    hour to drive from his house to the


    venue.


    ¡°But I have to be there earlier! We agreed that you would keep mypany today! How could you go


    back on your word?¡± Dn¡¯s eyes were full of resentment.


    As the eldest son-inw of the Davis family and the bride¡¯s brother-inw, Dn had to be there early


    to help with the setup. His contract with Sharon stipted that on family asions such as this, they


    needed to cooperate with each other and y the role of a perfect couple.


    Still Dn felt ufortable if it were only him and Sharon alone.


    After careful consideration, he decided to bring Kevan along to ease the awkward atmosphere.


    Dn dragged Kevan up from the s. ¡°Come on! Sharon has called me three times to hurry up! If I


    don¡¯t appear there right now, she¡¯ll kill me!¡±

 Chapter 638

    Chapter 638


    Chapter 638


    When Kevan heard what Dn said, he looked up in mock surprise.


    ¡°What? Are you afraid of Sharon?¡±


    Being stared at by Kevan made Dn blush,


    Without thinking of the consequences, he kicked Keven in the shin.


    ¡°Hurry up! Stop rambling!¡±


    It was rare for


    Kevan to be interested in gossip So he didn¡¯t retaliate to Dn¡¯s kick.


    ¡°If you like Sharon, then just admit it. It¡¯s not i ke you haven¡¯t shot your own foot bre this. Since both


    of you are married now, you should forget about the past and move on!¡±


    Kevan palted Dn on the shoulder.


    When he heard Kevan¡¯s words, Dn¡¯s expression froze. The redness in his cheeks also faded. 0 left


    him with a dejected look on his face.


    This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.


    Kevan know that Dn was getting sucked into a dilemma regarding Sharon once again.


    ¡°It¡¯s not easy to lind someone who likes you back.¡±


    Kevan seldom talked vulnerably about rtionship matters with Dn. But after he experienced


    unrequited love, Kevan couldn¡¯t help but feel some empathy toward Sharon,


    Stil he did not agree with her despicable actions back then.


    Speaking in her delense, he continued. ¡°She has been punished enough. If you really have feelings for


    her, just have a good Ife with her moving forward. If you miss the opportunity, love might slip through


    your fingers for good!¡±


    Just like Larissa and him,


    so many years, there was still no


    If he had the courage to take the initiative, they wouldn¡¯t have to go through so many difficulties. After


    so happy ending in sight.


    Dn hung his hand in silence. He didn¡¯t respond to Kevan¡¯s heartfelt lecture.¡±


    The Davis tam ly was a prominent family in Bartham. Otherwise, the Shields family wouldn¡¯t have


    formed an alliance through marriage with them.


    When Sharon and Dn got married, Dn insisted on not holding a grand wedding. He only had a


    simple meal between bothmilies.


    The Davis family was kicking themselves for missing the opportunity to disy their family¡¯s wealth and


    influence.


    Now that they got another chance to do so. they wanted to make up for the previous loss


    They had nned the grandest wedding for their youngest daughter.


    The Davis family rented out the Bartham City Hall which used to hold state banquets. They began


    decorating the venue a month ago. The dignified city hall was transformed into a dreary fairytale


    pce. It was decked out in pink and white.


    The city hall was under much stricter securly than normal hotel ballrooms Police ellicers in uniform


    patrolled the grounds.


    Many important people were attending the wedding. Thus, the security check at the entrance was


    removed to avoid offending the esteemed quests.


    Still anyone not on the guest list would be stopped at the door. The security was so light that not even


    ally could get Inside without permission.


    Kevan rarely visited the Barthain City Hall Most of the time, he came to keep his grandfatherpany.


    This was his list lime attending a private luncilon there.


    ¡°You helped rent this ce, right? Kevan asked. He aveady knew the answer.


    1/2


    Dn seemed visibly ufortable and replied in a low lone, ¡°Yes. I had to out of respect for Mr.


    Davis Senior.¡±


    Kevan didn¡¯t expose him. But he had heard that Sharon was the coordinator for Sasha¡¯s wedding


    today.


    The other members of the Davis family, including the bride hersell, didn¡¯t do much nning for the


    wedding. They left everything up to Sharon


    Thus, il Dn was forced to rent out the city hall it was most likely for Sharon¡¯s sake.


    Dn quickly changed the subject.


    ¡°When you and Larissa have your wedding in the future. Il rent this ce for you too!¡±


    Indeed. Kevan¡¯s thoughts were distracted by Dn¡¯s promise.


    ¡°Alright.¡± he nodded, a smile appearing on his Ips.


    It was still eary, and the guests had yet to arrive.

 Chapter 639

    Chapter 639


    Chapter 639


    Inside the ballroom, Sharon was doing the final checks of the venue. She walked in sky-high heels,


    dressed in a tailored white pantsult that hugged her figure. Her shoulder-length hair danced in the air


    as she fitted around the hall. It brought attention to the sparkling diamond earrings dangling from her


    ears.


    The moment Dn saw Sharon, his gaze fell on her, mesmerized by her beauty. Dn looked like a


    lovesick puppy. Thus, Kevan snapped a picture of Dn on his phone.


    Sharon spoke to the staff milling around her with a walkie-talkie in one hand. She pointed to the


    misaligned lights on the ceiling with a frown.


    Kevan asked Dn, ¡°Should we go over to Sharon?¡±


    Dn finally pulled his eyes away from her. Looking around the ballroom, he replied with an indifferent


    expression on his face, ¡°There¡¯s no need. Let¡¯s find a ce to sit down.¡±


    Kevan raised an eyebrow, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that Sharon had called you three times? She must have had


    something urgent for you to do, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    ¡°Sharon¡¯s always been bugging me to help with the wedding! It¡¯s not even our wedding. Why should


    she put so much time and effort into this? Dn responded in a bitter tone.


    Kevan immediately understood his underlying thoughts. ¡°What are you thinking of having a wedding


    now? Back then, you were the one who refused to have a wedding, not Sharon, Now you¡¯re the one


    getting upset with her. Aren¡¯t you being unreasonable?¡± Kevan said, giving Dn the side eye.


    Dn¡¯s expression was as dark as thunder. Unable to retort, he shot a furious re at Kevan and


    demanded. ¡°When did you start siding with Sharon?¡±


    Kevan shrugged and replied. ¡°No, I¡¯m on the side of reason,¡±


    Gritting his teeth. Dn cursed. ¡°Get lost!¡±


    The presence of two tall and handsome men at the entrance of the ballroom naturally attracted the


    attention of everyone nearby. Even Sharon followed the curious stares of the staff and looked over at


    them. The moment she noticed Kevan and Dn, she smiled and hurried over. Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    They had mopped the ballroom floor, and it wasn¡¯t dry yet. Sharon¡¯s feet slipped on a wet patch when


    she approached Dn and Kevan She lost her bnce, toppling backward. Screams of homar erupted


    from the crowd. At that critical juncture, Kevan caught a glimpse of dark figure who had immediately


    rushed toward Sharon. Pursing his lips, Kevan suppressed his urge to smile.


    Dn was just in time. Holding Sharon in his arms, he saved her like a damsel in distress. Enthusiastic


    cheers and apuse erupted from


    the onlookers for his heroic act.


    Sharon seemed to have not expected that Dn would save her. Stunned, she remained in Dn¡¯s


    embrace for a whole minute until he finally muttered, ¡°Can you stand on your own?¡±


    He had an impatient expression, and his tone was abrupt, but Kevan could detect the concern in his


    voice for Sharon


    ¡°Oh!¡± Sharon snapped back into reality and set her feel on the ground, standing up with Dn¡¯s


    support. Embarrassed, she said, ¡°Thank


    you for saving me.¡±


    Dn stepped back, eager to put some distance between them. Noticing his actions, the hope in


    Sharon¡¯s eyes dimmed.

 Chapter 640

    Chapter 640


    Chapter 640


    ¡°You said you wanted my help?¡± Dn looked around. The ballroom had already been set up and only


    needed some final touches


    The hotel staff was busy, but everything was in order. It seemed that there was no need for his help. He


    furrowed his brows, and a sense of annoyance surged from within.


    ¡°Can you stop using these lowly tactics?¡±


    Sharon would go to any lengths to see him, just like before. His cold tone and disgusted gaze caught


    her off guard.


    Momentster, she smiled with a hint of sarcasm,


    This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.


    ¡°It seems that you have overestimated your charm.¡± She red at Dn. The rosy hue on her face


    faded as she spoke sarcastically. ¡°Il was your father¡¯s idea that youe here. Don¡¯t forget, we¡¯re a


    model couple in others¡¯ eyes. Or do you wish to let the cat out of the bag?¡±


    The essence of Dn¡¯s marriage with Sharon was known to both families. They merely wanted the


    stability and business cooperation the marriage brought. They didn¡¯t care whether the two were happy


    with the arrangement or not. They only had one requirement for the two- to act like they were in love


    and put on a good show whenever they were in public, even if their rtionship was terrible.


    Although Dn usually acted nonchnt, deep down, he was actually afraid of his father. That was


    why he agreed to marry Sharon,


    Thus, when Sharon mentioned his father, his attitude immediately softened. He only responded with a


    dissatisfied snort choosing not to confront her further.


    a


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing for you to help with here. Just have a seat and y with your phone to pass the time,¡±


    Sharon said.


    ¡°You want me to y with my phone while you¡¯re busy? But that won¡¯t show off our affection!¡± He


    suddenly took a step forward. He h ooked his arm around her slender waist and pulled her into his


    embrace.


    ¡°Darling, how about you go and rest? I¡¯ll help you with the work¡± he suggested. Hearing him call her


    ¡°darling¡± made her body stiften. Her eyes widened in disbelief.


    Before this, there was no one else around them except for Kevan. So, the other employees didn¡¯t hear


    the hurtful words they exchanged earlier. Now, they saw the affectionate exchange between the couple.


    The employees felt a tinge of envy and jealousy as if they were witnessing a fairy-tale love story.


    She readily epted his suggestion.


    ¡°Sure,¡± she replied. She smiled softly and handed the walkie-talkie to him. She pointed at the young


    woman in a manager¡¯s uniform who had been with her earlier. ¡°Ms. Helen over there will tell you what


    to doter. 11 rest then.¡±


    After breaking free from his embrace, she turned to him with a bright smile and said. ¡°Thank you,


    darling!¡±


    The faint sense of loss that Dn had just experienced vanished instantly. He rubbed the goosebumps


    on his arm. Then, he mustered a smile as he replied in a simr way. ¡°You¡¯re wee, daring!¡±


    The onlookers were captivated by their love.


    Sharon didn¡¯t return to the hall for quite some time after she left. Following Sharon¡¯s instructions, Dn


    sought out Ms. Helen andpleted the tasks Sharon hadn¡¯t finished. By the time everything was


    done, the guests were almost arriving.


    Dn didn¡¯t forget to bring Kevan along to the entrance to wee the quests.


    Outside the hall, directly opposite the entrance, there were two registration tables. One for the groom¡¯s


    family and the other for the bride¡¯s family, These tables were specifically designated for checking in the


    guests and receiving wedding gifts.

 Chapter 641

    Chapter 641


    Chapter 641


    As soon as Dn and Kevan took their seals, one of the groom¡¯s rtives approached them. He


    offered them cigarettes, trying to get on their good side.


    ¡°It¡¯s such an honor to meet you, Mr. Rogers. Mr. Shields,¡± he said in a ttering way.


    Kevan remained aloel and motionless, leaving the person¡¯s hand hanging awkwardly.


    The atmosphere became somewhat ufortable.


    Dn quickly but politely declined the offer.


    ¡°Sorry, we don¡¯t smoke.¡±


    Unlike Kevar¡¯s distant demeanor, Dn continued to smile. This made him the primary focus of the


    conversation.


    The man was quite chatty and skilled at ttery.


    Dn struggled to hold back his urge to send him away. Finally, he managed to find a tactful excuse to


    dismiss him.


    As he tumed back, he caught Kevan¡¯s smug smle. His anger surged


    ¡°It¡¯s all yourut. How can you stillugh about it?¡± he retorted.


    ¡°What¡¯s there to feel bad about?¡± Kevan replied, nonchntly crossing his arms.


    ¡°He approached us because of you. And what did you do? You left him hanging and put him on me


    Dn was fuming.


    Despite being one of the co-founders of Microworks Corporation, he wasn¡¯t nearly as well-known as


    Kevan. People would always try to Hatter Kevan, while he was just an afterthought.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t put him on you, I simply ignored him,¡± Kevan corrected him.


    While others might think highly of Kevan as a gentleman, Dn knew it was just cade he put on


    when dealing with people he found


    advantageous.


    In recent years. Terqua Corporation had faced bankruptcy rumors due to poor management


    Consequently, the Hermes family was no longer of any use to Kevan. C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.


    Dn couldn¡¯t argue with Kevan¡¯s assessment. He clenched his teeth and shot a frustrated re al


    Kevan.


    ¡°There¡¯s one thing that I find puzzling.¡± Kevar said, ¡°How can you be so polite to a stranger, yet you


    can¡¯t seem to be nicer to Sharon?¡±


    Kevan had witnessed the tense exchange between Dn and Sharon in the ballroom earlier. He


    noticed the sadness in her eyes after Dn¡¯s hurtful words and his dejected expression after she lett


    ¡°When you asked her to rest. i wasn¡¯t about opposing her, am I right? You just didn¡¯t want her to slip


    again on the wet floor wearing those high heels. So, why not just tell her that honestly?¡±


    Dn was caught off guard by Kevan¡¯s shrewdness. He fell a moment of panic. ¡°What are you talking


    about?¡± he instinctively denied, only


    to lower his head when he met Keyan¡¯s knowing gare.


    After a brief pause, he sarcastically remarked, ¡°And what about you? You used in act the same way.


    Aren¡¯t we both gully of that?¡±


    Both of them hid their true emotions when facing the person they liked, just like hedgehogs protecting


    themselves with sharp spines to avoid gelling hurt.


    Kevan was taken aback and awkwardly tried to defend himself, ¡°Well, it¡¯s because my uncles were still


    around¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh,e on!¡± Others might not understand Kevan, but Dn surely did! ¡°You were just alrad of being


    relected by Larissa and embarrassing yourself Dn said. He gave Kevan a piercing look, exposing his


    true feelings.


    However, Kevan suddenly became serious and said, ¡®It¡¯s not that.¡± He paused for a moment and


    continued, ¡°I¡¯m not afraid of being


    embarrassed.¡¯


    He was scared that Il Larissa knew about his feeings, she would be frightened and never give him


    another chance.

 Chapter 642

    Chapter 642


    Chapter 642


    As the wedding was almost about to start, the quests began arriving one after another, Kevan and


    Dn got busy attending to them.


    Many guests recognized Kevan and wanted to establish rapport with him for future business


    opportunities. They offered him cigarettes and asked for photos together. Some even tried to set him


    up with someone.


    Initially, Kevan was willing to entertain them. He wanted to show courtesy for Cn and the Davis


    family¡¯s sake. However, he was known for his patience. Every quest from ether side treated him like a


    sightseeing spot to lick all their list. He reached his limit. He excused himsell to get some fresh air.


    The ballroom was sp acious. He easily found an unupieder with an open window. The cold


    breeze that drilled in brought some rity to his thoughts.


    He nced at his phone. There were no messages. His grip on the phone lightened as his heart also


    seemed to lighten. It had been lour days since his return from Aldovia and Larissa had not reached out


    to him even once, Had she not seen the items he entrusted to Lewis?


    As much as he wanted to ask her, he hesitated. What it she had seen them and now held a grudge


    against him?


    With a sch sigh, he decided to wait until all the affairs here were settled before flying back to Aldonia to


    personally apologize to her.


    Engrossed in his inner struggle, he suddenly caught a subtle hint of smoke, prompting him in furrow his


    brows.


    A few years back, the city of Bartham implemented aprehensive ban on ior smoking. So, a


    venue like this one had even stricter regtions. He disliked people who didn¡¯t follow rules, but he


    wasn¡¯t sell-righteous enough to go out of his way to remind or correct them.


    He put his phone back in his pocket. He stood upright and smoothed out the wrinkles on his sull jacket


    hem, preparing to leave. Suddenly, he heard am liar voice-someone sounding nervous, with a mix of


    anger and unease.


    ¡°Are you unable to get the money from your end?


    ¡°Da mn it! I knew I couldn¡¯t trust them. They¡¯dpletely screwed me over! I lost milions! Now, those


    old f arts from the board are constantly giving me a hard time, itching to push me out!


    ¡°Kevan might be a wealthy guy, but he won¡¯t lift a finger to help me! We¡¯ve always had a sour


    rtionship, he did otter assistance, I¡¯d even suspect it was all a tran!


    ¡°Alright, alright. Spare me your useless advice! There¡¯s no one reliable to tum to! I need to figure out a


    way to get the money. Otherwise, those oldrts wil have me thrown into jail I don¡¯t want to end up like


    my father, wasting the rest of my life there!¡±


    Kevan leaned back against the wall once more. He fell an odd sense of satisfaction as he istened to


    Cody¡¯s frustrated and desperate voice. Blue Star Shipping¡¯s vessel had arrived in Dartham before he


    did. Although he didn¡¯t witness it firsthand, he could imagine the depths of Cody¡¯s despair upon


    discovering his cargo had beenpletely switched.


    Cody had put all his hopes on that shipment. With it gone, he lost hisst chance at aeback, and


    his future looked bleak.


    Kevan had heard that Cody had been desperatey trying to borrow money from banks, credit


    companies, friends, and business partners. However, the funds he managed to secure were just a drop


    in the bucketpared to what he had embezzled.


    ¡°Damn it!¡¯ Cody hung up the phone and cursed again. ¡°Kevan!¡± He grilled his teeth and spat out


    Kevan¡¯s name in hatred.This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.

 Chapter 643

    Chapter 643


    Chapter 643


    Kewan¡¯s expression tensed up, thinking he had been discovered. However, when he turned to look at


    theer where the voice came


    from, he saw no one.


    *Just you wait! One day, 111k you!¡± Cody angrily shouted at thin air before storming off, clearly upset.


    As the footsteps faded away, Kevan let out a contemptuous chuckle. He wondered who would


    ultimately be thest one standing.


    When Kevan returned to the entrance of the ballroom, the newlyweds were there. They were busy


    greeting the quests. Their parents stood beside them. They expressed gratitude to every well-wisher.


    Kevan didn¡¯t recognize Lucas at first; perhaps due to the makeup or the fact that they hadn¡¯t seen each


    other in a long time. Compared to a few years ago. Lucas appeared more mature, with a hint of world-


    weariness. He no longer resembled the young, confident, and


    optimistic youth from the past.


    Kevan assumed that Lucas had faced some tough times running Torqua and that it had smoothed out


    his sharp edges.


    Kevan didn¡¯t feel much sympathy for Lucas, mainly because he wasn¡¯t particrly concerned about


    others¡¯ lives, rather than due to any


    past grievances.


    As a result, when he saw the joy on Lucasce, he didn¡¯t experience the typical emotions of


    satisfaction or blessing. He simply wondered whether Lucas¡¯ happiness was due to marrying Sasha or


    having the support of the Davis family as a patron.


    As Kevan appeared, the guests quickly surrounded him, neglecting the newlyweds


    ¡°Mr. Rogers! I heard you were here earlier! I¡¯ve been looking for you for a while. I thought you had


    already left!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve tried to meet up with you several times. Finally, I get to see you in person today!¡± N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since west met. We should definitely have a few extra drinks tonight!¡±


    Mr. Rogers¡­.


    The elders seemed somewhat displeased that the attention shifted away from the newlyweds.


    However, Lucas and Sasha gazed at Kevan with unfiltered admiration. If it weren¡¯t for her cumbersome


    wedding dress, Sasha might have already gone over to tak to Kevan,


    Nevertheless, Kevan had experienced Lucas enthusiasm a long time ago. Also, he had heard about


    Sasha¡¯s admiration for him from Dn


    After sending away unrted guests with a lew words, Kevan approached the newlyweds. He put on a


    slight smile. ¡°Congrattions to you both,¡±


    ¡°Oh my gosh!¡± Sasha suddenly burst out with excitement, blushing as she grabbed Lucas¡± hand.


    ¡°Honey! My idol actually talked to me! Pinch me, am I dreaming?¡±


    Her parents felt a bit embarrassed by her behavior. They quietly reminded her, ¡°Sasha


    However, it didn¡¯t dampen her excitement. As for Lucas, he seemed a bit shy.


    ¡°You¡¯re not dreaming,¡± he said gently. He looked at Kevan with a mix of excitement and bashfulness,


    just like in the past. But he had be moreposed in his speech. ¡°Mr. Rogers, thank you for


    coming to our wedding.¡±

 Chapter 644

    Chapter 644


    2/2


    Chapter 644


    Lucas¡¯ sincere allitude madr Kevan¡¯s stone heart feel a little bit of guilt.


    When Kevan thought of what he hadmanded people to do a few days ago, he did not dare to look


    Lucas in the eye.


    He only replied. ¡°It¡¯s an honor to attend your wedding.¡±


    ¡°Kevan, thanks foring. Thank you so much for your hard work.¡±


    Walter Davis walked over and spoke with great cheer, the wrinkles on his face rxing a great deal


    The Davis family was friends with the Rogersmig. The elders of both families interacted with each


    other frequently. Although Kevan did not like attending social events, he was still more familiar with


    Walter and Martha Barker in these circles.


    ¡°Dn is working so much harder than me.¡±


    Kevan pushed al the credit to Dn in just a few words.


    Hearing this Walter looked across the venue.


    Dn was still busy weing quests and epting gifts with Sharon as they stood side by side,


    looking like a perfect couple.


    He did not have any energy left to pay attention to what was happening over here.


    ¡°Dn is working hard indeed.¡± A happy look appeared on Waller¡¯s face as he murmured to himself.


    ¡°How rare it is to see them so happy toprther,¡±


    Dn and Sharon¡¯s marriage was arranged by both their parents. They had no feelings for each other.


    That was a well-known fact that went unsaid by all


    Although they acted like they were so in love, the cu nning ones could tell that the couple was only


    taking il


    Kevan pretended not to hear thatst sentence, shi tting the focus of attention to the newlyweds.


    ¡°Congrattions, Mr. Davis Senior, for fulfilling another wish of yours.¡±


    Walterughed before remembering something. Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    He tugged on Kevan¡¯s sleeve and asked. ¡°Why aren¡¯t your parents here?¡±


    ¡°They went to travel the world. They will probably be back in three months.¡± Kevan replied.


    Naturally, his parents traveling the world was something he had arranged on purpose.


    Once he got the evidence of his two uncles¡¯ crimes, he was afraid that his father would he sad and


    would try to stop him, Thus, he sent his parents out before he did anything to his uncles.


    He still had not received any calls from his parents. He presumed that they were still unaware of the


    fact that his uncles were now in jall,


    Walter found it unfortunate. ¡°I thought I would be able to have a drink or two with your dad!


    Kevan agreed on hischer¡¯s behalf, ¡°I¡¯m sure you will have the opportunity to in the future.¡±


    Although the newlyweds were reluctant to part with Kevan, he still entered the balkoom Irst so as not to


    steal the show,


    The ballroom¡¯s main colors were white and pick.


    Kevan saw many young girls taking pictures with their phones. Some of them told their boyfriends that


    they wanted the same color scheme for when they were married.


    Kevan drifted off for a moment. He wondered if Lanssa would like this style too. He guessed not.


    In his memory, she was always mature andpetent, Her only wedding was very in. She did not


    even have her own ssy wedding gown. She had rented a cheap one.


    He dreamed of standing at the head of the red carpet, watching Larissae toward him in an


    borate white gown, a shy smile on herce.


    On either side of the carpet would be a huge rumber of guests who were watching them, and they


    would stand and p for them.


    A pity that this could only be a dream.


    ¡°Mr. Rogers!¡±


    ¡°Mr. Rogers!¡±


    Kevan¡¯s thoughts were interrupted by the people who came to chat with him. He deal with them all one


    by one before linding his seat.

 Chapter 645

    Chapter 645


    Chapter 645


    The seats of the quests were nned beforehand because the stic nametes indicated where a


    person would sit at the wedding feast. Kevan¡¯s seat was arranged to be at the secondble. Those


    sharing the table with him were immediate family members of the Davis family-likely Sasha¡¯s uncles


    and such.


    These people were already seated, and they naturally traded pleasantries with Kevan afer s exing him


    come over.


    Kevan chatted aimlessly with them while keeping an eye on his phone. Suddenly, the phone vibrated. A


    WhatsApp message came through. ¡°Mr. Rogers, she¡¯s at the main entrance of the Hall. The quards


    have stopped her.¡±


    Kevan stared at the massage for two seconds, frowning slightly as he felt a little tom. Pulling the phone


    down, he filled up his ss with water belere taking a small sip.


    I


    Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.


    The chatter andughter of the quests were right there, but he could not listen to any of it. He thought


    that this was only a business alliance in the form of marriage, but who knew that the newlyweds were


    very much in love?


    Kevan tapped his finger fightly on the table. After a long while, he finally made a decision. ¡°Keep an eye


    on her. Do not let here in,¡± In the end, he could not destroy someone else¡¯s marriage. But even if


    he did not interfere, this wedding would not have proceeded smoothly.


    When there were only five minutes left before the ceremony started, a man in a managerial outlit


    rushed over to the head table and whispered something in Walter¡¯s ear. Walter¡¯s expression changed


    at once, and his re al Xander and Cecilia, who were sitting opposite him was filled with rage.


    Xander got nervous from Walter¡¯s stare, and his hard jerked once, causing the water in his ss to spill


    out and stain his suit. The sult was specialy made for today¡¯s wedding. The sl averybric became a


    dark gray, but he could not be bothered with it asking shakily, ¡°Wh- what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Themotion was not big, so not many people noticed.


    Kevan did not stare. He only paid attention out of theer of his eye while doing his best to listen to


    what was happening. He heard Walter grinding his teeth as he growled in a low voice. ¡°Your son is


    missing?¡±


    The people at the next table were rmed.


    Sharon calmly soothed the adults. ¡°Maybe he¡¯s gone to the toilet. I go see.¡± She rose up and left while


    she spoke.


    Dn naturaly followed her. ¡°I go with Sharon. When he passed by Kevan, he signaled Kevan with a


    look, teling him toe with him.


    Kevan excused himself from the table by using a random reason. Tim going to the toilet.¡±


    Outside the ballroom, the hotel stall was in chaos. They had never encountered something like the


    bridegroom disappearing, so they did not know what to do.


    Sharon assigned tasks to all of them, telling them to go lind Lucas at every level of the hall. She hersell,


    on the other hand, kept calling Lucas¡¯ number. His phone was busy, which made ner curse in anger.


    ¡°Wait here,¡± she told the manager who was with her. ¡°Il Lucases back, call me immediately, I will


    go to the lounge.¡±


    After the quesis had all arrived, Sasha went to the lounge to touch up her makeup so she did not


    experience this mess.


    ¡°What about you two? Sharon paused just as she was about to leave, turning to look at the two men


    who were standing next to her. They acted like none of this was any of their business.

 Chapter 646

    Chapter 646


    Chapter 646


    ¡°We have something else we need to do.¡± Dn grabbed Kevan¡¯s arm.


    Kevan¡¯s voice was a bit hoa rse, probably because he had not spoken in a while, so his voice changed


    rather unnaturally when he spoke up in response to what Dn said.


    Sharon eyed Dn¡¯s hand on Kevan¡¯s arm thoughtfully before nodding. She left.


    The moment Sharon lett Kevan removed his arm from Dn¡¯s grasp, smoothing out the wrinkles in his


    sleeve with a disgusted frown on hisce


    I


    ¡°Why don¡¯t I know that we have something else to do?¡± he asked in a low voice. It was at a volume that


    only he and Dn could hear.


    Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.


    Dn¡¯s gaze on him wasplicated. However, he did not say what he wanted to say originally


    because there were outsiders nearby. He only sighed softly and said, ¡°Let¡¯s talk somewhere else.¡±


    There were several lounges near the ballroom. They were originally meant for guests of the feast who


    came early. Now that everyone was already seated in the ballroom, the lounges were empty.


    Dn pushed open the door to one of them and pulled Kevan inside. He swiftly turned around to lock


    the door.


    ¡°Lucas¡¯ running away Were you the one responsible?¡± He stared at Kevan, gaze hard and solemn.


    Although Dn had been Kevan¡¯s friend for many years, his aura was always just short of Kevan¡¯s


    when he was in front of thetter. This was due to their great differences In personality. However, this


    was also because Dn deliberately amodated Kevan a little by diminishing his own aura.


    With how Dn was right now, Kevan was very unused to his rare moment of solemnity


    After a few seconds of being stunned, Kevan answered truthfully, ¡°No.¡±


    Dn knew about the tangled past between Kevan and Lucas. When he knew that Lucas was missing,


    Dn put his suspicions on Kevan,


    But since Kevan said that he was not responsible¡­


    ¡°I believe you.¡± Dn always trusted Kevan without fall.


    ¡°But¡ª¡°Kevan¡¯s words suddenly took a turning point. ¡°This matter might be somewhat rted to me.¡±


    Although Dn had been married to Sharon for many years, he was not close to the Davis family due


    to how strained his rtionship was with Sharon, To Dn, Sasha¡¯s wedding was just a ¡°mission¡± that


    he had toplete no matter what. He did not need to care or know anything about it. But when he


    saw Sharon¡¯s dark and tensece, he surprisingly fell a strange urge of pity for her.


    He wanted to help her, to make sure that this wedding that she had spent half a year¡¯s time preparing


    proceeded smoothly. Kevan hastened his pace, Jogging behind Dn. As he watched Dn hurrying


    along. Kevan¡¯s displeasure gradually melted into a mischievous smile. ¡°This guy and his tough facade


    ¡ª


    The elevator was far away, so they ran downstairs instead. When they reached the parking lot, they


    were sweating and panting hard.


    Dn surveyed the area but found no one in the mass of luxury cars.


    ¡°Are you certain that they¡¯re here?¡± he asked Kevan,


    Kevan dug out his phone to contin the information sent a few minutes ago.


    ¡°Yes¡±


    He nodded. The parking lot was extremely big. Lucas and the woman could not have gone anywhere


    else in such a short time.


    ¡°Let¡¯s keep looking.¡± Kevan stepped forward.


    After searching for five minutes. Dn and Kevan walked from one end of the parking lot to the other. It


    was only then that they saw the pair arguing in theer.


    ¡°You said that you¡¯d only love me! Only me

 Chapter 647

    Chapter 647


    Chapter 647


    ¡°You said that even if i got married, you¡¯d still wait for me! Lucas, you liar


    Lana beat Lucas¡¯ chest furiously like a crazy person her sallowce stained with tears.


    Lucas stood there nkly. He did not avoid the sealing, and he did not react to being beaten. It was


    hard to tell what he was feeling from theplicated expression on his face.


    Lana¡¯s energy seemed to be used up by this series of intense punches. She swayed for a moment


    before gripping the front of Lucas¡¯ suit Only then did she not go so far as to fall down.


    Lucas subconsciously reached out for her. He was about to touch the side of her waist when he


    remembered something. Ireezing us before pulling his hard back quickly.


    Lana naturally nolized his little movement. She did not expose him but took the opportunity tol into


    his arms.


    ¡°Lucas! She locked up with tears in her eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t get manied, okay?¡±


    Her voice was set and gentle. Lucas heart fell a stab el pain from how careful Lana sounded.


    Lana would always be an amazing goddess In his heart. Since when was she ever so humble?


    ¡°-¡°Lucas said hesitantly.


    Seeing the indecision in his eyes, Lana grew more anxious. ¡°I regret it! I should not have listened to my


    parents and mamed Cody for the beneft of the family Lucas, the one I really like is you! It has always


    been you!¡±


    Kevan was watching the show with great joy when he suddenly saw Dn rolling up his sleeves angrily


    out of theer cf his eye.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± He quickly stopped Dn with his hand.


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna beat up that son of a b itch!¡± Dn snarled through gritted teeth,


    ¡°Calm down.¡± Kevan simply stepped in front of Dn to block him off. ¡°Lucas hasn¡¯t decided yet.


    Regardless of that even if he did run off with Lana, it¡¯s not really any of your business. Isr¡¯ it?¡±


    ¡°How is it not any of my business?! Dn blurted out. But when he saw the leasing expression in


    Kevan¡¯s eyes, he looked down with some guilt.


    ¡°I mean ¡ª¡± He tried to force an exnation cut of himself. ¡°I can¡¯t stand disloyal fuckers like him?


    ¡°Eh. I didn¡¯t know that Mr. Shields had such a strong sense of justice. When did that happen? Kevan


    teased.


    Dn red at him furiously. ¡°Shut the held us he shoved Kevan away. ¡°Ill beal the shil out of him!¡±


    Lucas had pushed Lana away. Although it was hard for him, he still said, ¡°Nana, we were finished a


    long time ago.¡±


    Why?!¡± Lana¡¯s voice became shrill at once, piercing ufortably into one¡¯s ears


    ¡°Im going to marry Sasha Lucas avoided locking at Lana as he spat out the harshest words with quilt in


    his heart. ¡°This wil be thest time we meet. Do not find me ever again.¡±


    ¡°Are they forcing you? Lana grabbed Lucas¡¯ airs and shook him hard. I know that they¡¯re the ones


    forcing you! It¡¯s definitely them. forcing you! I heard that Torqua¡¯s not doing well and that you must have


    a marriage alliance with the Davismity to be able to keep thepany going. I can understand you!¡±


    Even though she tried to act like she understood him, the craziness in her eyes still revealed how


    emotionally disturbed she was.


    ¡°That¡¯s not. Lucas uttered these two words with a Irown before Lana cut him off. ¡®Can¡¯t lie to me, Lucas.


    And dont le lo yourself! The fact that you¡¯re willing to see me proves that you sill. love me! I don¡¯t


    expect you to marry me over Ms. Davis, I just want to y by your side! Even if I don¡¯t have any status


    or influence Lucas, Hove you! No one loves you more than I do in this world, Luca


    A chortle suddenly sounded in the spa cious parking lol. ¡°Seriously, can you be a lille ss shameless?¡±C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 648

    Chapter 648


    Chapter 648


    The musical voice sounded bossy. The four in the parking lot-no matter in the dark or in the light,


    turned over in surprise.


    Sasha had somehow changed out of her borate wedding gown, and she was now wearing a dress


    with a shorter skirt, which allowed her to move more freely. She had a thick down jacket wrapped


    around her to keep the cold away, and she was about a hundred away from Lucas and Lana.


    Lucas¡¯ce changed at once. He frantically shoved Lana away and tried to exin to Sasha ¡°Listen to


    me. Sasha, It¡¯s not what it looks like


    It was the exact script that a cheater would use in a TV show.


    Sasha kept smiling. However, it was not as happy and sweet as before. Instead, it was only cold and


    mocking now.


    Lucas froze in his footsteps, having been about to walk to her. He was suddenly swamped under a


    great wave of fear.


    Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.


    ¡°Sashar A series of tapping high heels sounded on the floor,ing closer and closer. Sharon hurried


    over and stopped next to Sasha.


    She did not know who leaked the information, When she rushed over to the bride¡¯s lounge, Sasha was


    no longer there. ording to the bridesmaid, Sasha changed her dress and rushed out the moment


    she knew that Lucas was missing. She did not tell anyone where she


    was going either.


    Sharon began interrogating people after that. She then gradually pieced the clues together and went to


    the security room. But the guards said, ¡°Ms. Davis stared at the surveince lootage for a while before


    running out angrily!¡±


    The security cameras operated 24 hours a day, and they were sc at tered across everyer of the


    Hall. This led to the screens of live footage of every part of the Hall taking up the entire wall of the


    room.


    Sharon swept her gaze across every single screen. Before her sight got muddled, she sessfully


    found Lucas¡¯ silhouette in the parking lot. A woman stood next to him someone she was not unfamiliar


    with-Lana


    She supposed that Sasha ¡°ran out angrily¡± because she saw this.


    After getting the precise location from the guards, Sharon rushed over at once.


    As her older sister. Sharon knew what Sasha¡¯s personality was like. Most of the time, Sasha was a


    sweet, docile princess. But when she got angry. she could do anything


    While Lucas and Lana had to be dealt with, it could not be done by Sasha¡¯s hand in person. Forget


    getting her hands dirty, but if things got too far-it was very not worth it to ruin her life for the sake of


    these two losers. So. Sharon had to stop Sasha before things got too out of hand so that it could all stil


    be fixed.


    ¡°Sasha Sharon held her sister¡¯s hand lightly. ¡°Go back with me.¡± To prevent Sasha from refusing.


    Sharon used amanding tone with


    ¡°Sharon.¡± Sasha pulled her hand thee, a look of calm on herce. ¡°This is between me and Lucas.


    Don¡¯t get involved.¡± She smiled yfully. probably sensing how assertive her lone was. Tim not a child


    anymore. Don¡¯t worry about me.¡±


    Seeing the determined look in her eyes. Sharon¡¯s own determination began to sway.


    ¡°Just make it quick.¡± She finally conceded.


    Only then did Sasha tunn to look back at Lucas.


    ¡°Are we still going to get married?¡± she asked calmly, as if she was asking about the weather.


    ¡°Yes!¡± Lucas nodded wildly, desperately trying to ignore all the mess of feelings he fell due to her overly


    calm demeanor. He was afraid


    that she might go back on her word the next second


    ¡°Good, then.¡± Sasha nodded and held out her hand. ¡°Come back with me now. Don¡¯t keep the guests


    waiting.¡±

 Chapter 649

    Chapter 649


    Chapter 649


    Sharon did not expect Sasha to be sopromising. She suddenly felt sad for her.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to do this for Mom and Dad¡¯s sake.¡± Sharon spoke loudly so that everyone could hear


    though she was addressing Sasha.¡± These things are not worth your future happiness. So, if you want


    to cancel the wedding, we will support you.¡±


    Lucas turned pale at once, and he looked at Sasha, at aplete loss of what to do. He pulled back


    the foot he put out in preparation to walk over to her and waited nervously for her ¡°verdict.¡±


    However, before Sasha could speak, Lana hugged Lucas from behind. Her arms were surprisingly


    strong despite being very thin. They were wrapped around Lucas waist so tightly that it hurt.


    ¡°Don¡¯t marry her, Lucas! You love me, and you know it! Lana wailed, looking out from behind Lucas


    head to re at Sasha fiercely.


    ¡°Lucas loves me, not you! He will never marry you! Forget it!¡±


    Sasha did not even look at Lana, though. She treated Lana asil she did not exist.


    ¡°Lucas Hermes, you only have five more minutes.¡± Sasha turned to Sharon to borrow her phone,


    ncing at the time before continuing.¡± It¡¯s 11:17 pm right now, I will only wait until 11:22 pm. Once


    time¡¯s up. I will go upstairs and tell everyone that the wedding is canceled.¡±


    Her words were not a threat. They were a statement. Lucas knew this, which was why he was more


    panicked than ever.


    He ripped Lana¡¯s arms away from him, changing his previous hesitance-which was bome out of guill-to


    decisiveness and resolution. He rejected Lana this way. ¡°I don¡¯t love you anymore, Lana. I now love-


    ¡°Shut up! Shut up! I don¡¯t want to hear it Lana screamed, pping her hands over her ears. It was as if


    she could avoid facing the cruel reality of it all by doing this. However, she was only fooling herself.


    Lucas was not affected by her, finishing his words by himself. ¡°I love Sasha, I really want to spend the


    rest of my life with her.¡±


    Lana screamed louder to overpower his voice, shaking her head wildly like she was a rattle toy. ¡°You¡¯re


    lying! You ar! You¡¯re lying! You don¡¯t love her! You love me!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not lying.¡± Lucas was still going to argue when a sh of silver appeared before his eyes.


    Lana reached into the pocket of her jacket and drew out a pocket knife! This sudden development


    scared everyone.


    ¡°Calm down, Lana!¡± Lucas, who was the closest to her, was the first to react. He backed away


    discreetly even as he soothed her.


    However, Lana wasster than him. Before he could avoid herpletely, she swiftly caught onto his


    hand and pointed the knife at the back of his waist.


    *TE lucking stab you if you move she threatened.


    Lucas stilled at once.


    ¡°What are you trying to do?¡± He tried tomunicate with her. ¡°Put the knife down, okay? Let¡¯s talk like


    normal people. That knife is dangerous. You might even hurt yourself if you¡¯re not careful.¡±


    ¡°What am I trying to do? Lana grinned sinisterly. ¡°You¡¯ll find out soon.¡± She stared at Sasha, her eyes


    sparkling with hatred and satisfaction.


    ¡°Il give you two choices, Sasha Davis.¡± Her face was hideously twisted, madness shining through every


    inch of herce. ¡°Either watch me kill Lucas, or youe over and trade your life for his.¡±This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.

 Chapter 650

    Chapter 650


    Chapter 650


    Sasha¡¯s calmness fell apart when she saw the knife. She knew that it she did nothing. Lana would


    really stab Lucas due to how unstable she was right now.


    Seeing the internal struggle Sasha was going through, Sharon grabbed her hand before she could


    respond.


    ¡°Sasha, don¡¯t.¡± Sharon shook her head minutely. Even her normally confident expression had a trace of


    fear in it.


    Sasha really did love Lucas. She loved him so much that she would definitely die for him. But she did


    not want to die here, nor did she want to die by the knite of that crazy woman. She looked at Lucas,


    who was also looking at her.


    His eyes held terrible grief as well as deep love.


    Sasha¡¯s heart trembled sharply, and fear gripped her tightly.


    ¡°Sasha.¡± Lucas was smiling, his voice was amazingly steady. ¡°No matter what anyone says, I only need


    you to believe that I really do love


    YOU


    ¡°Luc.¡± Sasha was about to speak when she saw his face darken. He reached back to grip Lana¡¯s wrist.


    Startled, Lana¡¯s hand pushed forward, and the knite pierced through the two thinyers of fabric,


    stabbing into the back of Lucas¡¯ waist.


    ¡°No!¡± Sasha screamed in despair as all rational thought was thrown to the wind. She threw Sharon¡¯s


    hand away and raced toward Lucas.


    ¡°Don¡¯te over!¡± Lucas shouted stemnly. He used everything he had in him to bear the pain while the


    hand that was gripping Lana¡¯s wrist


    remained unmoved.


    The krille was still stuck in his body, and beads of sweat began to form on his forehead. They dripped


    into his eyes and blurred his vision.


    ¡°Go! All of you, go! Hurry!¡± He did not know how long he could hold on. The only thing on his mind right


    now was that he could not let


    Sasha get hurt.


    The knife prevented blood from spraying out, but the dark red liquid still stained the fabric around the


    knife, gradually spreading out on Lucas¡¯ white suit.


    Sasha stopped running, staring nkly at that spot.


    Grief, regret, fear. All kinds of emotions built up in her heart, turning into a big ball of chaos and


    confusion.


    ¡°Go! Hurry up and go!¡± Lucas urged her with sadness when he saw how nk she was. ¡°Go upstairs


    and call the police! Otherwise, we¡¯re


    all going to die!¡±


    Sasha was startled back into reality, and she turned back to shout ¡°Sharon! Call the police and an


    ambnce


    Sharon did not need her reminder, for she had already dialed the emergency number.


    Lana, who was under Lucas control, suddenly burst outughing crazily. Is no use! The ambnce


    can¡¯t save him!¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Sasha red at her while clenching her fists hard, her veins popping out on the


    back of her hand rather frighteningly.


    ¡°That knife is coated with my blood, Lana smiled evilly. ¡°I have AIDS, and I¡¯m going to die.¡± When she


    was saying this, she seemed rather excited. Her dull eyes were gleaming with the light of revenge, and


    her voice was also trembling a little because of this.


    ¡°I was originally going to drag you down with me.¡± The ¡°you¡± Lana meant was Sasha. ¡°But this idiot had


    to die for you.¡±


    Lana threw away her mask of fake kindness, revealing her true evil face.


    Sasha nearly cked out, her body stumbling once. Her mind was nk as Lana¡¯s words kept


    reying in her head,


    ¡°That knife is coated with my blood.¡±


    ¡°I have AIDS, and I¡¯m going to die.¡± Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    ¡°This idiot had to die for you.¡±


    ¡°Going to die.¡±


    1/2


    ¡°Die for you.¡±

 Chapter 651

    Chapter 651


    Chapter 651


    Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.


    Sasha did not know when she started crying. Her face was now covered in tears.


    ¡°Lucas¡­¡± She opened her mouth, but no sound came out.


    Lucas¡®ce gradually lost color, and his strength weakened with the loss of blood.


    ¡°Sasha.¡± His voice was really soft, showcasing just how weak he was right now.


    Sasha¡¯s blurk eyes tumed to look at him.


    ¡°Thank goodness. Lucas smiled a genuine smile at her. ¡°Thank goodness it wasn¡¯t you.¡±


    Thank goodness she was not the one who got stabbed by the knife.


    Thank goodness she was not the one who got infected,


    Thank goodness she would not be the one who would die.


    ¡°Lucas Hermes you¡¯re aplete idiot Sasha burst into tears, unable to control her emotions any


    longer.


    Sharon rushed over to hug her, her cold gaze having a Itile bit of sympathy and gratitude in them when


    she looked at Lucas,


    The sounds of named footsteps suddenly scunded in the spacious parking lot.


    A team of heavily armed police streamed in from alers of the lot. Surrounding Lucas and Lana in


    the center.


    Seeing the group of policemen, Lana finally panicked. She tried to break free of Lucas¡® grip as she


    exined. ¡°Sirs, he stabbed himself. It


    has nothing to do with me. Don¡¯t catch me, please!¡±


    The police ignored her, gradually tightening their circle.


    Lucas forced himself to stay focused, using what itte energy he had to remind the men. ¡°Be careful!


    She¡¯s a carrier of AIDS!


    The police did not cower though. Their bodies had been properly covered up, and there was no other


    exposed skin other than their face.


    A policeman approached Lana quietly, mping down on her other hand before she could nolice him.


    Lana screamed. But she had not even finished reacting when her arm had already been twisted behind


    her back.


    The other hand that Lucas had been holding was quickly ken over by the policeman, Lucas let go,


    his body swaying a little. Thankfully. another policeman came over quickly to hold him. That was why


    Lucas did not fall onto the floor.


    The nearby policeman produced a first aid kit out of nowhere and said to Lucas. We will send you to


    the hospital after we have treated your wound. This is to prevent you from losing too much blood.¡±


    Lucas stopped him, though. ¡°Don¡¯t! My blood has aready been infected. It end up infecting you¡± He did


    not wish to drag other people


    down with him.


    ¡°No worries.¡± The policeman decisively pulled out the knife before peeling all his outerwear andying it


    on the floor. He got Lucas to le on it before lifting up the hem of his shirt.


    With that, the knife wound was exposed to the air. Without the de blocking it, fresh blood was


    bubbling up from the wound. The policemen skilfully stopped the bleeding for him and bandaged him


    with gauze.


    During this process, Lana kept shouting. ¡°I¡¯m innocent! You can¡¯t catch me! I didn¡®) hurt him!¡±


    ¡°You saw it loo! Lana went as far as to get the Davis sisters to be her witness, probably because she


    was out of ideas. ¡°He stabbed


    himself. It wasnt me!¡±


    When Sasha heard Lana¡¯s irresponsible words she finally looked away from Lucas. She suddenly


    turned around and rushed over to Lana,


    pping her three Limes very angrily.


    ¡°The first p is for Lucas! How dare you stille back to him aller marrying Cody Rogers for


    money?!


    ¡°The second p is still for Lucas! He gave you everything he had, but you betrayed him. Even now,


    you dare to take his lle?!


    ¡°Let me tell you this, Lana. You ended up the way you do now because of yoursell! It has nothing to do


    with anyone else! The person you should hate the most is yourself! Lucas and I owe you nothing!¡±

 Chapter 652

    Chapter 652


    Chapter 652


    Lana and Lucas¡¯ story was not considered a secret in the wealthy social circles of Bartham, When


    Walter and Martha tried to get Sasha to break up with Lucas, they went as far as to give her the most


    complete version of the story.


    Sasha knew every st upid thing that Lucas had done for Lana. She even secretly gol jealous because


    of it. She never told Lucas about all these things. It was to the point that Lucas stll thought that Sasha


    was unaware of his previous rtionship. Because of that when he heard what she said to Lana, he


    could not care about the wound on the back of his waist as he tried to push himsell up from the floor.


    ¡°Sasha.


    The policemen quickly stopped him. ¡°Don¡¯t move! Your wound will be tom open again!TM


    Hearing themation Sasha turned around In shout at him coldly. If you don¡¯t want to die, you better f


    ucking lie down, Lucas!If you move agar, I wil kill you myself¡± She did not give him any respect at all.


    ¡°¡­Oh.¡± Lucas chickered out at once, hunching in on himsell. Hey down again with the policemen¡¯s


    help, wailing obediently for the ambnce toe,


    The sight of this hurt Lana¡¯s heart very much. She was uzed by Sasha¡¯s three ps, but she


    actually cried because of this.


    Lucas had realy fallen in love with someone else. That man who once said he would love her forever-


    who would give her the whole world did not want her anymore. Thest bit of hope she had died out,


    and Iana¡¯s world tumed dark and ck


    The heavy despair made her wail uncontrobly. She took this chance to let out all the pain she had


    gathered throughout the years.


    Everyone stared at her in confusion.


    ¡°Don¡¯t try to y tricks Even if you cry until you¡¯re dizzy, we will not let you go!¡± the police officer


    threatened her coldly.


    Sasha was standing right in front of her. Because of this close distance, she clearly saw Lana¡¯s regret


    on her face. Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    ¡°You got what you deserved. This was the onlyment that Sasha gave her.


    After Lana calmed down slowly, the ambnce that Sharon called for had arrived. Lucas was moved to


    a stretcher. Before he was moved into the ambnce, he did his best to lift up his head to look in


    Sasha¡¯s direction.


    Sasha¡¯s back was facing him, so Lana was the one who noticed his gaze instead. Her heart ached with


    pain again, and she pinched her finger, having made a decision. ¡°That knife was not coated with my


    blood.¡±


    Her voice was very hoa rse after all the screaming and crying that she did. ¡°I never really wanted to kill


    him,¡±


    The reason why she carried that pocket knife with her was because she wanted to force Lucas to leave


    with him after he rejected her. Who knew that he would throw away his own life for Sasha?


    Sasha did not listen to Lana¡¯s words. No one could be sure that Lana was not lying again.


    ¡°Please be careful¡± Sasha got into the ambnce with Lucas, and she instructed the doctors and


    nurses who were checking on Lucas.¡±


    He might be infected with AIDS.¡±


    Sasha¡¯s voice was not loud, but as the parking lot was too quiet, it was enough for Lana to hear her.


    Lana¡¯s pupils shrank, and her heart was filled with sourness. She opened and closed her mouth as she


    tried to defend hersell, but she could only give up in the end as the


    ambnce doors closed.

 Chapter 653

    Chapter 653


    Chapter 653


    ¡°Move¡± After the ambnce left, the police marched Lana Into the police car that had just got there too.


    The parking lot became quiet once more.


    Sharon, who was alone, took a deep breath and said out loud, ¡°You cane out now. The show¡¯s


    already over.¡±


    Dn and Kevan, who were hiding behind a big car, were shocked. They looked at each other before


    coming right out.


    ¡°Did you two n this? Sharon tried her best to ask calmly even though she was feeling all kinds of


    negative emotions in her heart.


    Kevan said nothing.


    Although Dn had not participated in anything, he remained silent, too, for he did not want to betray


    his friend. He did not dare to look into Sharon¡¯s eyes as he was afraid that she might get a hint from his


    face.


    However, the way he looked down with his eyes drifting here and there was just proof of his guilt to


    Sharon


    Her heart sank gradually as her voice trembled. ¡°You really hate me that much?¡±


    Her sudden question confused Dn. ¡°What?¡± He frowned because he was unable to figure out what


    this question had to do with the first question,


    Enraged, Sharon continued on without noticing anything strange about Dn. ¡°If you want revenge on


    me because you hate me. I can understand that. I can ept it too. But you can¡¯t take it out on my


    family! Her eyes burned red as the so bs began to break her voice. ¡°My family is my bottom line, I don¡¯t


    want them to get hurt because of me. I¡¯ve suffered enough for all these years. Let¡¯s get a divorce.


    You¡¯re free.¡±


    Dn waspletely stunned. A long momentter, he spoke in disbelief, ¡°What are you saying?¡±


    I said that I want a divorce.¡± Sharon furiously held back her tears and forced a smile on her face.


    ¡°You¡¯re free. Happy now?¡±


    Dn stared at her as he tried to see the evidence of a lie on her face. But there was nothing. She


    really made up her mind to divorce him, and she was not just threatening him,


    Deliberately ignoring the suffocating fear, Dn looked away and smiledzily. The smile was mocking


    too. ¡°Of course I¡¯m happy. I¡¯m so f ucking happy right now. You¡¯d better keep your word. Don¡¯t regret it


    by then.¡±


    Sharon bil her lip and looked at him with disappointment. ¡°I¡¯m going upstairs.¡± She looked down,


    composing herself in the fastest way possible. She could not lose it all now. There was still a huge


    mess waiting for her upstairs.


    ¡°Wait


    Kevan spoke up anxiously, but he had only said one word when Dn stopped him.


    After Sharon¡¯s silhouette vanished from the entrance of the parking lot, Kevan asked Dn, ¡°Why didn¡¯t


    you let me exin?¡±


    Kevan¡¯s silence at the beginning was because he had not yet thought of how to exin to Sharon. He


    was still thinking of what to say when everything developed into a direction that he had zero control


    over


    ¡°What is there to exin? Isn¡¯t this great? She finally agreed to divorce me.¡± Dn smiled and ignored


    Kevan¡¯s resistance as he slung a arm around Kevan¡¯s shoulders. He walked out with him this way and


    said. ¡°Let¡¯s go and have a celebratory drink! I¡¯m going to get my freedom back, and you have to be


    happy for me!


    As his friend for many years, Kevan could naturally see that he did not mean what he said.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t really want to part with her, then get her back yourself. Otherwise, once you¡¯ve divorced,


    you will be the only person who regrets it,¡±


    Kevan let this deeply because he had experienced the same thing.


    ¡°Listen to me. Take my advice.¡± Kevan urged him. ¡°Don¡¯t f uck around. Spend the rest of your life


    properly with Sharon.¡±


    Dn Irritably yanked his arm back and distanced himself from Kevan,


    ¡°Whose friend are you now? Why are you speaking up for Sharon these days? Fine! If you don¡¯t want


    to be happy for me. line! | someone else to drink with me!¡±Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.

 Chapter 654

    Chapter 654


    Chapter 654


    Although Dn said he was going to leave, he did not leave at once.


    It was not because of Kevan¡¯s persuasion but rather because Dn had some tact himself. He had to


    stand together with Sharon at this time-even if he was only acting.


    The ballroom upstairs was not in chaos like they thought it was. The quests remained in their seats,


    and the waters were bringing the dishes over in an orderly way. There was just a hint of difort on


    everyone¡¯sces.


    Dn and Kevan walked through therge ballroom to return to their seats.


    Xander and Cecilia¡¯s seats were already empty, and Martha¡¯s seat was also empty too. They had gone


    to apany Lucas to the hospital. He did not know how Sharon informed everyone of what


    happened, but as the guests did not leave, he presumed that she did not tell the whole truth.


    He did not know if she had told Walter about the divorce issue. He guessed that she did not because


    she had more tact than him, and she knew to look at the big picture more than he did.


    He sat next to her. She did not look too good, and he was in a simr state. They ignored each other


    and ate their meals in silence.


    Due to the huge incident earlier, the people¡¯s interpretation of their expressions was a little different.


    None of them thought that it was because the couple was not united. Walter even instructed. ¡°Sharon,


    please visit every tableter with Dn and give them toasts as a form of apology.¡±


    ¡°Alright¡± Sharon replied emotionlessly.


    Dn nced at her once before responding in the same way.


    Walter had prepared in water for Dn and Sharon. It was in a vodka bottle, so no one could tell the


    difference.


    There were many guests today, and there were almost a total of fifty tables. Dn and Sharon toasted


    every single table. If they were drinking actual alcohol, they would have gotten drunk even if they had a


    high tolerance level for alcohol.


    Dn, however, was not grateful for Walter¡¯s consideration. He found a waiter to ask for red wine and


    threw back ss after ss with the guests.


    In the midst of it all some people teased him. ¡°Since when were you such a chicken, Mr. Shields? Your


    wife is drinking vodka, but you¡¯re drinking wine?


    Dn smiled faintly. ¡°My alcohol tolerance is not as good as hers.¡±


    In the process of toasting, he and Sharon did notmunicate. asionally, the guests might give


    them a bit of trouble in the form of making fun of them. They made them drink by trading cups or some


    other such nonsense. It was only then that their gazes would meet for a short while.


    Kevan was busymunicating with his subordinate about the matter of Lana. Alter Dn and Sharon


    reached his table, Kevan only put down his phone and looked up.


    The couple had already gone through almost every table. This table was the secondst one.


    Dn¡¯s alcohol tolerance was not so good. Having drunk almost a whole bottle of red wine, hisce


    was Rushed, and his gaze was unfocused.


    Sharon, on the other hand, was no different from her usual sell. She was very in control, and she


    smiled even while she held her shot ss. Other than Kevan, the rest of the people at the table were


    the Davis family¡¯s closest rtives. Seeing that Dn was about to pour wine into his own ss, Louis


    Davis stopped him at once. ¡°That¡¯s enough, you don¡¯t have to toast us here! Go back and eat your


    meals. You must be very hungry.¡±


    Dn did not appreciate IL though. ¡°No way! He said firmly. ¡°All of you took time toe today, I have


    to toast you guys at least once!¡± He tipped his head back and drank all the wine in one go.


    ¡°Alright then!¡± Louis led the others to raise their cups. ¡°Dn, we always found it a pity that you did


    have a wedding ceremony with Sharon all those years ago. Now, I will take this time to wish you both a


    very happy and blessed marriage and for you to have a child very soon!¡±


    The others lolcwed Louis lead and offered all kinds of blessings and good wishes.


    Sharon kept smiling and thanking everyone while she nodded. ¡°Thank you, Uncle Louis.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Aunt Katie.¡±


    ¡°Thank you Uncle Oscar,¡±Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

 Chapter 655

    Chapter 655


    Chapter 655


    As Dn Istened, some imitation appeared on hisce.


    ¡°Me and Sharon ¡ª


    He had just started speaking when Kevan interrupted him. ¡°Let¡¯s have a drink too.¡±


    Dn red at him with dissatisfaction,


    Kevan red at him as a warning not to speak without thinking. After they had finished drinking. Kevan


    deliberately asked. ¡°Are you drunk? Do you want to go to the lounge next door to rest for a bit?


    Kevan¡¯s words sessfully got everyone to stare at Dn¡¯s face. They watched him with concern.


    Louis spoke again. ¡°Sharon, Dn does look strangely flushed. Maybe you can tell your dad to have


    Dn sent back home to rest first?¡±


    Dn frowned at once, and he refused, ¡°No need. I¡¯m not drunk.¡±


    However, everyone else had a different idea than him.


    Walter heard everything that was said, and when he saw that Dn refused to ept he personally


    came over to cate him. ¡°There¡¯s nothing else left to do here. You and Sharon can go Erst¡± Then, he


    instructed Sharon. Tl have someone pack you two some food. Bring it with you when you go home with


    Dnter.¡±


    Sharon went along with it and said. ¡°Okay.¡±


    As his father-inw had spoken, Dn naturally could not disobey. He held his wine ss and just


    stood there quietly.


    The food soon arrived and was given to Sharon. Walter arranged for them to have a car and repeated


    the car¡¯s location to Sharon because he was scared that she could not find


    Kevan walked over and discussed with them. ¡°Can you take me with you? I drank some liquor, so I


    can¡¯t drive.¡±


    ¡°Sure!¡± Walter agreed readily. ¡°Just tell the driver where you want to go, and let him send you over


    first.¡± Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.


    *Thank you so much for that, Uncle Waller.¡± Kevan thanked the man while pretending to support Dn


    by his arm. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Dn was dragged out of the ballroom by Kevan while Sharon followed them with the packed food in


    her hand.


    ¡°Since you¡¯re here, Mr. Rogers, I won¡¯t be sending him back.¡± She gave the lood to Kevan, ¡°You can


    just take my dad¡¯s car. know where it is because my dad kept repeating the Information earlier.¡±


    Kevan did not ept the food, but he asked, ¡°What about you?


    ¡°I didn¡¯t drink, so I can drive. Sharon said.


    ¡°Then we¡¯ll take your car.¡± Kevan decisively changed the n.


    Dn spat at him. ¡°Are you out of your f ucking mind?¡±


    Kevan pushed his face away in disgust. ¡°Shut up, your breath stinks.¡±


    I¡¯m sure you


    Dn had drunk too much, so when he spoke, a huge pull of alcoholic breath attacked Kevan¡¯s nose. It


    gave him a big headache.


    ¡°My apologies, Mr. Rogers.¡± Sharon raised an eyebrow, and she had a challenging smile on herce.


    ¡°My sports car can¡¯t take three people.¡±


    Kevan swiftly dumped Dn into the hands of a passing waller. ¡°Please help me send him to the


    parking lot C254. Make sure he gets into the car. Thank you for your trouble.¡± Ignoring the confusion of


    the walter, Kevan turned to smile at Sharon. ¡°Now there¡¯s just the two of us.¡±


    Kevan lelt with Sharon while Dn kept cursing in the background.


    After getting into the car, Sharon did not start it immediately. She crossed her arms and gazed at Kevan


    calmly. ¡°What do you need from


    Kevan had always liked talking to smart people like Sharon, so he did not beat around the bush. ¡°I¡¯m


    sorry,¡± he said.

 Chapter 656

    Chapter 656


    Chapter 656


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Kevan rarely apologized, so Sharon thought that she had misheard. But Kevan repeated himself once


    more. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°For what?¡± Sharon was more curious and confused than demanding to know answers.


    ¡°Today¡¯s Incidents have nothing to do with Dn,¡± Kevan said. ¡°I was the one who caused them.¡± He


    never liked exining himself to others, but he also did not want his best friend to take the me for


    him.


    Sharon binked. She could not understand. ¡°Why?¡± He had no reason to ruin the wedding. He was not


    familiar with the newlywed couple. and he had no problems with either the Hermes family nor the Davis


    family. No matter how she looked at it, he seemed to be taking the me for Dn.


    ¡°I wanted Lana to suffer more.¡± A sinister look shed across Kevan¡¯s eyes at the mention of Lana.


    R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only


    After Lana crashed her car into Larissa to hurt her, she became a wanted fugitive after vanishing before


    the start of her trial, Sharon knew a little about Kevan and Larissa¡¯s rtionship. So, it made sense for


    him to take revenge on Lana for Larissa.


    But what he did was really confusing.


    ¡°Lana was the one who dumped Lucas. What kind of suffering can she gel?¡±


    To Sharon, breaking up with a partner meant that they had be strangers to one another. The


    partner¡¯s life had nothing to do with her anymore, and she would not get upset if the partner was having


    a better life than her.


    It just so happened that Lana was theplete opposite of what Sharon was. Moreover, after Lana


    dumped Lucas to marry Cody, she did not live the rich life she dreamed of. Instead, she made things


    worse and worse for herself. It did not matter if it was her own body or soul. Both suffered a heavy


    blow.


    After seeing Lucas and Sasha¡¯s sweet happiness through all kinds of media outlets, Lana, of course,


    felt more and more upset. What Sasha had today should have been hers from the start!


    After all Lucas stuck to her like a clingy lizard, worshiping the ground she walked on and saying things


    like only marrying her.


    To Lana, who was out of options, Lucas was herst hope. If she held on to him, she could live. It she


    could not, she would be in hell.


    Kevan¡¯s initial n was to let Lana into the wedding venue and let her see Lucas being so in love with


    another woman. He knew how Cody treated her during their mariage-it was just the same as how he


    treated Ruby before. He was an abusive partner.


    Such a stark contrast would definitely drive Lana mad with jealousy. If she had caused a huge scene by


    going crazy, Kevan could get Dn to call the police and have her brought to justice.


    Kevan said all of this without adding or sugarcoating anything to Sharon,


    ¡°But I changed my n halfway through.¡± He did not forget to set the record straight for himself. ¡°I didn¡¯t


    let them let Lana in. I don¡¯t know how she contacted Lucas.¡±


    Sharon was quiet for a moment. ¡°Alright. I got IL¡± She believed Kevan-he had no reason to lie.


    Even if he really let Lana in and messed up the wedding. The Davis family and Hermes family would


    not have been able to do anything to him.


    ¡°So, don¡¯t me Dn,¡± Kevan had said so much, and he finally brought out the main topic. ¡°He didn¡¯t


    want you to hate me, that was why he did not exin.¡±


    Recalling how unreasonable she had been, Sharon¡¯s face turned ale red. Now that she had lound out


    the truth from Kevan, she regretted her thoughtless words. She thought that Dn had hurt her, but


    she was the one who had hurt him instead.


    ¡°I¡¯ll find an opportunity to apologize to him.¡± She was always straightforward. Il she was wrong, she was


    wrong. She would not find any excuses for herself.


    ¡°What about the marriage? Will you still get a divorce? Kevan asked.


    ? you sho


    Sharon froze for a moment. Then she smiled bitterly while looking down, ¡°You¡¯re familiar with Dn,


    Mr. Rogers, so you should know how


    ¡°He wont.¡± Kevan¡¯s tone of voice was light, and unt smile appeared on his lips. He doesn¡¯t want to


    get a divorce ether. Just like you.¡±

 Chapter 657

    Chapter 657


    Chapter 657


    Sharon jolted. The happiness that rose up in her heart was quickly extinguished by her.


    Dn¡¯s reasons for not wanting to divorce her were definitely different. It was better for her not to


    imagine things.


    Tve said everything that I needed to say.¡±


    Kevan straightened up in his seat and put on his seat belt.


    ¡°I live in the same area as Dn. Just drop me off at the gate.¡±


    Okay.¡± Sharon shook her head and ignored all her feelings. She pressed her lips together before


    pressing the gas pedal down.


    Her beautiful sports car roared loudly while it raced out of the parking lot in a red sh.


    Sharon left Kevan unceremoniously at the gates of the residential area.


    Kevan only felt for his muted phone after getting out of the car.


    The screen showed about thirty missed calls from Dn, and the unread WhatsApp messages had


    piled up.


    He did not need to see who the messenger was to know who it was from.


    Kevan ignored it all and put his phone back in his pocket. He nodded at the security guard, who


    greeted him cheerfully. He stuck his hand


    in his pocket and slowly walked back home.


    Now that Lana had been dealt with, he had one less thing to worry about. But it was not time to rx


    yet. The remaining ones were very


    Troublesome.


    And the most troublesome one was ***


    Kevan sighed heavily.


    When would Larissa contact him?


    The news of Lana¡¯s amest made headlines on various major websites. Along with this incident, which


    was just as startling, was Yvette¡¯s R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only


    sudden death.


    Yvette¡¯s brain was injured. She was in aa because of this. The doctors had already diagnosed her


    to be in a vegetative state. She was only alive because of being kept on life support.


    Butst night, the patroling nurse discovered that Yvette¡¯s breathing tube had been disconnected by


    someone. The machine that monitored Yvette¡¯s heart showed only a t line.


    After an emergency rescue attempt, the doctors dered Yvette¡¯s death.


    The police who got the case also formed a task force to investigate the truth of Yvette¡¯s death.


    The disconnection of the breathing tube was definitely not an ident. Although Yvette was as good as


    dead, the one who stole her chance to live will still be pinned as a murderer.


    Yvette died after midnight. Any patients and their families would have long fallen asleep, so they did not


    know about any of this.


    The only useful clue they could give was that ¡°There was a girl who would keep secretly going into the


    ward to see Yvette while the nurses were not looking.¡±


    ¡°She would even sleep in the same bed with Yvette. We don¡¯t know who she is, and she ignores us


    when we try to talk to her.¡±


    ¡°That girl seemed to be sick too because she was very thin and sallow, and she looked very scary.¡±


    This description made the police think about Lana, who had just been arrested. They got the hospital¡¯s


    surveince footage. They saw that Lana had indeed entered and left Yvelle¡¯s ward several times


    during this period. Moreover, an hour before Yvette died, Lana left the


    The police questioned Lana again about this case.


    Lana admitted to everything that she did because she probably thought that she did not have much


    time left, so it did not matter to her


    she had another crimegged to her name.


    Considering how Lana had tried to hurt people, the judge no longer hesitated.


    He sentenced her to death with no dy.

 Chapter 658

    Chapter 658


    Chapter 658


    It waste at night,


    Kevan finally finished work for the day, and he closed a file, putting down the pen in his hand. His


    personal phone did not ring at all.


    Aster had gone to a closed-off winter camp organized by his kindergarten two days ago. He was not


    allowed to bring his phone, so Kevan lost contact with him.


    A developed habit suddenly changing due to this made Kevan feel like he had lost his emotional


    support system. He worked harder than


    ever, and he became a duller person.


    Kevan leaned back into his chair tiredly, and he rubbed the aching spot between his eyes. It was nearly


    12 am and he could see that the lights of the intemetpany next door were still on through the wide


    floor-to-ceiling windows.


    The bitterness in his heart gradually turned mid-at least, he was not the only person who was alone on


    such ate night.


    Suddenly, he had the idea to call Dn to apany him. So, he called Dn.


    Ever since being abandoned by Kevan at the City Hall¡¯s parking lot and having his thirty-plus calls


    ignored. Dn did not reach out to Kevan anymore.


    Any messages that Kevan sent received no responses too, and this time¡¯s call was also ignored.


    Kevan had plenty of time to waste with Dn now.


    He called again and again, and he sent one message after another. He went as far as to throw down a


    harsh threat. ¡°Il you dort answer my call I will go to your house and park mysell there.¡±


    Dn finally answered his call, probably because he was scared of him. But his voice was very


    unfriendly. ¡°What the luck are you calling me at night lor? Are you trying to pressure me into dying or


    some s hit? II you¡¯re too f ucking lonely, go find a girl to help you out! Why are you bothering me?!


    His voice was clear. It did not sound like he was woken up by Kevan¡¯s calls.


    Ignoring Dn¡¯s anger. Kevan asked in a self-serving manner. ¡°Want to get a drink?¡± Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Drink my a ss, you f ucker!¡±


    Kevan had just popped a bottle of whiskey when the private door opened. Dn was still cursing him


    out, and he looked really annoyed.


    ¡°You crazy f ucker! Why did you call me out sote at night for??


    Kevan handed over the filled ss of whiskey and said, ¡°Try it, it¡¯s not cheap.¡±


    The words ¡®it¡¯s not cheap¡± were like a magic spell because Dn held back all further negative


    emotions and tried the liquer at once. Savoring it slowly, hemented, ¡°Not bad.¡±


    Kevan did not drink like him, Instead, he finished off his ss within seconds. Without the whiskey as a


    barrier, the Ice cubes kept clinking against the ss.


    Dn eyed him and asked, ¡°What¡¯s up with you again?¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡± Kevar filled his ss once more. ¡°Just wanted to chat with you.¡±


    Dn forced down his anger and the cursing he was about to dish out. ¡°Not everyone seeps aste as


    you,¡± he said through gritted teeth.


    Kevan finished another ss of whiskey. He ignored Dn¡¯s anger and hopped to the next topic. ¡°Are


    you and Sharon okay?¡±


    Dn froze before he snarled harshly. If you want me to drink with you, don¡¯t lucking mention her!¡±


    ¡°Well, guess not. Kevan thought to himsell.


    ¡°I kinda admire you.¡±


    No one could tell what he was feeling from that smile.


    ¡®Admire me for what?¡¯ Dn was curious.

 Chapter 659

    Chapter 659


    Chapter 659


    ¡°The person you like likes you too.¡± Kevan¡¯s voice was faint and it carried a bit of reproach in it.


    ¡°Who the f uck likes Sharon?¡± Dn blew up at once, and he mmed his ss on the low table. He


    warned Kevan, ¡°Don¡¯t lucking make sh it up in your head¡±


    But his gleaming eyes, as well as his flushed ears, proved that he was embarrassed.


    ¡°I can see it with my own eyes.¡± Kevan snorted lightly before suddenly bing serious again. ¡°You


    can¡¯t even tell me the truth?¡±


    Dn jolted. Kevan¡¯s words made him will losing all the anger he had held previously. After he finished


    a ss of whiskey, he seemed to have gained some courage while losing his own dignity at the same


    time..


    ¡°It¡¯s not that I can¡¯t tell you the truth, I just haven¡¯t figured myself out yet.¡± Dn¡¯s words were rather


    sincere.


    He did hate Sharon-he hated the way she yed tricks on him. He hated the way she forced his former


    lover away from him.


    But this hate had be rather mild after many years of being together. What reced it was a


    strange,plicated feeling that he could not figure out. He only knew that he was angry, sad, and


    afraid when Sharon misunderstood him. When Sharon talked about divorce, every inch of his body was


    protesting the idea.


    ¡°Well, this is you liking that person,¡± Kevan concluded for him. Except that Dn¡¯s liking for Sharon had


    been covered up by his habitual hate for her, so he could not figure things out.


    Dn silently drank his whiskey. His brain was now in a mess. To be exposed all of a sudden by


    Kevan, he needed some time to process it all


    ¡°If you like her, then treat her better,¡± Kevan advised him. ¡°Don¡¯t hold onto that dumb bit of dignity and


    regret it allter after your wife is


    gone.¡±


    ¡°Like you?¡± Dn eyed him with a teasing smile on his face.


    ¡°My situation is not the same as yours.¡± Kevan spoke confidently. ¡°Larissa doesn¡¯t like me.¡±


    He had investigated her before and knew how cold and heartless she could be to the people who may


    like her, but she did not like back. So, every step he took was very careful like he was stepping on ice.


    He did not dare to show his true feelings because he was scared that the moment she knew about


    them, she would distance herself from him without mercy.


    ¡°But the end result is the game. Dn spoke the truth without giving Kevan any consideration.


    Kevan red at him and snapped. ¡°Shut up!¡±


    Dn suddenly became alive and provoked him without any lear. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you wanted to


    chat with me?¡±


    Kevan began to regret it. He kicked at Dn, shouting. ¡°Go away then. Go now!¡±


    Dn nimbly avoided his attack, smiling smugly as he went against what Kevan wanted. ¡°Nope. Mr.


    Rogers, let¡¯s keep chatting!¡±


    Kevan could not be bothered to entertain him, and he just poured himsell another ss of whiskey.


    ¡°Seriously though, how are things with you and Larissa?¡± Dn looked like he only wanted the gossip,


    and he did not look serious at all.


    Kevan¡¯s face darkened, and he just drank his liquor.


    Dn knew that there was a problem at once. No wonder Kevan wanted him toe out and drink so


    late at night. He leaned closer to Kevan and pounded his chest proudly. ¡°Tell me what¡¯s on your mind!


    I¡¯ll help you fix i


    Kevan locked up at him for two seconds before looking away.


    ¡°Fix your own issues before youe and fix mine.¡±


    ¡°Hey! I don¡¯t like it when you say that! What? So only you can meddle with my airs, but I can¡¯t worry


    about you?¡±


    Dn sn atched Kevan¡¯s ss away. ¡°Stop pretending to be all sad and shill Hurry up and tell me, what


    kinds of problems do you have with Larissa again? Did you say something that hurt her again?¡±Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 660

    Chapter 660


    Chapter 660


    Problems?


    ¡°I actually wish she would get mad at me.¡± Kevanughed coldly at himself.


    Because only then the excuses he prepared would be useful. But she never said anything nor


    expressed anything. He could not figure out what she was feeling, so he did not dare to do anything


    hasty.


    Kevan felt a wave of imitation. ¡°Give me back my liquor.¡± He reached out to take the ss back, but


    Dn avoided him. In the middle of their fight for the ss, hall the whiskey spilled out and stained


    their clothes.


    The wet fabric stuck to Kevan¡¯s skin, and the sudden coldness made him frown. He swiftly took his


    clothes off and called a server over. He then instructed the server to ¡°buy me a new set of clothes.¡±


    The server was new. He only remembered Kevan due to his manager¡¯s constant nagging to remember


    this very important guest so he did not know Dn. When he saw the unkempt duo in the private room,


    the server¡¯s face turned a little bit red, and his eyes sparkled.


    Now that this scene had taken ce, Kevan no longer had the mood to drink. He crossed his arms and


    red at Dn coldly to pass the time.


    Knowing that he had made a mistake, Dn was not as smug as before. ¡°About your clothes, pay you


    back.¡±


    The server somehow retumed after leaving, and he heard Dn saying, ¡°I¡¯ll pay you back.¡± When he


    saw Dn¡¯s reluctant expression, he immediately pictured the plot of an extremely melodramatic


    drama in his head thatsted several hundred episodes.


    Kevan¡¯s cold gaze drifted over, and the server jumped slightly. Smiling apologetically, the server asked.


    ¡°Your size. Mr. Rogers?¡±


    Kevan gave him the answer, and the server remembered it. After that the server rushed out quickly.


    Now that his clothes were dirty. Kevan had no ns to continue drinking. After paying and changingR¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only


    into the new clothes that the server bought Kevan prepared to leave.


    Dn followed him at once. ¡°Take me back too?¡± He smiled tteringly.


    They had both drunk whiskey, so they could not drive. Kevan had a driver to pick him up, but Dn did


    not.


    The server was waiting outside, and he heard it all. His eyes widened in shock. ¡°This guy is too


    forward!¡± He was in disbelief, and the med


    shocking thing was that Kevan did not refuse Dn


    Suddenly, there were rumors of Mr. Rogers of Microworks being ga y in the upper social circles of


    Bartham. But because people were afraid of offending Kevan, no one dared to ask him in person if it


    was true. Hence, this rumor never reached Kevan¡¯s ears.


    However-


    Kevan could sense that the way people looked at him had somehow changed. Through all the respect,


    he could also sense the way they


    kept studying him,


    There was a social engagement at night, Kevan never liked this sort of social situation where he had to


    sit with a bunch of strangers to drink and boast. But the boss of the otherpany had a fair amount of


    power and influence, so even i Kevan was unwilling, he had to


    come.


    The location was at some high-end club.


    During the event, the boss cheerly said that he wanted to help everyone have some fun. Soon, a group


    of sexily dressed girls flooded the room. The girls of high-end clubs would be better than those from a


    regr club. Any of them looked like they could be web Influencers.


    The men¡¯s eyes at the table lit up at once, staring hungrily at all these girls.


    One of these girls smilled teasingly and sat next to Kevan. She literally melled onto Kevan like she had


    no bones, and her hands began to


    rub all over him.

 Chapter 661

    Chapter 661


    Chapter 661


    The disgusting smell of perfume made Kevan frown. He pushed her away coldly and said. ¡°Get lost!


    The others were busy bringing the girls into their tap, so the bigmotion with Kevan scared them so


    much that they all became quiet.


    The boss froze for a moment. Then he seemed to realize something because he hit his forehead with a


    laugh and said, ¡°Haha, look at my forgetfulness!¡±


    He got the girl to leave, and he summoned the server. He pointed at Kevan and said something quietly


    to the server. The server nodded several times before leaving the room.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind iL Mr. Rogers.¡± The boss apologized again rather sincerely.


    Kevan replied hall-heartedly. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡±


    A few momentster, the private room doors opened again. The server led in a tall and thin young man


    inside. The man seemed to be in his twenties, and he was wearing a cheap, colorful sult. The man had


    makeup on hisce, and he looked somewhat olly.


    He raced toward Kevan and did what the girl from before did.


    Kevan had not guessed the man¡¯s identity at first, so he was not prepared. When the man melted onto


    him and actually put his lips on Kevan¡¯s cheek, Kevan stood up angrily. He ignored everyone else¡¯s


    pleading for him to stay and walked out of the private room without looking back.


    Kevan went to the washroom at once. He turned on the tap and washed the cheek that got kissed over


    and over again. But no matter how he washed, he could not let go of the matter when he thought of


    that disgusting moment.


    The sounds of footsteps could be heard inside heading outside.


    Kevan was busy washing his face, so he did not look up. Suddenly, a familiar voice sounded next to


    him, ¡°Mr, Rogers?¡± It had a note of


    Surprise in it. ¡°What happened?¡±


    Kevan paused for a moment before looking up. He saw Lewis¡¯ face in the mirror, Lewis was looking at


    him too. Their gaze met through the


    mirror, and Kevan turned away awkwardly. He turned off the tap and got a few tissues to wipe his wet


    lace.


    ¡°When did youe back to Caldor?¡± Kevan stood up straight and asked Lewis with forced calm.


    However, his heart was pounding like crazy. His nervousness and fear mixed together, and it made the


    hands he had stuffed into his pockets tremble.


    ¡°The day before yesterday.¡± Lewis answered him while he washed his hands. ¡°We have a business


    deal with Arrow Trade. Mir, Logan asked me toe to be his representative.¡±


    Arrow Trade Company was an import and export tradingpany. They have a business venture with


    Microworks emerce tforms, too. so Kevan was not unfamiliar with them.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Kevan nodded. He wanted to continue by asking about Larissa¡¯s situation, but he could not bring


    himself to speak. With anything about Larissa, he was always like an ostrich-Il he did not hear the truth,


    he could keep lying to himsell. But even if he did not mention it.


    Lewis may not do the same.


    ¡°The thing you asked me to pass on to Lari, Ive given it to her,¡± Lewis said calmly. His face showed no


    changes, so it seemed he was only


    Just informing him of this matter.


    Kevan could not tell what Larissa¡¯s reaction was from Lewis¡¯ tone of voice, so he only mumbled a thank


    you.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be leaving first.¡± Lewis dried his hands. ¡°If you have time, Mr. Rogers, let¡¯s have a meal together


    someday.¡± He was not asking for


    Kevan¡¯s opinion.


    Kevan felt that Lewis had something to say, so he decided on the time at once. ¡°Tomorrow then. I will


    clear my schedule for the night¡±


    Lewis readily agreed. ¡°Sure.¡±


    Aher Lewis left. Kevan did not continue washing his face. He did not return to the private room either.


    Instead, Kevan turned off his phone


    and drove to hispany. Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    He can only temporarily numb himsell by working now and forget the nervousness he was feeling.


    Early the next morning. Dn barged into Kevan¡¯s office.


    ¡°I¡¯ve finally found you!¡± Dn was very angry. ¡°I called you for the whole night yesterday! Why is your


    phone turned off?¡±

 Chapter 662

    Chapter 662


    Chapter 662


    Kevan opened his eyes and said mildly. ¡°Why?¡±


    Dn took a deep breath so that he could say everything he wanted to say in one go. ¡°I met Larissa in


    Winstonst night¡±


    Kevan¡¯s calmness cracked at once. He opened his mouth a little from the shock, and his mind was


    nk from this startling news.


    ¡°What¡­ did you say?¡±


    Having not drunk any waterst night, Kevan s dry throat made his voice sound like a broken violin


    because his voice sounded very sharp and bad.


    Dn repeated what he had just said but in a calmer voice. It was probably because he had managed


    to calm down.


    ¡°I was sending a client back to the hotel-l specially booked him a room in Winston Hotel, Dn recalled


    what happened then. ¡°I was queuing up to help him check in at the front desk, I turned around and saw


    Larissa¡¯s cousin-that guy, what¡¯s his name again? What Logan?¡±


    R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only


    ¡°Lewis Logan Kevan said helpfully.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, yeah! That¡¯s him! I was going to go say hello when I took a closer look, and I saw that he


    was still supporting someone!


    Dn did not need to say who Lewis was supporting because Kevan could guess who it was. His blood


    slowed down, and his hands and feet gradually became cold.


    He waspletely unaware of her return to Caldor. Lewis never said anything either when they met in


    the club. Their strange distance scared him pretty badly, Kevan did not dare to think about the reason


    why because he was scared he could not handle it.


    Kevan ripped his suit jacket off the chair before waking out. But his legs suddenly gave out beneath


    him-he did not know if it was


    because of the way he ripped his suit jacket from the chair or because of his extreme ar xiety-but he


    managed to brace himself against the edge of the table, which prevented him from falling down in a


    mess in front of Dn.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Dn came over quickly to help him.


    Kevan refused his kind gesture. ¡°I¡¯m line.¡± He blocked off Dn¡¯s hand with a cold look.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be going out for a bit, and I won¡¯te back nere today. Help me inform Jordan to lind the vice


    president for any important matters. The unimportant ones can wait until I have returned.¡±


    Jordan Ken was Kevan secretary.


    ¡°You want to go to Winston Hotel now?¡± Dn looked at his watch. ¡°It¡¯s only 5 am right now. Larissa is


    probably not up yel.¡±


    Tm going home to shower.¡± Kevan replied shortly. His whole body stank of the wine and disgusting


    perfume from the clubst night. He did not notice it when he was working, but now it was very obvious


    to him.


    Dn was worried about him. ¡°How about I go with you? He was afraid that Kevan was not calm


    enough and might say something st upid


    and trigger Larissa.


    ¡°No need.¡± Kevan eyed him. ¡°If you have nothing to do, you can help me out in the office today.¡±


    ¡°Nope!¡± Dn waved his hands at once. ¡°I¡¯m busy! Later, I have to meet with another client at my firm!


    Find someone else instead!¡± With that said, he vanished from the office very quickly because he was


    afraid that Kevan would make him work for him.


    Kevan left co


    There was no one else in the Microworks Building al 5 am. Kevan jogged the whole way during his


    journey, and the cool breeze generated from his jogging made the warm insides of the building cooler.


    Traffic in Bartham was always smooth in the morning before peak hours. Kevan drove at the literal


    speed limit to go home in the shortest


    time possible for a shower.


    He had trouble deciding on what suit to wear alter that as he stood in front of his wardrobe, which had a


    row of neat suits hung up nicely. Those suits were literally the same, but he keptparing the suits


    and nit-picked between them. He spent nearly half an hour before managing to match a suit


    combination that he was the most satisfied with.

 Chapter 663

    Chapter 663


    Chapter 663


    Kevan¡¯s home was only a few minutes¡¯ drive away from Winston Hotel He dragged things out on the


    road for a bit because he was leeling nervous. He only drove into Winston Hotel¡¯s parking lot after


    feeling less nervous. However, when he entered the hotel lobby, his heart was pounding.


    Sticking his hands in his pockets. Kevan rejected the lobby manager¡¯s friendly greeting, waiting by


    himself on the sofa reserved for guests to rest. He picked a spot that gave him the best view. He could


    see all guests that came out of the elevators and esctors from his angle.


    ying the waiting game was not the easiest thing in the world, especially for Kevan as he was now.


    His hands were already sweating, and the muscles of his crossed legs were so taut beneath his


    trousers that one could see them through the fabric.


    As time passed, more people began toe downstairs.


    Every time the elevator stopped on the first floor, Kevan would straighten up to carefully identify each


    person. He did not even dare lo blink.


    A long time passed by-it felt like a century had passed-before Kevan finally found two familiar faces in


    the crowd.


    Kevan stood up at once, but he hesitated a little when he walked towards them, which was rare for him,


    But he walked over to them


    anyway.


    Lewis saw him before Larissa did. He stopped with a look of surprise on his face. ¡°Mr. Rogers?¡±


    Larissa turned around too. When she saw Kevan, her expression stiffened at once, and the look in her


    eyes becameplicated.


    This reaction¡­


    Kevan held his breath, and his chest felt suffocated. His heart began to beat faster and faster.


    ¡°Moming.¡± He forced out a little smile.


    ¡°Morning.¡± Lewis was the one who responded, ¡°Was there something important you needed. Mr.


    Rogers, to have waited here so early in Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    the day?¡±


    Naturally, there were no important things, but Kevan could not tell the truth. Otherwise, his ¡°stalking¡±


    ways would scare the others. So, he said. ¡°I just happened to pass by the hotel on the way to work. I


    recall Dn saying that he met youst night so I came in here to try my luck.¡± His face did not change,


    so it was hard for anyone to tell if he was lying or telling the truth.


    Lewis joked with him. ¡°So, do you think it¡¯s lucky to have met us or not?¡±


    Kevan did not hesitate. ¡°Of course, it¡¯s lucky.¡± It was extremely lucky for him.


    ¡°Where are you going now?¡± He led the conversation.


    ¡°The hospital,¡± Lewis replied.


    Kevan¡¯s gaze automatically moved to Larissa¡¯s leg. ¡°What happened to you?¡± The concem in his eyes


    was not fake, but when Larissa thought of the things he faked, she could not be nice to him, Pressing


    her lips tightly together, Larissa locked elsewhere, refusing to look at him at all. Forget even bothering


    to answer him.


    Her rejection was so obvious that Kevan could not ignore it. It meant that he could not lie to himself


    either. His heart sank at once, and he


    clenched his fists tightly.


    ¡°It¡¯s not rted to Lari.¡± Lewis¡¯ answer broke through the awkward silence. ¡°We came back to deal with


    Yvette¡¯s funeral arrangements. She¡¯s still at the hospital so we have to get her out and have her


    cremated.¡±


    Xavier and Lana were now both in prison, and Yvette had broken off contact with her own family. The


    hospital somehow found out about Larissa¡¯s connection with Yvette and finally managed to call Larissa


    two days ago after going through various channels.

 Chapter 664

    Chapter 664


    Chapter 664


    After Yvette died, Kevan withdrew the people who were watching the hospital. That was why he missed


    such important news. He thought that it he had known earlier, it would have been better.


    He could take care of Yvette¡¯s funeral arrangements by sending a few people, Larissa would not need


    to drag her still-injured body back all the way from Aldovia to deal with this.


    ¡°Oh,¡± However, he could only nod robotically now. Alter a pause, he asked hopefully. ¡°Do you need my


    help?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Larissa finally spoke. Her response wasst. It was like she could not wait to get him away from


    her.


    Kevan froze. A cold feeling began to creep up his back, and it spread to every limb and bone in his


    body. He finally found his voice after a very long while and said. ¡°Okay.¡±


    It was one word, but it seemed to have taken up all of his strength.


    Lewis gazed at him deeply for a moment. When he passed by Kevan, he said in a very low voice that


    only he and Kevan could hear. ¡°No need to be sad, Mr. Rogers. Lari has always been strong and


    independent. She doesn¡¯t like to trouble others.¡±


    Larissa¡¯s leg was notpletely healed, but it was definitely better than thest time Kevan saw her in


    Aldovia. She could walk on her own now, but her posture was weird, and she still needed someone to


    support her after a long period of time. Otherwise, she would not have asked Lewis to apany her


    back.


    But her rejection of Kevan was not because of this.


    Lewis may not know, but Kevan did. He could only smile bitterly at Lewis words offort. He followed


    them to the parking lot and watched them get into their car. After that Kevan turned and walked back to


    his own car slowly.


    Lewis watched him go through the windshield. During this time, Larissa was ying with her phone.


    She went through one app after the


    other. It was only after the car started that she looked up. Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.


    ¡°You¡¯re mad at Mr. Rogers? Lewis finally asked after hesitating for a long while.


    ¡ª


    The truth was, he already sensed something wrong with Larissa when they were still at Aldovia-Larissa


    was constantly in a daze and furiously tried her best to recover against the doctors¡¯ advice. She also


    talked less


    He originally thought that it was because she missed Kevan and wanted to go back to Caldor quickly


    after recovering. But from her


    reaction earlier-he seemed to be wrong.


    ¡°No.¡± Larissa avoided looking at him. She clearly did not want to talk about this..


    Lewis understandably stopped asking.


    The morgue of Victory General Hospital was at the basement level. Because there was no sun down


    here, it was spookier here. The moment they exited the elevator, Larissa could feel the cold attacking


    her. She fully zipped up her down jacket before wrapping her scarl tighter around her neck. She put her


    hands in her pockets but still could not help shivering.


    ¡°Cold?¡± Lewis frowned.


    Larissa nodded and asked, ¡°Aren¡¯t you?¡±


    Unlike her, Lewis only wore a thin shirt under a windbreaker. He had to be colder than she was right


    now. But Lewis shook his head, ¡°No. II you¡¯re cold, go up and find a warm ce to walt for me. I will


    join you after I¡¯m linished.¡±


    He never wanted her toe with him anyway. He could totally just deal with this himself, it was just


    going through a few procedures and signing some papers.

 Chapter 665

    Chapter 665


    Chapter 665


    But Larissa was insistent. Yvette was her biological mother, after all. Even if she still hated Yvette, she


    could not allow her to just keep lying down here in the morgue with no one to take care of her funeral.


    Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    ¡°We¡¯re here now.¡± Larissa walked fast. ¡°Let¡¯s finish this as soon as we can and leave.¡± Her teeth were


    chattering from the cold. When she spoke, one could hear the sounds of her teeth challering.


    Lewis sighed to himself on the inside but followed after her quickly.


    They had called the hospital to make an appointment, so there was someone waiting at the door to the


    morgue.


    ¡°Are you Yvette¡¯s family? The young man in a doctor¡¯s outfit did not look happy. No one knew if it was


    because he had been waiting for a long time or if it was because working in a ce like this was sure


    to affect his mood. His voice was also clearly annoyed.


    ¡°Yes!¡± Larissa replied very politely. She even smiled apologetically and said. ¡°Sorry to keep you


    waiting.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I wasn¡¯t kept waiting.¡± The young man led Larissa and Lewis into the morgue and drew out one of


    the freezer drawers. He red at Larissa with dissatisfaction as he mocked her. ¡°She¡¯s the one who


    was kept waiting a little longer than expected.¡±


    It had been almost more than half a month since Yvette¡¯s death.


    Larissa¡¯s smile became stiff. But she onlyughed it off because it was not convenient for her to exin


    the reasons for such a dy.


    Yvette¡¯s body was covered by a while cloth in the morgue. The young man revealed her face, which


    was pale, Due to the fact that Yvette¡¯s life was sustained by nutrient drips for a very long time before


    dying, she had be very thin a long time ago. Now she looked rather


    scary.


    Larissa took one look at her before turning away, Any grief she felt at Yvette¡¯s passing vanished without


    a trace too at this time.


    When the young man saw this, he snorted with disdain.


    ¡°Your name and ID number? Lewis stepped forward to ask coldly. His face was dark.


    The young man froze for a moment before he figured out what Lewis wanted. So, he defiantly showed


    his name tag and said. ¡°Here. Go on then, goin about me!¡±


    Lewis memorized his name, and Larissa interrupted him before he could speak. ¡°My apologies, my


    cousin here is a bit hasty.¡±


    Larissa frantically gave Lewis looks to tell him not to cause trouble.


    ¡°May I know what procedures must be done?¡± she asked the young man, still polite as ever. As a


    matter of fact, she sounded way more polite than before.


    To take revenge, the young man deliberately made them nun all over the ce to get all sorts of stupid


    documents.


    Larissa¡¯s leg was not mobile enough for this, so this matter was naturally left to Lewis. She only needed


    to wait for him in the corridor of the first floor.


    Cold breezes would blow through the corridor at times, and it was very, very cold. Having suffered


    under such winds for a while, Larissa began to sneeze like crazy after leaving the hospital.


    ¡°Caught a cold?¡± Lewis was worried, turning back with her to get some cold medication from the doctor.


    Then, he forcibly sent her back to the hotel regardless of her wishes.


    ¡°I¡¯ve called room services for you. Someone will bring up your lunchter. Take your medicine after


    eating. This one twice a day, a pill every time. This one, you will have to take three Lewis instructed her


    carefully.


    ¡°I will take care of Yvette¡¯s things for you. I¡¯ll take you to the cemetery tomorrow to see her onest


    time. After that, we¡¯ll go back to Aldovia. You¡¯re not fully recovered yet, so Uncle Gary is very worried


    about you. He called several times a day to hurry us back¡±


    On the way back, Larissa¡¯s nose was clogged. Now, her throat was also beginning to Mich. She dared


    not force herself anymore, following Lewis instructions to take her medication after ealing. Once the


    medicine kicked in, she drowsily fell asleep.


    She slept for a very long time this way. When she woke up, the sky was already all dark outside. She


    did not know when she had kicked the nkets off the bed, and her thin cotton nightgown was soaked


    with sweat. Her skin, lorehead, and back were very, very sweaty.

 Chapter 666

    Chapter 666


    Chapter 666


    The thermostat was turned on by Lewis before he lelt. He specifically set it to 82.4¡å F. The warm air


    brushed against the exposed side of her waist. Larissa lessed from the heat, but the skirt of the


    nightgown prevented her from moving well and it rolled up lurther.


    Her head was heavy, and it was also throbbing. Her body fell like it was on fire. This made her realize


    that she probably had a lever.


    Her arm was so heavy that she could not lift it at all. Larissa made a lot of effort to pick up her phone


    that was charging in the bedside cab. She did not know who put her phone on Do Not Disturb


    because Lewis and Gary each called her once in the afternoon, but she did not hear them.


    Lewis even sent her a WhatsApp text. ¡°I have dinner with a client, so order something for yourself if


    you¡¯re hungry. Don¡¯t wait for me.¡±


    Looking at the time, Lews must be at the dinner right now.


    Larissa was unwilling to disturb him while he was working. She did her best to crawl to the edge of the


    bed to call the front desk with the telephone. ¡°Please send me a box of lever medication.¡± She also


    instructed them to bring up an extra room card-as she was now, she could never get out of bed to open


    the door for them.


    After hanging up. Larissay down again. The wait was terrible, especially when she began to feel


    sleepy. As her eyes gradua ly closed. Larissa had no energy left to resist. She thought that she could


    just close her eyes for a bit.


    While she was hall-asleep, a cool feeling came from her forehead, and it made her sofortable that


    she sighed softly. But the feeling did not stay there lorg. Before she could enjoy it lully, it vanished.


    Larissa frowned with disappointment.


    The next second though, a familiar, deep voice sounded next to her ear. ¡°Larissa, wake up.¡±


    Even if her brain was in a mess right now, she was able to tell who it was-Kevan Rogers!


    Shock and panic made her open her very heavy eyelids, Kevan¡¯s tall figure took up most of her vision.


    His handsome face was filled with concern and care. R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only


    ¡°Why are you here? Larissa¡¯s throat was dry. It hurt the moment she spoke.


    Kevan did not answer her question at once. He had a thermometer in his hand, and he kept shaking it.


    ¡°Here, take your temperature.¡± He gave her the thermometer by bending down a little.


    Larissa gritted her teeth and raised her hand with great effort. Her weak fingers could not hold the


    thermometer, so when Kevan let go. it dropped onto the bed.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± she apologized automatically.


    Kevan picked up the thermometer, and his face became darker. ¡°I help you¡± he said in a calm tone, and


    he even asked for her permissior. ¡°Is that okay?¡±


    If he helped her measure her temperature, that meant that he would have to touch her, Larissa bit her


    lip and held out her hand again. ¡°I do it.¡±


    Kevan did not force things. But her deliberate distancing made him feel really disappointed.


    This time, Larissa did her best to hold tight to the thermometer. But she realized she had a problem in


    the next second. Her nightgown was the kind with buttons, and the cor was not that wide. To stick the


    thermometer under her armpit would mean that she had to unbutton the top two buttons.

 Chapter 667

    Chapter 667


    Chapter 667


    The act of unbuttoning was very difficult for her weak fingers, especially when she was holding the


    thermometer with one hand. Doing so with just one hand was very difficult. She tried several times, but


    the button seemed to be fighting with her. No matter what she did, the button refused to go through the


    hole.


    A few minutester, Kevan could not stand the look on herce as she was on the verge of a


    breakdown. He bent down to unbutton her


    nightgown for her asst as he could before quickly turning around. He stuck his hands in his pockets


    and stood there stiffly.


    ¡°Tell me when you¡¯re done, I¡¯ll help you check the time,¡±


    Larissa¡¯s instincts were not sharp right now, but when his cold fingers brushed past her burning chest, it


    still made her body and heart shiver. Her temperature seemed to have risen up again, and she quickly


    looked away and locused on the thermometer.


    Five minutes passed, and Kevan soon had the thermometer in his hand. He studied the Instrument


    carefully under the light and he frowned deeply.


    ¡°Your temperature¡¯s at 102.2¡± F now,¡±


    Larissa was shocked. She guessed that she had a high fever, but she did not think it would be that


    high.


    Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Button up.¡± Kevan put the thermometer down at the head of the bed before helping her button her


    nightgown.


    ¡°I¡¯ll get the doctor toe over.¡±


    The Winston Hotel had its own infirmary. The doctors were retired professors from various top hospitals


    in Bartham, so their medical skills were naturally very good.


    The doctor gave Larissa three bottles of IV fluids. To prevent the need for aid to change the IV bottles,


    he had a nurse stay behind to help out. The nurse was young, and Larissa chatted with her while she


    got her injections. She found out that the nurse had worked in Victory General Hospital for two years


    and had just recently jumped ship to this hotel.


    Larissa could not really understand.


    The Victory General Hospital in Bartham was one of the top hospitals in the country. Every year, many


    medical students would do everything they could to squeeze their way into that institute. Those who


    were able to get in were definitely extremely skilled people.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t staying at the hospital better? Because you¡¯d have a future then.¡±


    ¡°Nurses aren¡¯t like doctors.¡± The nurse smiled bitterly. ¡°We basically just walt on other people. Our


    experiences in the hospitals are useless too after we leave so it¡¯s better to just find an easier job


    instead of having to face all those weird patients and their families.¡±


    She proceeded to tell Larissa several weird stories, and Larissa Estened to her with great interest.


    ¡°Do you know Yvette Xander?¡± The nurse suddenly asked.


    Larissa froze. ¡°Yeah.¡± Her response had a little guilt in it ¡°Didn¡¯t she pass on because her daughter


    disconnected her breathing tube?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, exactly!¡± The nurse was a little agitated. ¡°I was in charge of her ward. Actually, this matter isn¡¯t


    as simple as the news said it is!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Larissa stared at her.


    ¡°The day before the tube was disconnected. Yvette showed signs of waking up. Our department was


    pretty excited about it because if she really woke up, we would have witnessed a ¡®miracle. But no one


    expected her daughter to be so cruel as to disconnect her breathing tube. *The nurse sounded a little


    disappointed, and she seemed to pity Yvette.


    ¡°I just so happened to be on duty the day Yvette died. I was also the one who found out that she was


    dead during my night patrol¡± Her expression turned solemn as if she could not ept this fact. ¡°I


    remember seeing that her face still had two tear tracks. I guess that She knew that her daughter


    wanted her dead, so she was sad ¨C


    The nurse sucked in a deep breath. ¡°Yvelle¡¯s death can be considered the reason for my resignation, I


    guess. I hadn¡¯t been in the hospital for long, and she was the first patient I¡¯ve been in charge of who


    didn¡¯t make it. I guess it hit me pretty hard- However, Larissa did not hear the rest of her words. Her


    thoughts were all locused on Yvelle¡¯s lear tracks.

 Chapter 668

    Chapter 668


    Chapter 668


    Larissa did not know how to describe what she felt right now. She should have felt happy in some way-


    Yvette losing her life because of her darling youngest daughter could only be described as ¡°what went


    roundes round,¡± and ¡°karma was a b itch. There could be no


    better-fitting phrases than those.


    But the truth was, Larissa was not happy. In fact, her chest felt a little suffocated-she could not tell if it


    was because of Yvette or if it was a side effect of the fever.


    Larissa could not help but wonder if Yvette thought of her when she was at her life¡¯s end. Did she


    regret any of the things she did to Larissa before? Those tears that she cried, were any of it-even for a


    little bit-meant for Larissa?


    In the end it was hard for Larissa to be at peace about Yvette¡¯s death. However, she would never get


    the right answers to her questions forever.


    Larissa lost her energy, and she fell asleep before the first IV bottle could be finished.


    ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    Kevan entered from the living room, and the nurse was startled. She leaped to her feet and timidly


    greeted him. ¡°Mr. Rogers.¡±


    Kevan nodded at her and said in a surprisingly nicer tone of voice. ¡°Thank you for your hard work.¡±


    The nurse was ttered, and she suddenly felt that being called back to work during her off day was not


    too bad.


    ¡°N-Not at all? The nurse was so happy and nervous from speaking to Kevan in person for the first time.


    The blush on her face was still obvious despite the thinyer of foundation she had on. ¡°Serving the


    guests of the hotel is my duty.¡±


    Kevan did notment. He looked past the nurse at Larissa¡¯s flushed face.


    ¡°Please wait outside. I¡¯ll call you when the IV bottle needs to be changed.¡± He instructed the nurse


    softly for fear of waking Larissa.


    The nurse did not know what was the rtionship between Kevan and Larissa.


    Ever since the supposed scandal of ¡°stepping into his cousin¡¯s wedding,¡± she had never heard of


    Kevan being involved with any other women. And Larissa was apletely different person from


    Kevan¡¯s cousin¡¯s wife, a person the nurse had once seen on the Inte.


    But even if the nurse had many questions, she did not dare to poke around and ask. Il she offended


    Kevan


    of her life goodbye then.


    Well she could kiss the rest


    Kevan changed the chair that the nurse had sat in. He put it in the same spot as the nurse¡¯s chair


    before. The room was very quiet, and he could practically hear the IV fluid dripping into the tube. It was


    rather rhythmic. One beat came after the other.


    Kevan stared right at Larissa. He did not blink.


    As Larissa¡¯s nose was clogged, she could only breathe through her mouth. However, the lost lluids in


    her body meant that her throat was extremely dry. Combined with her throat being exposed to the dry


    air, the Itchy feeling made her wake up by way of coughing.


    Larissa¡¯s series of coughs were terrible. Her face was all crumpled up, and there was a deep ush on


    her cheeks.


    ¡°Feeling bad?¡± Kevan¡¯s heart felt like it was being squashed. His hurried speech betrayed the anxiety


    that he felt. ¡°Water?¡±


    Larissa gripped her own throat and nodded with difficulty.


    Kevan¡¯s arm slipped behind her back, and he pulled her up. The ss of hot water he had filled


    beforehand was now cooled down.


    Larissa drank at least hall the water in the ss, and the stinging pain in her throat was finally soothed


    a little. Her dry lips were also hydrated too.

 Chapter 669

    Chapter 669


    Chapter 669


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Larissa¡¯s voice finally stopped sounding like a torn plece of paper, but it was still hoarse


    and ugly.


    *¡­ You¡¯re wee.¡± Kevan gazed at the now empty ss and removed his arm from her back. ¡°I¡¯ll


    pour more water.¡±


    Larissa clearly hated any physical contact with him. She clearly Iroze up because of his arm around her


    earlier. But when he removed his arm, her heart felt somewhat empty.


    R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only


    She looked down, putting away all emotions she should not be having, and she muttered, ¡°No need.¡±


    Kevan froze.


    Larissa¡¯s quiet voice sounded behind him. ¡°Where¡¯s Milly?¡± Milly was the nurse who was waiting


    outside.


    Kevan bit his lip and answered honestly. ¡°She¡¯s resting in the living room.¡±


    ¡°Tell her toe in.¡± Larissa clenched at the corner of the nket, her head bowed very low. ¡°She will


    help keep an eye on the drip. You can go back!¡±


    Although she did not like to trouble others, she would rather choose Milly over Kevan. There was no


    other reason¨Cbeing with Milly would not be awkward, at least, and it would not cause her heart to be at


    an abnormal rate.


    Larissa was worried that with the way her heart was beating, she would have some kind of new illness


    after her lever was gone.


    Kevan¡¯s nails dug very hard into his palm, only then did he manage to control the ruthless anger he felt.


    He kept reminding himsell that she was a sick person now and forced down the urge to justy out his


    cards to Larissa.


    He silently brought the ss with him outside.


    Two minutester. Milly entered the room. Upon seeing her face, Larissa was stunned for a couple of


    seconds. Soon, she rxed¨Cbut at the same time, she felt strangely upset.


    ¡°Hi! You¡¯re up?¡± Milly¡¯s smile was nice. ¡°Do you still want water?¡± She showed the ful ss in her hand¨C


    the same ss that Kevan had


    taken with him earlier.


    ¡°No.¡± Larissa shook her head.


    Willy frowned when she heard that. She nagged her. ¡°Well you need to drink lots of water when you¡¯re


    having a fever! Think about it, you


    sweated so much


    Larissa ignored everything she said but hummed in agreement hall¨Cheartedly at all the right ces.


    Milly changed the IV bottle for her. She also changed the subject. ¡°I just heard that a former colleague


    from the hospital has been fired


    today.¡±


    Larissa keenly sensed that Milly was observing her while she talked about all this. It was like Milly was


    trying to see her reaction.


    ¡°Why?¡± She picked up the conversation and waited for Milly to continue.


    ¡°I heard that he offended someone.¡± Milly¡¯s gaze became distant suddenly, and her guilt was rather


    obvious. ¡°He¡¯s actually a pretty good guy, and he normally doesn¡¯t talk to other people when working at


    the morgue


    The moment Larissa heard the word ¡°morgue,¡± ace appeared in her mind. Urged on by the idea,


    Larissa asked, ¡°When did this happen?¡±


    ¡°This afternoon,¡± Milly said, ¡°I just saw that everyone was taking about this in my former work group


    chat They think it was pretty


    sudden.


    ¡°Can you bring me my phone? I¡¯d like to call my cousin,¡± Larissa said.


    Milly gave her the phone at once. ¡°I let you call in peace. Just shout for me when you¡¯re done,¡±


    Lewis was probably still in his event. When the call connected, Larissa could hear the noise in the


    background. But soon, those noises disappeared.


    ¡°Do you feel better?¡± Lewis asked at once. ¡°Do you need me toe back now?¡±


    ¡°No need.¡± Larissa quickly stopped him. ¡°I just want to ask you something.¡±

 Chapter 670

    Chapter 670


    Chapter 670


    ¡°Milly?¡± After ending the call, Larissa raised her voice and called. The bedroom door was only hall


    closed.


    Milly stuck her head inside and heard Larissa ask, ¡°Is there anyone outside?


    The person outside-


    Milly turned carefully to see-


    Kevan was looking at her too. He expressionlessly shook his head, and Milly got the message at once.


    ¡°It¡¯s just me.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Larissa slumped into the head of the bed at once. Her grip tightened around her phone, and her


    thumb kept rubbing unconsciously


    at the screen.


    The phone¡¯s screen also kept lighting up and cking out because of that. The camera happened to be


    pointed at her face, and the phone unlocked automatically. Larissa¡¯s thumb identally tapped on


    WhatsApp, and Keyan¡¯s chat was right there.


    After she went abroad to recover, the number of people who looked for her lessened a lot. Because of


    that, even though thest time she spoke to Kevan was more than half a month ago, his chat was still


    the first on the list.


    Larissa stared at Kevan¡¯s profile picture, which had a smiling Aster in it. She stared at it for quite a


    while as thoughts raced through her head. Her fingers curled up, and one finger seemingly touched


    Kevan¡¯s name. The screen changed at once, and it became Larissa¡¯s chat


    window with Kevan.


    ¡°I think you look better than when I just came in to give you your injection.¡± Milly had been ¡°frozen¡± by


    Kevan when she was outside. She did not dare to say a word during the few minutes that they were


    together. The moment Milly was next to Larissa, though, she became a ¡± chatterbox¡± at once, chatting


    away with Larissa to no end.


    To not let Milly feel left out. Larissa tossed her phone aside and ignored all theplicated thoughts in


    her mind temporarily.


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°I guess so too.¡±


    Larissa maintained a weak but sincere smile. Although her responses were short, Milly never thought


    that Larissa was being half¨Chearted.


    They chatted for a while, and they somehow ended up talking about the morgue guy who got fired.


    ¡°It¡¯s honestly so sad for that guy! Milly sighed. ¡°His family background isn¡¯t so great, and his father


    passed away early on. His mother has a serious illness too, and her medicine costs several thousand


    dors.


    ¡°His hospital job could barely just cover the costs, and both his and mother¡¯s expensesbined


    means that he doesn¡¯t have a lot of money left. Now that he has lost his job, his mother¡¯s medication


    money is gone. I heard that he ran to the director¡¯s office to beg for mercy! A grown man like him was


    crying like mad¡­ It didn¡¯t matter who tried to persuade him to stop, he just refused to!


    ¡°We¡¯re discussing in our group chat whether or not we should each spare some money for him so that


    his mother can have medicine for the next month,¡± Milly sighed heavily. ¡°It¡¯s too sad. It¡¯s way too sad!¡±


    ¡°It is sad indeed.¡± Larissa agreed.


    After all the IV drips had been administered, Milly packed up and lell. When she said goodbye to


    Larissa, she found it somewhat regretful


    then Milly left, the room was quiet again, Larissa was still sitting against the head of the bed, her eyes


    staring nkly at nothing.


    After a long moment of thought, she made a decision. She picked up her phone and called Kevan. But


    he never picked up at all.


    Larissa was wondering about the reason Kevan did not answer when a WhatsApp message popped


    up. ¡°What?¡± It was from Kevan.


    ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    Larissa¡¯s heart began to race. She wondered what words she should use before beginning to type out


    her message. She carefully pleced her message together and ended up with: ¡°Does the hospital


    morgue employee getting tired have anything to do with me?¡±


    and he was doing it for her sake¨Cthe end result still troubled her a lol.


    The word ¡®typing


    kept appearing and disappearing under his name. His silent struggle caused Larissa to be certain that


    he was the one who got the guy fired, and the reason for that was because of her. Sighing softly,


    Larissa said to him, ¡°Spare him. I¡¯m not mad.¡±

 Chapter 671

    Chapter 671


    Chapter 671


    Although Larissa knew that the young man was purposely making things hard for her, he was still fine


    compared to some of the weird hotel guests she had met. Such little trouble was not enough to make


    her angry at all


    This time, Kevan replied very quickly. ¡°You¡¯re sick.¡±


    Larissa understood what he meant at once. That young man kept wasting their time, which caused her


    to catch a cold, which led to her having a fever and basically being sick.


    ¡°My body is just weak. Bartham is too cold, and the wind is strong. Even if I didn¡¯t go to the hospital


    today, I would have gotten sick anyway.¡±


    Kevan did not reply for a very long time. Alter some time, he finally texted three words. ¡°I got it.¡±


    It was him reaching apromise with her.


    Larissa let out a sigh of relief. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    She did not want a whole family to be ruined because of her.


    Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    The cold medication that the doctor gave her made her drowsy. After Larissa took it, she felt sleepy


    very soon after. When she was somewhat half¨Casleep, she heard someone pushing the door open.


    She struggled to open her eyes but could only manage to open a tiny crack to see.


    She was able to faintly see a tall man through this vision.


    ¡°Lewis?¡± she said with great difficulty.


    Hearing the hum of confirmation from the man, she allowed herself to close her eyes.


    ¡°Lewis¡± seemed to sit on the edge of the bed¨CLarissa could feel a part of the bed dipping down. A cold


    hand covered her forehead, and the touch was strangely familiar, But before she could figure it all out,


    the hand pulled back quickly.


    After that, ¡°Lewis sat with her quietly until she fell asleeppletely.


    After having the shot, taking medication, and sleeping for the whole night, Larissa measured her


    temperature after waking up¨Cit was 98.6 *F. Her fever was almost gone. She felt better than she did


    yesterday too, and her arms and legs now had strength.


    Lewis came over early in the morning to give her breakfast. ¡°You didn¡¯t eat dinnerst night. Don¡¯t end


    up starving yourself.¡±


    Having starved for quite some time, Larissa¡¯s eyes lit up when she smelled meat.


    Lewis sat nearby, watching her gobble everything with reliel. He also gave her a ss of water and told


    her to eat slower.


    ly the way, the thing you asked me aboutst night. I got someone to investigate-¡±


    ¡°By t


    Larissa Interrupted Lewis, ¡°I know who did it.¡±


    Lewis¡® guy only found out that it was the hospital director who immediately ordered the young man to


    be fired. But a small employee like him who had never even met the director could not have possibly


    offended the director, and the only person who could get the director to do this was a person with


    power and influence.


    Lews had only guessed then, but now that he saw Larissa¡¯s reaction, he knew at once. ¡°It was Mr.


    Rogers?¡±


    Larissa bit into her chicken sandwich, and she nodded nkly


    Lewis did not need to ask why Kevan did that then. Aller all, Kevan had no beel with the young man. To


    have done such a thing. It could only be because of Larissa.


    ¡°Mr. Rogers is pretty good to you.¡± Lewis remarked.

 Chapter 672

    Chapter 672


    Chapter 672


    There should be family members going to pay respects to Yvette the second day after she had been


    buried. But the only ¡°family¡± Yvette had now was Larissa. But this funeral was never arranged


    ording to what was ¡°normal¡±


    Lewis wanted Larissa to not attend the funeral because she had not fully recovered.


    The cemetery was at a secluded ce on the outskirts. It was colder than the clly, which was packed


    with buildings.


    Il she went out and caught a cold agair, it would only make her lever worse.


    Larissa¡¯s fever had not fully gone down yet. Il she


    ¡°Just let me go.¡± Larissa¡¯s nose was so clogged that her voice had a nasally sound to it. ¡°We¡¯ll be


    leaving tonight, and there won¡¯t be any chances to do this in the future.¡±


    Lewis studied her for a while. ¡°You¡¯re sure?¡±


    least, she gave birth to me.¡±


    Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    Larissa nodded without hesitation. ¡°At the very least, she


    After Yvette died, Larissa let go of many things. It was not that she was trying to be a saint or anything.


    She just thought that it was not worth holding grudges with a dead person, especially when Yvette had


    died so pitifully.


    She came back for Yvelte¡¯s funeral arrangements as a way to show her gratitude for Yvette giving birth


    to her and to give herself some reassurance.


    This way, they would really owe each other nothing after this.


    ¡°I¡¯m not asking about that.¡± Lewis frowned slightly. ¡°You¡¯re sure that we¡¯ll be leaving tonight?¡±


    They booked Lckets back to Aldovia along with the tickets foring to Caldor,


    Larissa¡¯s leg was not yet fully recovered and still needed treatment. So, they nned to use the


    shortest time possible to deal with everything here in Caldor before flying back to finish the rest of the


    treatment.


    But they did not know how the news of their return to Caldor had been leaked to Kevan. Still it was not


    weird for Kevan to know. Bartham was his territory, aher all Winston Hotel may have his sples.


    ¡°Although I don¡¯t know what happened between you and Mr. Rogers. I think you should solve this as an


    adult and not run away all the time.


    Her cousin was very perceptive. Larissa knew this after having spent so much time with him. So, she


    stopped lying and insteadid out her troubles to him.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t Egured out how to solve this problem.¡±


    Thest time Kevan left Aldovia, he threw a rt ¡®bomb¡± at her. It affected her so badly that she still


    had not recovered from that yet.


    Lewis could help Larissa with anything except feelings. He was bad with feelings, so he naturally could


    not meddle in any way.


    ¡°Just think about whether you really want to leave tonight.¡±


    When Lewis finished his social engagementst night and rushed back to the ho


    hotel it was already past 2 am. When he entered Larissa¡¯s bedroom, he was surprised to see Kevan


    there.


    Kevan was bending over to ce a wet towel on Larissa¡¯s forehead.


    When he saw that Lewis had returned, Kevan Immediately said his goodbyes. Stil, before he actually


    left, he gave Lewis a whole bunch of Instructions on how to take care of Larissa.


    The level of detail impressed Lewis.


    He could see devan¡¯s feelings for Larissa. Such a pure and deep love moved him. Lewis hoped that


    Larissa and Kevan could be together- despite knowing that Gary would kill him if he found out about his


    thoughts. But Lewis did not want to meddle with Larissa¡¯s decisions. Thus, he could only help Kevan


    out in secret like this.

 Chapter 673

    Chapter 673


    Chapter 673


    Yvette was buried in a regr cemetery along with the ¡°normal¡± people that she once looked down on.


    She would sleep forever among the pine trees on the hill.


    Because Larissa didn¡¯t care. Lewis had not picked the plot ofnd where Yvette would be buried. He


    got someone to rmend a spot. It happened to face the man-madeke. The scenery was nice, but


    they had to climb up to the halfway point of the hill,


    Bartham had been stricter in their management of funeral proceedings and visitations. The candles


    Lewis brought with him had to be thrown away at the bottom of the hill


    He joked to Larissa, ¡°I guess Yvette will never get lit candles for the proceedings.¡±


    Larissa bit her lip as she stared at the candles that were now in the trash can. She did not say


    anything.


    ¡°Do you think everything Yvette did was worth it? Lewis asked her, ¡°She sold her body at such a young


    age to get a file of luxury in return. She bowed down constantly with the Seymours, was disrespected


    by everyone, and even lost here ¡ª


    ¡°Even after death, she¡¯s so pitiful Burled here all alone. After today, there would be no one else who


    woulde to see her anymore.¡±


    Was it worth it?


    Larissa smiled. ¡°Only she would know the answer to that.¡±


    Although there were many steps leading up the hill they were very even, Lewis helped Larissa up. It


    took them twenty minutes to reach


    Yvelle¡¯s grave.


    The gravestone was made with the finest ck granite that the cemetery had. The carved words were


    painted white. The photograph embedded in the middle was a bit blurry. It was a picture of Yvette when


    she was on set for some movie.


    She was in her twenties in that picture, with old-fashioned curls in her hair. She wore a cute dress. She


    had a pretty and seductive smile. her eyes strangely captivating, It was apletely different person


    from Larissa¡¯s memory of an angry and violent middle-aged woman.


    *Uncle picked the picture.¡± Lewis said, his voice having a faint hint of nostalgia in it. ¡°I know Gary never


    let her go all these years.¡±


    Even if Yvette had lied to him and said that she sent the child away, even if she was so heartless to


    him, she was still the only woman Gary had ever loved. So, Yvelle had a considerable ce in Gary¡¯s


    heart.


    Larissa was a bit surprised. ¡°Wasn¡¯t he super unwilling toe back with us?¡±


    When Larissa got the call from the hospital, she went to ask Gary first. He allowed her toe back for


    Yvette¡¯s funeral, but when she suggested that hee along too. Gary rejected her.


    ¡°I will never see that woman ever again! Even when I die, I will never find her in the afterler


    So, Larissa thought that he hated Yvelle.


    Lewis had carried a bouquet of red roses with him all this time. He put the flowers in front of the


    gravestone as he looked at Yvette¡¯s smiling face. His voice was light as he said. ¡°Uncle does hate her.¡±


    But if he had not loved her, where would the hate havee from? It was because he loved her that


    Gary remembered that she loved red


    roses the most.


    That was why he called Lewis to tell him to buy red roses beforeing to the cemetery.


    Larissa did not understand such a twisted love. She did not understand why Gary would still love Yvette


    even after having been hurt so


    much by her.


    ¡°It¡¯s just like the roses.¡± Lewis said. ¡°People know that they have thorns, but they still keep reaching out


    for them.¡± t


    One day in the future, Larissa ryed her confusion about love to Wendy, Wendy smacked her thigh


    and gave Larissa the most simple exnation ever. ¡°Isn¡¯t your dad¡¯s attachment to Yvette the same as


    yours to Kevan?


    Even if Larissa had been hurt so much by Kevan, she would still give into her base instincts and be


    attracted to him.Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.

 Chapter 674

    Chapter 674


    Chapter 674


    It was likely that she had caught a cold in the cemetery because when Larissa got back to the hotel,


    her lever returned.


    Lewis almost suspected that she did this on purpose to stay longer in Caldor. But Larissa looked so


    unwell that he knew she was telling


    the truth.


    He exined everything to Gary before canceling the¡¯r llight tickets.


    Gary was not happy with them postponing their retum. Still, he said, ¡°Lar¡¯s health is important. Take


    good care of her there. Don¡¯t let her get sick anymore.¡±


    The doctor prescribed two shots for Larissa yesterday. Lewis summoned the nurse to administer the


    last one.


    The nurse that came over today was still Milly.


    Milly had never seen Lewis before. The moment she entered Larissa¡¯s room and saw an unfamiliar


    man there, the first thing she thought of was that she had entered the wrong room. She kept


    apologizing as she quickly exited the room while leaving Lewis and Larissa very confused.


    ¡°Ms. Nurse, please wall¡±


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    When Lewis chased after her to stop her, Milly was standing at the door and staring at the number on


    it. She kept attempting to confirm that she get the right room. It made her look very adorable.


    Lewis could not help butugh.


    When Milly heard theughter, she looked up.


    That strange man¡¯s smile was so warm and friendly. He also had a very nice voice when he called her


    ¡°Ms. Nurse.¡±


    Milly¡¯s face turned red. It turned redder when she found out that she made a big mistake.


    When she lollowed Lewis into the room, her head was bowed so low that her chin locked like it was


    glued to her chest.


    Larissa forced herself up to wave at Milly. ¡°Hi Milly.¡±


    Her sickly look made Milly frown.


    ¡°Is your lever still there? Have you taken your med cation? Didn¡¯t the medicine work?¡±


    Larissa did not dare to respond to her questions, but Lewis exposed her.


    ¡°She went outside in the morning and stood in the wind for hall the day.¡±


    Larissa red at him with displeasure. s, she got a stare of disapproval from Milly at the next


    second.


    ¡°You¡¯re already ill Why did you still go out? Are you even aware that you¡¯re unwell?¡±


    Milly began to rag her.


    Lew¡¯s stood coldly to one side with his arms crossed, ignoring Larissa¡¯s silent pleas for help.


    After Milly finished nagging her, Larissa spoke.


    ¡°With th


    the way you two are right now, you look like a couple.¡±


    They tried to parent her the same way.


    *Larissa, don¡¯t talk nonsensel¡±


    Milly waspletely embarrassed. Her ears were red now too. Her solt voice sounded a tile petly.


    Lewis also said, ¡®Don¡¯t make fun of her.¡±


    Larissa lell wronged. She had made a joke. She did not think too much into it. How was she supposed


    to know that they would react this


    1/2


    But honestly¡­


    It only made them look more like a couple. Of course, she did not dare say this out loud.


    Once Larissa was hooked up to an IV again, Lewis left after a whileter. Once Gary knew that they


    would be postponing their return, he assigned another new task to Lewis.


    Milly stayed in the room with Larissa. She also tried to find out information about Lewis.


    ¡°Was the handsome guy earlier your friend?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s my cousin,¡± Larissa replied.


    ¡°Your rtionship seems pretty close? Won¡¯t his girlfriend get jealous?¡±


    Milly looked a little nervous

 Chapter 675

    Chapter 675


    Chapter 675


    Larissa was used to seeing young girls like Milly.


    If this were before, she would have put an end to what Milly was thinking. But Larissa really liked Milly,


    so she did not expose Milly¡¯s feelings. She even did her best to give Milly the answers she wanted,


    ¡°He¡¯s like a brother to me. If he had a girlfriend, she may not get jealous over this sort of thing.¡±


    Milly rxed.


    ¡°Your cousin doesn¡¯t have a girlfriend?!¡±


    She widened her eyes.


    ¡°He¡¯s so handsome! How can he not have a girlfriend?! You can¡¯t be lying to me, right?¡±


    Larissa found it odd as well. With how Lewis looked, it was weird for him not to have a girlfriend. She


    could only think of one exnation.


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because he¡¯s so busy with work. That¡¯s why he doesn¡¯t have time to get a girlfriend.¡±


    ¡°What does your cousin do? Why would he be so busy that he can¡¯t even get a girlfriend?¡±


    Milly straightened up at once. Her face was super serious like she was discussing a very philosophical


    problem with Larissa.


    ¡°He helps my dad with thepany.¡±


    Larissa did not go into detalls for lear of scaring Milly.


    ¡°Ah¡ª¡°Milly nodded. She did not look quite as eager as she did before. ¡°Then, yeah, he¡¯s quite busy.¡±


    Well Milly had been scared off.


    Larissa was annoyed with herself when she suddenly heard Milly say, ¡°Speaking of, though, your


    cousin can¡¯t be as busy as Mr. Rogers, right? Because even Mr. Rogers could take time out to fall in


    love with someone else


    Milly was referring to Kevan.


    As the guy who kept his top spot in Forbes¡® lists for richest men in Caldor, he was probably the busiest


    man in the country to Milly.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know how long Mr. Rogers waited in the living room yesterday. When I left, he was still


    there.¡±


    Milly¡¯s voice was filled with admiration. If Milly had not said it Larissa would not have known a thing


    about it.


    Now that Larissa knew about it her feelings became more and moreplicated.


    ¡°What happened to that former colleague of yours you spoke about yesterday?¡± Larissa forcibly


    changed the subject.


    Milly did not notice Larissa¡¯s n. She was distracted at once. ¡°He¡¯s still pleading for mercy with his


    superior, but it¡¯s useless. Once the director makes a decision, how could his superior go against the


    director?


    ¡°If I were him, I¡¯d find another job at a different hospital. For someone like him who is willing to interact


    with dead people, it¡¯s easy for him to find jobs. But he had to cling to his current one¨C¡±


    Milly was too innocent.


    Based on what Larissa knew about Kevan, once he made someone lose their job, they would never be


    able to find another job ever again.


    *Aren¡¯t you guys trying to make a donation? Is there an ount number? I¡¯d like to make an effort too.¡±


    R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only


    This matter started because of her, after all. Larissa felt guilty, and she wanted to make it up to the


    young man.


    Milly waved her hands. ¡°This is just a donation run that¡¯s between us colleagues. We won¡¯t take money


    from others. But if you really want to help him, can you give him back his job?


    Milly already heard her colleagues say that the young man lost his job because he offended Yvette¡¯s


    daughter.


    He was indeed very dedicated to his job. He hated family members who left their dead at the hospital


    morgue. So, when heced people


    1/2


    The young man had not figured things out that day. He only knew that Yvelle had been in the morgue


    for a very long time. So, he automatically assumed Larissa was being disrespectful and caused trouble


    for her on purpose.


    After Larissa listened to Milly¡¯s exnation, she was silent for a moment. Then, she spoke. ¡°Til try to


    give him back his job.¡±


    It was not like she could guarantee that Kevan would listen to her.


    Alter Milly left, Larissa sent a WhatsApp text to Kevan.


    ¡°Are you free today? I want to talk to you about something.¡±


    Kevan was likely busy, as he only responded a whileter.


    ¡°I head over around 6pm.¡±


    Larissa replied. ¡°Okay.¡±


    It was hard to wait. She had a lot on her mind, and so she could not sleep. Larissa watched a few TV


    programs before the clock struck si


    Kevan gave her a phone call


    ¡°Open the door. Im outside your room.¡±

 Chapter 676

    Chapter 676


    Chapter 676


    Kevan had been distracted for the whole day. Even during his meeting, he would pick up his phone and


    nce at IL


    Larissa never looked for him.


    ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    He could not tell what he was feeling. He wished Larissa would take the initiative to talk to him, s, he


    was also afraid that she would say things that he did not want to hear,


    He had seen how cold she was to him during these two days¨Cso much so that it could be counted as


    .


    His gamble this time still achieved results that were the exact opposite of what he wanted. But he did


    not regret it.


    Aster¡¯s parentage would have to be brought up at some point. It was better to solve it early than drag it


    all out.


    He saw the news from his subordinate. Larissa and Lewis had gone to the cemetery. Larissa and Lewis


    had gone back to the hotel Lewis had canceled tonight¡¯s flight tickets


    Kevan was a little happy. He could not help but wonder if Larissa¡¯s choice to stay was because of him.


    Larissa¡¯s WhatsApp message was rather sudden.


    He has been reading the documents that had piled up in his office. When his phone vibrated, he


    eagerly opened WhatsApp. s, his joy turned into anxiety when he saw what Larissa had willen.


    What did she want to talk about? Aster? Or about their rtionship?


    With the way she was acting these days, it was reasonable for Kevan to believe that Larissa wanted


    nothing to do with him.


    Kevan felt reluctant to see her for thest time ever in his life. But the problems between them had to


    be fixed. In the end, he could not run away forever.


    After dragging things out for a very long time, he only replied. ¡°Til head over around 6 pm.¡±


    Before he left thepany, he drank half a small bottle of red wine to give himself some courage. It did


    not work. His heart was still racing when he stood before Larissa¡¯s room door.


    He spent quite some time calming himself before he called Larissa and said, ¡°Open the door, I¡¯m


    outside your room.¡±


    Larissa opened the door and smelled the wine on Kevan.


    Frowning, she asked, ¡°You¡¯ve been drinking?¡±


    Kevan¡¯s expression remained unchanged. The only thing that betrayed how nervous he felt was the


    way he clenched his fist in his pocket.


    ¡°I had met with a client,¡± he said.


    If he went to meet with a client, there would definitely be someone following him.


    Larissa¡¯s worry that he might have driven drunk vanished at once, and her frown disappeared. She


    stepped aside to let him in.


    ¡°Come in.¡±


    She got him to sit down on the s in the living room. Then, she went to search for drinks in the


    refrigerator.


    ¡°Have some water.¡±


    Kewan did not refuse her goodwill. The truth was, his mouth did feel a little dry.


    Larissa passed the water over and sat near him. There was a good deal of space between them.


    ¡°I heard that you made the hospital employee who made things difficult for me lose his job.¡±


    She spoke directly.


    Kevan had not yet had the chance to swallow the water he had just drunk. So, her words made him


    choke. He kept coughing with a hand


    stain on his thigh.


    Larissa immediately got some tissues to help dry his pants.


    When she reached out, she realized just how awkward the location was. She sheepishly pulled her


    hand back and pretended nothing had


    happened. Her already red face from the fever turned redder from the embarrassment.


    Kevan put the bottle of water aside. He had stopped coughing, but his redce was no different from


    Larissa¡¯s.

 Chapter 677

    Chapter 677


    Chapter 677


    Larissa had almost never seen Kevan¡¯sce turn red unless they were in bed.


    At that time, it was because of his excitement. He gripped her waist pretty hard during the act while


    spewing the most embarrassing things ever at times.


    Larissa shamefully realized that she was getting exciled.


    Kevan did not nolice what she was thinking. When he was coughing, he was wondering how exactly he


    was supposed to answer the question in a way that would not make her angry.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to purposely let people follow you.¡± he said.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Larissa was stunned. It was after that that she realized that he had actually sent people to keep


    an eye on her.


    But she seemed to feel nothing for this sort of thing anymore.


    After that car ident, there were many people around her who were meant to protect her. She could


    not tell which were from Gary and which were from Kevan, Although her privacy had been vited, she


    knew that they all just wanted her to be okay.


    ¡°That¡¯s not the point. Larissa adjusted her sitting position as she shifted slightly toce Kevan. She said


    seriously, ¡°I contacted you today because I want you to give him his job back.¡±


    Keven frowned unhappily.


    Of course, he was not unhappy with Larissa. But he was unhappy at the young man who was the


    cause of it all


    He knew Larissa better than she thought he knew her. He knew she never bothered to get petly with


    people like the young man. He knew that she was kind and salt-hearted. Even if she was angry, she


    would never be like him and use tough methods to take revenge.


    So, he never dared to let her know the things he did for her in secrel. It was precisely because he was


    afraid of what was happening right


    ¡°With that working attitude of his, he would have lost his job at some point because ofints.¡±


    Kevan argued. He did not want to back off.


    He could not stand it. Especially when he recalled that Larissa only got sick because of that st upid guy,


    making her have a high lever that still had not broken yet. Kevan fell that he had let the young man off


    too easily.


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t treat everyone like that. Larissa celended the young man.


    Hearing this. Kevan locked up. When he and Larissacked at each other, Larissa could see the


    repressed rage and pain in his eyes.


    ¡°It¡¯s just Larissa¡¯s words trailed off as she became stunned.


    Kevan¡¯s emotions were so heavy that she almost could not breathe. But she did not know where his


    rage and pain came from.


    ¡°I noticed that you treat anyone else better when they¡¯re not me.¡± Kevan finally spoke after a long time.


    A bitter, sell-deprecating smile was on his face. ¡°Even if it¡¯s just a stranger you met once.¡±


    He looked away and suppressed all his feelings carefully.


    Larissa almost stopped breathing, her heart feeling like it was being stabbed. She subconsciously


    gripped the cors of her nightgown. and the silk fabric immediately crumpled.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t.¡± She opened her mouth, wanting to speak, but no sound came out. She could only stare


    weakly at Kevan¡¯s coldce, and no words offort came to her mind.


    ¡°I will give him back his job.¡± Kevan said, his voice very even. ¡°Just like you wished,¡±


    He stared nkly at the spot in front of him and stopped looking at her.


    ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else.¡± He got up. ¡°T be leaving now.¡±


    ¡°Wait!¡± Larissa suddenly panicked and grabbed his wrist.


    Larissa also did not know what was wrong with her. At that moment, she just did not want him to leave.


    It was like if he walked out the door, he would nevere back.R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only

 Chapter 678

    Chapter 678


    Chapter 678


    *1-.-¡°Larissa ¡°1¡± Larissa bit her lip. She looked up at Kevan in a pitiful manner, her voice as whiny as a


    newborn kitten. ¡°I don¡¯t feel good.¡±


    The flush on her face never disappeared. The heat from her body spread to Kevan¡¯s skin from


    Larissa¡¯s palm.


    Kevan¡¯s feigned calmness shattered at once.


    He retreated to her side and felt her forehead with his free hand. The burning heal made him frown.


    ¡°Why is your fever still so high?¡±


    Larissa shook her head, ¡°I don¡¯t know. I got injections and took medicine.¡±


    But her temperature kept shifting. It would go down temporarily because of the medicine, but soon it


    would go up again.


    ¡°Hospital, now,¡± Kevan decided at once. Such symptoms did not seem like a regr cold.


    Larissa used his hand to pull herself up.


    ¡°Can you walk?¡± Kevan stared at her still-not-fully recovered legs.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Larissa took one step and fell into Kevan¡¯s arms in the next second.


    Kevan¡¯s arms wrapped around her waist in time, and he held her tightly.


    ¡°Yes?¡± He raised a mocking eyebrow at her.


    Larissa lowered her head in embarrassment. 1. Before she could even think of a good excuse, her legs


    left the floor suddenly, and she was in Kevan¡¯s arms in a bridal carry.


    The momentary fear and panic forced Larissa to hug Kevan¡¯s neck and her face nearly mmed into


    his.


    After calming down, she sensed that they were too intimate with each other, so she frantically let go at


    once to put distance between themselves-but because of their current positions, there was not much


    distance to put between them.


    Kevan watched her little movements silently without any noticeable expressions on his face. But his lips


    pressed together a little tighter.


    Because he had drunk wine, Kevan did not drive but brought his driver instead.


    On the way to the hospital, he sat in the back of the car with Larissa in his arms, where she was firmly


    ced on hisp.


    Larissa only felt super ufortable, especially when there was a stranger driving in front. She


    struggled in an attempt to leave Kevan¡¯s


    arms. ¡°Put me down now


    Kevan pressed down on her shoulders. ¡°Larissa¡± His voice was hoa rse, and his eyes were terrifyingly


    dark. ¡°If you move again, I will take


    you right here.¡±


    Larissa had already seen Kevan¡¯s ruthlessness in bed more than once. Although she was not too sure


    if he would actually take her in the car, she still stopped moving for safety¡¯s sake. She sat there


    obediently, her hands on herp with a straight back, looking like a student who was afraid of


    punishment.


    Kevan snorted lightly. He used a finger to tuck some of her long hair behind her ear to show her pretty


    lace.


    ¡°You¡¯d get scared, too, huh?¡± Kevan growled through gritted teeth. He thought that with how heartless


    she was, she would be unafraid of


    anything and everything.


    Larissa did not dare talk back to him, so she just pretended not to hear what he said. Thankfully, the


    hotel was not far from the hospital, so


    her suffering did notst long.


    When it was time to get out of the car, Kevan still refused to let her go. They ended up bing the


    most attractive pair in the crowd.


    People were giving them all sorts of stares. Larissa fell super ufortable. She decided to just bury


    herce into Kevan¡¯s neck so she


    did not have to see the others. But thements in low voices still reached her ears.


    ¡°Woah! That guy¡¯s so handsome¡± Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    1


    ¡°Oh yeah! That¡¯s so f ucking romantic carrying his girlfriend all the way Into the hospital!


    ¡°Ahhhhhh! I wish I were her!¡¯


    ¡°Man, how shameless must they be to hug each other like that in public?

 Chapter 679

    Chapter 679


    Chapter 679


    ¡°Bruh, this girl¡¯s soke! What kind of illness did she get that she needed her boyfriend to carry her all


    the way? Does she think she¡¯s a


    princess or something?¡±


    Larissa buried herce deeper into Kevan¡¯s neck.


    Kevan was super tensed up when he felt her het breath against his neck. His whole body was so stiff


    that he gradually slowed down in order to cover up how unnatural he was at the moment


    When they finally entered the doctor¡¯s office, Larissa and Kevan¡¯s awkward state was finally lessened.


    The doctor was a slightly elderly head doctor. He was probably used to youngsters bring all clingy with


    each other, so he was rather chill about it all and he did not show any scorn.


    ¡°Go take a blood test.¡± The doctor wrote a prescrioll on at once when he heard what Kevan said about


    the symptoms. ¡°Once you get the results,e and find me again.¡±


    The blood test venue was on the same floor.


    Kevan still did not put Larissa down, Larissa knew that Kevan was a stubborn idict, so she gave up and


    stopped resisting. But a kind nurse was afraid that he would be tired, so she came over to ask, ¡°Do you


    need a wheelchair?


    Kevan red at her coldly, and the nurse went away awkwardly.


    Larissa could not stand it. ¡°Be nicer. They only mean well.¡±


    ¡°Uh¨Chuh,¡± Kevan replied vaguely with no hint of regret at all


    Larissa stopped herself from rolling her eyes.


    The results from the blood test were that Larissa got a viral infection.


    The doctor prescribed a new medicine for Larissa and told her to go get an infusion in the room.


    After the infusion, Larissa tried to chase Kevan off. ¡°Go back and rest. I¡¯ll call my cousin and get him to


    come take care of me.¡±


    Kevan did not move, though.


    Larissa nudged him again. ¡°Hurry up and go! She had not yet pulled her hand back when Kevan caught


    it in his own hand.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going anywhere.¡± He yed with her hand with his head down. He squeezed every single


    finger like he had gained a new toy. ¡°If you try to chase me away. I will pester you forever so you will


    never get your wish.¡± He threatened her harshly.


    Larissa was stunned.


    ¡°¡­ Why are you so unreasonable?¡± She had never seen such a shameless asshole like him before.


    ¡°I promise you that I can do exactly what I said.¡± Kevan smiled like he had already won. ¡°Try me, go


    on.¡±


    Larissa shut up at once.


    She had not napped in the whole aftemoon. Now that she was sitting on this chair, It was super boring.


    Larissa yowned, her tiredness


    increasing greatly.


    Kevan was responding to emails using his phone. Suddenly, his shoulder got heavier. He looked down


    to see that Larissa had fallen. asleep against him.


    R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only


    The thermostat in the IV room was turned on, so Kevan was


    is not worried that she might get cold. He straightened up so that she could be


    morefortable in her sleep.


    The nurse came over to ask, ¡°Would you like to move next door? There are beds there, she can lie


    down.¡±


    1/2


    Larissa had no idea what happened after she fell asleep. Alter she woke up, she was already back in


    her big hotel bed. The sun was


    already up and out too.


    The person watching over her had somehow changed to Lewis. She was relieved but also somewhat


    disappointed.


    ¡°You¡¯re awake?¡± Lewis was staring at his phone with a frown. He looked over when he heard the noise


    of her waking up.


    Larissa hummed lightly in response. Then, she asked curiously, ¡°What are you looking at? You¡¯re so


    serious.¡±


    Hearing this, the expression on Lewis¡®ce became superplicated.


    ¡°You¡¯re trending.¡± he said after a long moment.

 Chapter 680

    Chapter 680


    Chapter 680


    Larissa had trended more than once when she was in conflict with the Hardy family. She trended again


    when she got knocked down by


    Lana¡¯s car.


    Both times they had caused quite themotion then. So, it was not strange lo end up on the trending


    list. But she had not done anything over these two days. Thus, Larissa could not for the life of her figure


    out why she was trending now.


    Lewis helped her understand. He showed her his phone. There were a series ofmar hasgs on the


    trending list.


    1. #Kevan&MysteriousLady


    2. #BisexualKevan


    3. #KevanNewLove


    4. #Larissa


    7. #Microworks


    10. #GoldenMediatorsRoom


    11. #Zero


    12. #Lana


    13. #CosmicEntertainment


    Larissa tapped into the first hashtag. The most viral tweet came from an ount called ¡°Rich Secrets,¡±


    and it went like this:


    ¡°Microworks Corporations Kevan Rogers seems to be bisexual!


    ¡°Earlier, someone in the industry said that Mr. Rogers liked men, but someone snapped an intimate


    picture of him with a woman in the hospital. I¡¯ve viewed countless big secrets from rich people, so I can


    confirm that Mr. Rogers¡¯ new woman is not an heiress from a rich family. This is probably just a short


    fling. Ladies, your hubby¡¯s still yours. Go get him!¡±


    The attached picture in this tweet had Larissa and Kevan in it. They were sitting next to each other in


    the IV room chairs.


    Larissa probably fell asleep because she was leaning against Kevan.


    Kevan was looking at her with a passionate look in his eyes.


    Larissa¡¯s heart felt like it was burning. She clutched at her chest, her face red.


    Lewis felt her forehead and asked, ¡°Is your fevering up again?¡±


    Larissa quickly waved her hand. ¡°No.¡±


    There were over millions ofments under that tweet. The most likedment was insulting what


    ¡°Rich Secrets¡± said.


    ¡°Bruh, you must have eaten a lemon or something. Your tweel is dripping with jealousy. With that look


    in Mr. Rogers¡¯ eyes, do you think it¡¯s


    just a short fling??¡±


    Thements under the reply tweet contained many responses from employees of Microworks itself.


    ¡°As a chill employee who has frequent contact with Mr. Rogers, I can tell you that I¡¯ve never seen Mr.


    Rogers be so gentle. I¡¯m guessing


    that we¡¯ll have ady boss soon.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m so in love! The way Mr. Rogers is in that pic is so cute! It¡¯s so different from his usual cold looks


    and stern scolding! I want to look at this pic for a little while longer so that I can withstand his torture at


    work tomorrow! PLEASE DON¡¯T EXPOSE ME. I DON¡¯T WANT TO DIE.¡±


    ¡°Using my alternate ount to say that I¡¯ve joined Microworks from the beginning. So, I¡¯m considered a


    long-time employee. I¡¯m pretty familiar with Mr. Rogers, ya feel me? He¡¯s definitely in love! I¡¯ll just be


    walling for his wedding invitation


    Beneath that, there were other replies in the same vein.


    ¡°Congrattions, Mr. Rogers! We¡¯re waiting for our sry to increase.¡±


    1/2


    ¡°You can stillugh about it?¡±


    When Lewis saw Larissa smile, his head began t


    to ache.


    His cousin could not have had her brains fried by having a lever for a few days, right?


    Larissa immediately pretended to look bitter, pressing her lips tightly together.


    Lewis pulled his phone back.


    ¡°Stay in the hotel and don¡¯t go anywhere,¡± he said. ¡°Your identity has already been exposed, and all


    sorts of people wille looking for you really soon. Once your fever is gone, we¡¯ll go back to Aldovia


    at once.¡±


    The Inte could remember things. Theizens remembered notable things too.


    Thest two times Larissa ended up trending, she was trending for the weirdest reasons. Thus, there


    would be people who could


    absolutely remember her.


    That was why hashtags like ¡°GoldenMediators Room,¡± ¡°Zero¡± and ¡°Lana¡± ended up ranking so high on


    the trending list.


    Clips of Larissa¡¯s livestream began to spread around the Inte again. Also, her past was fully


    exposed by someone.


    Some people said, ¡°How could a woman who was married before be worthy of Mr. Rogers ?!¡±


    Some also said, ¡°Bruh, the Victorian era is over! It¡¯s not like Mr. Rogers cares that she¡¯s a divorcee.


    How is it any of your business?¡±R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only

 Chapter 681

    Chapter 681


    Chapter 681


    Larissa read all kinds ofments on the Inte.


    She and Kevan were not in that kind of rtionship like the public thought. Thus, Larissa could still act


    like an outsider looking in when theizens began to argue.


    She could observe the mess this way. But the debates grew worse. Almost everyone was wondering if


    she was worthy to be with Kevan.


    Then, Larissa¡¯s calm began to falter. Rage and embarrassment began to grow in her.


    Lewis could see Larissa¡¯s depression, He could naturally see the cruelments on the Inte too.


    Unlike Larissa, he was not the type to swallow all his grief and pain.


    Once he left the hotel room, Lewis made a call.


    Hall an hourter, the trending hashtags were all taken down. Any rted tweets were deleted too, and


    no trace of them could be found.


    Larissa still had one more infusion.


    R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only


    Once the Inte fever died down, Lewis apanied Larissa to the hospital.


    Larissa wore a mask. So, she did not look different from the other patients who were also wearing


    masks.


    Other than the nurse who was getting Larissa¡¯s infusion ready, no one recognized her.


    The nurse stared at Larissa several times while also studying Lewis, who was next to her.


    Lewis was smiling, but his words were threatening.


    ¡°We would like to have our infusion in peace. The nurses of this important establishment are


    professionals, yes?¡±


    The nurse nodded. ¡°Of course.¡±


    Larissa was arranged to be in a corner of the room.


    Lewis sat across from her at a sl anted angle.


    To prevent misunderstandings from anyone, he maintained a distance from her. He did not want her to


    start trending again because she ¡± cheated.¡±


    The whole process was uneventful


    Still Lewis noticed a car following them on the way back to the hotel. The car looked normal, and he


    could not see who the driver was through the rearview mirror.


    Lewis could not figure out why this car was following them.


    ¡°Lari, hold onto the door handle. Lewis said to her.


    As Larissa was still sick, it took her some time to react due to how messed up her brain was. She lifted


    her arm to hold onto the handle.


    ¡°What¡¯s¡± She had not yet said ¡°wrong¡± yet when her body was thrown forward.


    Lewis had mmed his foot on the gas pedal.


    There were not many cars on the road, but there was still a fair number.


    Lewis turned the steering wheel, weaving through all the other cars,


    The car following them sped up too. But because the car¡¯s performance and the driver¡¯s skills were


    different, Lewis was able to shake the mystery car off.


    Lewis drove around for quite a while before returning to the hotel. They went upstairs from the


    basement parking lot.


    Winston Hotel¡¯s basement parking lot was only open to employees and guests. The quest elevator


    could only be essed using a room


    He kept Larissa by his side while keeping an eye on their surroundings.


    s, someone who should not have been here still appeared at the room door.


    ¡°Lar! Mom¡¯s waiting finally paid off!


    A husky and excited voice rang out


    Larissa was stunned. She wondered when exactly she had gained a ¡°mom¡± when she got a good look


    at that person¡¯s face. She tensed up at once, and her eyes grew cold.

 Chapter 682

    Chapter 682


    Chapter 682


    Janine Levange, who Larissa had not seen in a very long time, was wearing the uniform of the hotel¡¯s


    Janitor. She was holding a mop. There was a part of the floor that was still wet in front of Larissa¡¯s


    room door.


    Janine¡¯s back was more hunched than ever. She was also skinnier.


    ¡°Lar!¡±


    Janine forced out a ttering smile that Larissa had rever even seen from her before.


    Janine¡¯s winkles deepened with that act. She threw down the mon and rushed toward Larissa.


    The speed at which she walked did not match her aged appearance.


    Larissa gasped as she backed away, her right hand gripping Lewis¡® arm on instinct.


    Lewis had only seen pictures of Larissa¡¯s former mother¨Cinw on the informational documents.


    Although the woman in the picture had not taken great care of herself, she was still so much younger


    than Janine was now.


    That was why he did not recognize her at first.


    Larissa¡¯s tear mace Lewis more alert. He stepard in front of her to separate her from that weird


    ¡°Janitor.¡±


    Lewis¡® act made Janine stop. She observed his affectionate position with Larissa and pursed her los, a


    hint of disgust shing through


    her eyes. But she cuickly concealed it.


    ¡°Lari Janine stared at Larissa pitifully, her thin hands wringing together.


    Janinecked somewhat sad and hurt.


    waiting for you


    ¡°Mom¡¯s been waiting


    R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only


    you for the whole day here. I haven¡¯t even eaten!¡±


    However, the sympathy card did not work for Larissa now.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t leave now, I¡¯ll call security up.¡± Larissa threatened her coldly.


    Janine acted like she did not expect Larissa to be so heartless. She made her Ips tremble as tears


    began to well up in her eyes.


    ¡°Lar, I know I was wrong before-


    She had not even finished speaking when she already copsed onto the floor on her knees.


    ¡°Mom¡¯s begging you! Please forgive me!¡±


    Her tears began to fall down her wrinkled cheeks.


    Larissa watched coldly. Her emotions remained uncharged. She was sure that there was a purpose to


    Janine¡¯s act today. It would not


    have anything to do with making amends with her.


    Larissa fell for her phone. Although she was no longer the general manager here, her connections with


    the people of Winston Hotel were


    still there.


    She called the assistant manager.


    ¡°There¡¯s somecre sticking around my room door. Please have securitye up here.¡±


    Hearing that, Janine panicked. Herke mask crumbled at once to reveal a hideous snarl


    ¡°You¡¯re a heartless bitch, Larissa! Where¡¯s your conscience?!¡±


    She got up from the floor and stabbed a finger at Larissa as she screamed at her.


    ¡°Ive already begged for forgiveness. What else do you fucking want? I didn¡¯t even hold you responsible


    when you killed Travis! You ungrateful wretch! You know nothing about gratitude at all!¡±


    Well, Janine had not seemed to change much aller so many years. She still Iked to nder others and


    distort the Irulh


    1/2


    ¡°Firstly, Travis Hardy¡¯s death has nothing to do with me. Secondly, there were terms atta: hed to the


    one million that Yvette gave you guys


    Larissa paused briefly.


    ¡°If you appear in front of me again, you must return that one million.¡±


    It was because of this extra term from Yvette that Larissa was able to have so many peaceful years


    away from the Hardys. Now that Larissa thought about it, Yvette had done something nice for her after


    all


    ¡°What terms?¡±


    Janine pretended to be dumb.


    ¡°I don¡¯t remember any terms. What Yvette gave us waspensation money! It was meant to buy our


    silence so that we wouldn¡¯t sue you!


    Her denial of the matter was probably because of Yvette¡¯s death, which meant that ro one could


    confront her anymore.


    Larissa was so angry that she had a little trouble breathing. Her chest hurt as well.

 Chapter 683

    Chapter 683


    When it came to shamelessness, the Hardy family was still on top. No one could ever beat them in that.


    Seeing that Larissa was struck speechless by her. Janine grew more and more smug, ¡°I¡¯m telling you,


    Larissa, I can sue you anytime I want! So, don¡¯t act like you¡¯re better than me! 111 make sure you are


    ruined and disgraced make sure you won¡¯t end up as whatever


    general manager See if I don¡¯


    ¡°Sue me, then,¡± Larissa could not care less about Janine¡¯s little threat.


    Travis Hardy¡¯s death was concluded to be suicide, His family had confirmed this fact with their


    signatures too. If the Hardy family wanted to ¡°overtum¡± this case, it might be a little hard for them.


    Besides-


    Il Larissa were really ¡°ruined and disgraced,¡± as Janine hoped, then Janine¡¯s purpose ining here


    would have been for nothing.


    As expected, Janine hesitated for a moment


    She steadied herself and pieced her words together again. ¡°I can sue you, of course! But I want to give


    you one more chance! As


    long as you¡¯re willing to beg on Andrew¡¯s behall and get Mr. Rogers to spare him!¡±


    rissa only knew ¡°Mr, Rogers,¡± ¡°Kevan?¡± She frowned.


    Since when did he have any ties with the Hardys?


    Janine nodded hard. ¡°That¡¯s him! Aren¡¯t you familiar with him? I saw on the news She suddenly


    stopped halfway through. She nced at Lewis and continued. ¡°Um, anyway, if you don¡¯t help me. I will


    sue your


    Although Larissa had no idea what had happened, she would not be soft-hearted when dealing with the


    Hardys. ¡°Didn¡¯t say it already? Go


    ahead and do it¡±


    Larissa¡¯s unaffected state made Janine grit her teeth angrly. ¡°Don¡¯t be stubbom, Larissa! Don¡¯t me


    me for not warning you by then!


    Larissa ignored her and hid behind Lewis. She quietly waited for security toe. ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    Security came quite fast. Before Janine could ¡°break through¡± Lewis¡¯ ¡°delense¡± and catch Larissa, the


    security guards got her under their


    control.


    Janine struggled and screamed, ¡°Murderers! The guards are going to kill me in the shrillest voice


    possible.


    This scene was extremely familiar. It was like Larissa had gone back to the time when she was trying to


    go through a divorce with Travis.


    The captain of the security guards was still the same one as when Larissa was still the general


    manager here. He was still respectful to Lanssa. ¡°Ms. Seymour, how should we deal with this person?¡±


    Tearing herself out of her memories, Larissa said, ¡°Call the police,¡± as her gaze swept across all the


    guards. Her voice was a bit stem as she added. ¡°The hotel¡¯s security should be strengthened.¡±


    The guards all looked down guillily.


    The captain apologized several times and promised. ¡°Such a thing will never happen again!¡±


    Larissa waved her hand. ¡°You may go. I¡¯d like to rest now.¡±


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am The Captain smiled apologetically and said, ¡°Have a good rest. Ms. Seymour. We¡¯ll go


    downstairs now!¡±


    ¡°Wait-Lewis stopped them, ¡°I go with you.¡±


    Larissa looked at him with surprise. ¡°Why?¡±


    Lewis pushed her into the room. Thave to understand what¡¯s going on to prepare well next time. Be


    careful yoursell, okay? Lock the door properly and do not open it for anyone who knocks.¡± He sounded


    like he was talking to a young child with that tone of his.


    Larissa did not stop him. She only said. ¡°Thene back early, okay?¡±


    Everyone saw the affection they had for each other.


    122


    man


    A strange atmosphere began to arise in the corridor. A few guards traded looks, and many of them


    looked at each other knowingly while


    their smiles also held a hint of creepiness to them.

 Chapter 684

    Chapter 684


    Chapter 684


    Lewis followed along to the police station and came back not long after.


    ¡°It¡¯s not really security¡¯s fault this time,¡± he said.


    Janine was indeed a janitor at Winston Hotel. She had been hired before Larissa¡¯s current return to


    Caldor.


    Janine had already worked for almost a month.


    ¡°Still she did indeede here to find you at first.¡±


    Lewis had spoken to the captain of security. The captain had told Lewis everything he knew.


    ¡°Find me? For what?¡±


    Larissa browned.


    Lewis held out his hands helplessly.


    ¡°She didn¡¯t tell anyone.¡±


    Janine caused trouble at the hotel for several days before stopping after that. When she reappeared


    again, she was seeking a job.


    The hotel never had enough manpower, Janine was quick in her work. So, she sessfully passed the


    three¨Cday probation period. Thus, the hotel signed her up as an employee.


    As for her son, no one knew what happened to him.


    1. s. It was because he worked at


    But a janitor in the same batch as Janine said that Janine often boasted about how sessful her son


    was.


    Microworks and got a high sry.


    ¡°Works at Microworks?¡±


    Larissa caught onto the main point.


    No wonder Janine would ask her to beg Kevan on Andrew¡¯s behalf.


    ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    ¡°I¡¯ll let Mr. Rogers know about this.¡± Lewis said. ¡°We¡¯ll discuss and see how to solve this problem.¡±


    ¡°Wait! Don¡¯t!¡±


    Larissa stopped him. Other than the fact that Andrew Hardy worked at Microworks, none of this had


    anything to do with Kevan.


    Larissa did not want to bother Kevan with anything that did not concem him.


    Lewis was silent for a moment.


    ¡°Alright, then.¡±


    He pretended to listen while doing the exact opposite.


    Kevan got the news when Janine was escorted out of the hotel by the police.


    He immediately passed on his current duties to someone else and left the office.


    He did not go to the hotel at once. He had ended up trending on the inte with Larissa. Thus, there


    was a pack of reporters waiting at both the doors of Microworks and Winston Hotel


    Kevan was not afraid of the paparazzi, but Larissa was silll sick. So, she needed a good environment to


    rest in. He could not bring trouble to her. So, he got someone to chase the paparazzi away while he


    went to the floor where Microworks Finance was.


    Andrew worked at Microworks Finance. Kevan had someone hire him and just left him alone. He only


    told the boss of thepany to keep


    an eye on him.


    The finance industry avoided ¡°unprincipled people the most. So, the person in charge of Microworks


    Finance did not quite understand why Andrew was hired. But he did not dare to ask as Kevan was very


    secrellve. He just did as he was told and kept an eye on Andrew.


    Andrew worked in the brokerage department of Microworks Finance.


    There was a lot of insider information on stack funds.


    In theory, people who worked in brokerage¨Crted jobs could not create stock ounts of their own.


    But mostpanies let it slide and sometimes ever leaked important secrets to employees so that they


    could eam some quick cash.


    After Andrew get hired, he also got a little taste of this.


    It was fine to keep this little secret and earn money with his colleagues. s, Andrew refused to stick to


    this.


    He thought that this way earned him too little money. So, he created a group chat that suggested which


    stacks were the best to others


    and sent out all the insider information that he knew. At the same time, he charged people money to


    join the group.


    Microworks Finance was Microworks Corporation¡¯s most profitable division after the gaming one.


    All the too finance and IT geniuses worked here.


    They were able to figure out if something was wrong.

 Chapter 685

    Chapter 685


    Chapter 685


    R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only


    The matter of Andrew suggesting stocks was found out immediately.


    ¡°Insider trading was illegal. Also, he was so obvious about it.


    Andrew¡¯s superior knew nothing about the higher¨Cups¡± games.


    The superior fired Andrew at once and even called the police.


    The police had already begun to investigate, and they were currently at the stage of looking for


    evidence.


    The main person in charge only found out about all this from his subordinate when Kevan came over.


    ¡°My apologies, Mr. Rogers.¡± He carefully apologized, ¡°I didn¡¯t sessfully keep an eye on him.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s his own problem,¡± Kevan naturally did not think that Andrew would have maintained good behavior


    just because someone was watching him. After all a leopard could not change its spots.


    ¡°Work well with the police in their investigation. Give them whatever they want.¡± Kevan paused before


    adding a stern warning. ¡°Do not break the rules ever again.¡±


    The main person in charge quickly agreed. ¡°Yes, we definitely won¡¯t!¡±


    Once Kevan received the news that the reporters had been all chased away, he went to Winston Hotel.


    He did not dare to be as obvious as before¨Cthere were many guests at the hotel so it was easy for his


    pictures to be taken. He went straight up to Larissa¡¯s floor from the basement parking lot. There was


    practically no one else living on this floor. Rxing a little. Kevan rang the doorbell


    A little whileter, Lewis sharp voice sounded from behind the door. ¡°Who is it?¡±


    Kevan replied loudly. ¡°It¡¯s me,¡± like he was scared that Lewis would not recognize him.


    Once he had confirmed Kevan¡¯s identity through the peephole. Lewis finally unlocked the door and let


    Kevan in.


    ¡°I was just going to find you.¡± Lewis murmured so Larissa would not hear him. ¡°What is happening?¡±


    Kevan closed the door behind him but did not respond to Lewis question. He peered inside the room


    and asked. ¡°How¡¯s Larissa? Is she okay?¡±


    ¡°Her fever is gone, and her mood isn¡¯t too bad.¡± Other than the time when Janine appeared, Lewis did


    not note any big emotional changes from Larissa. In other words, she was very calm.


    Kevan rxed a little. ¡°When are you two going back to Aldovia?¡± he asked again.


    ¡°Once I¡¯m sure that Lari¡¯s illness won¡¯te back, we¡¯ll leave.¡±


    Lewis had originally wanted to let Larissa stay for a little while longer to fix whatever it was she had with


    Kevan. But after that whole mess. Lewis was scared that more trouble woulde to find them, so it


    was better to leave.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Kevan pushed down his sadness and reluctance. ¡°Is Larissa awake? I¡¯d like to talk to her.¡±


    ¡°She never slept aftering back from the hospital.¡± Worry Nashed across Lewis¡® eyes. ¡°Go on. Oh,


    by the way-¡°He suddenly caught onto Kevan¡¯s sleeve. ¡°If she asks, say that you came here yoursell. It


    has nothing to do with me.¡±


    Kevan nced at the hand that was clutching his sleeve, and he frowned slightly. But he still replied


    politely, ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°Is it the reporters? Larissa asked without even looking up when she heard the sound of the door


    opening. However, in the next second, a voice that was not Lewis¡® sounded. ¡°It¡¯s me.¡±


    Larissa¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and her hands that were holding her phone also jolted once.


    ¡°No.¡± Compared to her, Kevan was calmer. He stood at the fool of her bed and gazed down at her.


    ¡°Larissa, I want to talk to you.¡±

 Chapter 686

    Chapter 686


    Chapter 686


    Kevan¡¯s seriousness made Larissa feel more panicked than ever. Clutching at the sheets lightly.


    Larissa asked so softly that she almost


    could not be heard. ¡°Talk about what?¡±


    Kevan did not give her the chance to escape this. ¡°Aster.¡±


    What was meant toe hade in the end.


    Closing her eyes. Larissa took a deep breath and tried to calm her pounding heart.


    R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only


    ¡°You¡¯re mistaken,¡± she said. ¡°Aster is not your son. This was the only way that would prevent her from


    thinking further into it.


    ¡°The report would not lie.¡± Kevan¡¯s gaze was lixed on her. His voice was just a bit hoarse. ¡°Larissa,


    don¡¯t lie to yourself.¡±


    ¡°Lie to myself?¡± This term seemed to have triggered Larissa as sheughed suddenly. Her eyes were


    filled with in mockery.


    A chill crept up Kevan¡¯s spine, and his pupils shrunk a little. His fingers dug hard into the soft flesh of


    his palm.


    ¡°Ask yoursell, Kevan Rogers. Who was the one who has been lying to themselves? Her timidity


    vanished, and Larissa¡¯s eyes became sharp. Her demand also sounded like it was ringing loudly in the


    room.


    Kevan did not dare to look her in the eye. ¡°What are you saying?¡± His voice was calm, and he used his


    ¡°confusion¡± to show his innocence.


    Larissa¡¯s snort ofughter was louder than ever. ¡°You probably don¡¯t remember, but I got pregnant with


    Aster when you were injured and


    In aa.¡±


    The meaning in her words was clear. An injured person in aa could never get her pregnant unless


    Kevan had only been acting.


    Fear consumed Kevan once again¨Cfear that had been ignored for a long time. Kevan struggled to


    maintain his calm as he insisted. ¡°I really don¡¯t remember anything.¡±


    Larissa stared at him in silence for a long while. Kevan also used silence as a response. He relused to


    say anything to exin himself.


    ¡°Forget it if you don¡¯t remember.¡± Larissa sighed.


    Kevan had just breathed out a sigh of relief when he heard her say, ¡°You definitely thought that that¡¯s


    what I would say, right?¡± The sneer in her voice was very thick and heavy.


    Kevan¡¯s eyes twitched, and his lips moved, but he did not know what to say.


    ¡°You were the one who said you wanted to talk¡±


    Larissa put emphasis on the word ¡°you,¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯re the one who doesn¡¯t want to talk now.¡±


    ¡°Leave.¡± She lost all patience in dealing with him. ¡°There¡¯s nothing to talk about between us.¡±


    Kevan did not move, though. After a while, he seemed to have made a decision as he said. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll


    talk.¡±


    A little surprised. Larissa looked up at him. Kevan was looking at her too.


    His cold expression had a hint of helplessness in IL Kevan was only willing to concede because it was


    Larissa.


    ¡°You guessed right.¡± Even though he knew that his words would start a huge wave, Kevan still admitted


    it ¡°I was not really in aa at that time.¡±


    This was the truth that Larissa had been desperately trying to avoid.

 Chapter 687

    Chapter 687


    Chapter 687


    Larissa did not feel the least bit happy that her guess had been confirmed.


    An incredible fury consumed her.


    She could only bite her lip to prevent herself from saying anything that would hurt.


    She could guess the reason why he pretended to be in aa. It was definitely not because he


    wanted to do inappropriate things to her.


    He quietly waited for nearly six years. Within these six years, there were rumors that Microworks


    Corporation was going to copse.


    But the truth was, Microworks¡± profils kept growing while Soaring Corporation kept getting worse.


    It was truly struggling on the edge of copsing into bankruptcy.


    Larissa did not believe that Kevan was not involved in any of this. So, her fury did note from the


    fact that he pretended to be in a


    She was mad at his irresponsibility, which caused her pain and grief for a very long time before.


    ¡°Do you know that I nearly aborted the child?¡±


    Angry grief rose up in her, and Larissa¡¯s eyes somehow teared up. Her voice was also shaking a little.


    Kevan¡¯s heart ached when he saw her like this.


    He breathed out the most useless words he could have ever said in this situation.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Larissa was ruthless.


    ¡°Il apologies were useful, why


    hy would the police be needed?¡±


    Tears spilled down her cheeks.


    This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?.


    Kevan nearly said ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡± again, but he managed to stop himself. His knuckles were white from how


    tight he was clenching his hands.


    Larissa randomly wiped off her tears.


    ¡°I¡¯d rather you lie to me for the rest of my life.¡±


    Her voice was very light, but it crushed Kevan¡¯s heart all the same.


    ¡°I don¡¯t even know now to face Aster after I go back.¡±


    She did not know if she should tell Aster that the ¡°daddy¡± he kept calling was indeed his actual father.


    ¡°I want to give Aster a home.¡±


    Kevan¡¯s goal was simple. He knew of course, that lying to Larissa was the best option. But then, their


    rtionship would have remained frozen for a very long time. He was not patient enough for that.


    Gelling things over with was more his style.


    His words were sincere, but Larissa took it differently. She became more alert as she snapped, ¡°I won¡¯t


    let you take Aster away!¡±


    Her guarded eyes hurt Kevan very much.


    He was just about to exin when Larissa cut him off.


    ¡°Aster is my son! He has nothing to do with you! Don¡¯t you already have Bethany? Why do you want to


    snatch my son from me?!¡±


    Whenever she thought that her son, who she carried for ten months and proceeded to raise alter,


    would be taken away from her, Larissa¡¯s emotions grew agitated.


    She could not calm hersell enough to think rationally. Her thought process lumed farther down the


    wrongne.


    1/2


    wanted to snatch my son from me?¡±


    If Kevan did not lose his memory, he would naturally remember his rtionship with Ruby. But his


    coldness to Ruby and Bethany were cold, hard facts. It was to the point that he had heartlessly sent


    Ruby to jall.


    Larissa fell eerie tingles up her spine at the thought of Kevan sacrificing his lover for his goal.


    ¡°Kevan Rogers, you¡¯re a horrible man!¡±


    Kevan had heard many people use the word ¡°horrible¡± to describe him up till today. Many of those were


    his rivals, his subordinates, and many strangers of whom he had never even met.


    He did not care about thements from the others. He had always remained unmoved whenever


    nonsensical rumors about him cropped up.


    But now, he finally felt what it was to be misunderstood by others. He felt sad and felt like he wanted to


    protest such an assessment.


    ¡°Even if your family has a damn throne¡± that you need to inherit, plenty of women would love to give


    you sons. Why do you need to steal mine? I will only have Aster as my child. He¡¯s the most important


    person to me in this whole fucking world! Please leave Aster and me alone!


    ¡°Let¡¯s just pretend that nothing has ever happened between us, and we¡¯ll leave each other alone.


    Mmph!¡±


    Larissa had not finished speaking when her mouth was silenced by something else.

 Chapter 688

    Chapter 688


    Chapter 688


    Kevan¡¯s face was right in front of hers. His eyes were as fathomless as always. They contained a great


    deal of emotions that Larissa could not figure out


    She stared at him and forgot to struggle.


    Kevan deepened the kiss. One hand moved to the back of her head to stop her from moving.


    Larissa¡¯s eyes widened in panic. Her handsnded on his shoulders and pushed. But Kevan did not


    move. He only let her go when Larissa¡¯s tongue felt numb. He leaned down to hug her waist. His chin


    rested on her shoulders. His face rubbed against her neck.


    Larissa was stunned. A weird, tingling feeling ran throughout her whole body.


    ¡°Don¡¯t say stuff like that.¡±


    Kevan¡¯s deep voice was filled with fragility.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think of me that way.¡±


    Larissa clenched the sheets in pain. Her heart was hurting so much.


    ¡°I have done many bad things,¡± Kevan confessed to her. ¡°I don¡¯t hope for you to forgive me. I only ask


    you to give me a chance to make it up to you and Aster.¡±


    s easy to


    It was


    for Larissa¡¯s heart to go soft. Kevan¡¯s humble look made her resolve faller. But ¡ª


    ¡°Aster and I will live in Aldovia¡±


    Her family and her best friend were all there.


    Kevan was not so important to her that she would abandon them all. Also, he would not abandon his


    business empire for her sake either.


    ¡°Our lives are perfect. We don¡¯t need you to make anything up for us.¡±


    Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    All these years, with Wendy¡¯s help. Larissa had raised Aster with ease. Aster did notck anything else


    except fatherly love.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been in talks with an Aldovian gamingpany about buying them out. If it¡¯s all settled, I will


    move the focus of my business there,¡± Kevan said.


    It did not matter whether or not Gary would let Larissae back to Caldor. Kevan could eliminate


    several troubles Larissa would face by justing back to Caldor in the future. So, he had long


    decided to follow her to Aldovia. The talks for buying out this time hadsted for more than a year. They


    had finally reached an agreement.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to do that¡ª¡°Larissa was a bit helpless. She was more fearful than happy. Even if


    Kevan said that he was trying to ¡°make up for everything.¡± she could not bear the weight of his efforts.


    ¡°Your family is still here, and Dn¨CShe tried to persuade him to stay. But Kevan¡¯s mind was made up.


    He refused to change it.


    ¡°My parents cane with me. Once they know that Aster is their grandson, I believe that they¡¯ll be


    happier than me.¡±


    Because of Cody¡¯s deliberate actions, Kevan¡¯s parents had been living a casual life of retirement a few


    years ago. His mother would sometimes raise Bethany, so she could still experience the feeling of


    raising a grandchild. Later, he hid Bethany away. Thus, Violet could not even have this to entertain


    hersell.


    As for his father, he stayed home and read the newspaper every day. Otherwise, he would be watching


    television as well. His life was super boring indeed.


    His parents were probably very bored by now because they kept calling Kevan to get him toe


    home for meals and hang out with them.


    Kevan had long since wanted to change his parents¡® environment so that they could live a little happier


    than before.


    Larissa was struck speechless by Kevan. It seemed that no excuse would work with him. In the end,


    she could only say, ¡°Do whatever the hell you want.¡±


    She looked away from him.


    what you want.¡±


    ¡ª


    Larissa was not someone who liked holding grudges.


    All the pain and grief he had brought her from before was nearly gone alter so many years. But if he


    wanted to take Aster from her, she would never, ever, fucking forgive him.


    Chapter 688


    Kevan¡¯s face was right in front of hers. His eyes were as fathomless as always. They contained a great


    deal of emotions that Larissa could not figure out


    She stared at him and forgot to struggle.


    Kevan deepened the kiss. One hand moved to the back of her head to stop her from moving.


    Larissa¡¯s eyes widened in panic. Her handsnded on his shoulders and pushed. But Kevan did not


    move. He only let her go when Larissa¡¯s tongue felt numb. He leaned down to hug her waist. His chin


    rested on her shoulders. His face rubbed against her neck.


    Larissa was stunned. A weird, tingling feeling ran throughout her whole body.


    ¡°Don¡¯t say stuff like that.¡±


    Kevan¡¯s deep voice was filled with fragility.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think of me that way.¡±


    Larissa clenched the sheets in pain. Her heart was hurting so much.


    ¡°I have done many bad things,¡± Kevan confessed to her. ¡°I don¡¯t hope for you to forgive me. I only ask


    you to give me a chance to make it up to you and Aster.¡±


    s easy to


    It was


    for Larissa¡¯s heart to go soft. Kevan¡¯s humble look made her resolve faller. But ¡ª


    ¡°Aster and I will live in Aldovia¡±


    Her family and her best friend were all there.


    Kevan was not so important to her that she would abandon them all. Also, he would not abandon his


    business empire for her sake either.


    ¡°Our lives are perfect. We don¡¯t need you to make anything up for us.¡±


    All these years, with Wendy¡¯s help. Larissa had raised Aster with ease. Aster did notck anything else


    except fatherly love.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been in talks with an Aldovian gamingpany about buying them out. If it¡¯s all settled, I will


    move the focus of my business there,¡± Kevan said.


    It did not matter whether or not Gary would let Larissae back to Caldor. Kevan could eliminate


    several troubles Larissa would face by justing back to Caldor in the future. So, he had long


    decided to follow her to Aldovia. The talks for buying out this time hadsted for more than a year. They


    had finally reached an agreement.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to do that¡ª¡°Larissa was a bit helpless. She was more fearful than happy. Even if


    Kevan said that he was trying to ¡°make up for everything.¡± she could not bear the weight of his efforts.


    ¡°Your family is still here, and Dn¨CShe tried to persuade him to stay. But Kevan¡¯s mind was made up.


    He refused to change it.


    ¡°My parents cane with me. Once they know that Aster is their grandson, I believe that they¡¯ll be


    happier than me.¡±


    Because of Cody¡¯s deliberate actions, Kevan¡¯s parents had been living a casual life of retirement a few


    years ago. His mother would sometimes raise Bethany, so she could still experience the feeling of


    raising a grandchild. Later, he hid Bethany away. Thus, Violet could not even have this to entertain


    hersell.


    As for his father, he stayed home and read the newspaper every day. Otherwise, he would be watching


    television as well. His life was super boring indeed.


    His parents were probably very bored by now because they kept calling Kevan to get him toe


    home for meals and hang out with them.


    Kevan had long since wanted to change his parents¡® environment so that they could live a little happier


    than before.


    Larissa was struck speechless by Kevan. It seemed that no excuse would work with him. In the end,


    she could only say, ¡°Do whatever the hell you want.¡±


    She looked away from him.


    what you want.¡±


    ¡ª


    Larissa was not someone who liked holding grudges.


    All the pain and grief he had brought her from before was nearly gone alter so many years. But if he


    wanted to take Aster from her, she would never, ever, fucking forgive him.

 Chapter 689

    Chapter 689


    Chapter 689


    Seeing the way she suddenly guarded hersell, Kevan¡¯s heart ached for her. It was so strong that it


    overpowered the sadness he felt at her distrust of him,


    ¡°You can depend on me in the future,¡± he said, ¡°Let me take care of Aster¡¯s safely.¡± Her weak shoulders


    should not need to bear such a thing.


    Larissa froze. She suddenly felt like crying again, and she looked down to hide her teary eyes.


    ¡°You¡¯ve talked things out with Mr. Rogers?¡± Lewis brought in a te of peeled apples. He gave her one


    that had not yet turned brown.


    Larissa bil into it, and the sweet apple juice sprayed out. They stained the white sheets.


    ¡°I guess so,¡± she mumbled as she chewed the apple.


    This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?.


    The truth was, she had a lot of questions in her mind. Such as, why let her get pregnant with his child?


    Why was he so cruel to Ruby? And what on earth cid he feel for her right now?


    Without the ¡°memory loss,¡± all the things that made sense belore now did not. But she could not have


    asked any of these questions when things were so bad between them earlier.


    ¡°What ns do you have now? Lewis asked her. His expression was serious, so he did not ask this


    randomly. Naturally, Larissa could not just wave him off by throwing in an excuse.


    Larissa¡¯s mind was in aplete mess, though. There was too much information that she had yet to


    process yet. ¡°We¡¯ll talk about it after we go back.¡±


    She had to talk to Wendy. She would not be able to figure things out on her own. It was not like Kevan


    demanded anything from her, so she did not need to struggle over that. Just stick to the original n.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Lewis was confused by her answer. ¡°What are you saying?¡±


    When he asked that, Larissa was also confused. ¡°What are YOU saying?¡±


    They stared at each other in confusion for a bit Lewis then spoke. ¡°Didn¡¯t Mr. Rogerse to find you


    about Janine Levange?¡±


    Janine Levange was Travis Hardy¡¯s biological mother and Larissa¡¯s first mother-inw.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Larissa was shocked. She had indeed lorgolten about this.


    Seeing her this way, Lewis knew that Kevan had not mentioned this at all. He suddenly felt like his


    head hurt-Honestly, why is this Mr. Rogers so unreliable at such an important time?


    ¡°What did he talk to you about then?¡±


    Larissa bit her apple again. ¡°Nothing much.¡± Since Lewis did not know, she had no reason to tell him


    about it. The truth was, she did not know how she was going to tell Lewis either.


    Lewis stared at her in confusion for a very long time, but he managed to stop himsell from asking


    further.


    *So, Janine Levange. How do you n to deal with her?¡± He went back to the original topic.


    ¡°Just deal with her the way she was meant to be dealt with.¡± Larissa could not care less about anything


    the Hardys started. ¡°I¡¯m sure the police and the hotel will be able to decide for themselves.¡±


    Lewis did not agree with her thoughts, though.


    Janine¡¯s actions could only be considered ¡°guest harassment,¡± and she could not be punished by the


    law. The most that could happen was for her toe and apologize to Larissa and have them settle


    things privately. As for the hotel, they would probably just fire her. But this did not prevent her from


    searching for jobs in the future.


    Such punishments were too light, and they meant nothing for shameless people like Janine.

 Chapter 690

    Chapter 690


    Chapter 690


    Lewis was right. The police only arrested Janine long enough to question her and scold her before


    letting her go again,


    They did not even ask her to settle things with Larissa in private.


    The hotel reacted fast though. They fired Janine at once and paid her current month¡¯s sry in full.


    They were afraid th


    alraid that she mighte


    back and cause trouble again.


    The security on Larissa¡¯s floor had increased. The hotel¡¯s assistant manager brought a group of his


    subordinates to visit Larissa as well


    as apologize. He even brought a beautiful gift.


    As they were all former colleagues. Larissa did not make things hard on them. They sat together and


    chatted for a while.


    The assistant manager asked Larissa, ¡°Ms. Seymour, will you still being back in the future?¡±


    Larissa waved her hand.


    ¡°Nope! Do your best. The position of general manager will be yours soon!¡±


    The assistant manager was like her. He had jumped ship from the Regal Dynasty.


    He had reached a pretty high position back there. Also, his work ethic was amazing.


    He was a few years older than Larissa. He had also entered the industry a few years earlier than


    Larissa had.


    Larissa only ended up being his superior because she was directly transferred over from headquarters.


    Although the assistant manager had notined about it, Larissa still felt bad for him,


    ¡°Once I¡¯ve officially gone through resignation with headquarters, I¡¯ll tell them to promote you quickly!¡±


    Everyone was loudly crowing about celebrating early for the assistant manager¡¯s promotion except for


    the man himself. Although he was


    smiling too, one could not really see his joy. R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only


    Lewis rebooked the flight tickets to Aldovia.


    He had hoped that Larissa would take the opportunity to make things up with Kevan, which was why he


    kept dying the progress of their


    return.


    Now that trouble hade looking for them, il Uncle Gary found out about all this and he had not left


    yet, the man would kick his as s.


    Larissa had no objections to his decision.


    On the day that they were leaving, there was still a good deal of reporters waiting outside the hotel.


    Although Larissa and Kevan¡¯s news had vanished from the trending list, they were still trending


    anyway.


    Lewis sent Larissa down to the parking lot first. He only went back up to the first floor to check out after


    he had seen her enter the car.


    The signal in the basement parking lot was s hit. Larissa stared at the nk WhatsApp message on her


    screen. She felt strangely annoyed.


    A dark shadow suddenly fell over the window. She looked up to see that there was a man dressed in


    ck peeking into the window.


    He was wearing a ck cap. A ck mask covered his face. Only a pair of cruel eyes could be seen.


    He was not a good guy.


    Larissa felt nervous at once. She wanted to call Lewis. s, there was zero signal at all right now.


    There was no one else in therge parking lot apart from them.


    Larissa¡¯s leg was not mobile enough. So, she would never be able to outrun a man stronger than her If


    she tried to get out of the car and


    run.


    She could only hide in the car and pray for Lewis toe back soon.


    Suddenly, a loud bang could be heard, and the car door next to Larissa shook violently.


    ¡°Either youe out now-¡±


    Larissa could hear his voice. Even though there was a car window between them, not to mention the


    man¡¯s mask, she could still hear his


    voice very clearly.


    ¡°Or-¡°The man in ck raised the bat again. ¡°I will break the f ucking window and drag you out!¡±


    Larissa was so scared that she held her breath. She carefully moved to the other door to prevent


    herself from getting hurt when he did hit


    the window.

 Chapter 691

    Chapter 691


    Chapter 691


    Larissa would never go with the man in ck


    Even if the car was bashed into twisted metal she could still resist for a bit. Maybe she could even drag


    things out until Lewis came back.


    The man in ck got angrier, likely because she refused to get out of the car.


    ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    ¡°You really want to do this the hard way, huh?¡±


    He swung the baseball bat again. The sounds of the car window ss shattering could be heard.


    The ss cracked into multiple pieces, and some of the pieces flew into the car. The piecesnded on


    the car seat


    Without thisyer of protection, Larissa could clearly see the cruel smile in the man¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Well? Get out now!¡± He threatened her.


    Larissa pinched the flesh of her palm. She struggled to maintain her calm appearance.


    ¡°There are multiple surveince cameras here,¡± she said, her voice trembling just a bit. ¡°Do you think


    that the police can¡¯t find your?¡±


    Who knew that the man in ck was not the least bit afraid when she said that? He even went as far


    as tough.


    ¡°Do you think I¡¯ll be so stupid? He gazed at Larissa smugly. ¡°All the cameras in this parking lot have


    been turned off, bitch. I¡¯m telling ya even if I kill you here, the police won¡¯t be able to find me.¡±


    Larissa was shocked. It was not because she suspected the truth of his words, but he was so certain


    about it, and he was breaking the car without a care in the world-


    ¡°Are you a hotel employee?¡± she asked.


    To be able toe and go through the hotel parking lot with ease and to be able to turn off the


    cameras here, there was no other person who could do all these things unless one was a hotel


    employee.


    The man¡¯s expression froze for a moment and Larissa was more certain of her guess.


    Her brain raced very quickly as she said. ¡°Did we have some kind of confict previously?¡±


    Objectively speaking, she had not worked for long at Bartham¡¯s Winston Hotel. The people she had


    interacted with mostly were hotel executives, and she had had no chance to really meet with any lower-


    ranked employees.


    This man was very unfamiliar to her. She did not remember if she had any sort of beef with him


    previously. The truth was, she could be totally sure that she had never had any beel with any hotel


    employee.


    ¡°Or, do you have some sort of plea or demand?¡±


    Although she had left her position for a very long time ever since her illness, headquarters had not yet


    sent a new person to rece her. So she was still Bartham¡¯s Winston Hotel¡¯s general manager.


    Lower ranked employees would not know about such insider detalls, so they might indeede to


    rage at her for their dissatisfaction at the notel


    ¡°Shut up! You tak too much!¡± The man in ck hit the car window again, and the remaining pieces of


    ss stuck to the window frame came loose. Some even low onto Larissa¡¯s body.


    She jolted, and fear shed through her eyes.


    ¡°Come out now!¡± The man in ck lost his patience. Let¡¯s see where else you can hide aller ve


    smashed all the windows!¡±


    ¡°I just want to help you solve your problems.¡± Larissa remained calm and polite. ¡°Violence is useless, it


    will only lead you down the wrong path.¡±


    ¡°Can you motherf ucking just shut the f uck up, bi tch? The man in ck angrily hit the car. ¡°I have no


    problems that need solving from you! I just want to take you away!¡±


    Larissa gradually realized that this might be a nned kidnapping case spread about her and Kevan


    two days ago. There would be countless people who would be jealous of her and more who would want


    to use her to threaten Kevan.


    ¡°I won¡¯t go with you,¡± she inly told the man in ck.


    If he simply wanted to get some sort of benefit from her, she might fulfill his wishes. But if he wanted to


    pin Kevan down in some way, then she would never let him have his way.


    ¡°Even if I die, I won¡¯t go.¡±

 Chapter 692

    Chapter 692


    Chapter 692


    The man in ck angrily whacked at the car with his baseball bat. The whole basement parking lot only


    had the sounds of the car getting smashed.


    Larissa was curled up in the space between the two front seats. She covered her ears with her hands.


    Her body rocked along with the car.


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you getting out?¡± the man in ck roared angrily.


    The four windows had already been broken by him, and the car seats were littered with sharp ss.


    Larissa could barely just put her feet down at the ce where she was hiding.


    *You really want to die?¡±


    The baseball bat reached in from the driver-side window and began smashing the steering wheel and


    the dashboard.


    Larissa had no weapons, so she could not fight back. She could only hide here and there, and drag out


    time and wait for someone to save


    This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?.


    ¡°If youe out on your own, I promise I won¡¯t hurt your Sering that doing things the hard way would


    not work, the man¡¯s attitude softened just a little. ¡°Our goal is not to hurt you! You just need toe


    with me!


    Larissa¡¯s ears were covered and stulled, so she did not hear anything he said at all She kept looking at


    the elevator and hoped that Lewis would appear there in the next second.


    The man in ck was watching her movements, so he was able to guess what she was hoping for very


    easily.


    ¡°You¡¯re still dreaming of getting saved, huh?¡± He blocked off Larissa¡¯s vision while smiling evilly.


    Larissa frowned unhappily, and the hands covering her ears loosened a little.


    ¡°The elevator that leads here has been ruined by me, and the staircase door is locked too.¡± The man in


    ck said proudly. ¡°Try to guess i your bro gels here first or if catch you first?¡±


    Larissa froze.


    Winston Hotel had two guest elevators. Only one could reach the basement parking lot. If the elevator


    was broken and the stairs blocked. the guests could onlye to the parking lot through the entrance


    that was about half a mile away from the hotel¡¯s main entrance. And the ce where Lewis had parked


    was at the furthest end, away from that entrance.


    As the man in ck spoke, his hand had already reached inside. While Larissa was spacing out his


    hand almost touched her clothes.


    Seeing his frozen fingertips, Larissa made a decision. She grabbed his hand and bit down hard.


    The man in ck walled in pain.


    ¡°Fucking bitch¡± he roared, ¡°I will fucking kill you now, you fucker¡±


    Larissa also became harsher. She held on to his hand and refused to let go. When the man struggled,


    she bit him harder, which made him Stop moving for a bit.


    Lewis had taken the car keys with him when he left, and the doors had been locked by him.


    The man in ck could not open the doors, so he kept trying to think of ways to get into the car from


    the window. But Larissa would never let him have this chance.


    The moment the man stuck his head in, Larissa grabbed her sturdy leather bag and beat him hard with


    it. The man was beaten so badly that he saw stars, and he kept hoading for mercy.


    Larissa did not stop. She beat him and asked. ¡°Who sent you?¡±


    The man in ck refused to give up whoever it was who made him do this. It did not matter how hard


    Larissa beat him.


    As Larissa was still a recovering patient, her energy gave out pretty fast. Just as she paused to take a


    breather, the man made sure to grab her wrist at the right time as he began to pull her out the window.


    Things began to change seats as she began a tug of war with the man,


    Her strength was no match for him in the end, Larissa could feel herself slipping toward the man in


    ck little by little.


    Her hand was already out of the window, and her exposed skin was sliced open by the broken ss.


    The pain made her cry. What little hope she had began to die and soon hopelessness reced it.


    Seeing the ss pieces near her, Larissa gritted her teeth and grabbed some. Once the man had


    dragged her over to the window, she threw the ss pieces at the man.

 Chapter 693

    Chapter 693


    Chapter 693


    The man in ck humedly avoided the ss pieces. His hand that was holding onto Larissa¡¯s wrist


    also began to loosen


    The cap and mask helped him block off most of the ss ces, and he was not hurt at all However,


    Larissa¡¯s soft palm was bleeding from numerous new cuts.


    Her resistance pissed off the man in ck fully. He whipped out a pocket knife from his pockel, and the


    de of the knife gleamed in the dimly it environment.


    ¡°Since you wanna die, I make sure you do then?


    He began to stab his knife madly into the car.


    Larissa held her bag in front of her as she began to change positions based on his movements. Her


    energy waspletely gone. She was only following her survival instincts to light back.


    Alter who knew how long, hurried footsteps could be heard in therge parking lot.


    Both man and woman looked over at the source of the noise. A tall figure was rushing over here.


    Larissa recognized him at once. It was Kevan!


    But her joy had notsted two seconds before fear reced it. She screamed. ¡°Don¡¯te here! He


    has a knile!


    As the target of the actual person behind this whole thing was Kevan, he was in more danger than


    Larissa ever was it he appeared here.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?.


    Kevan ignored her warning, though. On the contrary, he came over even faster. The man in ck


    reacted quickly too. He no longer dealt with Larissa but faced Kevan with the pocket knife..


    ¡°Yo. Mr. Rogers.¡± The man in ck waved his knife. ¡°Since you¡¯re here, why don¡¯t youe along with


    me?¡±


    Kevan did not reply. His face was dark,


    Larissa could sense the dark energy around him¨CKevan was really pissed.


    Seeing that he was ignored by Kevan, the man in ck angrily spoke louder. ¡°You don¡¯t want your


    woman to get hurt, right?¡±


    Hearing this. Kevanughed. ¡°If you hurt her, I¡¯ll make sure you die here.¡±


    The cruelty in his eyes was spine¨Cchilling.


    The man in ck shuddered, and his aura weakened.


    ¡°Don¡¯t scare me?¡± He forced himself to be calm as he said, ¡°Murder is illegal!¡±


    Kevan raised an eyebrow like he had heard something funny. ¡°You think what you¡¯re doing right now


    isn¡¯t illegal?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not the same!¡± The man in ck sald righteously. ¡°I¡¯m not a big¨Cname president. The most that


    would happen to me is that I get


    jailed for a few years! I¡¯m not going to lose anything!¡±


    ¡°Mm,¡± Kevan nodded. ¡°You¡¯re not a big¨Cname president. So, you don¡¯t know¨Call I need to do is to


    spend a bit of money, and there will be plenty of people like you who will take the me for me. I lose


    nothing by killing you too.¡±


    The man in ck froze. ¡°You His hand was shaking


    After a long moment, he seemed to have decided because his gaze became sure. ¡°Then l kill you first


    and luck with your woman property


    Kevan¡¯s yful smile vanished after hearing thatst bit, ¡°You can try.¡±


    Gaining Kevan¡¯s ¡°encouragement,¡± the man in ck rushed over with the knife, screaming, ¡°I¡¯m gonna


    kill you now!¡±


    Kevan slood there emotionlessly. He did not avoid the attack at all


    Larissa¡¯s heart was in her throat, and she could not help but scream, ¡°Run, Kevant Just leave me


    alone! Run!¡±

 Chapter 694

    Chapter 694


    Chapter 694


    Kevan did not move. He seemed not to have heard Larissa¡¯s words, and he did not even bother to look


    at her. He stared at the man in ck rushing at him. The moment the man in ck reached out Kevan


    swiftly grabbed the man¡¯s wrist.


    The man screamed in pain as the knife in his hand fell to the floor.


    Kevan moved his foot and kicked the knife under the car parked nearby.


    The man in ck watched as the knife vanished under the car. Then, his eyes were filled with fear and


    hopelessness.


    ¡°You ¡ª¡± He just started to speak when his feet were suddenly off the floor. He had no time to react as


    his world turned wildly about. Then, his back mmed heavily onto the floor, and he felt like his spine


    was going to break. The man in ck moaned in pain as tears spilled


    down his cheeks.


    Kevan slood next to him before dropping one loot onto the man¡¯s chest while he gazed at him. ¡°Who


    sent you?¡± he asked coldly.


    The man refused to speak. Kevan pressed down harder with his fool, and the man screamed in pain


    again. ¡°I can¡¯t say! He¡¯ll kill my whole


    family!¡±


    Kevan smiled coldly. ¡°If you don¡¯t say it¡ªAren¡¯t you afraid that I will kill your whole family?¡±


    The man in ck froze as he stared at Kevan in disbelief.


    ¡°You should know, it¡¯s easy for me to hire someone to kill people.¡± Kevan¡¯s voice was calm. It was like


    he was only talking about something simple and not threatening another person with his family¡¯s lives.


    The man in ck seemed to be weighing his options.


    Kevan tossed out a bait. ¡°I promise you as long as you cooperate with me, I will protect your family.¡±


    The man in ck¡¯s eyes it up.


    ¡°Really?¡±


    He began to waver.


    *Rx, I¡¯m more trustworthy than whoever it was who hired you.¡± Kevan sounded a little lul


    The man in ck was silent for a moment before he decided. ¡°I believe you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Ronan, and I¡¯m a security guard at the hotel. The one who asked me to kidnap Ms. Seymour is the


    assistant manager of the hotel Bryan Harrison.¡±


    This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?.


    Kevan had plenty of guesses, but he did not expect this to be the true answer. He nced at Larissa,


    who was still in the car. Her eyes were wide, and she was staring nkly at the man on the floor. She


    was clearly affected by it all


    ¡°I will see if you¡¯re telling the truth,¡± Kevan said.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me, I have evidence with me, I can show you,¡± Ronan could not be bothered to


    conceal the truth at this point. He only


    ¡°Very well¡± Kevan agreed.


    They had just made the deal when Lewis Inally arrived with a les policemen.


    Seeing that the man in ck was already under Kevan¡¯s control, Lewis forced himself to feel relieved.


    The police pulled Ronan up from the floor and handcuffed him. Then, they questioned Kevan about


    what had happened.


    He smashed the car to steal I caught him.¡± Kevan purposely hid the truth and tossed out a crime that


    would give Ronan a lighter


    I


    punishment. It could be considered a disy of his ¡°sincerity¡± to Ronan,


    The police knew Kevan, Rumors about him had caused quite an uproar on the inte, so it was hard


    not to know him.


    Naturally, they would not suspect Kevan¡¯s words either.


    ¡°Please go ahead. I still have something to do here. I go overter myself.¡± Kevan dismissed the


    policemen first because he was still worried about Larissa

 Chapter 695

    Chapter 695


    Chapter 695


    When Kevan and the police were talking, Lewis opened the car door and let Larissa cul


    ¡°Are you alright? Lewis pulled on Larissa¡¯s arm and checked her over. Her face and neck were


    uninjured, but her hand-


    Lewis hissed. ¡®Well go to the hospital right now!


    Hearing the word ¡®hospital Kevan tensed up as he came over to ask hoa rsely, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.


    Lewis forced Larissa to open up her palm. The scary cuts on her palm were exposed before their very


    eyes.


    ¡°It¡¯s not fee sercus Larissa smiled timidly, and she tried to take her hand back from Lewis. But she


    failed, of course.


    Kevan¡¯s gaze stayed on her palm for a very long time.


    Just as Larissa said, the cuts were not too serious. The bleeding had stopped long age. It just looked


    hideous, that was all. But the lear and sell-me in Kevan¡¯s heart was still there.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± he mumbled in a low voice.


    Larissa watched him in confusion. ¡°Why are you apologizing?¡±


    She heard everything Ronan said. The one who instructed him to do this was Mr. Harr son. Even if she


    could not figure out what sort of beel Mr. Hamson had with her, it no longer had anything in do with


    Kevan


    ¡°For noting to save you earlier.¡± Kevan¡¯s head was down, and the sadness and weakness in his


    eyes were real. His shoulders were sagging, are his tall frame looked rather curled up at this moment.


    Larissa¡¯s heart ached for him.


    ¡°This should not being from you.¡± She turned to re at Lewis. ¡°Why did ilke you so long to


    check out?¡±


    Lewis rubbed his nose awkwardly and looked away guibly.


    ¡°I met Milly in the lobby, and I chatted a bit with her.¡¯ Lewis exined in a low voice. ¡°I sent you a


    WhatsApp saying that I¡¯d bete. Didn¡¯t you receive it?


    ¡°There¡¯s no f ucking signal in this st upid ce!¡± Larissa shouted angrily. ¡°I report to my dad when I get


    home-that you put your love interest over your cousin!¡±


    Larissa was naturally joking. She did not dare to tell her father about this because she would not have


    the tiniest bit of freedom after that.


    ¡°Sorry, I was wong.¡± Lewis apology was sincere. ¡°Thank goodness that Mr. Rogers was here, though-


    His gaze at Kevan was filed with gratitude. ¡°Dherwise Lewis did not dare to think of the consequences.


    Lewis had just finished chatting with Milly when he noticed Revan silling on the s In the wailing area.


    Kevan was clearly walling for him, and his purpose


    ¡°You¡¯re leaving? Kevan asked Lewis, and he did not look surprised.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Lewis knew his feelings, and he suggested. ¡°Send us off to the airport? You¡¯re my only friend


    here.¡±


    Kevan naturally did not refuse.


    However, it was strangely difficult to get to the basement parking lot-the only elevator that allowed them


    to reach the parsing lot was under maintenance, and the door of the ts was locked from the outside.


    Kevan¡¯s expression changed immediately then. He asked, ¡°Where did you park your car? Once he got


    the exact locallon, he only told Lewis to call the police and ran off.


    It was only then that Lews realized that something was wrong.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Larissa said.


    Kevan looked up a little, and when his gaze locked with her, he saw a smile on herce. This was the


    first time since her return to Caldor that she smiled at him.

 Chapter 696

    Chapter 696


    Chapter 696


    Lewis¡¯ car had beenpletely destroyed, so it naturally could not be driven.


    Kevan sent them to the closest hospital based on Lewis request


    Larissa resisted the whole way, saying that she was not bleeding anymore. ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt either. I heal


    in two days. We will bete for our fight¡±


    The men in the car ignored her words.


    There were many patients in the hospital waiting for their turn. Kevan wanted to use his position to


    jump a few numbers, but Larissa stopped him. ¡°It¡¯s not like we¡¯re in a rush right now.¡±


    Her eyes showed annoyance, and her voice was very unhappy.


    Her annoyed look was cute to Kevan. His eyes were filled with gentleness as his words carried a hint of


    his smile, ¡°Don¡¯t be mad.¡± He patted her head. ¡°Once your injuries are taken care of Il send you to the


    airport. You will be able to leave today.¡±


    His attitude made Larissa¡¯s unhappiness disappear quickly. She looked down to hide the redness on


    herce, and she replied coldly, ¡°Kay then.¡±


    They stood in the corridor and waited for more than an hour. Kevan went aside to make several calls in


    the middle of it all,


    Because of his distance and the noise in the hospital Larissa could not hear what Kevan said. She only


    saw how dark his face was, and it waspletely different from the way he looked at her earlier.


    Seeing that he was busy with work, Larissa persuaded him many times to go back earlier.


    But Kevan said. ¡°It¡¯s not really important.¡± He had to send them to the airport in person ¡°to prevent


    anything else from happening.¡±


    Finally, Larissa¡¯s name was called out. She entered the doctor¡¯s office and put her injured hand in front


    of the doctor.


    The doctor was an old woman from the South. She had a kindce and spoke softly with a draw. ¡°My,


    my! What on earth happened to your hand, darling?¡±


    When she said that, Larissa¡¯s two bodyguards expressions changed at once


    ¡°Is it serious?¡± Kevan asked.


    ¡°Does she need to be hospitalized? Lewis added.


    Their overreaction caused the old doctor tough out loud. ¡°Nah, nah! No hospitalization needed! It¡¯s


    not serious. Just a little disinfecting and some bandaging and she¡¯s good to go! But it might scar,


    darling. Glits do mind this a lot, ya know?¡±


    Her words did notfort the two men with dark faces. Their cold auras literally brought down the


    room temperature.


    But Larissa was more cheerful than they were.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, I don¡¯t scar so easily.¡±


    She had been in such a serious car ident before. Now that she was healed, one could barely see


    that she had been injured.


    ¡°That¡¯s great then, darling The doctor smiled and disinfected Larissa¡¯s injury. She proceeded to give a


    lew instructions before letting her


    The two guys behind her were silent after asking those questions. Larissa followed them back into the


    car while bearing the pressure she lell Jrom them.


    ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    Kevan drove while she and Lewis sat at the back


    Lewis kept looking at his phone, though no one knew what he was looking at was speechless. ¡°Lewis,


    do you really need to freak out so bad?¡± She was helpless and annoyed. ¡°Since when have you ever


    seen


    ¡°This is not me leaking out¡± Lewis retorted. ¡°This is called making sure of things. What if your hand


    scars? What are you going to tel Uncle Gary and Aster then?¡±

 Chapter 697

    Chapter 697


    Chapter 697


    Aster was line, but when Larissa thought of having to go back and face her old pa with super keen


    eyesight, she felt afraid. ¡°How about staying here for a few more days?


    ¡°No!¡±


    Both men said together at the same time, which startled Larissa.


    Compared to the dangers in Caldor, Gary¡¯s ¡°warnings¡± were nothing.


    ¡°We must leave today!¡± Lewis said.


    Kevan, on the other hand, wordlessly drove towards the airport.


    Lewis rebooked the light tickets and changed them to the next light. When they reached the airport,


    they were just in time for it.


    After they got their boarding passes, it was almost time. Larissa did not even have time to officially say


    goodbye to Kevan before Lewis dragged her over to customs.


    Kevan watched the two jog away, and he forced down his feelings of yearning. He only turned around


    after they vanished and pulled out his phone to call Dn. ¡°You-free? Come to the police station with


    me.¡±


    Inside the police station, Ronan had been temporarily imprisoned in the interrogation room to wait for


    Kevan.


    Dn had already talked to the higher-ups beforehand. After he entered the room with Kevan, the


    police in the room left, and the


    Surveince cameras were turned off.


    Ronan¡¯s hands were culled, and he sat obediently in his chair. His mask had been taken off to reveal a


    very thin face.


    When Ronan saw Kevan, he grew agitated. ¡°You must keep your word! My family must be safe!


    Otherwise, you can forget about getting anything from me!¡±


    ¡°Enough.¡± Dn interrupted him with annoyance. ¡°You¡¯ve been arrested. The people behind you are


    too busy trying to protect themselves, they won¡¯t have time to mess with your family.¡± ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    Hearing his words, Ronan calmed down a little.


    ¡°Just tell me why Bryan Harrison wanted you to kidnap Larissa.¡± Dn sat down in a chair while he


    stared at Ronan.


    Ronan shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know. He didn¡¯t say.¡±


    He gazed at Dn and did not look away. He did not seem to be lying.


    ¡°He gave me money and told me to do something for him. My son needs the money for university, so I


    agreed.¡±


    ¡°He didn¡¯t tell you what to do after you¡¯ve kidnapped Larissa?¡± Dn asked again.


    ¡°He gave me an address and told me to send her there after I got her,¡± Ronan replied honestly.


    ¡°What¡¯s the address? Dn held out his hand.


    ¡°It¡¯s in my phone, but the police look it away,¡± Ronan said sadly.


    Dn and Kevan traded a look, and Kevan stood up himself. ¡°Keep asking. I get it from the police.¡±


    Kevan came back with the phone quickly, and Ronan showed them the address noted down in the


    notes app.¡ª¡±


    ¡°This ce. Dn rubbed his chin. ¡°is too far away!¡±


    That was a vige on the outskirts city. Dn and Kevan had never ever been ere.


    Larissa had really been kidnapped, they would probably have had to spend quite an effort to find her


    there said. ¡°And the evidence you said


    Ronan quickly said. ¡°I can take you back to my house and get it now!¡±


    ¡°Those people are probably watching this ce. If you go out now, do you want to get your family


    killed?¡± Dn smiledzily as he asked.


    Ronan froze, and he was suddenly at a loss. ¡°Then what do I do?¡±


    Kevan gave Ronan his phone. ¡°Call your family and have them bring the evidence here.¡±

 Chapter 698

    Chapter 698


    Chapter 698


    Forty minutester, Dashiell Montgomery, the police allicer in charge of this case, brought in a middle¨C


    aged woman in her lorties.


    The woman was dressed rather inly, and her eyes were red from crying. The moment she saw


    Ronan, her tears began to fal again. ¡°Why the hell did you destroy someone¡¯s car?! Mr. Montgomery


    had already exined things to her before they came in¨COf course, she was told that Ronan had


    smashed the car to steal things. ¡°We have good jobs with okay sries. We aren¡¯t poor enough to


    need to steal things to Ive, do we?¡±


    Faced with his wife¡¯s questioning. Ronan looked down quiltly.¡± He wanted to say something but just


    sighed in the end. ¡°Did you bring the thing I told you to?¡± He changed the subject.


    The woman wiped her eyes and drew out a USB drive from her down jacket. ¡°What is this thing that


    you need me to send it all the way from home?¡± When she spoke, her voice still showed her anger


    toward her husband.


    ¡°Never mind that!¡± Ronan snapped with imitation.


    ¡°Oh, so you¡¯re the reasonable one now? The woman¡¯s expression changed, and she looked like she


    was going to fight with Renan.


    Dn quickly stopped her and took the USB drive from her. He stuck the drive into theputer and


    found an audio file.


    ¡°Please go out and wail¡± he said to Ronan¡¯s wife.


    Ronan¡¯s wile hesitated for a moment. She looked at Dn and then at Ronan before asking carefully.


    ¡°You won¡¯t torture him, right?¡±


    Dn burst outughing. ¡°Ma¡¯am, we aren¡¯t allowed to dish out private punishments anymore. If you¡¯re


    caught, you will be punished for it.¡±


    Ronan¡¯s wife let out a noise of understanding and seemed to rx now. ¡°Then when can he leave?¡±


    she asked again.


    ¡°Well-¡± Dn nced at Kevan. ¡°It¡¯s hard to say. We¡¯ll have to see if he cooperates with us.¡±


    Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    Ronan¡¯s wife anxiously said to Ronan, ¡°Cooperate with the officers, okay? Admit your faults and


    comect your mistakes! Our son and I are still waiting for you to spend the new year together¡±


    Roman¡¯s eyes turned red. ¡°Okay,¡± he replied in a hoarse voice.


    The audio file in the USB drive was just like Ronar said. It recorded the process of Ronans deal with


    Bryan.


    Bryan told Roman the time that Larissa would leave the hotel and told him toplete his task before


    that.


    ¡°If you fail your family will get fucked like you.¡±


    The dark and cruel threat waspletely different from everyone¡¯s impression of Mr. Harrison, who


    was supposedly kind and gentlemanly.


    Ronan asked Bryan the reason why he wanted to kidnap Larissa and threaten Kevan, but Bryan just


    shut him un with, ¡°It¡¯s none of your business. Just do as you¡¯re told.¡±


    ¡°Sirs, I¡¯ve given you the evidence. Can you let me go now? Ronan smiled tteringly. ¡°My wile and son


    are waiting for me!¡±


    Kevan gave him a cool look and said. ¡°I never said that I¡¯ll let you go.¡±


    Ronan was stunned for a moment before he shouted, ¡°You lied to me?¡±


    ¡°I only promised you to protect your family.¡± Kevan stood up with the USB drive in hand. ¡°Failed


    kidnapping and murder attempts The


    police wouldn¡¯t let you go even if I wanted to free you.¡±


    Ronan was so angry that his face turned red. ¡°You liar!¡±


    ¡°Or, you don¡¯t want me to protect your wife and child? Kevan raised an eyebrow


    Hearing this, Ronan paled, and his head drooped. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Mr. Rogers, I overslepped. You can do


    whatever you want to me as long as you can protect my wife and son.¡±

 Chapter 699

    Chapter 699


    Chapter 699


    Kevan went out to pass a USB drive to Dashiell


    Ronan tumed off the surveince cameras in the underground parking lot of Winston Hotel.


    The ck boxes, which were installed in some of the cars, caught his actions.


    Kevan asked someone topile the footage into that USB drive.


    ¡°After I watched the footage, I found out that it isn¡¯t as simple as auto burry,¡± he told Dashiell.


    Dashiell took the USB drive with solemnity.


    ¡°I will get to the bottom of it.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Mr. Montgomery.¡±


    Kevan gave him a smile.


    When Kevan got back into the car, Dn asked, ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid of alerting the other party?¡±


    Thest thing Kevan wished for was to alert the mastermind behind Ronan. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t


    have put Ronan on a light charge.


    Once Kevan gave the game away, the other party would put on their guards. When that happened, it


    would be difficult to find out who the


    mastermind was.


    ¡°Even if that happens, I won¡¯t let him get away that easily.¡±


    An ominous gint shed across Kevan¡¯s eyes.


    Dn could guess the reason for Kevan¡¯s decision. He had watched the footage that was handed to


    Dashiell after all


    a


    ording to the footage. Ronan smashed the car window with a bat like a madmar.


    He even thrust a small knife into the window!


    Even though Larissa was safe and sound. Dn¡¯s heart was literally in his throat while watching it.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Dn was at a loss for words to calm Kevan down.


    ¡°By the way, did something unpleasant happen between you and Bryan? Why is he setting you up?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t met him before.¡±


    Kevan had been recalling if he had offended Bryan upon learning of the deal between Ronan and


    Bryan. He was certain that he hadn¡¯t met


    Bryan before today.


    Dn¡¯s brows furrowed deeper.


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t make sense. Did you set someone up and forget about it?¡±


    He grumbled. ¡°I told you to be kinder, didn¡¯11? Don¡¯t act like a Grim Reaper all the time. You might not


    remember what kind of awlul things you tell others, but they might resent you forever.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m positive that I haven¡¯t seen him before.¡±


    Kevan firmly denied Dn¡¯s groundless assumption.


    Considering his exceptional memory, he could remember the faces of passersby on the streets.


    Bryan was once Larissa¡¯s second-inmand. If both the men had confronted each other before,


    Kevan would¡¯ve remembered.


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, why would he set you up?¡±


    Dn doubled Kevan¡¯s certainty.


    This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?.


    ¡°We should investigate his family.¡± Kevan suggested.


    As Dn had mentioned. Kevan never held himsell back whenever he scolded or punished his


    subordinates, hence the huge number of enemies.


    If one of his subordinates was Bryan¡¯s family¡ª


    That assumption waster proved wrong.


    Documents rted to Bryan¡¯s family were piled on Kevan¡¯s table. He spent the whole day reading them


    all


    Bryan¡¯s rtives had nothing to do with Microworks Corporation.


    However, Bryan¡¯s wife had worked for Soaring Corporation before. The corporation announced


    bankruptcy recently, so she lost her job.


    Their son, who was in college, received a schrship from that corporation annually.


    Back then, Bryan jumped ship from the Regal Dynasty Hotel which was under Soaring Corporation, to


    Winston Hotel.


    Bryan and his family had nothing to do with Kevan, but yesterday, it seemed like someone had wanted


    to settle a score with Kevan,


    Kevan dialed a number.


    ¡°Find out what Cody is up to right now.¡±

 Chapter 700

    Chapter 700


    Chapter 700


    ¡°Fools! Fools! What a bunch of fools!¡±


    Apanied by the smashing of items, a deranged roar echoed in the presidential office of Soaring


    Corporation.


    The secretaries and executive assistants exchanged nces. They hung their heads low helplessly


    and continued their work as though they didn¡¯t hear themotion.


    Tony, the executive assistant soon received an inte call. The number caused him to hesitate


    momentarily before he answered it politely, ¡°Mr. Harrington. Mr. Cody isn¡¯t at work today.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I have the right to ask for his personal business. Yes. I shall ry the message once he¡¯s


    back.¡±


    Once the call ended, his colleagues began texting in the group chat.


    ¡°Is Mr. Harrington calling for a BOD meeting?¡±


    ¡°Please, don¡¯t. Can he not cause trouble?!¡±


    ¡°The King is on the verge of losing his sanity. Give him another blow, and we¡¯re dead meat.¡±


    ¡°When will this end?¡±


    ¡°If this continues. I¡¯m gonna resign. The pay is high, but the pressure as a presidential management


    staff is taking a toll on me. We¡¯re on tenterhooks whenever the King loses his temper. This is hell.¡±


    ¡°Talking about handling the pressure, can anyone beat me in that?¡±


    Sighing, Tony rose from his seat.


    He tidied his clothes and straightened his back. His soldier¨Clike expression spoke of determination and


    despair at the same time.


    He informed the others. ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡±


    The others cast him a sympathetic look.


    He walked to the door to the presidential office. He knocked on the door only after taking a deep


    breath.


    ¡°Mr. Cody.¡± he called, and themotion in the office stopped.


    Seizing his chance, he said everything in one go, ¡°Mr. Cody, Mr. Harrington called for a BOD meeting a


    moment ago. May I know when you will be free?¡±


    Anxiously, he stood right there while waiting for an answer. However, all he received was stilling


    silence.


    ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    ¡°Mr. Cody?¡± Tony prompted gingerly. ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    This time, he received a response. Something smashed against the door, causing it to shake, Tony,


    who was surprised, took a stride backward.


    ¡°Scram!¡± Cody shouted in fury. Tony ran back to his seat without a second thought. His heart was


    palpitating.


    ¡°That¡¯s he scary,¡± he typed. ¡°It¡¯s Code Red, everyone. Do not provoke the King unless it¡¯s something


    very important.¡±


    ¡°Who has the guts to do that? That¡¯s suicide!


    ¡°Say, did something tick the King off? Is thepany going bankrupt?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure about that, but His Majesty¡¯s project is a flop. We lost a lot of money. There¡¯s nothing to fill


    the pit right now. That¡¯s why Mr. Harrington has been calling in for a B00 meeting every single day.¡±


    ¡°Let me add something. His Majesty seriously gotta up his game. He¡¯s nowhere as capable as Mr.


    Rogers. Anyways, I¡¯m gonna leave even il Soaring still manages to sustain itself. The King loses it


    every single day. I can¡¯t take it anymore.¡±


    ¡°Now that you bring it up. I¡¯m thinking of leaving too


    ¡°Me too


    Cody, who was in the presidential office, was unaware of the ruckus outside.


    After smashing thest item on his desk he flopped into his chair like a lifeless person.

 Chapter 701

    Chapter 701


    Chapter 791


    ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    ¡°I¡¯m done. I¡¯m totally done for this time,¡± Cody thought.


    Not only was his n a failure, the higher¨Cups kept pressuring him to resign. He was backed into a


    corner, not knowing how to turn the tables.


    ¡°Kevan Rogers


    He gritted his teeth as anger surged in full swing. ¡°It¡¯s all because of you. It¡¯s all your fault it¡¯s all


    because of you!¡±


    He kicked his desk, and the chair rolled backward as a result of inertia until it hit the bookshell.


    He almost fell onto the floor. Furious, he smashed the chair as well. The office turned into a mess with


    nowhere to walk around.


    With reddered eyes, he took his phone out of his pocket.


    ¡°Edmund, could you help me for the onest time?¡± He humbled himsell, unlike the pres dent of a


    company.


    Ever since his father was arrested, the only person he could rely on was Edmund


    Still he didn¡¯t want to admit the fact that Edmund was better at business management than him. The


    Regal Dynasty Hotel, a subsidiary of Soaring Corporation, was amongst the few prolitablepanies.


    ¡°Filty million. That¡¯s all I need. I swear!¡±


    To his dismay, Fo mund¡¯s indifferent voice resounded, ¡°I don¡¯t have that much money.


    ¡°Cody, the Regal Dynasty Hotel isn¡¯t your personal fund. I¡¯ve done everything I could. I haven¡¯t


    replenished the public money I used before this. If you keep acting like this, once the BCD finds out


    we¡¯ll get fired for sure.¡±


    *Edmund, are you going to watch those weasels drive me to the edge?¡± Cody retorted. ¡°I think I¡¯ve


    helped you a lot while I have been managing Soaring Corporation all these years. Now that I¡¯m in


    trouble, are you going to abandon me?¡±


    ¡°Cody, there¡¯s nothing I can do about it. Stop calling me. I can¡¯t be of help.¡± Edmund lerminated the call


    ¡®Edmund, Edmund! Hey, hey!¡± Cody¡¯s phone screen returned to its home screen as frustration bubbled


    in his head.


    Right when he was going to throw his phone, he hated and dialed a number. His expression was a


    cruel one. ¡°This time, your target is Kevan Rogers.¡±


    The nended. Since she spent the night sleepless, a spasm of dizziness hit her as she almost fell


    down the stairs.


    Fortunately, Lewis managed to pull her with quick hands to avoid tragedy.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± He observed herplexion worriedly. Her eyebags made his heart sink.


    Heforted her, ¡°Mr. Rogers will take care of it.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± She believed in Kevan¡¯s capabilities, but she couldn¡¯t help the fear.


    Kevan was their target, whereas he was oblivious to their identity. Even if he was a formidable


    individual, he might not be able to get through it uninjured.


    ¡°If he¡¯s in trouble The mere thought of that made her hands shake.


    ¡°Lew¡¯s, I¡¯m not going to the hospital¡± she suddenly announced. ¡°Take me to my father.¡±


    Lewis¡® eyes widened in surprise. ¡°What if he finds out?


    As much as Gray cared for Larissa, he would get to the bottom of it the moment he saw the new


    bandage around her hand.


    When that happened. Lewis would not be able to help her keep it a secret.


    ¡°Worry not.¡± Her eyes showed determination. ¡°I¡¯m going to be honest with him.¡±

 Chapter 702

    Chapter 702


    Chapter 702


    Lewis kept their retum a secret. Thus, Gary didn¡¯t know that Lewis and Larissa had flown back to


    Aldovia, let alone the news of them going to Gary¡¯spany.


    ¡°Mr. Lewis is here to see you with ady.¡±


    Gary was stunned when his secretary informed him about the sudden guests. He assumed that Lewis


    came to visit him with a girlfriend. hence the anticipation.


    However, the moment he noticed Larissa, his anticipation turned into a pleasant surprise.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you inform me earlier about your retum? I could¡¯ve asked someone to take you from the


    airport,¡± heined to Lewis.


    Smiling. Larissa stood up for Lewis. ¡®I told him rol to.¡±


    Gary red at her, but he couldn¡¯t bring himself to scold her for that. He bypassed his desk and asked


    concemedly. ¡°How do you feel?¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± She seated herself on the couch, hiding her bandaged hand as implicit as possible.


    Gary checked on her from the head to the toe several times. He caressed her cheek and sighed.


    ¡°You¡¯re thinner. Your putty cheeks are


    gone.¡±


    She smiled Jillily. ¡°It¡¯s probably ¡®cause I¡¯ve been helping Yvelte out I didn¡¯t have the time to get a good


    rest.¡±


    His eyes darkened at the mention of Yvette. Larissa failed to read his feeling switch of emotion.


    ¡°Is everything settled down?¡± Gary inquired.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± She nodded. ¡°I chose her a ce with a nice view. It¡¯s not that expensive. I bet she coesn¡¯t like


    it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s generous of you.¡± He sat next to her and palted her hand infort


    At that moment, he noticed her wrist, which she deliberately hid with her sleeve. He pulled her hand


    and rolled up her sleeve. Worried, he


    questioned, ¡°What happened?¡±


    Lewis became nervous almost instantly. On the contrary, she appeared rather calm. ¡°Someone wanted


    to kidnap me.¡±


    Gary¡¯s face fell, ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°A small fry. We handed him over to the police.¡± Lew¡¯s chipped in. ¡°But we still don¡¯t know who the


    mastermind is.¡±


    ¡°Do you have someone over there to keep track of the Investigation? Gary asked sternly,


    ¡°No. Mr. Rogers keeping an eye on the situation.¡± Lewis was feeling guilly and afraid that he might


    infuriate Gary.


    As he had expected, Gary roared. ¡°Why is that guy everywhere? Is he her shadow or what? Why does


    he keep following Larissa around?!¡±


    Larissa covered her ears to protect her hearing.


    Lewis lowered his head while praying for Kevan,


    Pursuing Larissa was a difficult journey with multiple hurdles. He wondered if Kevan was able to put up


    with it until the end


    ¡°I was saved thanks to him,¡± she said while motioning for Lewis to help her out.


    Thetter added. ¡°That¡¯s right. Mr. Rogers sensed something was off. That¡¯s why we managed to catch


    the kidnapper.¡±


    Still, it did not made Gary feel better at all. He stared at Lewis and interrogated, ¡°Where were you at


    that time?¡±


    Despite the short question, the duo understood the meaning of il


    ¡°I am sorry.¡± Lewis dipped his head lower as he didn¡¯t try to avoid the repercussion. ¡°Il was my


    negligence. I am willing to ept my punishment, Mr. Logan.¡±? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.

 Chapter 703

    Chapter 703


    Chapter 703


    ¡°Lewis went to check out. It was beyond his expectations too.¡± Larissa defended Lewis. ¡°Don¡¯t me


    him, Dad.¡±


    Now that she had put it that way, Gary couldn¡¯t let steam off in front of her, even if he was angry at


    Lewis.


    Suppressing his fury. Gary asked her, ¡°Is there anything I can help with?¡±


    Despite their shart encounter, he knew her character very well Larissa was strong and independent.


    Making others worried was thest thing on her list.


    Putting his anger and worries aside, Gary was slightly taken aback when she told him about the kidnap.


    Judging from her character, she was not someone who would bring it up hersell.


    Even if he found out about the injury on her hand, she would¡¯ve definitely glossed It over by making up


    an excuse.


    No, she might not even meet him until she recovered.


    Meanwhile, Larissa was not surprised that he had seen through her. She smiled family. ¡°I would like to


    lake over yourpany.¡±


    Gary and Lewis were equally dumbfounded.


    ¡°W¨CWhy? Gary stammered.


    Ever since they reunited, he had been mentioning the session to her. However, Larissa kept turning


    his offer down.


    She had her own career and dreams. Blue Star Shipping was in an industry she was unfamiliar with.


    Hence, she was reluctant to take over


    thepany.


    It went on for quite some time until Gary had forsaker that notion. In the end, he set up a trust fund so


    that she wouldn¡¯t run out of money.


    At the same time, he wrote a will to bestow all cf the assets under Blue Star Shipping to Larissa


    Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!


    ¡°I want more power to protect the people I care for.¡± She lowered her gaze. Her other hand, which was


    uninjured, clenched tightly under


    her sleeve.


    Unfortunately.. all he could hear was ¡®the people I care for.¡±


    ¡ª


    ¡°The people you care for Does it include Kevan Rogers? Those words barely sipped through his grilled


    teeth. It was as if he was going to murder Kevan il the answer was positive.


    Her eyelids futtered at that. She masked her emotions with a light smile. ¡°There are a lot of people I


    care for. Aster, Wendy, Lewis, and


    most importantly, you.¡±


    He was wreathed in smiles upon hearing her sweel words.


    Gary did not question further about who or what had changed her mind. ¡°Since you¡¯ve decided to take


    over thepany, I¡¯ll find an opportunity to introduce you to everyone.¡±


    He then instructed Lewis. ¡°Hold a cocktail party within the week. Invite all of our business partners.¡±


    Lewis nodded. ¡°I get it ready as soon as possible.¡±


    Frowning, Larissa was going to stop that, Gary, who saw through her intentions, said. ¡°We must go


    through the procedures. I have to. officially introduce you, or the subordinates won¡¯t respect you as I


    do.¡±


    Alter a moment of silence, she gave in. ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°About that kidnapper, should I pull some strings to help out with


    Investigation?¡± He steered the topic back to the unsolved mystery.


    ¡°No¡± Larissa¡¯s reason for taking over Blue Star Shipping was to prevent him from intervening in this


    matter.


    If he found out that the kidnapper¡¯s target was Kevan She could already imagine the string of curses


    Gary would blut at Keyan.


    ¡°Mr. Rogers¡® influence in Bartham is more powerful than yours. You don¡¯t have to waste your time


    here.¡±


    Gary coldly snorted, expressing his dissatisfaction directed at her s did he let her leave the office


    with a grin..


    Lewis approached her upon noticing her. ¡°Going back to the hospital now?¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°I have to drop by the Winston Hotel¡±

 Chapter 704

    Chapter 704


    Lewis didn¡¯t dare to let her out alone, nor let anyone else apany her. He dyed his work at hand


    and personally brought Larissa to the Winston Hotel.


    Although she had worked there for many years, Larissa stil felt a sense of unfamiliarity when she


    looked at the tall building in front of her. It was because she hadn¡¯t been there for more than a year.


    ¡°Go in.¡±


    Lewis gave her a push in the back.


    Theyout of the Winston Hotel¡¯s headquarters had not changed since Larissa was transfered to


    Bartham


    Her bass. Alen Grint still had his office in its original location.


    Larissa asked Lewis to wait for her outside, then she knocked on the door to Allen¡¯s allice. Allen had


    already known about her arrival from his secretary, so he came to open the door personally.


    ¡°Larissa¡± Alen puled Larissa in for a warm hug. ¡°Have you decided to return to work?¡±


    When Larissa was admitted to the hospital, she had asked to resign from the headquarters. She didn¡¯t


    want to cause any problems in the management of the hotel. s, Allen refused to ept her


    resignation letter. In return, she was given unlimited leave without pay,


    but her


    position remained


    During her stay at the hospital Allen had sent her emails of concem and asked about the hospital¡¯s


    address. He had intended to visit with a few of Larissa¡¯s colleagues.


    Unfortunately, Gary was reluctant as news about Larssa may spread. This would cause more trouble


    for them, so he asked Lewis to reject Allen¡¯s request.


    ¡°No.¡± Larissa said, suddenly finding it difficult to speak.


    Since she started working. Allen had been the best superior she ever had. He was kind and


    considerate to all his subordinates. Larissa lelt sad that she was going to disappoint her superior, who


    had high hopes for her.


    Allen noticed Larissa¡¯s arm, which was wrapped in gauze. With a disappointed look on his face, he


    replied, ¡°Have you not recovered yet? Reba said that you came, so I thought you were here to start


    work again.¡±


    The quilt weighing on Larissa¡¯s heart became heavier. ¡°Actually, I came to give you my resignation


    letter.¡± Lowering her head, Larissa avoided Allen¡¯s gaze.


    Widening his eyes, Allen¡¯s voice rose inexplicably. ¡°Why? I¡¯ve told you before that I am willing to wait


    until you fully recover,¡±


    C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.


    The more considerate he was of her, the more Larissa le guilty.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that I decided to work in my family¡¯s business,¡± Lanssa replied in a shaky voice, tears


    swimming in her eyes.


    Allen didn¡¯t expect that she would give such an excuse. His eyes widened even more. ¡°Yourrly¡¯s


    business? If It¡¯s just a smallpany. it would be better to stay at Winston.¡±


    From what he knew, Larissa was a single mother who needed to feed her only son. She didn¡¯t have a


    strong family background. Now that she had risen to such a position in Winston, her future was bright.


    It was beller than inheriting some unknownpary. Besides, Allen didn¡¯t want to let go of a good and


    promising talent ake Larissa.


    I


    Larissa blushed and hesitated for a moment before replying vaguely, ¡°It¡¯s not too small, I guess.¡±


    Allen doubted Larissa¡¯s words when he noticed her hesitation. ¡°Did your family ask you to return? Allen


    asked


    ¡°It¡¯s my decision. I have thought things through, so please ept my resignation.¡±


    Larissa locked up and met his gaze.


    Seeing that she was firm. Allen fell silent for a few seconds. He did not try to persuade her otherwise.


    ¡°Thank you so much!¡±


    Larissa thanked him gratefully with red, puffy eyes.


    Allen looked at the time. ¡°It¡¯s time to get off work. If you¡¯re free, let¡¯s have dinner with everyone in the


    department to send you all.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Larissa agreed readily.


    It had been a long time since she met her colleagues. She missed them dearly.


    ¡°Can I bring someone else along?¡±


    Larissa remembered Lewis, who was waiting outside.

 Chapter 705

    Chapter 705


    Chapter 705


    Raising his eyebrows, Allen asked. ¡°Aster?¡±


    Larissa shook her head, ¡°No.¡±


    *Hmm? Who is it? Allen was surprised.


    When Allen saw Lewis, his face fell


    ¡°she your boyfriend?¡± Allen remarked sullerly.


    Although Larissa noticed the change in his allitude, she did not think too much of it.


    ¡°He is my cousin. Lewis Logan.¡±


    She introduced him to Allen.


    The expression on Alen¡¯s face immediately cleared up. He stretched out his hand toward Lewis with a


    smile.


    ¡°Mr. Logan, nice to meet you.¡±


    Lewis had already heard of Allen from Larissa.


    Knowing that he was a good superior to Larssa, Lewis returned the courtesy with a warm greeting as


    well ¡°Nice to meet you. Mr. Grint¡±


    After they were both introduced, Larissa exined the situation to Lewis. ¡°I¡¯m going to have a meal with


    my boss and colleagues. Do you want to join?¡±


    Lewis had no reason to reluse. The other colleagues in Larissa¡¯s department had worked with her for


    many years, and they were cuite close. When they heard of Larissa¡¯s resignation, all of them gave her


    a tearful hug goodbye.


    ¡°Allen¡¯s going to be sad.¡± one of the colleagues teased Allen, When Allen shot him a re. The


    colleague quickly added, ¡°He¡¯s sad because the subordinate whom he brought up will be Iraving.¡±


    Allen ced his arm across Larissa¡¯s shoulder and continued. ¡°Of course, all my wers for the past few


    years has gone down the drain. You have topersale me for that


    Although he said it in a joking manner, Larissa tell somewhat guilty.


    ¡°How can Ipensale you?¡± she chimed in with a smile and asked in a humorous tone.


    Til let you know when I¡¯ve thought about it.¡± With a secretive smile, Allen turned around and urged the


    other colleagues, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s decide on which restaurant to go to.¡±


    Finally, they decided on a fancy restaurant. Allen was a frequent customer there, so he managed to


    reserve a tablest minute. Their group didn¡¯t have to wait in line at the door like other patruns who


    didn¡¯t have a reservation


    When they got to their seats, everyone started singing Allen¡¯s praises.


    ¡°Allen¡¯s the best!¡±


    Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!


    ¡°If it weren¡¯t for him, we wouldn¡¯t have the chance to enjoy such wonderful steak!¡±


    ¡°In my opinion, Allen is as charming as a princer


    Larissa didn¡¯t expect her colleagues town so much over Allen. She didn¡¯t want to seem left out so


    she tried to think of what


    When Larissa linally opened her mouth to speak, someone else mentioned her name, it¡¯s all because


    of Larissa that we had the chance to enjoy such sumptuous food¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right! Thank you so much, Larissa!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s such a shame that Larissa has to leave! When can we have a meal


    like this again?


    ¡°Larissa, won¡¯t you think twice about resigning?¡±


    Afterposing hersell she shook her head with a smile, ¡°I can¡¯t, sorry.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t make things difficult for Larissa.¡±


    Allen tried to speak up in Larissa¡¯s delense, but the rest of the colleagues ganged up on him.


    ¡°Allen, can¡¯t you see that we are trying to help?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you want Larissa to stay back?¡±


    ¡°Allen, aren¡¯t you the person who wants Larissa to continue working here the most?¡±


    ¡°Well it¡¯s not exactly a bad thing for Larissa to leave, Allen wouldn¡¯t have to take so much stress on


    himself. Since both of you aren¡¯t colleagues anymore, it would be easier to be in a rtionship. No one


    at work would talk bad about Larissa.¡±

 Chapter 706

    Chapter 706


    Chapter 706


    The topic of conservation seemed to have deviated. The expressions on her colleagues¡¯ faces were


    serious. They did not seem to be joking.


    Larissa suddenly felt as it she was sitting on pins and needles. Since she¡¯d entered the Winston Hotel


    she had been working under Allen. He was only a few years older than her. Besides, he was a single


    father with a son as well.


    Apart from work, they had other topics inmon.


    Inparison to other colleagues, they had more to talk about. Still there was nothing more between


    them.


    Larissa had nothing but awe, respect, and gratitude for Allen. She didn¡¯t have any romantic feelings


    toward him. Larissa assumed that Allen thought the same of her, but things seemed to be different


    She didn¡¯t dare to meet Allen¡¯s gaze and chuckled to stop the others from stiming up a fuss.


    ¡°You guys, stop cracking jokes about Allen and me. Don¡¯t you know how it is between the both of us?


    We¡¯re just good friends and colleagues.¡±


    The rest of them only smirked in response and ignored her denial.


    Unable to refute them, Larissa felt a lump in her throat that was suffocating her.


    Allen¡¯s face darkened when he saw Larissa¡¯s facepletely red either from the heat or from anxiety.


    ¡°Let¡¯s order,¡± he said, flipping the menu. Most of the people at the table had worked with Allen long


    enough to know from his tone that he was in a bad mood.


    Sheepishly, all of them shut up and locked down at the menu quietly.


    Because of this unpleasant incident, the farewell dinner ended in an awkward manner.


    Everyone ate quietly at the table and murmured in low voices.


    The conversation at the table was mainly to pass around utensils or ketchup.


    Larissa tried her best to keep her spirits up until the end of the dinner.


    No one had any intention of prolonging the dinner.


    They said their goodbyes and fled the scene as fast as they could.


    In the end, only Larissa, Lewis, and Allen were left.


    Looking at Larissa, Allen seemed hesitant to speak with Lewis present.


    Before leaving, he said to her, ¡°Text me when you reach home.¡±


    Larissa replied reluctantly. ¡°Alright.¡±


    After they were done with the events for the day. Lewis sent Larissa back to the hospital.


    During the journey back. Lewis did not hold back and remarked, ¡°Your superior is interested in you


    romantically.¡±


    When they met, Lewis already guessed that this was the case when Allen suddenly appeared hostile to


    him. His suspicions were confirmed when the other colleagues made a fuss about them being together.


    Larissa lightened her grip on the seatbelt. She was reluctant to talk about this.


    ¡°I never expected that he would be interested in me,¡± she said.


    it was probably because Allen had never expressed his Interest explicitly. In addition, she never


    allowed her thoughts to stray too far.


    Larissa had no inking about Allen¡¯s romantic feelings toward her before this.


    Lewis sighed in resignation. Larissa had always been slow in rtionships.


    1/2


    making his advances.


    ¡°Now that you¡¯ve resigned, you won¡¯t have anything to do with him any longer. It¡¯s not worth losing


    sleep over whether he likes you or not.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not worried about it. It¡¯s just that. I couldn¡¯t ept it¡± Larissa looked out of the window.


    Lewis patted her head and fell silent.


    After a while, a message came in.


    It was from Allen.


    When she saw the sender, Larissa had no urge to open the message. Still more messages came in


    when there was no reply liom her for a


    long time.


    Larissas phone vibrated from the continuous iing messages.


    In the silent car, the vibrations of her phone were quite jarring in contrast.


    Lewis turned around and asked, ¡°Who is it?¡±


    Larissa replied helplessly. ¡°It¡¯s Allen.¡±


    Lew¡¯s understood Immediately and said, ¡°You should reply to him. Otherwise, he¡¯s just going to


    continue messaging you.¡±


    Pursing her lips. Larissa opened the messages from Allen. She had just changed a new number.


    Apart from close trends and family, Allen was the only one who knew her number since he had asked


    for it just this morning.


    In her inbox, there were only Allen¡¯s messages, apart from some spam messages from the operator.


    ¡°I¡¯m very sorry. They are just joking around, don¡¯t be mad.¡±


    ¡°Are you still angry?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m really very sorry.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re free, can we meet up and tak someday?


    ¡°Larissa? Is this Larissa?


    Chapter 706


    The topic of conservation seemed to have deviated. The expressions on her colleagues¡¯ faces were


    serious. They did not seem to be joking.


    Larissa suddenly felt as it she was sitting on pins and needles. Since she¡¯d entered the Winston Hotel


    she had been working under Allen. He was only a few years older than her. Besides, he was a single


    father with a son as well.


    Apart from work, they had other topics inmon.


    Inparison to other colleagues, they had more to talk about. Still there was nothing more between


    them.


    Larissa had nothing but awe, respect, and gratitude for Allen. She didn¡¯t have any romantic feelings


    toward him. Larissa assumed that Allen thought the same of her, but things seemed to be different


    She didn¡¯t dare to meet Allen¡¯s gaze and chuckled to stop the others from stiming up a fuss. Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°You guys, stop cracking jokes about Allen and me. Don¡¯t you know how it is between the both of us?


    We¡¯re just good friends and colleagues.¡±


    The rest of them only smirked in response and ignored her denial.


    Unable to refute them, Larissa felt a lump in her throat that was suffocating her.


    Allen¡¯s face darkened when he saw Larissa¡¯s facepletely red either from the heat or from anxiety.


    ¡°Let¡¯s order,¡± he said, flipping the menu. Most of the people at the table had worked with Allen long


    enough to know from his tone that he was in a bad mood.


    Sheepishly, all of them shut up and locked down at the menu quietly.


    Because of this unpleasant incident, the farewell dinner ended in an awkward manner.


    Everyone ate quietly at the table and murmured in low voices.


    The conversation at the table was mainly to pass around utensils or ketchup.


    Larissa tried her best to keep her spirits up until the end of the dinner.


    No one had any intention of prolonging the dinner.


    They said their goodbyes and fled the scene as fast as they could.


    In the end, only Larissa, Lewis, and Allen were left.


    Looking at Larissa, Allen seemed hesitant to speak with Lewis present.


    Before leaving, he said to her, ¡°Text me when you reach home.¡±


    Larissa replied reluctantly. ¡°Alright.¡±


    After they were done with the events for the day. Lewis sent Larissa back to the hospital.


    During the journey back. Lewis did not hold back and remarked, ¡°Your superior is interested in you


    romantically.¡±


    When they met, Lewis already guessed that this was the case when Allen suddenly appeared hostile to


    him. His suspicions were confirmed when the other colleagues made a fuss about them being together.


    Larissa lightened her grip on the seatbelt. She was reluctant to talk about this.


    ¡°I never expected that he would be interested in me,¡± she said.


    it was probably because Allen had never expressed his Interest explicitly. In addition, she never


    allowed her thoughts to stray too far.


    Larissa had no inking about Allen¡¯s romantic feelings toward her before this.


    Lewis sighed in resignation. Larissa had always been slow in rtionships.


    1/2


    making his advances.


    ¡°Now that you¡¯ve resigned, you won¡¯t have anything to do with him any longer. It¡¯s not worth losing


    sleep over whether he likes you or not.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not worried about it. It¡¯s just that. I couldn¡¯t ept it¡± Larissa looked out of the window.


    Lewis patted her head and fell silent.


    After a while, a message came in.


    It was from Allen.


    When she saw the sender, Larissa had no urge to open the message. Still more messages came in


    when there was no reply liom her for a


    long time.


    Larissas phone vibrated from the continuous iing messages.


    In the silent car, the vibrations of her phone were quite jarring in contrast.


    Lewis turned around and asked, ¡°Who is it?¡±


    Larissa replied helplessly. ¡°It¡¯s Allen.¡±


    Lew¡¯s understood Immediately and said, ¡°You should reply to him. Otherwise, he¡¯s just going to


    continue messaging you.¡±


    Pursing her lips. Larissa opened the messages from Allen. She had just changed a new number.


    Apart from close trends and family, Allen was the only one who knew her number since he had asked


    for it just this morning.


    In her inbox, there were only Allen¡¯s messages, apart from some spam messages from the operator.


    ¡°I¡¯m very sorry. They are just joking around, don¡¯t be mad.¡±


    ¡°Are you still angry?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m really very sorry.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re free, can we meet up and tak someday?


    ¡°Larissa? Is this Larissa?

 Chapter 707

    Chapter 707


    Chapter 707


    Larissa had a headache. She wasn¡¯t good at handling this sort of thing. Allen did not even confess to


    her. Thus, she didn¡¯t have the


    opportunity to even reject him.


    Im not mad, there¡¯s no need to apologize.¡±


    ¡°Since I¡¯m taking ever a new role, fll be too busy to meet up.¡±


    From her message, it was obvious that Larissa was trying to create some distance between them.


    After a long while, Alen finally replied. ¡°Text me when you reach home.¡±


    Larissa turned off her phone and shut hertigued eyes.


    Lewis asked out of concern. ¡°Do you need me to handle this for you?¡±


    In shock, Larissa woke up and waved her hands. ¡®There¡¯s no need!¡± She did not want to bother Lewis


    with such a trivial matter, Lewis nced at her and said. ¡°Il you need my help, just ask for it.¡±


    When they arrived at the hospital, it was already veryte, and Larissa¡¯s attending coctor had already


    left. Seeing Larissa, some of the nurses who were acquainted with her gave her a warm wee.


    ¡°Why did you return sote at night?¡±


    ¡°Dr. John has been worried sick about you! He was concerned that you might not be able to make it for


    your rehabilitaticrContentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!


    ¡°By the locks of your gait your leg is almost fully recovered. It wouldn¡¯t take long for you to be


    discharged.¡±


    ¡°What a shame! After you leave the hospital we won¡¯t be able to see that tall handsome man anymore!¡±


    The tal and handsome man they were referring to wasn¡¯t Lewis, as they all knew his name. The other


    tall and handsome person who appeared in her ward could only be Kevan.


    ¡°Did you fly back to meet him?¡±


    ¡°Wow! You few thousands of miles just to meet your beloved. That¡¯s so romantic?


    ¡°Did you two do the deed yet?¡±


    ¡°How is his technique?


    ¡°Take it easy, as your leg is still not yet fully recovered!¡±


    Aldovians were very open¨Cminded about stuff in the bedroom. The nurses talked about it without even


    blushing red.


    Larissa was unable to answer their questions and quickly mmered an excuse before lleeing the


    scene.


    When she entered the ward, her phone rang. The person calling her was the fall and handsome man


    referred to by the nurses. Larissa¡¯s throat tightened inexplicably when she remembered the


    embarrassing questions that she was bombarded with just now,


    ¡°Hello?¡± Her voice shook when she picked up the call,


    Kevan noticed something off about Larissa¡¯s voice and asked anulously. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I hit my hand just now.¡± Larissa chuckled dryly


    ¡°Does it hurt?¡±


    ¡°For a moment, but I¡¯m line now.¡±


    Kean¡¯s voice returned to his usual calm andposed lone, ¡°Are you back at the hospital?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡®Do you feel ufortable anywhere?¡±


    At this point, both of them had nothing else to say. St1L, they did not want to hang up ellher.


    Larissa book a deep breath and said. ¡°I gave in my resignation today.¡±


    Kevan grunted and replied. ¡°I heard from Lewis. He told me that you will be taking over Blue Star


    Shipping.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Larissa was fretting at another lull in the conversation as she didn¡¯t know what else to say to


    Kevan when he suddenly spoke up.


    ¡°Why?¡±

 Chapter 708

    Chapter 708


    Chapter 708


    Kevan asked in his usual calm andposed tone.


    Larissa¡¯s heart sank when he asked her that question.


    Although they were separated by the vast ocean, her gaze wavered.


    ¡°My father¡¯s getting old. He needs someone to take over thepany,¡± Larissa lied.


    ¡°Lewis would be a better candidate than you. If you consider the future of Blue Star Shipping and for


    Gary¡¯s sake, it would be a wiser choice to pass thepany¡¯s management to Lewis.¡±


    Larissa must have known about this. This was why Kevan wasn¡¯t convinced when she decided to


    resign from the Winston Hotel and take over the family business.


    He tried asking Lewis about Larissa¡¯s reason, but Lewis had no idea.


    ¡°I can¡¯t put this burden solely on Lewis.¡±


    Larissa¡¯s grip lightened on the phone.


    Que to her nervousness, a thinyer of sweat appeared on the palm of her hand.


    Kevan fell silent for a long time before replying, ¡°Alright.¡±


    Since Larissa did not want to tell him the truth, it was meaningless to probe lurther.


    After that they were silent once again.


    Suddenly, Larissa heard a notification sounding on her phone.


    She brought the screen before her and saw that there was another iing call. It was Alen.


    Larissa¡¯s first reaction was to reject his call


    However. Allen called in once again. He seemed as if he wasn¡¯t going to stop until she picked up the


    call


    Larissa closed her eyes in frustration. Since Kevan was still silent, she asked before hanging up, ¡°Do


    you have anything else to talk about?¡±


    Kevan replied in his deep voice. ¡°Yes. I¡¯m tired out. I was at the police station the whole night and didn¡¯t


    sleep a wink.¡±


    Larissa chided him. ¡°Then you should go to sleep now!¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t sleep. Lari I miss you,¡± Kevan sighed.


    As it struck by lightning, Larissa¡¯s heart tightened.


    Al Kevan¡¯s direct confession of love, her defenses crumbled, and there was an inexplicable sense of


    sweetness in spite of her shock.


    Larissa¡¯s face went as red as a tomato as her heart thumped in her chest.


    ¡°Even though you miss me, you should still have a good rest,¡± Larissa said in a cajoling tone that she


    used with Aster when trying to persuade him.


    ¡°I can¡¯t sleep well without you by my side.¡±


    Kevan seemed bent on making her feel shy. Every sentence he spoke was more embarrassing than


    thest.


    Larissa fanned her burning cheeks with her hands to no avall


    ¡°Aren¡¯t I always by your side?¡± she asked Kevan in return.


    ¡°That¡¯s why I never had a good night¡¯s sleep,¡± Kevan replied maller¨Cofctly.


    He couldn¡¯t hide the exhaustion in his voice.


    This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?.


    When Larissa noticed it, she couldn¡¯t help feeling sorry for him.


    ¡°Yes, I can either pop some pills or drink alcohol,¡± Kevan replied without hesitation.


    ¡°Not those! Are there any other ways that wouldn¡¯t cause harm to your health? It¡¯s fine if the effects


    aren¡¯t as good.¡± Larissa denied his suggestion firmly.


    ¡°Then will you spend some time talking to me? Otherwise, you could sing me a luby. I want to hear


    your voice.¡± Kevan said cautiously. He sounded nervous over the phone.

 Chapter 709

    Chapter 709


    Chapter 709


    This wasn¡¯t too hard for Larissa.


    ¡°Alright, Lie down on the bed first.¡±


    Sounds of rustling could be heard over the call.


    After a moment, Kevan said, ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡±


    ¡°I tell you a story.¡±


    Lanssa wasn¡¯t lond of singing. On the other hand, she had umted tons of bedtime stories while


    putting Aster to stera.


    At this moment, she could use them on Kever instead.


    Kevan wasn¡¯t picky.¡±Sure.¡±


    Clearing her throat Larissa started her story in her softest and lowest tone of voice. ¡°In the deep lorest,


    there was a little rabbit and arge


    bear


    Compared to Aster and his curiosity. Kevan was easier to handle. He wouldn¡¯t interrupt her in the


    middle and ask random questions that she couldn¡¯t answer.


    Larissa was satisfied at how intently Kevan listened to her story.


    When she finished her story without any hups.


    Larissa waited for some time, but there was no sound from Kevan,


    In a low voice, she asked. ¡°Are you asleep?¡±


    No one replied to her, so it seemed like Kevan hadlen asleep.


    Larissa breathed a sigh of relief. She thought with a hint of resentment. ¡°He imed that he couldn¡¯t


    sleep without me beside him, but


    here he is, snoring away like a pig.¡±


    With a snort she gritted her teeth and hung up.


    The next second her phone rang.


    I was from Allen, who had been calling her continuously from just now.


    Larissa had any thought of remaining friends out of gratitude for his concern for her over the years, it


    hadpletely disappeared.


    She waspletely turned off by Allen bombarding her with calls.


    Larissa couldn¡¯t help wanting to block all his contacts and not talk to him ever again.


    Still she still had to pick up his call at this moment.


    Larissaposed herself and answered the call with a pollie smile, ¡°Allen, I¡¯m sorry, but I was talking


    to a friend just now


    Her exnation was cut short. ¡°Larissa! How are you? I missed you so much!¡±


    I wasn¡¯t Allen on the other end, but Freddy Grint, his son, Freddy was around Aster¡¯s age


    Allen and his wife had divorced early into their marriage. Because of his wife¡¯s addiction to alcohol and


    drugs, Allen got custody of Freddy.


    As a busy singlether, Alen would bring Freddy to work when his nanny wasn¡¯t free toke care of


    him..


    Over the years, Larissa and Freddy became quite close. Larissa had introduced Aster to Freddy as well


    Freddy was brought up well by Allen, so Larissa was lond of him.


    Realizing that he was on the line. Larissa¡¯s tone soltened Immediately. There was no need for her to


    put on a front.


    ¡°I¡¯m line I miss you too!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve only arrived in Aldavia today! When I¡¯m finally free. Il bring you and Aster to the theme park


    alright? Larissa exined kindly.


    ¡°Sure!¡± Freddy sounded overjoyed over the phone, making Larissa smile wider. ¡°Are you thee this


    Saturday? My no teacher has fallen ill so my ss is canceled


    Simr to parents in Caldor, Allen had high hopes for Freddy.


    Since he entered kindergarten. Allen signed him up for many enriching sses, such as no,


    Illustration, and horse riding.


    All of Freddy¡¯s free time was upied with such sses. It might be even more difficult for Freddy to


    get some time off aspared to Larissa. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?.


    Larissa didn¡¯t expect that she would have to bring the kids out so quickly. Her initial n was to bring


    them to the theme park in a month¡¯s time after she cleared off most of the work at hand.


    Stil, she didn¡¯t want to dash Freddy¡¯s hopes.


    ¡°Til try my best to make time. After I n my schedule, I will call you alright?¡±

 Chapter 710

    Chapter 710


    Chapter 710


    After Freddy had achieved his goal, he returned the phone to Allen.


    ¡°My dad wants to speak to you.¡±


    Before Larissa could react, there was another person on the phone.


    ¡°Larissa¡±


    She sighed and answered in her usual tone. ¡°Allen.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry. Freddy heard that you had returned to the country, so he insisted on calling you. H In


    an apologetic tone.


    you. Have we disturbed your rest?¡± Allen sald


    ¡°No, you haven¡¯t I just arrived at the hospital,¡± Larissa had always been tolerant of children. Moreover,


    she was fond of Freddy.


    *Hospital? Did something happen? Which hospital are you in? I cane over right now.¡±


    Allen was shocked at her words.


    Freddy shouted as well ¡°Larissa, are you ill? Are you in any pain? I want to go too!¡±


    Larissa exined hurriedly, ¡°No, I¡¯m not it¡¯s just that my previous injury hadn¡¯t recovered fully, so I need


    to continue my stay at the hospital¡±


    C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.


    Allen breathed a sigh of reliet. ¡°I see. Then about the theme park¡ª¡±


    ¡°I can go.¡±


    Since Larissa had promised Freddy, she wouldn¡¯t break her promise.


    ¡°Don¡¯t misunderstand me, I¡¯m not forcing you to bring them there. If your health is a concern, I will talk


    to Freddy,¡± Allen exined himself anxiously.


    He didn¡¯t want her to feel obliged.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright. I think I can be discharged by this week,¡±


    Larissa knew her body¡¯s condition. Although she couldn¡¯t walk as fast as before, she had no problem


    functioning in her daily tasks.


    Besides, she would be joining Blue Star Shipping officially after this week,


    At that time, even if the doctor insisted on keeping her in the hospital she would have to refuse.


    ¡°Thank you very much in advance. You know that my job is so busy that I can never find time to bring


    Freddy out.


    Although he has grown up so much, he has never been to the theme park before.¡± Allen said gratefully,


    Larissa agreed with his sentiments.


    The reason she decided to bring Freddy to the theme park was because she wanted to bring Aster


    there as well.


    She wanted topensate him for the years she wasn¡¯t able to stay by his side.


    Whenever she was reminded of Aster, the quilt within her heart surged immediately.


    At that moment, Larissa felt the urge to see Aster as soon as possible.


    She wanted to kiss him, hug him, and tell him how much she had missed him


    The lump in her throat brought tears to her eyes.


    She had no mood to waste time on Allen.


    Wiping the tears from her eyes, she gave an excuse that a nurse hade to check on her and hung


    up.


    The hospital ward was silent, except for the whirring sound of the centralized heating system.


    ¨C


    Larissa replied nonchntly. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    She sent a WhatsApp message to Wendy. ¡°Is Aster asleep?¡±


    Wendy was probably catching up on work at home.


    After a few minutes, she replied, ¡°He¡¯s fast asleep. He has school tomorrow, so I didn¡¯t dare to let him


    stay up sote.¡±


    Larissa was visibly disappointed. ¡°I see.¡±


    Wendy started a video call and Larissa picked up immediately.


    When Wendy saw the hospital equipment behind Larissa, she was shocked. ¡°Are you at the hospital?¡±


    She knew that Larissa had returned to Caldor to settle Yvette¡¯s funeral matters,


    She also knew about Larissa¡¯s light back to Aldovia. Still, Wendy assumed that Larissa hadpletely


    recovered from her injuries and would return home with Gary to the Logan family.


    ¡°I still have to undergo some rehabilitation,¡± Larissa answered.


    ¡°Do you miss Aster? Wendy raised her eyebrows.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Larissa pursed her lips and tried to suppress her sadness.

 Chapter 711

    Chapter 711


    Chapter 711


    ¡°You are going to be discharged shortly, so don¡¯t cry. You will see him soon.¡± Wendyforted Larissa.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to burst into tears!¡± Larissa said with a re.


    ¡°Just by locking at your face, I can tell that you¡¯re going to cry the next second. Wendy made a gooly


    face mimicking Larissa¡¯s expression.


    Larissa couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. Her sadness instantly evaporated.


    ¡°I¡¯m bringing Aster to a theme park next Saturday. Well go to Disnind.¡± she continued.


    ¡°Wow! You aren¡¯t going straight back to work after getting discharged? You¡¯re bringing your son to


    Disnind instead? Are you really the Ms. Seymour that I know? Let¡¯s see, maybe the sun will rise


    hom the west tomorrow!¡±


    Although Wendy was only joking, Larissa fell guilly when she heard Wendy¡¯s words


    Because of her job, she had neglected Aster, Unfortunately, Larissa might have to resume her previous


    workaholic state after joining Bur Star Shipping. Regardless of her wishes, she had to do this.


    Wendy was concerned that she had taken the joke loo far when Larissa fell silent for some time. She


    quickly apologized. ¡°I was joking. don¡¯t take my words to heart


    This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?.


    ¡°Wendy,¡± Lanssa suddenly said in a serious tone, taking Wendy by surprise.


    ¡°Yes?¡± Wendy¡¯s heart thumped loudly in her chest. She


    e was afraid that Larissa would threaten to stop being friends over a mere joke.


    ¡°I need to ask your opinion on something.¡± Larissa took a deep breath. She finally decided to ask


    Wendy after pondering over the issue with much difficulty..


    ¡°What?¡± Things turned out different from what Wendy had expected. She was stunned for a moment


    before putting on a serious


    expression. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Previously, Kevan gave me a document. It is Asters palemily lesl.¡± Larissa exined the situation in a


    calm manner.


    s, Wendy urged her on impatiently, ¡°Then? What about it?¡±


    ¡°The results show that Aster is Kevan¡¯s biological son


    ¡°Oh my God.¡± Wendy eximed loudly in surprise. ¡°Then, is Mr. Rogers going to take Aster in as his


    son? Are the both of you going to get married again? My heavens! In just a short time, everything has


    taken aplete turn for the better! I can¡¯t wrap my head around it


    ¡°Calm down, Wendy. Frowning, Larissa covered her ears with her hands. She was almost dealened by


    Wendy¡¯s loud voice.


    Wendy look a couple of breaths to calm down. Still, the wide smile on her face and the eagemess in


    her voice was evident. ¡°Tell me right now, what happened after that


    ¡°Kevan intended to reveal the truth to Aster, but Im not sure whether I should allow him to. That¡¯s why I


    need your opinion on this.¡±


    Larissa was caught in a dilemma over this issue.


    ¡°Of course, you should let him reunite with Aster! Why are you even thinking twice about this? He likes


    Aster, and Aster loves him as well Isn¡¯t this the happy ending that anyone would want?


    Larissa gave Wendy the side eye. ¡°I¡¯m not happy about this.¡±


    Wendy almost blurted out that Larissa was being crazy, but at thest minute, she stopped her longue.


    Although Wendy waspletely on Kevan¡¯s side right now, she could understand why Larissa was


    reluctant.


    ¡°The person who nuit you was the Mr. Rogers Inc in before. Now, he is a new person. He doesn¡¯t have


    his previous memories, so you don¡¯t have to be afraid of him.¡±


    It was better II Wendy did not bring this up. When she brought up this issue, Larissa was reminded of


    how Keyan had lied to her about


    losing his memories.


    Seeing the cold smirk on Larissa¡¯sce, Wendy was a Uttle surprised. ¡°Why are you smiling?¡±


    At the very least, she would not relent until she got over the hurt and resentment she bore against him.

 Chapter 712

    Chapter 712


    Chapter 712


    Time passed very slowly in the hospital,


    SEIL apart from undergoing rehabilitation, Larissa would leam from Lewis in her spare time.


    Lewis taught her about how thepany was nur and the scope of management.


    This was to ensure a smooth transition into her new role at thepany.


    Now that she wasn¡¯t so free all the time, Larissa lound it much more tolerable at the hospital.


    Larissa had asked to be discharged from the hospital. Her attending doctor agreed readily on the


    condition that she return for regr appointments. In addition, he wrote her a note regarding stult that


    she needed to look outr.


    On the day she was discharged, Gary personaly came to apany her in spite of his busy schedule.


    ¡°I had someone decorate your room, and all the daily necessities you need are prepared. You can even


    move in right now without packing up. Lari I¡¯ve waited thirly years for this day toe.¡±


    Gary¡¯s happiness was evident on his face.


    Larissa felt quilty when she saw the tears in his eyes, but she had to decline his offer. ¡°I have my own


    ce that is closer to Aster¡¯s kindergarten. I will stay there¨Cfor now.¡±


    Taking Gary¡¯s feelings into consideration, she did nat reject him outright.


    Larssa added. ¡°During the weekends, I will bring Aster back to your home for a short visit when he


    doesn¡¯t have school.¡±


    Gary was visibly disappointed, but he had no choice except topromise.


    He decided to agree. But he had one condition. ¡°Alright then. Next time. I will decide on Aster¡¯s


    elementary school in the future. When he is old enough to enroll, both of you can move in with me.¡±


    When Larissa agreed, a smile spread across Gary¡¯sce once again.


    It was a workday aftemoon. Thus, no one was al home.


    Larissa found a spare key that Wendy had lell for her under the rug outside the door. She opened the


    door to the apartment.


    After being away for more than a year, she couldnt hep but tear up at the familiar surroundings.


    Gary and Lews went in before her. They surveyed Larissa¡¯s three¨Cbedroom apartment as if they were


    walking leisurely at a park.


    Gary spent most of his time in Aster¡¯s nursery. With a tender look in his eyes, he fidgeted with the


    plushie on the bed and lipped the coloring books on Asler¡¯s table.


    Turning to Larissa, he asked, ¡°When will Aster get all school? I¡¯ll go with you to pick him up.¡±


    Larissa told him the time.


    skip the aflemoon sses.


    Frowning, Gary said. ¡°That¡¯s sote. Can¡¯t we take him out of school earlier? Just the teacher that he


    will skip the afin Children mainly just y around at kindergarten, he wouldn¡¯t miss out much on


    leaming.¡±


    At this moment, Larissa could understand the dilemma that most parents would face. What would she


    do when the grandparents coddled their grandchildren?


    Larissa decided topletely deny Gary¡¯s request.


    ¡°Children Iram a lot at kindergarten. Wendy and had done research on many kindergartens and


    decided on this one. Their teachers are all very experienced. It¡¯s not too long until sses are over.


    Let¡¯s just wait for a while longer.¡±


    1


    Larissa worded her sentence carefully so as not to hurt Gary¡¯s feelings.


    Although his suggestion was shot down, Gary did not insist on his way in spite of his disappointment.


    He picked up a photo of both Larissa and Aster and stared at it for a long time.


    Gary rubbed his froer on Aster¡¯s face against the ss of the photo frame. ¡°What a shame, I never had


    the chance of getting a glimpse of you as a child.¡±


    He had sailed out to sea before Larissa was bern, almost losing his life in a violent storm. Although he


    managed to survive the disaster, he returned home and lound nothing.


    Yvette¡¯s brongings hadpletely disappeared from the home that they shared, Clutching thest


    letter she had sent him, he screamed Yvette¡¯s name in anguish and somow


    In spite of at his efforts, there was no word of Yvetle or his child.


    Larissa¡¯s emotions were stimed up by Gary¡¯s words and tears welled up in her eyes.


    Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!


    Gary had exined to her repeatedly before. So, she knew the truth of what had happened at that


    time.

 Chapter 713

    Chapter 713


    Chapter 713


    It wasn¡¯t that Gary had abandoned her. Everything was done by Yvette while he was batiling for his life


    at sea.


    Gary had looked for her all these years. Up unt! the moment when they were finaly reunited, he was


    still searching for her.


    The little resentment she bore toward Gary hadpletely disappeared from the care and love he


    showered on her for the past few months. Instead, her feelings of concern for Gary grew.


    Gary wanted topensate her for his absence as ather and the responsibilities he neglected.


    Simrly, Larissa wanted to repay him by being a daughter that he could be proud of.


    ¡°Actually, Aster didn¡¯t resemble me much when I was young. Larissa stepped forware. Her gazended


    on the same spol as Gary¡¯s.


    Aster¡¯s features were abination of hers and Kevan¡¯s. Taken apart, each feature on hisce


    resembled them separately. SUIL it was hard to see who Aster resembled more by taking all of his


    features into ount.


    Therefore, she had never thought of the possiblity that Kevan could be Aster¡¯s father, even after so


    many years.


    was quite ugly as a child. It¡¯s good that you hadn¡¯t seen me then.¡± Sheforted Gary.


    Gary gave her a side-eye. ¡°What nonsense! Both your parents are good-looking! How would thave


    been possible for you to be ugly?¡±


    Stunned by his exnation, barissa chuckled. ¡°I never expected you to be shameless!¡±


    Lewis defended Gary, ¡°Back at home, there were some pictures of Gary when he was younger. He was


    as hot as a celebrity!


    To be honest, Larissa could still see the shadow cl a handsome young man on Gary¡¯s profile. Based on


    Yvette¡¯s vain personality, Larissa knew that she would have never married a poor guy like Gary if he


    wasn¡¯t good-looking, no matter how bad the circumstances might be.


    The only thing was that Larissa never expected Gary to have such high self-esteem. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?.


    ¡°Oh, right. Do you have any pictures from when you were younger?¡±


    The smile on Larissa¡¯s face disappeared. ¡°No, I don¡¯t have any.¡±


    When she was a child, photo studios could be lound everywhere. Xavier himself had a fewpact


    cameras to take photos, Sul, Larissa never had her photo taken. Yvette constantly insulted Larissa and


    said that seeing herce would bring them bad luck, Whenever she was in a bad mood, she loved


    nothing better than to give Larissa a p on the cheek.


    None of the Seymours wanted her around. Of course, the thought ofking a photo of Larissa wouldn¡¯t


    even have crossed their minds.


    Gary was reminded of the hardships Larissa suffered His quilt weighed more heavily on him.


    ¡°Lar, I¡¯m sorry.¡± Gary grabbed Larissa¡¯s hands, a lump stuck in his throat.-


    ¡°It¡¯s not yourull.¡± Larissa patted his hand andforted him instead. ¡°I¡¯m living a good lile row. I¡¯ve


    long since moved on from the past.¡±


    At present, the tables had turned. Larissa couldn¡¯t help but feel that everything she went through was a


    test from the heavens.


    ¡°If I had not gone through those hardships. I would never enjoy the fruits of mybor today, Larissa said


    nonchntly.


    Meanwhile, Gary still seemed downcast.


    Now that those who needed punishment got what they deserved, the only thing he wished for was for


    Larissa to be happy. And her happiness should be given by those whom she truly loved.


    Regarding the person she loved


    Aname appeared in Gary¡¯s mind, but he rejected it outright. That man would bring nothing hul danger lo


    Larissa. He had to look for a perfect candidate to take the ce of that man In Larissa¡¯s heart.

 Chapter 714

    Chapter 714


    Chapter 714


    Gary was eager to meet Aster. Although it was another hour until kindergarten ended, he urged Larissa


    to leave home as soon as possible.


    There was not a soul at the kindergarten¡¯s entrance when they arrived.


    Larissa sat in the car and stared at Gary negotiating with the security guard at the entrance. Alter a


    while, Gary returned to the car with a dejected expression.


    ¡°Why are the security guards at this kindergarten so strict? They don¡¯t even let the parents in to see


    children in ss heined bitterly through the car window.


    ¡°It¡¯s all for the children¡¯s safety. Let¡¯s just wait for another half an hour. It will be quick¡± Larissa


    comforted him.


    Still Gary refused to wait there without doing anything. He got Lewis to drive to the nearest mall and


    lilled up the trunk with toys in half an hour.


    Larissa tried to stop him, but it was to no avail


    ¡°It¡¯s my first meeting with my grandson. I have to make a good impression so that he will like me.¡±


    Larissa said helplessly. ¡°If you¡¯re going to be like this all the time, you will spoll him one day.¡±


    ¡°We shall think of the solution when that timees.¡± Gary refused to change his mind.


    Larissa could feel a migraineing on.


    When they went back to the kindergarten, sses were long over. The entrance was busting with


    parents and children leaving the premises.


    Larissa was worried that Gary would be jostled by the crowd. She asked him to wait in the car, and she


    would bring Aster out but Gary refused. He wanted to apany Larissa


    On the way, he kept asking Larissa nervously. ¡°Do you think Aster will like me? Will he like the toys I


    bought? Won¡¯t he be afraid of me?¡±


    Larissa reassured him repeatedly. ¡°He will definitely like you.¡±


    Most of the time, it was Wendy who picked Aster up, Larissa only came a few times before. That¡¯s why


    it took Larissa more time to look for Aster¡¯s ss.


    As usual most of the students in Aster¡¯s ss had left when she came to pick him up. Aster was sitting


    on a chair, ying with some blocks in front of him.


    Aster¡¯s homeroom teacher recognized Larissa. On his first day of kindergarten, Larissa had taken a


    day off and sent him to school with Wendy. Thus, the homeroom teacher had assumed that Larissa and


    Wendy were a couple, making a strong impression on her.


    Aster¡¯s teacher greeted Larissa warmly, ¡°Ms. Seymour, long time no see!¡± Turning to Aster, she called,


    ¡°Aster, your mum¡¯s here!¡±


    In Aldovian, there wasn¡¯t a term for ¡°godmother,¡±


    When Aster first enrolled in kindergarten, Wendy referred to herself as Aster¡¯s mother as well. The


    teacher would tell Aster that his mother had arrived regardless of whether it was Larissa or Wendy who


    came to pick Aster up.


    Aster¡¯s response was nonchnt. He calmly cleared the toys on his table away, went in the lockers to


    get his bag, and slowly walked to the door of his ssroom,This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?.


    The moment when he saw that it was Larissa standing outside, his eyes widened. The next second,


    tears rolled down his cheeks. ¡°Mommy!¡± Aster rushed up to her eagerly and wrapped his arms around


    Larissa¡¯s waist. He buried hisce in her yellow down coal, wetting it with his tears.


    Tears welled up in Larissa¡¯s eyes. If other people weren¡¯t present, she probably would have cled as


    well


    The teacher was stunned at Aster¡¯s outburst and patted his head fondly. ¡°Aster must have missed you


    very much, Ms. Seymour, regardless of how busy work can be, you should carve some lime out for


    your son


    Blushing from embarrassment by the teacher¡¯s reproach, Larissa agreed, ¡°Yes, I will.¡±


    Probably because he felt shy. Aster buried his face in Larissa¡¯s neck and refused to look up regardless


    of how Larissa Iried to persuade him.


    Gary followed behind the two of them, his gaze fxed on Aster, He wanted to start a conversation with


    Aster, but he couldn¡¯t seem to lind the right words.

 Chapter 715

    Chapter 715


    Chapter 715


    When they got in the car, Larissa patted Aster¡¯s back and said, ¡°Alright, you can look up now.¡±


    Aster looked up from Larissa¡¯s neck, showing his red and puffy eyes. He stared with curiosity at


    everything in the car, including the strange old man sitting beside Larissa,


    ¡°Mommy, who is this person? He poked Larissa¡¯s arm and spoke in a low tone.


    This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?.


    Gary panicked a little when he was singled out by Aster.


    Gary stammered, but his tongue seemed to be tied. He couldn¡¯t even string a sentence together.


    Larissapleted his sentence for him. ¡°He is my father, and your grandpa.¡±


    Aster took in what Larissa said without difficulty. He turned to Gary and greeted him with a sweet smile,


    ¡°Grandpa


    Gary¡¯s body jerked involuntarily at how easily Aster epted him. Tears welled in his eyes, and Gary¡¯s


    lips trembled as he replied in a hoarse voice. ¡°Nice to meet you. Aster!


    Apart from the day when they were reunited, Larissa had not seen Gary in such an emotional state.


    Touched by the emotional scene, she lowered her head and told Aster, ¡°Grandpa likes you very much.


    Can you let Grandpa give you a hug?¡±


    Aster wasn¡¯t afraid of strangers. He looked at Gary and nodded. ¡°Sure!¡±


    Gary was taken by surprise for a second time. He blinked, and tears immediately rolled down his


    cheeks.


    Aster eximed, ¡°Mommy! Grandpa¡¯s crying!¡± He struggled to get out of Larissa¡¯s arms and sat on


    Gary¡¯sp, wiping the tears away from his eyes.


    ¡°Grandpa, don¡¯t cry! buy you something yummy! I have lots of pocket money! I¡¯ll give you half of it


    alright?


    Asterforted him in a gentle voice, but the tears continued falling uncontrobly from Gary¡¯s eyes.


    Struggling to squeeze out a smile, Gary said in a trembling voice, ¡°I don¡¯t need your pocket money. I¡¯m


    just so happy to see you, Aster.¡±


    ¡°Why would you cry if you¡¯re happy? Aster asked, puzzled, but no one could answer his question.


    Fortunately, Gary managed topose himself after some time. With Aster on hisp, they chaltered


    away happily.


    Most of their conversation was focused on Aster¡¯s day. Regardless of how childish the topic was or how


    nd the jokes were. Gary listened to Aster¡¯s words with full concentration, his eyes twinking with


    happiness.


    Larissa had no chance to join the conversation. Although the three of them were sitting in the backseat,


    it seemed as if she were separated from them by an invisible wall.


    Larissa felt a little jealous at how close they seemed, but she was mostly grateful for that.


    Larissa thought. ¡°Things couldn¡¯t be better right now.¡±


    This was what she always wanted¨Ca harmonious and loving family life.


    Lewis had to make a few trips to move all the toys from the car trunk into Larissa¡¯s home.


    Aster ran around his yroom in glee. Finally, he ran up to Gary. Wrapping his arms around Gary¡¯s


    neck, he kissed his cheek in gratitude.


    Gary couldn¡¯t help but smile widely at Aster¡¯s delight, his eyes crinkling.


    ¡°Open up the bones and see if you like the toys,¡± he urged. s, Aster didn¡¯tply.


    ¡°All these toys I want to wait for Daddy to arrive first, then we can y together.¡±


    Aster stared at the toys eagerly, but he did not move to open the boxes.


    When Aster spoke those words, everyone in the living room was stunned.


    ¡°Daddy?¡± Gary furrowed his brows. Turning to Larissa, he asked, ¡°Who is Aster¡¯s father?¡±

 Chapter 716

    Chapter 716


    Chapter 716


    Larissa¡¯s eyelid twitched involuntarily, and her heart seemed to have stopped beating. ¡°He


    Due to panic. her thoughts were all jumbled up in her mind. At that moment, she did not know how to


    exin the situation. In her lustered state, Larissa couldn¡¯t think of anything else to say other than the


    first word she blurted out


    Aster noticed her dilemma and answered Gary on Larissa¡¯s behall. ¡°He¡¯s not my real dad! I¡¯m talking


    about Uncle Kevan. He knows that I don¡¯t have a dad, so he allowed me to call him Daddy. Asier


    lowered his head dejectedly, as it all the happiness he exuded just now was sucked out of him.


    ¡°Uncle Kevan? Kevan Rogers? Gary came to a realization.


    ¡°Yes, he¡¯s Uncle Kevan.¡± Aster nodded and cursed his lips together, which resembled Krvan¡¯s. The


    disappointment in Asler¡¯s eyes pierced Larissa¡¯s hrat Inexplicably, the scales in Larissa¡¯s mind quietly


    tipped in favor of Kewar


    On the other hand, Gary¡¯sce turned scarlet with anger. Suppressing his fury, he spoke in a low voice.


    ¡°Do you want Uncle Kevan to be your dad?


    Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.


    Aster did not realy immediately. He nced toward Larissa caubously and scrutinized the expression


    on her face. With that. Gary understood Asier¡¯s intentions.


    ¡°Alright go and pay with your toys! We don¡¯t know when Uncle Kevan mighte again!¡± Gary


    squeezed out a forced smile and said through gritted teeth.


    Lewis quickly changed the topic to diffuse the situation. ¡°Aster, do you want to y with Steel Man? His


    armor is really cool, and his chestte Ights up as well!¡±


    Aster¡¯s concentration was immediately distracted. ¡°Okay! That¡¯s so cool!¡±


    Lewis secretly wiped the sweat off his forehead and breathed a sigh of relief.


    When Lewis brought Aster back to his room to change, Gary and Larissa sat in the living room and


    chatted about various topics.


    Gary tried to dig out some information from Larissa. ¡°Are you agreeable to Aster caling Kevan his


    daddy?¡±


    ¡°I tried to stop him, but he insisted. In the end, I let him be,¡± Larissa tightened her grip on her mug. She


    lowered her head to hide her wavering gaze.


    ¡°How could you let a child dictate this? There¡¯s nothing between you and Kevan. People might


    misunderstand if Aster keeps caling Kevan as his dad. Gary said with furrowed brows. He had never


    hidden his repulsion for Kevan.


    Larissa tried her best to appease him, ¡°I will talk to Asler about this.¡±


    ¡°Right, I¡¯ve talked to Lewis about this. Once you enter thepany, you shall be my a ss start. Start


    learning from Lew¡¯s for some time and get used to my workload. When the time is ripe, I will put you in


    a role with more Influence. Gary sipped a cup of tea and eased into afortable position,


    Although Larissa was experienced in managing a hotel her cument job scope waspletely dillerent


    since the two fields were unrted.


    Gary and Lewis had prepared a step-by-step n to prepare Larissa so that she could take over the


    company one day.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Larissa had no qualms about their decision.


    Gary and Lewis had much more experience than her in running apany. Whatever they decided


    would be in her best interests.


    ¡°You should rest well at home for a few days. On Friday, Lewis will send you to try on some evening


    gowns in preparation for the banquet on Sunday night.¡±


    If Gary hadn¡¯t reminded her, Larissa would have almost forgotten about the banquet.


    ¡°I¡¯m a little nervous


    It wasn¡¯t as it Larissa hadn¡¯t attended any grand events before, but she was never in the spotlight.


    She wasn¡¯t a fan of being in the center of attention, Too much attention would only make her feel sell-


    conscious and fustered.

 Chapter 717

    Chapter 717


    Chapter 7 17


    Gary was used to throwing grand banquets and parties. ¡°Just follow my lead, there¡¯s nothing to be


    nervous about. It might take some time, but you will get used to it eventually.¡±


    Larissa felt a little intimidated by her future role as an heiress.


    ¡°Is it toote for me to back out now?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Back out? Don¡¯t even think about it!¡± Gary red at her.


    He went through such difficulties to reunite with his daughter, it weren¡¯t because of Larissa¡¯s refusal he


    would have announced their rtionship to the world. Now that she finally relented, he would not let


    her back out of this!


    While she was resting at home, Larissa kept herself busy.


    Every morning, she woke up earlier and prepared a simple breakfast for Wendy and Aster. After they


    left, she would start reading the materials sent by Lewis to get acquainted with her uing job.


    Around 3 pm, she would take a cab to the kindergarten and letch Aster. Her leg hadn¡¯t fully recovered,


    so she wasn¡¯t allowed to drive a car yel.


    Aster was very clingy to Larissa since it had been a long time since they¡¯d been together. As long as


    she was at home. Aster insisted on sticking to her like glue. He wouldn¡¯t let go of her no matter what


    Wendy often eximed that she couldn¡¯t stand how close they were. One time, she even tried to


    physically separate Larissa and Aster out of jealousy. In the end, all three of them fell into a heap,


    laughing until their stomachs hurt.


    On Thursday night, Larissa announced that she was going back to work. Since then, Aster appeared


    visibly dejected.


    Although Larissa could sense that his mood was affected, her heart ached as she knew she couldn¡¯t do


    anything to make him feel better.


    After Aster went to bed, Wendy brought two beers from the fridge and asked Larissa. ¡°Fancy a drink?¡±


    Larissa was feeling frustrated and stretched her hand out. ¡°Sure.¡±


    Both of them sat on the ground. leaning against the s. Wendy lifted her can of beer and toasted


    Larissa¡¯s, taking a huge gulp.


    ¡°Why are you going to work so soon? I thought you hadn¡¯t fully recovered,¡± Wendy said, ncing at


    Larissa¡¯s leg.


    ¡°I need more people on my side. I need people who are loyal to me, not to my dad. Lewis, or even


    Kevan Larissa stared at the table nkly as the bitter taste of beer spread across her tongue,


    She needed power and influence to achieve her aim.


    ¡°Why?¡± Wendy asked, puzzled.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to always be protected by them.¡± Throughout her life, Larissa had gone through too much


    suffering. In addition, she owed too much to the people who had helped her. She didn¡¯t want anyone


    else to be caught up in her problems


    Larissa wished that she could be independent and strong enough to protect herself and her loved ones.


    Besides, she had many questions that she needed answers to. This n of hers needed to be carried


    out in secret. No one, not even her¡±


    protectors,¡± should know about it.


    ¡°How about Aster? Are you going to leave him again?¡± Wendy looked up at Larissa and pointed in the


    direction of Aster¡¯s bedroom.


    Larissa¡¯s grip tightened around the beer she held in hand, denting the aluminum can and spilling some


    of the beer out


    With a weak smile on her face, Wendy said, ¡°You saw how happy he was. When you weren¡¯t around,


    he did his best to keep up a brave


    front, saying that it was alright and you woulde home soon. Still, I caught him crying under the


    nkets asionally when I went to his bedroom at night. You can¡¯t imagine how much he loves and


    misses you.¡±Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 718

    Chapter 718


    Chapter 718


    On Friday, Larissa slept in for the first time since returning to Aldovia.


    It¡¯s not because she wanted to. After crying and drinking the whole night, she didn¡¯t realize it when her


    rm went off in the morning.


    It was only when her stomach growled with hunger that she woke up. Larissa grabbed her phone and


    looked at the time. It was already


    noon


    She saw a few missed calls from Lewis on her phone screen.


    He hadn¡¯t received a reply from Larissa after a long time. So, he had sent a message saying, ¡°I go over


    to your house at 2pm.¡±


    Larissa quickly got out of bed, everyst bit of her drowsiness gone.


    Lewis arrived at Larissa¡¯s house on time. At that moment, Larissa was trying to depull her swollen


    eyes.


    Lewis stared at her face for a long time. He asked cautiously, while scrutinizing the expression on her


    face, ¡°What happened to you?¡±


    Pressing the ice against her puffy eyes, Larissa chuckled and dismissed him with a wave of her hand.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Last night Wendy asked me to watch a tear¨Cjerker movie with herst night. We cried all


    night long.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Lewis said, not doubting Larissa¡¯s words.


    ¡°Then, can we leave now? Otherwise, we can go a littleter,¡± he continued with concern.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright!¡± Larissa ran back to her room. She took out a pair of sunsses and put them on to hide


    her pully eyes. When she emerged, she put on her shoes and said. ¡°I¡¯m ready, let¡¯s go


    Larissa and Lewis left together in a hurry. The ce they went to was the most famous luxury goods


    mall in Westonia.


    Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    When Larissa was working in Westonia for a few years, she asionally brought clients to that mall for


    shopping. Standing at the entrance, she hesitated and fidgeted with her gray down coat.


    ¡°Can I enter dressed like this?¡±


    Larissa thought that what Gary meant by choosing an evening gown was simr to when Kevan


    brought her to V. Style, which was a more private and secluded location.


    Even if she was dressed simply, only Lewis would see her.


    Who would have expected


    ¡°You¡¯re fine. Let¡¯s enter together.¡± Lewis smiled and extended his arm.


    The mall was quite deserted. There weren¡¯t any personal shoppers rushing around with their luggage


    bags in tow.


    Puzzled, Larissa was suddenly startled by a loud greeting in unison. ¡°Wee!¡±


    The sound came from the entrance of a store nearest to them. With impable smiles on theirces,


    shop assistants dressed in uniform were lined up in two rows on each side of the door, weing


    Larissa and Lewis politely.


    Larissa had never been treated with suchndare before, so she was quite stunned.


    In contrast, Lewis led Larissa amongst the crowd of shop assistants nonchntly. As they walked into


    the store, Larissa could smell a pleasant scent in the air. The minute after they stepped into the store,


    one of the stall members shut the doors.


    All of the shop assistants surrounded Larissa and eagerly introduced the newest designs of evening


    gowns for that season.


    From the beginning to the end, Larissa felt as if she was on cloud nine. She imagined that she was


    walking on air; the overwhelming


    experience fell unreal to her.


    Larissa was pushed into the dressing room and tried on gown after gown. In the end, she randomly


    pointed at one of the evening gowns


    so that she could finally escape.


    ¡®Til have this.¡±

 Chapter 719

    Chapter 719


    Chapter 719


    Larissa thought that the ordeal was over. s, when they walked out of that store, Lewis turned around


    and entered another store.


    The whole process was repeated.


    Larissa lost count of how many times she was bombarded by eager shop assistants. When Lewis


    finally said that they could go home, he


    was weighed down by many paper bags.


    Larissa had no energy to even respond to him.


    Shopping was torturous!


    ¡°I was mistaken. I used toin that the staff here gave me the cold shoulder. Now, I wish that they


    would ignore my existence.¡±


    Larissa said.


    The shop assistants were hankering to serve her. She couldn¡¯t handle their enthusiasm.


    ¡°Ms. Seymour, you are now a VIP customer here. None of the shop assistants would dare give you the


    cold shoulder now.¡±¡±Lewis gave her


    awry smile. He gestured to the shopping bags in his hands


    Larissa sighed. ¡°In your opinion, is this one of the troubles thates with being rich?¡±


    ¡°Are you already troubled by this?¡± Lewis found it funny, but after mulling over it, he felt sorry for


    Larissa.


    Although Blue Star Shipping wasn¡¯t as prosperous as Cosmic Entertainment, the Seymour family was


    considered rich by ordinary people.


    Yet they couldn¡¯t even provide for a little girl.


    Gary¡¯s feelings toward Yvette were moreplicated. Their rtionship couldn¡¯t be exined in a few


    words. In contrast, Lewis had nothing but pure hatred for Yvette.


    That vain, evil woman had harmed two of his closest family members. Lewis felt that death wasn¡¯t


    enough of a punishment for her evil Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.


    deeds.


    ¡°You better prepare yourself. You¡¯ll have more troubles in the future.¡± Lewis carried all the bags in one


    hand and patted Larissa¡¯s head with


    the other.


    He and Gary would shower Larissa in love.


    Lewis¡¯ eyes had a hint of amusement when he noticed the worried frown on Larissa¡¯s face.


    New gowns, bags, and shoes were piled up into a heap in the living room. Wendy hadpletely


    forgotten about her disagreement with Larissa yesterday. She took gown after gown and held them up


    to her chest, chattering away.


    ¡°Wow, Ms. Seymour! Now that you¡¯re rolling in money, don¡¯t forget your old friend who has been there


    for you since the beginning!


    ¡°I will never forge! you.¡± Larissa sat on the sofa with Aster in herp. She stared as Wendy rummaged


    through shopping bags of various sizes. Wendy looked exactly like Aster on the day when he received


    a pile of toys from Gary.


    ¡°If you find anything you like, just take it.¡±


    Larissa had already picked out her gown for the banquet so the rest of the dresses were ignored.


    Luckily, Wendy and Larissa had simr builds.


    They usually shared clothes.


    ¡°Really? Coincidentally, I¡¯m attending an industry summit next week. There will be formal c ocktail


    parties there. I¡¯m already worried sick over what to wear! Lan, you are my savior


    Wendy ran over to Larissa and hugged her, nting a kiss on her cheek.


    Larissa wiped Wendy¡¯s saliva off her cheek in disgust and gave Aster a knowing look.


    ¡°Mommy, can I sleep with you tonight?¡± Aster rested his head on Larissa¡¯s shoulder and peered up at


    her with anticipation.


    would not let go of her.


    ¡°Sure!¡± Larissa patted his chubby cheeks and ran her lingers over his smooth skin.


    At the same time, she felt a lump in her threat. Wendy¡¯s words had struck her deeply. It was impossible


    to ignore the nagging feeling she tell


    Anyway, the only thing she could do now was to spend more time with Aster.


    ¡°Yay!¡±


    Aster jumped down from Larissa¡¯s arms in joy and ran to his bedroom to look for his phone.


    ¡°Ill video cal Daddy right now! After this, let¡¯s go to bed!¡±

 Chapter 720

    Chapter 720


    Chapter 720


    Before Larissa could stop him, Aster had already run out with his phone on a video call with Kevan


    ¡°Daddy! Mermy¡¯s bringing me to Disnind tomorrow!¡± Aster shouted with glee. He couldn¡¯t wait to


    share the good news with Kevan.


    Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Really?¡± Although the connection wasn¡¯t too good, Kevan¡¯s deep voice was still pleasing to the ears.


    His rxed tone had a hint of amusement in it. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you asleep? It should be past ten right


    now.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to sleep in a while!¡± Aster ran up to Larissa, kicked off his slippers, and climbed on the sofa.


    He snuggled into her arms and pointed the phone camera in Larissa¡¯s face. ¡°Daddy, do you want to talk


    to Mommy?¡±


    Larissa was caught by surprise. When she met Kevan¡¯s gaar over the phone, she couldn¡¯t help but feel


    flustered. After a long pause, she greeted him awkwardly. ¡°Hello!¡±


    ¡°Hi¡± Kevan replied, He seemed to be surprised as well. His expression stiffened for a few seconds


    before returning to his usual smile.


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you asleep as well? Her mind nk Larissa couldn¡¯t think of what to say. To avoid an


    awkward lull, she simply thought of the easiest question to ask, However, once she said that, she


    remembered that it was still day in Caldor. ¡°Oh. I¡¯m sorry! I forgot the lime difference¡±


    Hearing her continuous apologies. Kevan¡¯s smile became wider, and his eyes appeared more tender


    than ever.


    ¡°I am a little tired. After I¡¯m done with my work, I might take a nap,¡± he replied.


    1 see. Then you should continue with your work. Ill put Aster to bed.¡± Larissa responded dryly, as she


    didn¡¯t know what else to say.


    Standing across from her, Wendy rolled her eyes and shouted in a loud voice. ¡°Mr. Rogers, don¡¯t hang


    up yet¡±


    Kevan was stunned by the sudden voice. He looked intently into the camera, but he couldn¡¯t see


    anyone else in the frame.


    ¡°Ms. Simmons? He recognized Wendy¡¯s voice.


    Larissa nced towards Wendy. Nolicing the smirk on herce, she felt Il at ease.


    As expected, Wendy asked. ¡°Mr. Rogers, will you be attending the banquet the day after tomorrow?¡±


    Krvan blinked, making his surprise apparent. ¡°What banquel?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you tell Mr. Rogers? Wendy looked toward Larissa. puzzled.


    Of course. Larissa didn¡¯t tell him. She had not intended to tell Kevan that she would start work at Blue


    Star Shipping.


    Larissa was afraid that he would see through her ns as he had keen observation skills.


    Kevan¡¯s gaze returned to Larissa¡¯s face. Fixing his gaze on her, he asked in an aggrieved tone, ¡°What


    does Wendy mean?


    Larissa could or ly surrender. She told Kevan everything. Tresigned from my job al Winston. Alter this, I


    will work as an assistant to my father in Blue Star Shipping. My father wants to introduce me to his


    business partners, so he prepared for a banquet¡±


    Unexpectedly, Kevan did not probe into the reason why she entered Blue Star Shipping.


    ¡°It¡¯s good that you will be working in Blue Star Shipping. With Uncle Gary and Lewis around, your job


    would be much easier,¡± Kevan agreed with her decision.


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s what I thought as well,¡± Larissa brealted a sigh of relief and went along with what Kevan


    said.


    They circled around the subject for so long, but they had still not talked about the main point, making


    Wendy frustrated,


    She cut in abruptly and asked Kevan, ¡°M. Rogers, will you be attending the banquel?¡°.


    Aster looked at Kevan expectantly. ¡°Daddy, will youe?¡±


    However, Kewan passed the ball to Larissa. ¡°Will you allow me to allend?¡±

 Chapter 721

    Chapter 721


    Chapter 721


    Kevan¡¯s face was calm and emotionless.


    ¡°It¡¯s not worth it for you to make the trip. It¡¯s too far.¡± Without hesitation, Larissa shot him down.


    Gary had invited hiswork of close friends in Aldovia. Kevan wasn¡¯t close to any of them. Thus, it


    would only be awkward for him. Besides, he had his own job to take care of.


    ¡°Alright¡± Kevan replied, pursing his lips. He did not confirm whether he would attend or not. ¡°You guys


    should have an early night. Aren¡¯t you going to Disnind tomorrow? You won¡¯t have enough energy to


    y if you don¡¯t go to sleep now.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Larissa nodded, suppressing her reluctance to hang up. Avoiding Kevan¡¯s gaze, she lowered


    her voice and spoke to Aster. ¡°Say goodbye to Daddy.¡±


    ¡°Bye, Daddy!¡± Because of his excitement to go to Disnind, Aster bid Kevan goodbye immediately.


    Usually, he would try to prolong the


    call for as long as possible.


    Kevan¡¯s eyes shone with amusement. With a wide grin, he ended the call in a cheerful tone. ¡°Bye,


    goodnight!¡±


    When the video call ended. Wendy continued bugging Larissa about it. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you invite Mr.


    Rogers to the banquet? It¡¯s one of the


    most important turning points in your life! Don¡¯t you want him to witness that?¡±


    ¡°Do you think Mr. Rogers has as much free time as you? Besides, it is just a small banquet. There¡¯s


    nothing special about it¡± Larissa


    red at Wendy.


    *Alright suit yourself! I¡¯m going to bed now. Tomorrow, I have to do overtime at the office.¡± Wendy


    dismissed her impatiently.


    Carrying Aster in her arms, Larissa stood up from the sofa. ¡°We¡¯ll turn in for the night too.¡±


    Larissa had promised Freddy that she would pick him up at his home on Saturday morning.


    With Aster in tow, she pressed the doorbell, However, it was Allen who answered the door.


    Larissa was stunned when she saw Allen, who was supposed to be at the office at this time. In


    contrast, Aster greeted him happily. ¡°Uncle


    Allen!


    Allen squatted down and patted Aster on the head. With a tender smile, he said, ¡°Aster, long time no


    seel


    Larissa recovered her senses and questioned Allen. ¡°Why are you at home?¡±


    After that previous incident, she felt awkward whenever they had to interact face-to-face.


    ¡®I¡¯ve applied for leave, so I will apany you to Disnind. Freddy and Aster are two energetic


    young boys. I¡¯m worried that you won¡¯t be able to handle them, so I feel morefortable going along.


    In addition, since you can¡¯t drive, I can fetch all of you there. It would be more convenient for


    everyone.¡± Allen replied nonchntly, staring at Larissa with innocent eyes.


    Lanssa convinced herself to not overthink things. Allen had always been very protective of Freddy, so it


    was natural that he would be


    worried about her bringing Freddy to Disnind.


    However, it would be just the both of them with the two boys. If things were as before, she wouldn¡¯t


    have thought twice about it but now.


    she feltpletely ufortable around Allen.


    Nheless, she had promised Aster and Freddy. Allen had also taken leave from work. If she went


    back on her word, these three boys


    would definitely not forgive her.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Larissa could only agree.


    When Freddy heard Larissa¡¯s voice at the door, he ran out with his little backpack.


    ¡°Larissa¡± He dived into Larissa¡¯s embrace and rubbed his head on her clothes, messing up his blond


    hair.


    Squatting down, Larissabed Freddy¡¯s hair back and smiled sweetly at him. ¡°Good morning,


    Freddy! Did you have a good night¡¯s sleep? Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Of course! I slept really wellst night!¡± Freddy clung to Larissa¡¯s arm, fixing his blue eyes on her. His


    eyes were a carbon copy of Allen¡¯s.

 Chapter 722

    Chapter 722


    Chapter 722


    ¡°Of course. I missed you! Larissa pinched his chubby cheeks fondly and straightened up. She asked


    Allen, ¡°Shall we leave now?¡±


    ¡°Wait a minute!¡± Allen turned around and entered the house. In less than two minutes, he appeared


    with a brown paper bag and passed the bag to Larissa. ¡°I made some sandwiches. Both al you must


    have left home very early. Have you had any breast?¡±


    Coincidentally, they had left in a hurry. Larissa didn¡¯t have time to prepare breakfast for themselves.


    She handed the paper bag to Aster and reminded him, ¡°Say thank you to Uncle Allen!


    On the contrary. Aster didn¡¯t seem to be in a good mood. He appeared dejected and his excitement


    from yesterday hadpletely disappeared.


    Holding on to aer of the paper bag. Aster¡¯s arm hung limply at his side. For some reason, he didn¡¯t


    make any move to retrieve the sandwiches from the bag.


    ¡°Thank you. Uncle Allen,¡± Aster said with a forced smile. He quickly diverted his gaze from Allen and


    hung his head, staring at the ground.


    Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.


    The smile on Larissa¡¯s face faded as she cast a wored nce at Aster. However, she couldn¡¯t ask him


    the reason for his unusual change in front of Allen and Freddy.


    The four of them went into the elevator. Freddy held Larissa¡¯s left hand while Aster held onto her right.


    Freddy was in high spirits. Without a moment of silence, he chatted away excitedly.


    ¡°I want to go on the rollercoasterter! Larissa, can you apany me?¡±


    ¡°I want to take a picture with Ronald Duck! I love Ronald Duck so much?


    ¡°I also want to eat that roasted turkey leg! I saw pictures of it, and it is bigger than my face¡±


    Larissa yed along with Freddy, but her attent on was secretly focused on Aster¡¯s reaction.


    Inplete contrast to Freddy. Aster kept his head down, as if he had something on his mind. Even


    when Freddy talked about his favorite superheroes, Aster seemed indifferent.


    This was very unusual for Aster.


    Frowning, Larissa felt the unease in her heart growing stronger.


    When they reached the ground floor, Allen and Freddy went to pick up their car. Larissa took this


    opportunity and questioned Aster immediately, ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Do you feel sick? if you¡¯re feeling


    ufortable, I will et Uncle Allen know and we won¡¯t go to Disnind today.¡±


    Although Freddy would be disappointed, Aster¡¯s health was of utmost importance.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sick!¡± When he heard this, Aster looked up at Larissa and gave her a sweet smile. However,


    Larissa noticed a hidden grievance in his smile.


    ¡°Aster.¡± Larissa was flooded withplicated emotions.


    ¡°I really don¡¯t feel sick at all!¡± Aster grinned widely and ran circles around Larissa to prove his point.


    ¡°See, Im line!¡±


    With a lump in her throat, Larissa tried to hold back her tears and said seriously. ¡°Alright. You must tell


    me immediately if anything is wrong.¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡± Aster beamed happily. He seemed to have recovered some of his energetic Iveliness.


    Allen came to pick them up in his car.


    Freddy pored his head out from the backseat and waved towards them frantically. ¡°Larissal Aster


    Quick, get in the


    car


    Larissa was about to open the door to the backseat when Freddy stretched out his hand and stopped


    her. ¡°Larissa, why don¡¯t you sit in the front? Aster and I are going to y a game in the backseat He


    said in a coy manner, smiling memily.


    Although Larissa was reluctant, she couldn¡¯t reject his request.

 Chapter 723

    Chapter 723


    Chapter 723


    Freddy opened the door from inside. When Aster got in. Freddy quickly shut the door, as II he was


    afraid that Larissa would change her mind.


    Chuckling, Larissa got into the front seat. She turned around and asked Freddy. ¡°What game are you


    going to y with Aster?¡±


    Like magic, Freddy produced an iPad and started a game with colorful visuals. Sounds of cheerful


    music echoed in the car.


    Freddy and Aster were around the same age, so they hadmon interests. After a while, Aster¡¯s


    attention was focused on the game and both of them yed together happily.


    Lanssa¡¯s worry eased slightly.


    Diverting his attention from the boys in the rearview mirror, Allen nced at the paper bag Larissa


    ced at her feel. ¡°Do you not like sandwiches?¡±


    ¡°Oh, no.¡± Larissaughed awkwardly and opened the bag. She took out a stuffed sandwich that was


    wrapped in paper. ¡°It wasn¡¯t convenient to eat just now.¡±


    She asked Aster, ¡°Do you want some sandwiches? There¡¯s bacon and ham!¡±


    Aster was still engrossed in the game. Staring at the Ipad, he replied without looking up. ¡°Nope, I¡¯m not


    hungry.¡±


    Larissa took a bite and quipped. ¡°It¡¯s delicious.¡±


    Satisfied with Larissa¡¯s review, Allen focused his attention on the road and said, ¡°I can¡¯t cook, so I can


    only prepare simple things like sandwiches. I¡¯m d you¡¯re enjoying them.¡±


    Freddy chimed in, ¡°This is my Daddy¡¯s first time making breast! Isn¡¯t he great?¡±


    He sounded very proud of Allen.


    Larissa nodded. ¡°Yes, he is.¡±


    However, Aster seemed to be triggered by this. He chucked the iPad ase


    they are all delicious!¡± Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!


    When he said that, everyone else in the car was stunned.


    and cut in. ¡°My Daddy¡¯s better! He can cook tons of dishes, and


    Larissa almost choked on her sandwich. She coughed violently when the breadcrumbs identally


    went into her windpipe.


    Allen quickly opened a bottle of water. He passed it to her and advised her gently. ¡°Be careful!¡±


    Larissa gulped down half of the bottle and managed to catch her breath. At that moment, Freddy


    interjected, ¡°Don¡¯t tell libs! You don¡¯t


    have a dad!¡±


    The tension in the air thickened. With a dark expression on his face, Allen scolded Freddy in a loud


    voice. ¡°Freddy, apologize to Aster now!¡±


    Freddy was taken aback by Allen¡¯s anger. He turned pale with fear,


    ¡°Aster, I¡¯m sorry,¡± he apologized in a soft voice, close to tears.


    Aster was usually a kind person. Even if he was bullied, he was ready to forgive as long as the other


    person apologized. Unexpectedly, he


    did not relent this time.


    His eyes red. Aster shouted at Freddy, ¡°I have a dad!¡± With pleading eyes, he turned to Larissa and


    asked in a trembling voice, ¡°Mommy.


    aren¡¯t right?


    The cautious and expectant hope in his eyes broke Larissa¡¯sst line of defense.


    ¡°Yes, of course. You have a dad.¡± Larissa nodded gravely.


    Allen noticed the displeasure in Larissa¡¯s tone and apologized to her, ¡°Larissa, I¡¯m sorry! Freddy didn¡¯t


    mean what he said. He definitely didn¡¯t mean to hurt Aster!¡±


    Freddy had burst into tears. He didn¡¯t know why the adults were so mad at him when he only spoke the


    truth. Aster had no dad, just like


    1/2


    ¡°I understand. He wanted to back you up, but he didn¡¯t know how to choose his words carefully.¡±


    Larissa knew that Freddy was a kind and considerate child. Despite that, it was hard to forgive him at


    that moment.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just stop the car, Allen. Both of them aren¡¯t in the mood to go to Disnind now,¡± she said calmly.

 Chapter 724

    Chapter 724


    Chapter 724


    Allen did not stop the car, but he didn¡¯t drive to Disnind either. Turning the car around, he drove in


    the direction of Larissa¡¯s home.


    Tll send you back home. I won¡¯t feelfortable letting you go back on your own,¡± Allen said out of


    consideration for her. His tone was firm, leaving no room for Larissa to refuse.


    Freddy cried for almost hall the journey there, but no one in the car pald him any attention. Even


    Larissa, who usually treated him kindly, maintained a stem expression throughout and ignored his


    crying.


    Freddy was truly afraid. Choking back his so bs, he huddled in aer of the backseat for thetter


    half of the journey. He shot nces at Aster, who was sitting beside him, and at Larissa, who was


    sitting in the passenger seat.


    After venting his anger, Aster gazed out of the car window, lost in thought. Larissa stared ahead in a


    daze, unaware of Allen¡¯s frequent nces.


    In half an hour, the car stopped at the ground floor of Larissa¡¯s home.


    As soon as the car came to a halt. Larissa snapped back to her senses and unbuckled her seatbelt


    immediately.


    ¡°Larissa¡­¡± Allen began cautiously, but Larissa cut him off without even looking back, ¡°Save it for


    another day.¡±


    She opened the car door decisively. The moment her foot touched the ground, Aster had already


    appeared in front of her.


    Without a word, he grabbed her hand tightly. A sharp pain radiated from her fingers straight to her


    heart. She held onto him, enveloping his tiny hand in hers.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go home.¡± Suppressing the urge to cry, Larissa tried to sound as calm as possible.


    Wendy had the day off today.


    When Larissa and Aster left in the morning, she was still sleeping in her room. By the time they


    returned, she had just woken up. Feeling hungry. Wendy was making oatmeal in the kitchen. Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.


    Hearing the sound of the door opening, she poked her head out of the kitchen. When she saw Larissa


    and Aster at the door, her eyes widened in surprise. ¡°Why are both of you back so quickly?¡±


    Biting his lower lip, Aster didn¡¯t say a word. He changed into his slippers and went back to his bedroom.


    Wendy stared at the closed door concernedly and gestured to Larissa. In a whisper, she asked,


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with him?¡±


    Larissa walked into the kitchen and poured half a carton of milk into a saucepan. She heated it on the


    induction cooker and cut up some toast. ¡°There was a little ident¡±


    Wendy eximed in horror, ¡°ident? What ident? Is anyone hurt?¡±


    ¡°Not that kind of ident. Go and y with Aster for a moment. I¡¯ll tell you everything once I¡¯ve made


    breakfast.¡± Larissa was dejected as


    well and she didn¡¯t feel like talking much.


    At least, she had taken two bites of the sandwich Allen made. Aster hadn¡¯t eaten anything all morning,


    she was worried that his stomach


    would ache.


    Although Wendy was dying of curiosity, she followed Larissa¡¯s instructions and took her oatmeal to


    Aster¡¯s bedroom.


    However, when Larissa came out with breakfast for Aster, Wendy was sitting alone in the living room,


    scooping oatmeal into her mouth.


    Before she could ask, Wendy interrupted her. ¡°Aster doesn¡¯t want to y with me. He said he wants to


    be alone for a while.¡±


    Larissa walked to the door of Aster¡¯s bedroom and knocked. ¡°Aster, I¡¯ming in.¡±


    There was no reply from him, Opening the door, Larissa was met with darkness. Aster hadn¡¯t turned on


    the light. He had drawn the ckout curtains tightly.


    From the faint light in the living room, Larissa could make out a small form on the bed. Her heart was


    gripped with sadness. She turned on the lights in the room and approached Aster with a tray in her


    hands.


    ¡°Aster, get up and have some breakfast.¡± She sat on the edge of the bed and ced the tray on the


    bedside table.

 Chapter 725

    Chapter 725


    Chapter 725


    Aster was ticklish, especially around his waist. He couldn¡¯t stand anyone touching him there.


    As expected, he squirmed under her touch and tried to escape.


    Larissa took the chance to pull the nket off. She enveloped Aster in her embrace. Asler¡¯s tear¨C


    streakedce was exposed.


    Larissa¡¯s heart felt like it was being stabbed with a knife. Her chest ached, and she felt sullocated by


    the pain.


    Tightening her arms around him, she lowered her head and kissed his forehead.


    ¡°Don¡¯t cry.¡± Her voice trembled as scorching tears rolled down her cheeks as well.


    Aster released his clenched teeth and buried hisce in Larissa¡¯s chest. He was crying his heart out.


    He had never cried Ike this before. His cries were heartrending and loud. It was as if he wanted to vent


    all the bitterness and grievances he bore for years.


    Holding him, Larissa¡¯s tears flowed. Words offort were stuck in her throat. She could only utter the


    same words repeatedly. ¡°Aster,


    don¡¯t cry ¡ª¡±


    Wendy had been listening to the soundsing from Aster¡¯s bedroom. As soon as she sensed


    something amiss, she abandoned her


    bowl of oatmeal and rushed in.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on!¡±


    However, the scene before her made her stop in her tracks. Wendy hesitated, wondering whether she


    should approach them or not.


    ¡°Why are the both of you crying so much?¡±


    Larissa keal palting Asler¡¯s back, afraid that he might choke from crying too hard. Sheforted him


    gently, paying no attention to Wendy.


    ¡°Alright, no more crying!


    After a while. Wendy gathered her courage and came closer. She grabbed a tissue and wiped away


    Larissa¡¯s tears. Then, she pointed to the breakfast on the tray and reminded them, ¡°The breakfast will


    turn cold if you keep crying.¡±


    Only then did Larissa lift Aster¡¯s face up from her chest. Aster¡¯s eyes were swollen from crying. He


    looked just as unsightly as Larissa the


    day before.


    Wendy wiped away his tears and cradled his face in her hands. ¡°Aster, don¡¯t cry, okay? You¡¯re breaking


    my heart!¡±


    Usually, this line worked well to stop Aster from crying, but not today. He continued sobbing, tears


    dripping down his cheeks.


    ¡°What on earth happened? Old your superior¡¯s son bully Aster?¡± Wendy lost her patience and rolled up


    her sleeves in anger. ¡°Damn it, Fl


    go and beat up that brat right now!¡±


    Larissa stopped her, ¡°No, he didn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Then, why is Aster crying so much?¡±


    Larissa let go of Aster and took out her phone. ¡®Do you miss Daddy? Do you want to video call him


    now?¡±


    Thinking for a moment, he nodded slowly.


    Larissa calcted the time difference in Caldor. It should be around 1 am.


    Kevan was probably still working.


    She sent him a WhatsApp message first. ¡°Are you asleep? Would it be okay to call you?¡±


    C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.


    Almost immediately, a video call invitation from Kevan appeared. Larissa epted the cal


    The screen wend ck for a second. Alter the screen lit up, Kevan¡¯sce appeared onscreen.


    Behind Kevan, the background was brightly lit. There were rows of emply metal chairs and people with


    their luggage passed by asionally.


    ¡°Are you at the airport?¡± she asked in surprise.

 Chapter 726

    Chapter 726


    Chapter 726


    Kevan replied calmly. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m on a business trip.¡±


    ¡°Thiste?¡± Larissa checked the clock on her phone again, It was indeed 1 am in Caldor.


    People of Kevan¡¯s status didn¡¯t need to consider costs on their business trips. It was impossible for


    Kevan to take a red-eye light to save money. Moreover, he was sitting in a regr waiting area at the


    departure hall, not in a VIP lounge that befitted his status.


    All these details seemed strange.


    ¡°The weather over there is bad, so nes are unable to take off.¡± Kevan smiled helplessly and


    changed the subject. ¡°Do you need something from me?¡±


    ¡°Not me. Aster.¡± Larissa pointed the camera at Aster.


    Seeing Kevan, Aster finally stopped crying. He wiped his face with the back of his hand and sniffled


    hard.


    Kevan¡¯s expression changed immediately. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Who hurt you?¡± he asked anxiously.


    Shaking his head, Aster tried to catch his breath and stammered, ¡°No No one hurt me.¡±


    He was a pitiable sight. His eyes and nose werepletely red


    With a serious look on his face. Kevan asked gently. ¡°Then, why are you crying?¡±


    ¡°Freddy said I don¡¯t have a dad!¡± Facing Kevan, Aster finally blurted out his grievances


    Hearing his words, everyone¡¯s expression darkened. A hint of anger appeared in Kevan¡¯s eyes as he


    pressed his lips into a thin line.


    Before Kevan could say anything. Wendy, who was standing silently beside Larissa, exploded in fury.


    ¡°Freddy? Is he your superior¡¯s son? Tell me his address, I will go and teach him a lesson right now!¡±


    Larissa didn¡¯t speak but she gave Wendy a meaningful look, gesturing for her to stay out of trouble.


    However, Wendy misunderstood her intention. ¡°You¡¯ve already quit your job, are you still afraid that he


    will give you a hard time? That child is obviously bullying Aster. How could you stay so calm?¡±


    Wendy¡¯s quick temper often put Larissa in a tight spot. The scene right now was a good example.


    ¡°Aster, have a good talk with Daddy. Mommy and Godma will go out and have a meal¡± Larissa said.


    She grabbed Wendy¡¯s arm and dragged her into the living room.


    After closing Aster¡¯s door, Larissa said to Wendy in a low tone, ¡°Freddy didn¡¯t mean it. Allen has


    already asked him to apologize to me and Aster. We¡¯ve already dealt with the situation, but Aster¡¯s still


    riled up. I know you¡¯re angry, but you shouldn¡¯t mention those things in front


    of Kewan,¡±


    Wendy¡¯s fiery temper manifested in words. She bombarded people with insults so that they were


    unable to retaliate.


    Kevan was the opposite. When he was angered, he wouldn¡¯t express his emotions through words.


    Anyone who provoked him would meet with a miserable end, like the employee who worked at the


    hospital morgue.


    Although Larissa med Allen and Freddy for Aster¡¯s outburst, she didn¡¯t want Kevan to take any


    drastic actions against them. It would be


    too severe.


    ¡°Why can¡¯t I say it in front of Mr. Rogers? Even if he decides to deal with them, they deserve it! That


    little brat should be taught a lesson for not controlling his tongue! Wendy felt indignant.


    ¡°Alright, stop calling him a little brat all the time, or Aster might start picking up on that term!¡± Larissa¡¯s


    brows furrowed. ¡°Aster will feel better after taking to Kevan, don¡¯t worry about him.¡±


    ring at her, Wendy said, ¡°I¡¯m not as nonchnt as you!Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 727

    Chapter 727


    Chapter 727


    ¡°What?¡± Larissa noticed the smirk on Wendy¡¯sce and took a step back.


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you be annoyed it Kevan couldfort Aster with just a few words? After all you spent so


    much time trying tofort him,¡±


    Wendy tried to provoke her, but Larissa remained silent


    Wendy patted her on the shoulder and sighed. ¡°It¡¯s understandable that you wouldn¡¯t want the father


    and son to reunite. If Aster leams that Mr. Rogers is his biological father, your position in this family


    would be jeopardized.¡±


    Larissa couldn¡¯t stop herself from sneering. ¡°No way! I believe that my son loves me the most!¡±


    She was Aster¡¯s favorite person, there was no doubt about that!¡±


    C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.


    After half an hour, Aster emerged from his bedroom with Larissa¡¯s phone in his hand. He had stopped


    crying. Even his hups had ceased. His breathing had returned to normal Still Aster¡¯s eyes were


    completely swollen from crying, and he could only see through


    narrowed slits.


    It was quite aical sight. Larissa wanted tough, but she held herself back.


    ¡°Are you done with your call? She opened her arms wide and embraced him.


    ¡°Yes. Daddy told me not to mind what Freddy said because he is a dummy!¡±


    Larissa reprimanded him, ¡°Even if Freddy said something unpleasant to you, you can¡¯t call him a


    dummy. That¡¯s rude, you know?¡±


    ¡°But Daddy said that Freddy ran his mouth without understanding the full situation. Only a dummy


    would do that!¡± Aster relorted. ¡°I would never be like him-running my mouth without thinking twice!¡±


    Larissa was rendered speechless.


    ¡°I have a dad. I have the best dad in the whole wide world! Daddy said that when he has time, he will


    invite Freddy to go to Disnind together. I want to show him how good my daddy is and make him


    realize how foolish he was!¡± Aster dered, Although it seemed like he was speaking to Larissa, it was


    also for his own sake.


    Larissa felt a migraineing on. If things continued like this, Kevan would turn Aster into a tiny


    version of himself. Just thinking about it scared her. Still looking at Aster¡¯s proud face, she couldn¡¯t


    bring herself to correct him.


    Since the trip to Disnind fell through, Larissa and Wendy tried to make it up to Aster. They brought


    him to a ¡°Winter Wondend¡±


    themed park in a nearby shopping mall,


    The theme park wasn¡¯trge. It had artificial snow-covered grounds, ice castles, and slides made from


    ice. It was set up exactly like scenes from the movie itsell. Actors dressed up as movie characters


    walked around the park. Both adults and children took pictures with the actors while bundled up in thick


    down jackets.


    pin


    Since Larissa had issues with her leg, she sat outside on her own.


    Feeling bored, she browsed Facebook on her phone. Larissa was surprised to read today¡¯s headlines,


    ¡°Winston Hotel in Bartham City Closed for Investigation.¡±


    Although she had resigned from Winston, the Winston Hotel In Bartham City was a ce where she


    had spent a lot of time and effort in. With a heavy heart, she clicked on the link and skimmed through


    the article.


    ording to the news report, the Winston Hotel was forced to shut down because of a simple reason.


    They had vited fire safety codes. Still Larissa had inspected every detail of the hotel. It was


    impossible for the Winston Hotel to have vited fire safety codes.

 Chapter 728

    Chapter 728


    Chapter 728


    Larissa logged out of Facebook and logged into her old ount on Whatsapp.


    She had added many random people on this ount. As soon as she logged in, hundreds of message


    notifications appeared on the screen. It almost caused her phone to freeze.


    The main group chat for the Winston Hotel¡¯s stall was pinned to the top of the chat groups. Every


    second, there were new messagesing in.


    Larissa clicked into the group chat. All she saw were continuous text messages of despair.


    Regardless of cepartment or position, everyone was asking. ¡°The hotel¡¯s been closed down, what


    should we do?¡±


    No one had an answer. A sense of hopelessness and grief was spreading like wildfire amongst the chat


    group members.


    Larissa didn¡¯t know who started it, but everyone startedgging Bryan¡¯s contact at the end of their


    messages.


    Still Bryan burned a blind eye to everything and didn¡¯t say a word in the group.


    Larissa found her former assistant and inquired about the situation. ¡°I heard that the Winston Hotel has


    been forced to close down?¡±


    ¡°Ms. Seymour? You¡¯ve finally appeared? When Larissa¡¯s former assistant received her message, she


    sounded very emotional typing a series of exmation marks into the chat.


    At that moment, Larissa felt a sense of guilt for resigning from her position.


    She sent an awkward emoil and asked. ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    Her assistant replied. I¡¯m not okay! Not at all! Yesterday, the hotel was investigated and forced to close


    down suddenly! People from the fire department came over and insisted that there were lire safety


    issues with the building, Without listening to our exnation, they kicked everycre out of the hotel and


    posted a rotice of closure on the front doors. Even now, I¡¯m still in a dare!


    ¡°When we left the hotel, Mr. Harrison told us to go home and wait for further instructions. He said any


    updates would be sent through email it has been a whole day, but no emall hase in.


    *I tried calling Mr. Hamison, but no one picked up the cal. He didn¡¯t reply to any emails ether. Now


    everyone in the hotel is in a panic, not knowing what to do.¡±


    At this point, the assistant sent a row of sad emojis to convey her desperation.


    From her messages. Larissa gained a lot of new information. She learned that the hotel was suddenly


    investigated and sealed shut today. Besides, the people from the fire department seemed firmly


    determined to close down the hotel. Moreover, the hotel was not notified about the process of


    Investigation. So, there was no time to prepare for subsequent arrangements of the hotel employees.


    N?velDrama.Org content rights.


    Everything about this reeked of suspicion.


    A thought formed in Larissa¡¯s mind. She sent a message to Kevan. ¡°Was it you who forcefully closed


    down the Winston Hotel in Bartham C


    Although Winston wasn¡¯t a localpany of Caldor. Its headquarters had strong influence and power.


    Even the Bartham Municipal Government had to pay them some respect.


    Granted that it there were legitimate fire safety Issues, they should have been given prior notice for


    corrective actions in the first ce, before forceful closure of the premises.


    The only person with both motivation and capability to target the Winston Halel In Bartham City was


    Kevan. He was the only person Larissa could think of.


    Kevan was on the ne, so he didn¡¯t reply to her for some time.


    Meanwhite, messages from her assistant came in again. ¡°Ms. Seymour, will you being back to


    work? Did you know? We¡¯ve been walling for you to return all this time!¡±

 Chapter 729

    Chapter 729


    Chapter 729


    I¡¯m not trying to tter you, but you are a much better boss than Mr. Harrison! Look at what happened


    today! Mr. Harrison disappeared without a trace. No exnation was given! He disappointed all of us!¡±


    Kevan¡¯s aim was to deal with Bryan. That was why he¡¯d targeted the Winston Hotel. Larissa had


    enough reasons to suspect that Bryan¡¯s disappearance was also rted to Kevan. Stil, she wasn¡¯t


    going to delend Bryan now.


    ¡°Apart from Mr. Harrison, who else is managing the hotel¡¯s affairs now?¡± she asked the assistant, who


    rattled off some names.


    Larissa said. ¡®Contact them and see what they have to say. News that the hotel has been shut down


    should have reached headquarters by now. The arrangements would be ready soon. Don¡¯t worry, and


    tell everyone else not to worry either.¡±


    ¡°Alright The assistant disappeared and returned in a lew minutes. ¡°Ms. Miller said she¡¯s already in a


    discussion with headquarters. She also told us to remain calm.¡±


    Larissa replied, ¡°Good.¡± In the main group chat. Ms. Miller left a message offort to the employees


    as well


    Nheless, messages of anxiety and arger continued flooding the group chat. Many b


    people were still venting their frustrations. They demanded Ms. Miller provide an exnation for this


    situation.


    Reading the other messages was meaningless, so Larissa blocked the main group chal. She went to


    Facebook to see if any of her trends in the industry had given their take on the Winston incident. HerN?velDrama.Org content rights.


    assistant messaged her again. ¡°Ms. Seymour, are youing back to work or not? Cur whole


    department is hoping for you to retum and Lake charge!


    Larissa didn¡¯t expect to be so well¨Creceived, Judging from her assistant¡¯s lone, it seemed that people


    were appreciating her more than Bryan


    ¡°Is Mr. Harrison that terrible? Larissa wasn¡¯t fond of gossiping, but she was curious.


    In her view, Bryan was apetent manager. Otherwise, even if headquarters appointed him, she


    wouldn¡¯t have let him stay in that position for so long.


    ¡°Mr. Harrison used to be quite good, but after you left thepany, he changec. He¡¯s not as friendly as


    he used to be. He scolds us for minor mistakes. Many who were loyal to you had left because they


    couldn¡¯t stand him, while some were fired.


    ¡°I have a mortgage to pay and can¡¯t find another job. Otherwise, I would¡¯ve left a long time ago.


    Besides, I suspect he is colluding with the management of the Regal Dynasty Hotel! Some of our major


    clients and WIPs that you worked so hard to secure were all oflended by him. In the end, they sgned


    contracts with Regal Dynasty Hotel instead! It¡¯s so infuriating!


    ¡°There¡¯s more! Ourpany¡¯s most capable executives were all fired by him for no reason Later, they


    all jumped ship to the Regal Dynasty Hotel! Mr. Harrison made a mess of the hotel Our monthly profits


    are declining and our bonuses are shrinking¡± the assistant ranted her frustrations.


    Larissa¡¯s phone kept vibrating, but she couldn¡¯t locus on theter messages anymore. At first, she


    couldn¡¯t figure out why Kevan had a grudge against Bryan. Alter considering the Regal Dynasty Hotel,


    she managed to make some sense of the situation.


    When the matter was boiled down, it was due to an internal conflict among the Rogers family.


    After all these years, Cody was still burning with resentment. He wanted to see Kevan dead, even If


    Kevan had lost his memories and posed no threat to him.


    Larissa sent another message to Kevan in a hurry, ¡°Oryan is most likely backed by Cody, Be careful¡±

 Chapter 730

    Chapter 730


    Chapter 730


    Aster and Wendy had a great time ying in the theme park. They walked out hand in hand, theirces


    flushed red with happiness.


    Larissa handed them a cup of hot coffee and milk respectively. She had prepared drinks in advance.


    She reached out to Aster and discovered that he was covered in sweat. His body was radiating heat


    from running around and ying.


    ¡°Mommy! It¡¯s super fun inside!¡± He chattered away merrily like a bird, eager to introduce every corner of


    the park to Larissa.


    She listened attentively and asked a question or two asionally in response to what he was saying.


    Aster¡¯s mood had improved, as if he hadpletely forgotten about what happened this meming.


    Larissa made a reservation for lunch at a restaurant famous for their burgers and fries. Aster loved fast


    food like this, but Larissa usually didn¡¯t allow him to eat them.


    Wendy teased Larissa. Feeling threatened? Are you trying to win back your son¡¯s love from Mr.


    Rogers?¡±


    Larissa rolled her eyes and replied curtly, ¡°Gelst!¡±


    Wendy smirked and gave her a meaningful smile. She ced her arm on Aster¡¯s shoulder and urged


    him to walk faster. ¡°Hurry up, run! Your mom¡¯s getting angry. She might even beat us up!¡±


    As he ran, Aster turned his head back to observe Larissa¡¯s expression. With a smile on her face.


    Larissa put on the demeanor of a kind and


    arissa put on the demeanorkinda


    loving mother.


    ¡°Your Godma is just joking with you! Why would I beat anyone up?¡± she said. After a pause, she added,


    ¡°Oh, but your Daddy¡¯s very


    experienced in beating people up.¡±


    Wendyughed so hard she almost fell to the ground.


    Larissa wasn¡¯t fond of fast food. Taking a few fries, she already felt full. Her phone was ced on the


    table. Even though there were no messages, she found hersell unlocking her phone every few minutes


    to check her WhatsApp.


    Kevan still hadn¡¯t repled to her. At this moment, it was almost live hours since he ended the video call


    with Aster. ording to Aster, he was about to board a ne at that time.


    In five hours, he should have arrived at his destination if he were flying domestically within Caldor.


    Could it be that his business trip was actually abroad?


    Microworks Corporation was thergest tech conglomerate in Calder. They had partnerships with many


    companies and government agencies outside the country. It wouldn¡¯t be strange il Kevan was traveling


    abroad for business.


    Larissa let out a sigh. To prevent hersell from constantly checking her phone, she put her phone in her


    bag.


    Holding a half¨Ceaten burger, Wendy gave Larissa the side eye. ¡°Who are you waiting for a call from?


    You seem preupied.¡±


    Larissa red at her. ¡°It¡¯s none of your business.¡±


    ¡°Well!¡± Wendy turned to Aster and said in a sarcastic lone, ¡°You heard that! Your mom said that she


    and your daddy¡¯s business is none of my concern! What a disappointment! All those years of friendship


    thrown out of the window because of a man! What¡¯s more. I¡¯m now considered an outsider! How


    shallow and lickle human rtionships could be!¡±


    Aster¡¯s mouth was slutted with fries, his cheeks puffed out like a hamster.


    He didn¡¯t quite understand what Wendy said, so he just stared at her with a puzzled lock,


    Larissa patted his head. ¡°Just focus on ealing and don¡¯t listen to your godma spouting nonsense. Don¡¯t


    learn these things from her. Otherwise, you might be a dummy.¡±


    The word ¡°dummy niggered something in Aster. His expression changed instantly.


    ¡°Okay!¡± He nodded solemnly. Aster clenched his lists and vowed, ¡°I won¡¯t be a dummy?¡±


    Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.


    Wendy was annoyed with both of them. ¡°You guys are the dummies! I¡¯m a goddess and a genius! Mere


    mortals like you wouldn¡¯t undernd¡±

 Chapter 731

    Chapter 731


    Chapter 731


    Larissa and Aster turned their faces away and ignored Wendy. Their expressions of disdain were


    obvious.


    ¡°Hmph!¡± Wendy tossed her napkin in annoyance. She grabbed her bag and stood up, gritting her teeth.


    Tm going to the restroom!¡±


    The restrooms in the restaurant were separated by gender, but the sinks outside were shared.


    When Wendy came out, there was a man who looked like a Caldorian washing his hands at the sink.


    After living in Aldovia for some time, she had long passed the phase of striking up conversations with


    random Caldorians. These days, she would not even look twice at the faces of unfamiliar people.


    Still this man caught her attention for one reason.


    In this fast¨Cfood restaurant, no one was dressed as well as he did. Wearing a well¨Cfitted sult, the man


    had a neat tie on. His ck leather shoes were gleaming.


    Having worked in the hotel industry for many years, Wendy had seen her fair share of distinguished


    guests. Although the man¡¯s clothes had no logo. It was of good fabric and high¨Cquality craftsmanship.


    She deduced that this man was definitely not an ordinary person. Therefore, his presence here seemed


    even more peculiar.


    The man carefully rinsed the soap off his fingers and straightened up. Through the mimor, he noticed


    Wendy¡¯s looks of curiosity.


    When their eyes met. Wendy was startled and quickly averted her gaze. Feeling guilty at being caught


    staring, she approached the sink slowly. Wendyposed herself and put her hands under the tap.


    The cold water flowed over her hands, but it couldn¡¯t cool down her cheeks. They were burning from


    embarrassment.


    From theer of her eye, she saw the man taking a tissue. He didn¡¯t seem to have any intention of


    leaving. Wendy sped up. She turned off the tap and didn¡¯t waste any time drying her hands. Instead,


    she shook her hands dry and turned to leave.


    Before Wendy could take a step forward, she heard a chuckle. A voiceced with amusement came


    from behind her.


    ¡°Genius? Goddess?¡±


    Wendy felt as if she had been struck by lightning. Her mind went nk. Her body froze. Blood rushed


    into her head. Her face turned as red as a tomato. She was burning with embarrassment.


    While Wendy was in a daze, the man walked around and faced her. Wendy finally got a clear look at


    the man¡¯s face.


    N?velDrama.Org content rights.


    He had sharp eyes, a well¨Cdelined nose, and thin lips. His features were attractive, but they gave him


    an androgynous look. There was something about his face that felt familiar to her.


    ¡°Why so quiet? Could it be that the goddess is mute? Still I heard your voice just now the man said with


    a mocking smile.


    Wendy couldn¡¯t bear to stay a moment longer. She turned and ran without another look behind her


    shoulder.


    Wendy returned to her seat, panting. She gestured to the waiter and asked for a ss of cold water.


    Larissa looked at her in surprise. Taking In Wendy¡¯s flushedce and wet bangs, she asked. ¡°Were you


    in the restroom or running a marathon?¡±


    The intense run had left Wendy out of breath.


    She waved her hand and struggled to speak. ¡°I have such bad luck! I encountered a lunatic in the


    restroom!¡±

 Chapter 732

    Chapter 732


    Chapter 732


    ¡°I unatic?¡± Larissa Instinctively leaned towards Aster and shielded him with her arm. She looked


    around. ¡°Where?¡±


    Wendy scanned the surroundings. The tables surrounding them were all filled with Aldons.


    The l unatic she encountered at the restroom was nowhere to be found.


    ¡°That¡¯s strange Frowning. Wendy muttered.


    Although their conversation wasn¡¯t solt, it wasn¡¯t that loud either. The person who overheard them


    should be seated close by. He should be within their range of sight


    ¡°Maybe he hasn¡¯t returned yet, Wendy guessed.


    Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!


    Larissa was shaker by Wendy¡¯s words. She was learful of madmen, given the rising rate of shootings.


    They had to be cautious everywhere they went.


    Worried about any potential mishaps, she told Aster in a low voice, ¡°Eat faster, we are heading home


    soon.¡±


    Wendy was also feeling anxious. She kept a watchful eye on their surroundings. Luckily, the l unatic


    didn¡¯t appear until they paid the bill and lett.


    No one knew whether he had left or was still lurking somewhere.


    With this incident, Wendy and Larissa lost their desire to stroll outside. Wendy went home to work


    overtime, while Larissa reviewed her materials on Blue Star Shipping. Aster yed on his own. He had


    only unboxed a few of the toys that Gary bought for him,


    The attemoon passed. Belore dinner, Larissa finaly received a WhatsApp message from Kevan.


    ¡°I was busy earlier and only saw your message just now I was involved in the Winston incident, but the


    fire safety wasn¡¯t eptable, to begin with. The decision to close down the hotel was made by the


    authorities.¡±


    He sent Larissa a Irk to another news report regarding the Winston Hotel¡¯s closure.


    It was more detaled than the one she read before.


    There was photographic evidence of the hotel¡¯s inadequate fire safety measures.


    During her tenure, all those measures were up to par. She finally understood why her assistant


    sounded so bitter toward Bryan,


    Because of his selfishness, he ruined the hotel and caused hundreds of people to lose their jobs.


    Larissa felt a heavy sense of guilt for not being more vignt.


    If she had detected Bryan¡¯s ulterior motives, she could have lived him earlier. Things might not have


    escted to this point.


    ¡°I found some evidence about the connection between Bryan and Cody. I¡¯m currently investigating, so


    you don¡¯t need to worry.¡± Kevan reassured Larissa.


    Larissa stared at his message for a while. She muled over what to reply, typing and deleting her


    message several times. Finally, she sent Okay.¡±


    Her phone was silent for ten minutes. Then, Kevan¡¯s message popped up again. ¡°Are you avable to


    take a call?¡±


    A nervous shiver ran down Larissa¡¯s spine.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m avable¡± she said. Kevan¡¯s call came in immediately. Taking a deep breath, Larissa


    answered the call ¡°Hello?¡±


    It was quiet al the other end of the call Kevan was likely in a private space. His deep voice resonated


    through the phone. ¡°When do you n on teling Aster that I¡¯m his father?¡±


    Larissa hadn¡¯t expected him to bring this up right away. Her hand trembled, and the phone almost


    dropped to the ground.

 Chapter 733

    Chapter 733


    Chapter 733


    ¡°Hasn¡¯t he been calling you Daddy all this while?¡± Larissa pretended to not understand Kevan


    Still Kevan persisted. ¡°You know what I mean.¡±


    Larissa bit her lip and fell silent.


    Kevan continued stemly, ¡°You should know how much Aster craves a father¡¯s love. Larissa, our issues


    should not involve Aster. He has


    the right to have both a father and a mother.¡±


    Larissa understood everything Kevan said, but ¡ª


    ¡°How are you going to exin to him your years of absence in his be? How are you going to tell him


    about our past? Right, and that daughter of yours. Aster doesn¡¯t like her, and vice versa. How are you


    going to handle the rtionship between them going forward?¡±


    Larissa¡¯s questions were likendmines that stood between Kevan and Aster.


    Kevan paused for a moment and said hesitantly. ¡°I have a perfect solution to all of this


    Larissa¡¯s curiosity was piqued. ¡°What solution?¡±


    Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!


    ¡°Let¡¯s get married.¡±


    ¡°Hey! Hey!¡± Wendy stretched out her hand and waved it in front of Larissa SL Larissa remained


    motionless.


    ¡°Oh my god! stair, your mom seems to have stopped working Wendy eximed as she hugged


    Aster tightly.


    Aster believed Wendy¡¯s theatrics as he watched Larissa in a daze. Aster shook Larissa¡¯s shoulders. He


    was close to tears. ¡°Mommy!


    Mommy!


    Larissa regained her senses. Noticing their puzzled expressions, she asked. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you


    guys?¡±


    ¡°We should ask you that question!¡± Wendy peeked at the materials in front of Larissa, hoping to get


    some clues. ¡°What are you reading? You have been staring nkly at it for such a long time! I¡¯ve tried


    calling you but you didn¡¯t respond!¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing.¡± Larissa closed the file before her and thought of an excuse. ¡°I couldn¡¯t understand


    some parts, so I spent some time


    mulling over it.¡±


    She held Aster in her arms and stood up. ¡°Im feeling hungry. What should we have for dinner?¡±


    They had takeout for dinner,


    Larissa seemed preupied throughout dinner. While she cleared the table, her hand slipped and the


    food remnants spilled on her


    clothes.


    Wendy quickly took over the chores and pushed Larissa Into her bedroom. ¡°Take a shower and rest


    early. You need to have a good night¡¯s sleep to dazzle everyone at the banquet tomorrow!¡±


    After taking a shower, Larissay down on the bed, but she couldn¡¯t sleep.


    She kept thinking of what Kevan had said, ¡°I¡¯ll give you a week to think about it. Regardless of whether


    you agree to marry me or not, I will


    bell Aster that I am his father.¡±


    Larissa knew that Kevan was forcing her to make a decision.


    It might seem as if he was allowing her to make a choice, but Kevan knew that she would choose the


    option that he wanted.


    Their marriage would legalize Kevan¡¯s and Aster¡¯s rtionship. The problems that she mentioned


    would be solved, at least in the short term


    Il Kevan were to announce that he was Aster¡¯s biological father, there would be more problems. She


    didn¡¯t want to let Aster know about her past with Kevan Still she also didn¡¯t want to spin lies and push


    all of the me on Kevan.


    After much reflection, she had toe up with an answer that satisfied Aster and herself. It was the


    hardest thing she had ever done.


    ¡°Life is so hard.¡± Staring Into the darkness. Larissa sighed.

 Chapter 734

    Chapter 734


    Chapter 734


    The banquet on Sunday night would start at 6 pm. Lewis picked Larissa up to prepare for the banquet


    at noon.


    The venue of the banquet was Gary¡¯s vi, which was located in Glory Hill. The collection of vis there


    were all owned by the rich and wealthy of Westonia.


    It was the most upscale real estate in that city. Before this, Larissa never had the prly lege of stepping


    foot there.


    Her impression of Gory HII came from the Inte and through various dramas. Yet, as the car drove


    past luxurious mansions, she realized how little she knew of Glory Hill.


    She couldn¡¯t ever begin to imagine the lives of wealthy people here.


    The vis there had vast private gardens, encrmous swimming pools, and unique architecture.


    Larissa was in awe. She had thought that the Seymour family¡¯s vi she lived in for ten years was


    already luxurious. Alus, it paled inparison to the vs here.


    Gary was a Calderian at heart


    He designed his vi. It was charming and ssical.


    Thendscape around the vi included artificial mountains, allowing river, and a stone bridge going


    across it.


    The vi itself was built in a ssic Caldurian style.


    Stepping inside. Larissa felt like she was transported back in time, which lelt strange.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!


    There were two floors to the main building.


    The first floor was the living room, while Gary¡¯s bedroom and the study were on the second floor.


    Lewis led Larissa lurther inside. The household stall had received news of Larissa¡¯s arrival. They came


    forward with smiks on their faces


    and greeted her politely.


    ¡°Ms. Larissa, nice to meet you!¡±


    From childhood, Larissa had only enjoyed such enthusiastic treatment at her ollice.


    The household staff of the Seymour family had never treated her well. Although Larissa was


    how to carry herself.


    a was a little surpris


    surprised at their reception, she knew


    She put on a gentle smile and responded politely, ¡°Nice to meet all of you.¡±


    ¡°Your stylist has arrived and is waiting in the guest room on the second floor,¡± A middle¨Caged man who


    looked like a buller stepped forward. He turned to Lewis, ¡°Sir, Mr. Logan Senior is still at the office


    handling some business matters. He might not be back for a while.¡±


    Lewis nodded and said, ¡°Let us know if hees back.¡±


    Larissa followed Lewis upstairs, looking around with curiosity.


    The furnishings in the vi were all made of solid hardwood. It gave off a grand and majestic vibe.


    Even the stairs leading to the second floor were made of solid wood, producing a dull sound when


    stepped upon.


    There were many rooms on the second floor, but only Gary lived there. He liked being aone and


    disliked being disturbed by others.


    When Lewis spent the night there, he had to stay in the building next door that was prepared for


    guests.


    ¡°Gary had two toorns next to his renovated for you and Aster to move in.¡± Lewis opened the door to


    one of them.


    Larissa lell as if she was transported into another world.


    The bedroom was obviously meant for a child.


    The walls and celing were covered in colorful murals. In addition to a bed and desk, the room was


    equipped with yingclities like a slide, a trampoline, and a ball pit, Lastly, there was a huge pile of


    toys in the room.


    ¡­¡­


    ¡°There¡¯s more,¡± Lewis opened the windows in the room and pointed to a spot outside. ¡°Gary heard that


    many Aldovian children loved Treehouses, so he had his workers buld one for Aster.¡±


    Larissa looked in the direction he pointed and saw arge tree in the courtyard. There was inceed a


    small wooden house on the tree. s, the windows and deers were tightly closed, so she could not see


    what was inside.


    Nheless, this didn¡¯t stop her from being moved to tears.


    ¡°Why are you crying? Lewis found it amusing. ¡°Isn¡¯t it a given for Gary to treat Aster well?


    Theck of familial affection in her childhood made Larissa very appreciative of every kind gesture she


    received from others.


    In her eyes, no one should take the kindness of others for granted, not even parents to their own


    children.

 Chapter 735

    Chapter 735


    Chapter 735


    Yvette was the one who had instilled these principles within her.


    After being reunited with Gary, everything he did for her touched her deeply.


    ¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough. Dry your tears and we will go to the next room. You need to get your hair and


    makeup done.¡±


    Lewis gave her some tissues.


    Larissa¡¯s room was next to Aster¡¯s room. It was lurr shed in a modem style as well.


    In the room a few pretty and fashionable youngdies were walling for her on the sofa.


    Lewis pushed Larissa forward and said, ¡°I brought her, now you can start your work¡±


    The youngc es stepped forward and pounced on her with sparkling eyes.


    Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!


    Getting her hair styled was a boring and arduous precess.


    Larissa dozed off a few times, but she was awoken by the painful tugs on her scalp. Her shoulder¨C


    length hair was dyed chestnut brown and styled in waves.


    Her face was made up with a thickyer of makeup. Her red lips and the mole in theer of her eyes


    added to her sensuality.


    Surrounding her, the stylists snapped pictures of Larissa from all angles.


    ¡°You¡¯re so beautiful!


    ¡°You¡¯re like a goddess from heaven!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to post this on my Facebook and make everyone Jealous!¡±


    Larissa blushed red at being showered withpliments.


    Lewis came in to inspect the results. Looking at Larissa¡¯s face in the minor he couldn¡¯t help but be


    astonished.


    ¡°Can I have the honor of having a picture taken with you?¡± he asked Larissa with a smile.


    ¡°Of course.¡± Larssa stood next to him and held his arm.


    The sounds of the camera shutters went off,


    Lewis retrieved his phone and scrolled through the pictures taken just now.


    He selected one of them and posted it on his Facebook.


    Gary arrived home an hour before the banquet started. He went upstairs and met with Larissa.


    Alterplimenting her on her beauty, he rushed downstairs to the living room for thest preparations


    of the banquet.


    The guests arrived at around 6 pm Larissa put on her evening gown and waited with Lewis at the top of


    the stairs on the second floor.


    Lewis brieled her on the event itinerary. She would be Introduced lo everyone after Gary¡¯s wee


    speech.


    ¡°I¡¯m so nervous,¡± Larissa whispered to Lewis. Her nams were covered in ayer of sweat. Her heart


    was racing as well.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to be afraid of, Once you go downstairs, stay with Gary. You just need to put a smile


    on your face.¡±


    Lewis patted her hand.


    Larissa pped her hands on her cheeks and lorced a smile, ¡°Like this?


    Lewis sighed. ¡°Be more natural.¡±


    Before Larissa could fix her smile, Gary¡¯s voice was heard downstairs. ¡°Thank you all Iersing the


    Ume toe

 Chapter 736

    Chapter 736


    Chapter 736


    Gary¡¯s speech was short and sweet. It didn¡¯t exceed two minutes.


    Larissa was still in a daze when Lewis nudged her on the shoulder.


    ¡°It¡¯s time to go down.¡±


    In a hurry, she almost tripped over the hem of her gown.


    Lewis caught her before she fell


    Holding up his fist at his lips, he whispered in a low tone. ¡°Walk elegantly and with dignity.¡±


    Larissa immediately followed the training she received.


    Lifting the hem of her dress, she held her head high and straightened her back,


    Step by step, she descended the stairs. Larissa maintained a smile as sheced dozens of intense


    gazes.


    Gary¡¯s eyes were filled with tears as she approached him.


    When Larissa stopped at his side, he offered his arm. She held onto him and scanned the room.


    Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!


    Most of the guests tonight appeared to be young Caldorians, Larissa couldn¡¯t help but wonder why,


    Blue Star Shipping was founded and established in Aldovia. Although thepany¡¯s partners were


    likely diverse, most of them should be middle¨Caged Aldovians.


    Still, in front of everyone, it wasn¡¯t the time and ce to ask Gary about this. Instead, she followed


    Gary¡¯s lead as he led her to the middle


    of the room


    He introduced her. ¡°This is my daughter. Larissa Seymour.¡±


    Thunderous apuse resounded in the room. Everyone had smiles on theirces, but it was unclear


    whether they were sincere.


    Larissa waved to the crowd and greeted them. ¡°Hello, everyone. I¡¯m Larissa Seymour.¡±


    After years of hard work, she sounded like a native. Still she had a unique ent that made her


    pronounce her name differently in Aldovian. It wasn¡¯t jarring. It added a charming touch to it.


    Gary was satisfied with her performance. His eyes were filled with pride as he said, ¡°Blue Star Shipping


    will be taken over by my daughter in the future. I hope you all can continue to support us.¡±


    The guests were aware of the reason for this banquet. When they heard his words, they weren¡¯t


    surprised.


    Larissa managed to recite the script Lewis prepared for her. It expressed her determination to lead Blue


    Star Shipping to greater heights. Another round of apuse followed.


    The lengthy introduction came to an end. Gary brought Larissa to mingle with the crowd.


    The guests came over to toast them with champagne sses in hand.


    Gary was in a very good mood tonight and did not refuse any of their boasts.


    He downed many sses of champagne. By the time the banquet was halfway through, Gary seemed


    quite drunk as he was a lightweight.


    His face was red and his gaze was unfocused.


    Larissa couldn¡¯t help worrying about him.


    ¡°Dad, shall bring you back to your room for a res17 Larissa whispered in his ear.


    Gary waved and spoke in a slurred tone. ¡°The banquet isn¡¯t over yet. There¡¯s no lime to rest!¡±


    Compared to the start of the banquet, his emotions seemed much more heightened.


    ¡°Here, Lari, Let me introduce you to someone.¡± He dragged Larissa over to a man who seemed to be


    around thirty years old. ¡°This is Mike Young, the second son of Power Electronics¡® founder. He is


    around your age and studied hotel management as well. He has worked at renowned hotel chains


    around the world. I¡¯m sure you two will have much to talk about

 Chapter 737

    Chapter 737


    Chapter 737


    Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.


    Mike remainedposed and stretched his hand out toward Larissa with a smile. ¡°Nice to meet you,


    Larissa.¡±


    ¡°Nice to meel you too.¡± Larissa shook his hand.


    Seizing his chance, Gary excused himself and gave them some privacy.


    Larissa felt awkward.


    Mike picked up two sses of champagne from the table and gave Larissa one. ¡°Care for a drink?¡±


    Larissa took it and said. ¡°Thank you¡±


    ¡°Seems like M. Logan wants to matchmake us.¡±


    Mike rested on the edge of the table and stared as Gary weaved among the crowd.


    Larissa almost choked as she didn¡¯t expect him to be so direct


    Still she visibly rxed after that.


    ¡°He meddles in things he shouldn¡¯t¡±


    Sipping some champagne, Larissa sighed.


    ¡°All parents are like that,¡± Mike said with a chuckle. ¡°My parents are always pressuring me lo gel


    married. I was forced to attend today¡¯s banquet as well bul He turned to stare at Larissa. It was


    fortunate that I came, or I wouldn¡¯t have had the pleasure of meeting you.¡±


    Mike was 1 handsome, but he had a gentle temperament that was different from Kevan¡¯s. Although his


    words sourded like fattery, he


    made them sound sincere,


    Laken a liking to him.


    Larissa guessed that this was the reason why her father had taken


    ¡°Thank you for your kind words, Mr. Young.¡± Larissa clinked her ss with his. ¡°It¡¯s my pleasure to


    know you as well¡±


    She knew that it was out of courtesy. Mike¡¯s smile widened.


    As Gary predicted, they had simr lite experiences, thus they had manymon topics to talk about.


    Larissa quite liked this witty and humorous man. Of course, she only liked him as a friend.


    s, their lively conversation could convey a diferent meaning to others who were watching them..


    Gary stood at a distance and observed Larissa¡¯s expression.


    Seeing that she seemed receptive to Mike, Gary told Lewis, ¡°See, I told you she would like Mike.¡±


    Lew¡¯s remained silent with a grave expression on his face.


    ¡°The issue with Larissa is that she¡¯s encountered too few men! Otherwise, how would she be charmed


    by a man like Kevan?¡±


    Gary¡¯s eyes were filled with joy and his words sounded a little smug. When he spoke about Kevan, he


    curled his lips in distaste.


    Lewis did not say a word.


    Gary nced at him and suddenly turned serous, I know that you are on Kevan¡¯s side.¡±


    Taken abate, Lewis denied it, Tm not!¡±


    ¡°Iraised you after all. Compared to Larissa. I know you like the back of my hand. Do you think your true


    thoughts could escape my nolice?¡± Gary teased him.


    Lewis lowered his head.


    ¡°I can see how well Kevan treats Lari, but his family background is tooplicated.¡± Garyposed


    himself and spoke sternly. ¡°He¡¯s not suitable for Lari, inparison, Mike is just right. The Young family


    is well¨Cofl and they don¡¯t have many extended rtives. The Rogers family has too many internal


    conflicts. Il Larl marries the Young family, she¡¯ll livefortably for the rest of her life.¡±


    ¡°What if Lari insists on marrying Kevan?¡± Lewis mustered the courage to ask the burning question he


    had kept for a long time.


    Gary¡¯s expression changed and his eyes turned coc. All signs of him being drunk disappeared, ¡°I will


    make her change her mind,¡±

 Chapter 738

    Chapter 738


    Chapter 738


    One of Gary¡¯s close friends was a famous nist. He was among the guests. He was drunk and got


    into the mood for some music. So, he


    opened the cover of the grand piano and began ying. His lingers danced across the keys.


    The chatter of the people stopped all of a sudden


    Everyone tumed to look at the nist, who had a drunk smile on his face.


    He said. ¡°The next song is for today¡¯s star¨Cthe beautiful Ms. Larissa Seymour!¡±


    Larissa hurriedly put down the wine ss in her hand as she straightened up. She nodded a Ule at the


    pianist with the crowd between


    them


    The pianist¡¯s fingersnded on the keys again. Beautiful music filled the spacious hall


    Guests with female partners began to dance, and the others joined in. Even Mike held out his hand to


    Larissa


    ¡°May I have the honor of dancing with you. Ms. Larissa?¡±


    He bowed with a hand behind his back. His manners were perfect.


    Larissa did not want to have close contact with men, but she could not refuse him in front of everyone.


    After a moment of hesitation, she


    put her hand into his palm.


    Mike held her hand and led her to the middle of the dance floor.


    Larissa was the star of tonight¡¯s banquet as well as the song. The crowd parted for them and let them


    have the center spot of the hall


    Larissa did not know how to dance. She never learned how to do it. So, she could only listen to Mike¡¯s


    instructions and move as he told


    her to.


    His arm was wrapped around her waist and his head was close to her ear. He was muttering, ¡°Left¨C


    right¨Cleft¨Cright¨Cspin-¡±


    Larissa¡¯s head was down as she concentrated on memorizing the dance steps. She did not notice how


    intimate their current positions were at all


    Once the song ended, the crowd sumounded them.


    ¡°Ms. Seymour dances so well¡±


    ¡°It was such a beautiful treat to watch Ms. Seymour dance!¡±


    Ms. Seymour is indeed born of high status. She has the airs of a perfect socialiter


    Larissa forced herself to ept their fake ttery. Just saying ¡°Thank you¡± alone was enough.


    Larissa thought she could end this nonsense when someone threw out a ¡°Mike and Ms. Seymour look


    like the perfect couple!


    Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    The crowd was sessfully led on. They began to agree and echo the thought. They began praising


    Larissa and Mike for being such a sweet couple.¡±


    ¡°Ms. Seymour and Mike are a perfect match indeed. How enviable!¡±


    ¡°The way Mike held Ms. Seymour when they were dancing was like a prince holding a princess! It¡¯s so


    beautiful!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right Too bad I didn¡¯t record ill


    Previously, Larissa was still able to handle It. But it was a huge misunderstanding now. Her mind was in


    a mess. She did not know how to begin exining.


    She turned to Mike with a pleading look in her eyes, but he only shrugged. He had the same pained


    smile on hisce as she did.


    ¡°What¡¯s everyone talking about?


    ¡±


    Larissa could hear it even through the thick wal of prople.


    She was started as she stared right in the direction where the voice came from. The crowd tumed to


    look too. When they saw who it was,


    they looked surprised and happy.


    ¡°Mr. Rogers?

 Chapter 739

    Chapter 739


    Chapter 739


    ¡°Mr. Rogers is here too?¡±


    ¡°Hi, Mr. Rogers, I am¡±


    ¡°Mr. Rogers we met in Barthamst time, I am


    Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    Many of Gary¡¯s invited guests were Caldorians. Even if they had already immigrated to Aldovia many


    years ago, most of the businesses remained in Caldor, so they naturally knew Kevan


    The crowd¡¯s focus quickly changed, and the ¡°perfectly matched couple were tossed aside. However,


    the ¡°couple in question were not unhacry because of this.


    Larissa was stil staring nkly at Kevan, who came from who knew where.


    Mike was staring at Kevan with sparkling eyes too after he got over his surprise. He adjusted his tie


    and took an eager step. But then he suddenly seemed to have recalled something as he turned to


    Larissa. He looked a little ufortable,


    ¡°Do you want to greet Mr. Rogers too?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Huh? Larissa seemed to have woken up from a dream. Once she finally heard what Mike said, she


    smiled dryly and shook her head. ¡°No. thanks. You go on ahead.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Mike turned to melt into the crowd. He did not look back


    Larissa fell sour¨CKevan¡¯s charisma was crazy. It actually made her blind date abandon her without


    further thought! But Kevar did not stay in ce for long. He parted the crowd and walked forwards.


    There were many people who kept reaching out to him. They wanted to get close to him to tter him,


    but he ignored them all. His gaze remained furd on one ce.


    Mike waited for the moment Kevan stopped in front of him. te called out ¡°Mr. Rogers


    Unlike his charming attitude to Larissa. Mike looked a little nervous now. Surprisingly, Kevan did not


    brush past him. On the contrary, he stopped and studied Mike before asking him. ¡°And you are?¡±


    ttered Mike said, ¡°I- I¡¯m-¡± He was so excited that he could not speak properly. ¡°I¡¯m Mike, Gabriel


    Young¡¯s second son from Power Electronics, had the honor of meeting you thest lime you came to


    Power Electronics to talk about working together with my father.¡±


    Kevan frowned as he tried to recall A momentter, he said mildly, ¡°Indeed, that seemed to have


    happened.¡±


    Seeing that Kevan remembered him, Mike was gelling happier and he began to ramble. ¡°Myther is


    still talking about wanting to meet with you again, Mr. Rogers. I wonder if you¡¯ll be so kind as to full his


    wishes?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Kevan smiled faintly as he agreed rather readily.


    Mike¡¯s smile was so wide that it almost split his face in hall. His fair skin was also turning red quickly


    due to his excitement.


    ¡°Then ¨C When are you avable, Mr. Rogers? Myther and I will be ready for you at any time.¡±


    ¡°Leave me a business cardter,¡± Kevan said, ¡°I¡¯I contact you then.¡±


    ¡°Of course Mike quickly said, ¡°Til have someone bring the card now


    Seeing that Mike had sessfully gotten close to Kevan, they hurriedly copled him too.


    ¡°Mr. Rogers, my father is also talking about having a meal with you loo


    ¡°Mr. Rogers, my family¡¯s new restaurant is having its grand opening tomorrow. Would you like to give


    the menu a try?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Rogers, this is my business card. When you are free, you can call me at any time.¡±


    However, Mike¡¯s ¡®sess¡® was not so easily copied. Kevan became his usual cold sell again, and he


    walked right over to Larissa without looking away from her.

 Chapter 740

    Chapter 740


    Chapter 740


    Kevan seemed to have dressed up today. His tailored ck tuxedo seemed to show his aura even


    more than ever. His white shirt clung to his flesh, and his muscles bulged out


    The white vest he wore hugged his waist. His long legs were hugged by ck trousers.


    His bangs were swept off his forehead. They were set in ce with hair wax, making his eyes stand out


    When Larissa locked eyes with him she felt like her soul had left her body. She could only stand there.


    She could find no words.


    Kevan smiled. His eyes were shining. He nced at the punist in theer of the room and used a


    rare humble tone of voice as he asked. ¡°Please y another song.¡±


    The pianist was Aldovian. He was just regr friends with Gary.


    He had never been involved in the business industry, so he did not know Kevan. But from the way


    others treated Kevan at the banquet, the


    pianist could tell that Kevan was someone Important. So, he dared not neglect him.


    A lighthearted tune began to flow from the pianist¡¯s lingers. Kevan bowed to Larissa like a perfect


    gentleman. Hisrge hard reached for hers. He did not say anything but just kept staring at her.


    It was like Larissa had been bewitched. Even though her brain was not working, she stil reached out


    with her right hand.


    The moment her lingertips touched Kevan¡¯s Dam, he held her hand.


    His smile grew bigger, and he blinked.


    Unlike Mike¡¯s tentative hold, Kevan¡¯s arm had lirmly wrapped itself around Larissa¡¯s waist. It caused


    both their bodies to stick together.


    and breathing was difficult.


    Even though Larissa was wearing heels, she was stil shorter than Kevan. Her hair was under his chin,


    and his Adam¡¯s apple was invel with her gaze. Every lime he swallowed orughed, it would tremble. It


    made her face bur


    Kevan¡¯s dance steps were smoother than Mike¡¯s


    Lanssa did not know how to dance at all. She was barely able to follow Mike¡¯s instructions before.


    Now that she was surrounded by Kevan¡¯s strong aura she could not be calm at all. He brain was filled


    with all sorts of crazy thoughts.


    Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!


    It was so bad that she kept stepping on Kevan¡¯s loot during the rhythmic dancing. She left many gray


    marks on his pol shed shoes.


    Kevan was not angry. He slowed down so that he could match her rhythm instead.


    ¡®Don¡¯t panic,¡± he whispered into her ear. His voice was allractive. He hugged her as wel.


    Larissa pushed against his shoulder to put distance between them.


    ¡°Keep away from me.¡± She growled through gritted teeth.


    Kevan did not do what she wanted. It was like he was trying to piss her off on purpose. He purposely


    lightened his grip on her.


    An explosion went off in Larissa¡¯s brain. She widened her eyes and stared at Kevan in disbelief. Her


    lace, ears, neck, and even her lingertips were now a deep shade of red.


    Kevan only smiled wider, and his fingers rubbed at her waist.


    ¡°Lari.¡± He lowered his head and whispered into her ear, ¡°You look really cute right now.¡±


    Kevan¡¯s Adam¡¯s apple kept trembling as his attractive voice shook in Larissa¡¯s eardrums. ¡°So cute that


    I really want to eat your up.¡±


    Larissa pankked and lost her bnce. She hurt her loot. The pain from her ankle made her hiss and


    tears began to stream down herce.


    Ervan stopped teasing her. His expression was womed.

 Chapter 741

    Chapter 741


    Chapter 741


    Kevan did not hesitate in picking Larissa up¨Cbridal style. He made sure that his am was pinning her


    skirt in ce to preserve modesty.


    The hall became abuzz with chatter again.


    The guests came over with concern for Larissa¡¯s injury.


    15 Ms. Seymour alright?¡±


    ¡°Is she hurt?¡±


    ¡°Is it serious?¡±


    ¡°Get a doctor to take a look at it!¡±


    her


    Kevan still ignored everyone. He only asked Larissa, ¡°Where¡¯s your room?¡±


    Larissa bore the pain as well as she could as she pointed to the stairs. ¡°The second or.¡±


    Keven turned and headed to the stairs. However, he had only made it there hallway when someone


    stopped him,


    Gary had blocked Kevan with Lewis with him.


    ¡°Mr. Rogers.¡± Gary put on a fake smile, signaling Lewis to grab Larissa with his eyes. ¡°We will take care


    of Lari. You don¡¯t need to trouble yoursell anymore.¡±


    Lewis had justken one step forward when Kevan moved aside. He avoided Lewis hand.


    ¡°I¡¯ll send her up.¡± Unlike before, where he had always been amodating. Kevan denied Gary¡¯s


    request this time. Kevan circled around


    Lewis and walked away.


    Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    Gary was angry but he could not blow up in front of the quests. He could only watch as Kevan walked


    further away, leaving nim behind to soothe the confused guests.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright! Please continue, everyone. Let¡¯s not spoil the party!¡±


    Kevan brought Larissa into her room and ced her on the bed. He threw away the pair of luxurious


    heels studded in diamonds, staring hard at her swollen ankle. His brows were furrowed lightly together.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± His voice was hoarse, and he did his best to control the fear he felt. His guilt was written all


    over his face.


    Lanssa¡¯s heart ached, and she somehow pressed her hand to Kevan¡¯s forehead.


    Kevan froze before slowly lifting his gaze. He stared at her silently, a conflicting emotion showing in his


    eyes.


    Larissa¡¯s finger rubbed at his forehead until his frown waspletely gone, ¡°It¡¯s not yourull. Her


    voice was very solt, and the tendemess obvious. ¡°Don¡¯t be sad!¡±


    Kevan froze for two seconds before his eyes becarne harsh.


    Larissa only saw his lips pressed tightly together before she was yanked into his arms. She crashed


    against his chest. Kevan hugged her tightly and he was trembling for some reason.


    ¡°Lari. His solt kissnded on her bare shoulder. His lips were cold, but it made Larissas body burn with


    heat.


    ¡°You ¡ª Larissa found his ¡°passion¡± a little difficult to bear. She was hesitating about pushing him away


    though her hand was ready pushing against his shoulder. But when she identally saw Revan¡¯s


    eyshes wel with tears, het hand automatically slid down to wrap around his waist

 Chapter 742

    Chapter 742


    Chapter 742


    Kevan jolted hard, and his lips froze at Larissa¡¯s neck. However, his arms tightened around her and she


    had trouble breathing.


    Larissa sighed to herself and she lightly patted his back.


    ¡°So, you came to Westonia for a business trip? She used a much more rxing tonic to try to change


    the room¡¯s atmosphere.


    Kevan did rol respond though.


    Larissa waited for had a minute before she used an excuse for her own sake. ¡°You did say that you


    wereing for a business trip.¡±


    However, a lew secondster. Kevan said dully. ¡°No.¡±


    He was like Aster. They liked burying their faces in her neck. When they spoke, their lips rubbed


    against her skin, and it made her super ufortable.


    Larissa shilled a little and locked at Kevan in confusion. ¡°Huh?¡±


    Kevan locked over to lock gazes with her too.


    ¡°I didn¡¯te here for a business trip.¡± He said with such seriousness. ¡°I came here specifically to see


    you.¡±


    N?velDrama.Org content rights.


    Larissa¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She hurriedly avoided his burning gaze as her voice took on an


    unnatural tone. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you were going on a business trip through ourst video call?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think that you¡¯d find me at that time. If I told you the truth, you won¡¯t let mee.¡± Kevan


    confessed.


    Before Wency identally mentioned the banquet Kevan had not received any invitation for tonight¡¯s


    event


    He only found out that Gary intended to reveal Larissas identity at the banquet after digging for


    information from Lewis.


    This was an important point in Larissa¡¯s life. Kevan wanted to witness it in person. So, he pushed all


    the work that could be pushed into


    next week.


    Kevan spent the entire day without eating or sleeping toplete the other work. After that, he finally


    booked a flight that would take off shortly after midnight.


    Who knew that Larissa would text him to ask if she could video call him after he just reached the


    airport?


    Although he knew that he might get exposed once Larissa saw him in the waiting room of the airport,


    Kevan could not bear to refuse. This was the first time she had taken the initiative to video call him after


    all,


    ¡°Then why did you stille?¡± Larissa eyed him as she asked him teasingly. She did not even notice


    she had asked in that way. ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid that I would get angry after you came?¡±


    Kewan gazed at her rather sincerely. ¡°Are you angry then?¡±


    Angry? Of course not.


    When she saw him appear, Larissa actually secretly lell a little happy. But she was Ico embarrassed to


    say that out loud.


    ¡°Of course I¡¯m angry,¡± she said with a t expression on her face,


    Disappointment shed across Kevan¡¯s eyes. He slowly let go of her and stood up. He packed two


    steps away from the bed.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± His tone remained unchanged, but the strain was obvious in his voice. ¡°But I don¡¯t regret


    coming here.¡±


    His eyes were dead and lifeless.


    ¡°If you¡¯re angry, I will leave now. But Larl, you must remember¨Cyou can only be mine.¡±


    Those men who dared to eye her¨CKevan clenched his fists¨Che would never spare them. Shocked,


    Larissa felt strangely guilty when she remembered Mike, who was silll downstalis.

 Chapter 743

    Chapter 743


    Chapter 743


    But soon, Larissa was confident again. She had nothing going on with Mike. Even if she did, Kevan had


    no right to care about it. He was no


    one to herl


    Suddenly, someone coughed from the door.


    Kevan and Larissa tumed to look at the same lime.


    Lewis was standing at the door, his fist raised to knock.


    ¡°Lewis!¡± Larissa¡¯s eves were sparkling like she saw her savior.


    Lewis had just taken a step forward when Kevan red at him coldly. Lewis survival instincts made him


    stop. He said to Larissa at a very far distance, ¡°I¡¯ve called the family doctor over so he can see how


    bad you¡¯ve hurt yoursell¡±


    ¡°Okay Let him in quickly Larissa said hurriedly.


    Lewis called cut the door, ¡°Or. Smith!¡±


    The family doctor came in with his first aid kit


    Kevan frowned and asked unhappily, ¡°There¡¯s no female doctor?¡±


    Larissa twisted her ankle. To figure out the extent of her injury, the doctor would have to touch her.


    The moment Kevan thought of a man touching Larissa¡¯s soft skin, his jealousy blew right off the charts.


    He desperately wanted to tear


    said man to pieces.


    ¡°No.¡± Lewis was resigned. ¡°We only have this one doctor. Dr. Smith is very skilled, and he¡¯s a good


    friend of Uncle Gary¡¯s. Mr. Rogers, just


    stop nitpicking, okay?¡±


    Dr. Smith found it funny too. ¡°Rx, Mr. Rogers. To us, there are no gender differences among our


    patients. Besides, I alrea family. I won¡¯t be so nasty as you imagine me to be.¡±


    Kevan did not react to Dr. Smith¡¯s direct words, but Larissa blushed hard.


    Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Ignore him, Dr. Smith!¡± Larissa red at Kevar. ¡°He¡¯s crazy?¡±


    have a


    Kevan¡¯s eyes twitched. She was probably the only one who would dare to scold him like that. But he


    was not mad at all In fact, he actually


    felt kind of happy.


    Seeing that Kevan was not saying anything else, Dr. Smith went over to lift Larissa¡¯s loot.


    It was only a short time, but Larissa¡¯s ankle had a reacy


    by swelled quite a bit. Dr. Smith shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s twisted pretty bad. Don¡¯t run around anymore. You


    must stay at home and recover.¡±


    Larissa had stayed home and recovered for hall a year due to her car ident. She¡¯d spent too much


    of her he like a prisoner, So. whenever she heard that phrase, she would be scared.


    ¡°Doctor, we got to work I¡¯ve got to earn money and raise my son!¡± She was close to begging Dr. Smith


    at this point. ¡°What do you think if


    used a cane?


    As the Loganmily¡¯s doctor, Dr. Smith already knew about Larissa¡¯s identity before tonight¡¯s banquet.


    Now that he was listening to her


    attempts to ¡°buy his pity, he was unmoved.


    ¡°It¡¯s not up to me. It¡¯s up to Mr. Logan.¡± He took out a bottle of medicine that smelled really sharp from


    his kit and handed it over to Kevan. ¡°Here. Didn¡¯t you  me before? Apply it yoursell then.¡±


    The medicine smelled realy bad. It was kind of sticky loo once Il gol onto one¡¯s hand. It would be weird


    it an insane clean treas like Kevan would be okay with it!


    Larissa was prepared for him to refuse. But she did not expect him to reach out and take the medicine.


    He looked so calm that she wondered if there was something wrong with her nose.


    The medicine was not new, and it seemed to have been used for a very long time. Thebel stuck on


    the bottle was stained with


    Kevan stared at the bottle for a while before asking the doctor, ¡°How many times must I apply II?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s up to you! The doctor said as he packed up his things. ¡°If you¡¯re super free, you can apply it


    throughout the whole day for her if you want!


    Kevar¡¯s eyes lit up, and he happily epted. ¡°Day.¡±


    Larissa, on the other hand, was confused. ¡°Huh?¡±


    What was wrong with this doctor?

 Chapter 744

    Chapter 744


    Chapter 744


    Dr. Smith did not stay for long. The moment he left, Larissa leaned over to snatch the bottle of medicine


    away from Kevan. She waved to Lewis and called him over.


    Lewis nced at the angry Kevan, who was now as still as a statue. When he passed by thetter, he


    walked faster.


    The smell of the medicine grew stronger.


    Lewis frowned in disgust. He wished he could plug his nose right now. ¡°Hang on.¡± He drew two pieces


    of tissue out of their box from the bedside table at the head of the bed. He wrapped the medicine bottle


    with them before he held it in his hand.


    The way Lewis was right now was a sharp contrast to Kevan from before. Larissa¡¯s leelings grew


    complicated. She thought about it before she said to Kevan, ¡°Why don¡¯t you go down and chat with the


    other guests? I only need Lewis here.¡±


    It was hard for Kevan toe here. Even if he dide for her, it was only beneficial for him to make


    connections with all the influential business people downstairs in the living room.


    However, to Kevan, this was Larissa trying to chase him away. His pride did not allow him to bow his


    expensive head to beg her to allow him to stay. He simply lowered his gaze and nodded. Then, he


    turned and left the bedroom without even looking at her.


    Lewis kept staring at Kevan until the thick door blocked his gaze. ¡°Mr. Rogers is angry,¡± he said calmly.


    Larissa felt it too. She could not figure out why though.


    To her, she was only doing it for his own good. She did not want his hands to be dirty from applying the


    medicine for her. Getting him to go downstairs to socialize was just her trying to get him to expand his


    network of connections.


    ¡°Tell me, what has he got to be angry about?¡± Larissa asked in confusion and annoyance after she had


    exined her intent to Lewis.


    Lewis pitied Kevan a bit. His cousin was slow. He bet that Mr. Rogers would have many more moments


    of getting angry like he did today for the rest of his life.


    ¡°Next time remember to say such things directly to him,¡± Lewis advised her kindly. ¡°And-¡± He suddenly


    red coldly at her. ¡°You don¡¯t want his hands to be dirty. So, you asked me to do this instead?¡±


    Although Lewis could not stand the smell of the medicine, he still applied the medicine rather skillfully. It


    was just that Larissa was wailing in pain for a while.


    Gary heard about Larissa¡¯s injury from Dr. Smith. He abandoned the guests downstairs and dragged


    Mike with him upstairs.


    ¡°It¡¯s all Rogers¡® fault Gary shouted angrily. ¡°If it weren¡¯t for him, this would not have happened today!¡±


    Lewis had been ¡°beaten¡± by Gary earlier, so he definitely did not wish to speak up for Kevan now. He


    only massaged Larissa¡¯s swollen


    N?velDrama.Org content rights.


    ankle.


    Mike spoke up though. ¡°It¡¯s just an ident. Mr. Gary. Don¡¯t me Mr. Rogers, I¡¯m sure he didn¡¯t want


    this to happen either.¡±


    Betrayed by his favorite future son¨Cinw. Gary was shocked by this. He stared at Mike inplete


    disbeliet, his eyes wide.


    ¡°Mike, you. His mouth was trembling but he could not say a single word.


    Mike.


    Realizing he said the wrong thing. Mike smiled. But he could not criticize Kevan with Gary as this was


    not what he truly felt. So, turned to Larissa, who was sitting on the bed.


    ¡°Do you feel better now, Ms. Seymour?¡±

 Chapter 745

    Chapter 745


    Chapter 745


    Larissa forced herself to nod despite the pain. Much better.¡±


    ¡°Good, then.¡± Mike¡¯s voice was distant. It was even more distant than when they were talking earlier


    downstairs. ¡°I know a skilled orthopedic doctor, Il you need it, I can help you contact him.¡±


    ¡°No need!¡± Gary rejected him. Because Mike had delended Kevan earlier, Gary did not like Mike


    anymore. He was not nice to him. ¡°Do you


    think our family doctor can¡¯t handle an injury like this?¡±


    Mike admitted his mistakes. I was presumptuous. My apologies.¡±


    To prevent Gary and Mike from fighting, Larissa shol a look at Lewis.


    Lewis got the hint and said to Mike. ¡°Mike, before I came up, Mr. Brock of SouthSea Corporation


    seemed to be looking for you. I don¡¯t know why, but why don¡¯t you go see what¡¯s up?¡±


    C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    Mike knew what was up too. ¡°Okay.¡± He agreed to it and put on an apologetic look on his face. Tll be


    heading downstairs then.¡±


    Gary did not reply, his face cold. He only spoke alter Mike was gone, saying, ¡°is Mr. Brock of Southsea


    Corp more important than Lan? He truly can¡¯t prioritize things!


    ¡°That¡¯s enough, Dad, Larissa said. She decided to ust tear this facade apart. ¡°We all know what you¡¯re


    trying to do, okay? I¡¯m telling you, don¡¯t do this nor sense. If you try to matchmake me again, don¡¯t


    me me for being mad at you.¡±


    Due to her previous experiences, Larissa hated being matchmade. Even if she knew that Gary was not


    the same as the Seymours, and that he meant we.. she did not like it.


    They were not reasons for him to ignore her wishes and n her life for her


    Larissa¡¯s attitude was firm. That made Gary feel a little Intimidated, but he did not want to just give up


    like that.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t like Mike. But what if you like the next person I introduce to you? He tried to convince


    Larissa. ¡°I wasn¡¯t thinking about getting you to ept either. I just hope that you¡¯ll interact with more


    men. Otherwise, that stupid Rogers will be buzzing around you like an annoying fly. I hate it.¡±


    Larissa did not know that Kevan was the cause of all this. Thinking of his sad silhouette when he left,


    Larissa blurted. ¡°What if I like Kevan?¡±


    The two men froze before her voice faded out.


    Lewis collected himself first. He used the excuse of massaging Larissa¡¯s ankle to sneak a look at Gary


    to observe his reaction


    After all, he had asked a simr question half an hour ago. As for Gary¡¯s answer


    ¡°If you really like him. I will ept IL of course.¡± Gary smiled. He even reached out to rufile Larissa¡¯s


    hair. ¡°But I hope that you can think this through. This is about your future, after al¡®


    Lewis looked away to hide the disgust and scam in his eyes. One would think Gary¡¯s gentleness and


    understanding were real!


    Gary was already half dead from his rage. Still he had to maintain his ¡°kind father¡± mass in front of


    Larissa


    Afraid that Larissa would say something that would cause him to have a seizure, Gary made a quick


    getaway to entertain the guests.


    The bedroom door closed.


    This time, Lewis did not expose the reason why Gary


    ary was angry, because he was more curious about something else.


    ¡°You said you like Mr. Rogers. Is that true?¡±

 Chapter 746

    Chapter 746


    Chapter 746


    Lewis¡® question was too straightforward, and Larissa was not prepared.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Her eyes sparkled with something as she tried to lib. ¡°I just thought that Dad was too much, so I


    said that to make him angry on purposer


    ¡°So, you feel nothing for Mr. Rogers? Lewis pressed her.


    Larissa looked down. Her fingemails were digging into her palm. She did not want to let Lewis know


    how she felt. Still she did not want to


    lie either.


    Lewis knew what a long silence meant. ¡°I know your answer. His voice was mild. ¡°Next time Uncle Gary


    does anything else. I¡¯ll help you.¡±


    Larissa looked up. Lewis was not looking at her, and his expression was still normal


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell Uncle Gary about this.¡± He reminded her. ¡°Otherwise, I be kicked out of the house.¡±


    Larissa teared up because of how touched she felt.


    Although Lewis had always treated her like she was his biological sister, their rtionship only formed


    because of Gary.


    She never expected Lewis to choose her when she was in conflict with Gary. But Lewis did exactly that


    today.


    ¡°Lewis


    However, before Larissa could say anything heartfelt, Lewis interrupted her and said. ¡°I¡¯m only helping


    you because I think Uncle Gary¡¯s not handling this correctly. I have no thoughts of matchmaking you


    and Mr. Rogers


    ¡°But I must say this in defense of Uncle Gary. Although he can be kinda bossy, he¡¯s sill the person who


    loves you most in the world. Never


    ever doubt that.¡±


    Larissa replied with a sob. ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Lewis pushed her ankle off of his knee before using tissues to wipe of the remaining medicine


    on his hands. He grunted in disgust, still able to smell the medicine. Frowning, Lewis quickly threw the


    tissues into the trash can.


    Lewis stood up and asked Larissa, ¡°Will you go home tonight, or will you stay here?¡±


    He had massaged her ankle for so long. The swelling had reduced a little, but it still looked pretty


    hideous.


    ¡°If you want to stay, Fl be able to take you to thepany tomorrow.¡±


    C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    Larissa could not drive, and now that her ankle was swollen-


    ¡°I¡¯m going home.¡± Larissa was decisive. ¡°Wendy will be working overtime for a week starting from


    tomorrow. She has no time to pick Aster up at all I have to do it myself.¡±


    The so¨Ccalled ¡°Industrial Summit was held at the hotel Wendy worked in. It just so happened that


    Wendy¡¯s job was operational nning


    for big events.


    So, everything, including venue decoration and deployment of people, was under Wendy¡¯s job scope.


    When she got really busy, she could not even go home, so forget taking care of a kid.


    ¡°How can you pick Aster up with the way you are now?¡± Lewis assessed the situation before making a


    direct decision. ¡°Stay here. I will bring Aster here, and I¡¯ll send him to school tomorrow morning.¡±


    ¡°This is too far from his school, it¡¯s not convenient. Larissa insisted on leaving. ¡°I just twisted my ankle, I


    didn¡¯t break my leg. I can still walk. Besides, there are cabs everywhere in Westonia. Il I can¡¯t get a cab


    I can still get an Uber.¡±


    The environment here was too unfamiliar for Aster. Larissa was afraid that he would not be able to


    sleep well at night. Besides, Glory Hill was too far from the kindergarten, One would have to wake


    really early to send Aster to school


    Rather than make Aster suller, Larissa would rather suffer hersell.


    Seeing that Larissa was them and stubborn in her decision, Lewis said alter some thinking, ¡°How about


    this? Mr. Rogers will have to stay here for a while anyway, so you let him stay at your ce and help


    you with sending Aster to school.¡±


    ¡°Could you help me tell him? Larissa did not reluse this.


    ¡°Okay.¡°Lewis waved his phone at her. ¡°Il text you the details of the arrangementsler.¡±

 Chapter 747

    Chapter 747


    Chapter 747


    Larissa wated for a long time with her phone, but she did not receive any news from Lewis.


    She could not help but send a text to him. ¡°So? Has Kevan agreed to in?¡±


    There was still no response.


    Suddenly, the door opened and someone came in.


    Thinking that it was Lewis, Larissa began toin. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that youll serc me a Thest


    word went unsaid when she saw


    ¡°Wait, why is it you? She was so surprised.


    Kevan calmly said, ¡°Lewis told me to send you home.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Larissa was even more surprised than ever. ¡®Didnt he say that I should stay?¡±


    Kevan went over to the bed and picked Larissa up while she was still confused. ¡°He said that he has


    something going on tomorrow morning. Sa he told me to send you to thepany after sending Aster


    to school,¡±


    ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Larissa was too embarrassed to be leve¨Cheaded enough to figure out if Kevan was telling


    the truth or not.


    Kevan went downstairs with Lanssa in his arms.


    The banquel downstairs had ended. The quesis were all gone, and only chaos remained. The


    household staff were busy clearing up. When the couple passed by, the staff nervously greeted them.


    They did not dare to ask questions


    Gary and Lew¡¯s were not here.


    Kevan said. ¡°They¡¯ve gone to see the quests off.¡± So, he just carried her out of the door and got to the


    car.


    Because Larissa¡¯s leg was not okay, Kevan put her in the backseat. He got her to sit her zontally so


    that her injured lea could be stretched


    out straight


    When the car drove out of the vi, Larissa saw Gary and Lewis, who were waking back after seeing


    the guests off. They noticed Kevan¡¯s


    carloo.


    Gary looked away while Lewis waved at Kevan like he was saying goodbye to him.


    Once Kevan drove into the main road, Kevan sped up. The scenery blumed outside the window and


    one could only see dark shadows


    llying past.


    Larissa gripped the handle on the door. ¡°Why are you driving sost?¡± she asked Kevan.


    They were still in Glory Hill. Although there were not many cars, one would still have to pay a lot of


    money Il someone¡¯s car got scratched.


    ¡°Aster texted me earlier. He said that he¡¯s walling for you toe home,¡± Kevan said.


    Larissa took her phone out of her bag and saw that it was almost 10 pm. It was way past Aster¡¯s


    bedtime.


    ¡°This kid. She was a bit mad. But she fell hadr him, She did promise to apany Aster to bed


    tonight before he left the house this morning. Because she would start work tomorrow, she would not


    be able to spend so much time with him after that.


    ¡°Tll get him to sleep list. Don¡¯t rush. Safety lirsi.¡± Lailssa was just about to call Aster when her phone


    vibrated. The person calling her was


    C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    Lewis.


    Kevan heard her quiet murmur, and he nced at her trenugh the rearview mirror.


    Larissa answered the cal. She did not even have the chance to say anything when Lewis¡® anxious


    demand came through the phone. ¡°You fucking ran oll with Kevan?¡±

 Chapter 748

    Chapter 748


    Chapter 748


    Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    Lewis¡¯ voice was very loud. Even if Larissa did not put her phone on speaker, Kevan could hear every


    single word Lewis said.


    ¡°What do you mean? Larissa did not understand. ¡°Didn¡¯t you tell him to take me home?¡±


    She looked at Kevan in the driver¡¯s seat in confusion.


    Kevan¡¯s face remained unchanged, but he pressed down harder on the gas pedal.


    Lewis suddenly was not angry anymore. His voice was much calmer than before. ¡°I did tell him to bring


    you home.¡±


    Larissa was confused, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°I did tell Mr. Rogers to bring you home,¡± Lewis said. ¡°Uncle Gary was next to me earlier. I was afraid


    that he might kill me, so I had to act a


    bit.¡±


    Larissa did not know why Lewis did not tell her before letting Kevan take her away. Still she was


    reassured after she got confirmation from Lewis. At least, this was not some kidnapping¡± scheme that


    Kevan nned.


    ¡°Text me once you get home. I¡¯ll be waiting for you at thepany tomorrow, Just call me when you


    get there. I pick you up.¡± Lewis


    instructed her.


    ¡°Okay,¡± Larissa replied.


    Kevan only slowed the car down after Larissa hung up. ¡°Do you want to sleep for a bit?¡± he asked


    Larissa. ¡°There¡¯s still almost an hour


    before we get home.¡±


    It was quite a long time, and Larissa did not have anything else better to do. ¡°Okay,¡±


    She did not know where Kevan got his car from. The inside of the car was quite cozy. There were all


    kinds of soft toys as well as a pillow


    and nket for sleeping.


    Smelling thevender in the car, Larissa fell asleep against the car door,


    Kevan¡¯s heart only calmed down after seeing herst asleep through the rearview mirror.


    ¡°Lari?¡± He called her in a careful manner. Seeing that there was no response, he only stopped the car


    by the roadside.


    His muted phone indeed had a lot of messages. Some were from Dn, and there was one from


    Lewis. Dn was asking him where he had gone off to, and he was alsoining about the trouble


    with Cody. As for Lewis¨Cthere was only a smiling emoji from him.


    Kevan was aware of what the emoji meant.


    Kevan texted back a ¡°thank you.¡±


    Thank you to Lewis for covering for him, thus preventing a huge light between him and Larissa,


    ¡°exin to Mr. Logan next time.¡±


    Lewis ignored him.


    Kevan drove steadily, so Larissa did not feel any bumps at all while she was sleeping and until she


    woke up. Kevan still carried her upstairs. Even if she refused him, he refused her too.


    Unable to fight him, Larissa could only concede. She did not want to fight with him in public.


    Wendy and Aster were not asleep. They were watching a cartoon with the lights of

 Chapter 749

    Chapter 749


    Chapter 749


    When Larissa entered the apartment, Wendy and Aster were screaming together. They were hugging


    each other for some reason. It nearly blew Larissa¡¯s eardrums out


    Larissa turned on the lights. The warm yellow color lit up the space at once.


    ¡°What on earth are you doing at this time of the night instead of sleeping?¡± Larissa frowned. ¡°Did you


    see a ghost or something?¡±


    Seeing that it was Larissa, Wendy and Aster let out a sigh of reliel. They let go of each other.


    ¡°I was watching Koman¡± with your son.¡± Wendy¡¯s heart was still pounding, was so scary! I almost died


    because of it


    Aster immediately ed her. ¡°You¡¯re such a scaredy cat, Godma. It wasn¡¯t scary at a


    ¡°Who screamed because he was scared then?¡± Wendy did not spare his dignity as she pinched his


    nose. She scolded him, ¡°Kid, if you lie. your nose will grow longer!


    Aster batted her hands away. He touched his nose like he was checking to see if it grew longer.


    Larissa took one step forward.


    Kevan linally entered the apartment.


    ¡°Sit here. I¡¯ll help you with your shoes. Kevan helped Larissa to sit on the stool at the entrance hall.


    Just as he was about to crouch down. a little figure shot to his side and hugged his leg as he shouted,


    ¡°Daddy!¡±


    Kevan turned to smile at Aster. ¡°Wait first. Daddy will help Mommy change into her slippers.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± Aster pouted and stopped aside.


    Larissa, who had been ignored, red at Aster. She huffed andined. ¡°I was here for so long,


    and you didn¡¯t even say hi!¡±


    Aster threw himself at her with a huge smile on his face.


    Larissa pretended to push him away and looked unhappy. ¡°You only love your daddy now. You don¡¯t


    care about Mommy anymore.¡±


    Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.


    ¡°No way!¡± Aster hugged her neck. He refused to let go no matter how Larissa tried to peel him off of


    her. ¡°I love Mommy the most!¡± He tumed to nt a wel kiss on her cheek. ¡°I got scared earlier, so I


    didn¡¯t reactst enough. Mommy, don¡¯t get mad at me!¡±


    Larissa squished Aster¡¯sce. She hulled, though the softness of his cheeks made her reluctant to


    stop.


    While Aster and Larissa were speaking, Kevan was on one knee in front of Larissa. He helped her take


    off the fats that she was wearing. They were from his car, and they just so happened to be the right


    size.


    Wendy came over when she smelled the medicine on her. She saw Larissa¡¯s swollen ankle. ¡°Why is


    your leg injured again?¡±


    ¡°What? Whose leg is injured? Aster was more agitated than anyone else.


    Wendy jerked her chin at Larissa and said, ¡°Who else? Your clumsy mommy of course!¡±


    Aster crawled down from Larissa¡¯s body, and when he saw her ankle, he started crying


    He crouched next to Larissa, reaching out like he was going to touch the swollen bit. But he pulled back


    again because he was scared of


    hurting her.


    ¡®Mommy, does it hurt?¡± He prified as he looked up at her


    Larissa did not feel any pain in her ankle. But she definitely felt pain for her boy in her heart.


    ¡°No, no!¡± she said. ¡°I can walk. Let me show your


    s, the moment she tried to stand, Kevan pressed her back down from her shoulder. He stared at her


    and said, ¡°You really want to have your leg broken, huh?¡±


    Larissa became obedient at once. She sat there and waited for him to put on her slippers.


    Aster fell silent too. He wiped his tears and waited for her.


    ¡°I have to get to thepany early in the morning. Have fun chalting you three. I¡¯m going to sleep first.¡±


    She waved her hand. ¡®Aster still


    needs to go to school tomorrow. Keep yourselves in check, you two. Don¡¯t be toote=¡±


    Wendy¡¯s smile was rasly.


    Larissa picked up the shoe on the floor and threw it at her.

 Chapter 750

    Chapter 750


    Chapter 750


    As Aster was there, Larissa did not let Kevan carry her. She held his arm and hopped forward that way.


    Aster quickly ran over to her other side and supported her. He kept nagging her all the way from the


    entrance hall to the bedroom.


    ¡°Mommy, stop wearing heels!


    ¡°You¡¯re an adult now, why are you so careless when walking?


    ¡°How am I supposed to be okay with you going to work alone like that?


    Aster straight up copied the way Larissa scolded him and scolded his own mother the same way.


    Larissa just sat on the bed when Aster kicked off his slippers and wiggled into the sheets next to her.


    ¡°You promised me that I could sleep with you tonight¡± He was afraid that she would go back on her


    word, so he clutched at the sheets tightly and wrapped himself into a cocoon. Only his forehead and


    eyes were shown.


    Larissa gently poked at his forehead. ¡°I know!¡± She smiled dotingly at him though she was helpless at


    his actions. ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯ve chased you away yet. But- ncing at Kevan who was standing nearby.


    Larissa purposely leased Aster. ¡°Daddy will be staying here tonight¡± Don¡¯t you want to sleep with him?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Aster froze. A few secondster, a dimicult expression appeared on his face.


    ¡°I want to sleep with Daddy, but I also want to sleep with Mommy. His voice was so small and he kept


    looking at Larissa and Kevan like he was wondering who he should pick,


    Larissa patiently waited for Aster¡¯s answer.


    Kevan did not say anything either, he watched Aster¡¯s struggle with amused interest


    Suddenly. Aster seemed to have thought of a good idea as he smiled excitedly. There was a teasing


    look in his eye. ¡°We can all sleep together! Then I can sleep with both Daddy and Mommy!¡±


    Larissa choked on her own spit and began coughing violently. She did not wait for herself to calm down


    before she shifted over quickly to


    cover Aster¡¯s mouth.


    ¡°You can¡¯t say such things ever again? She scolded him seriously. ¡°Boys and girls cannot randomly


    sleep together on a bed!


    Aster pulled at her hand, letting out muffled cries as his big eyes showed confusion. He finally


    managed to free himself as he protested her views. ¡°But my ssmates said that their Daddy and


    Mommy sleep together! Why are you two different?¡±


    This question really got Larissa. At this point, any answer she gave seemed to be wrong.


    Should she tell him that Kevan was not really his dad? But he really was. Should she tell him that she


    and Kevan were not married? But someone just recently tried to force her to marry him, so bringing this


    up would only trigger him at this point.


    In the end, it was Kevan who saved her. ¡°Mommy is a girl, Girls get shy easily.¡± He peeled Aster out of


    the sheets and carried him in his arms. He discussed softly with the kid. ¡°Mommy¡¯s lool is hurt. What


    happens you identally touch her injury when you sleep with her?


    il


    C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    Mommy will be in pain,¡±


    Astery on Kewan¡¯s shoulder as he stared seriously at Larissa¡¯s ankle for a while. ¡°Okay then-¡± He


    conceded pitifully. ¡°I sleep with


    Daddy tonight,¡±


    Kevan rewarded him with a kiss. ¡°Good boy, Aster.¡± Then he turned to Larissa and said, ¡°I take him to


    sleep in the next room then.¡°.


    Larissa actually felt reluctant to part with him. She was going to officially start work at Blue Star


    Shipping tomonow. She did not know If she would have the chance to sleep with Aster again in the


    future. But her foot was indeed a problem.


    ¡°Okay.¡± She nodded.


    Aster tugged on Kevan¡¯s cor to signal the man to bend down. Kevan did what the kid wanted and put


    him close to Larissa.


    Aster used his tiny hands to hold Larissa¡¯s face, nting a kiss on her cheek. ¡°Goodnight, Mommy!¡±


    Larissa¡¯s heart was filled with a lot of warmth.

 Chapter 751

    Chapter 751


    Chapter 751


    Larissa pressed a kiss to Aster¡¯s forehead before rubbing his cheek. She said longingly. ¡°Goodnight.¡±


    ¡°Alright¡± Aster hugged Kevan¡¯s neck again. ¡°It¡¯s Daddy¡¯s turn!


    Larissa and Kevan both froze. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°The goodnight kiss!¡± Aster urged his mom. ¡°Mommy, you haven¡¯t kissed Daddy goodnight yell


    Larissa was embarrassed and flustered. Honestly, why was this kid so good at pushing her into death


    traps now?


    ¡°She was just about to find an excuse to avoid it when her forehead was suddenly touched by


    coldness-Kevan had r fed a light kiss on her forehead, and he pulled away before a second was


    even over.


    ¡°Goodnight¡±


    He gazed at her, the gentleness in his eyes was enough to drown her. The heat from the point of the


    kiss began to spread all over her body, Larissa only felt hot, and her heartbeat was geing insane. She


    did not even dare to look at him.


    Hugging Aster, Kevan straightened up. He walked cut of the bedroom while he exined to the kid. ¡°I


    told you, Mommy is a girl and gets shy easily. Boys should be more forward when ites to things


    like kissing.¡±


    Aster nodded. ¡°I got it. So, I should be forward in Kissing Lily, right? And not wait for her toe and


    kiss me?¡±


    The feelings of nostalgia that Larissa had just gotten were immediately ruined by the conversation. As


    a mother, the sense of responsibility she had made her shout angrily without a care of how she looked,


    ¡°stair Simmons! You get back here right now!¡±


    In the end. stair Simmons did note back.


    But Kevan did promise her that he would quide Aster on the right path and stop teaching him all those


    nonsensical adult thoughts.


    Thus, after losing sleep for two nights, Larissa finally slept well for the first time until daylight. Her rmExclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.


    was set at the usual time.


    After she ran through her morning routine with ar injured leg, Larissa hopped to the kitchen, but she


    noticed that the light was


    Surprisingly on.


    Kevan was wearing the cartoon apron she bought, and he was standing by the stove. He was holding


    the spat and flipping the fried egg inside to the other side.


    He had changed out ofst night¡¯s tuxedo into in cotton pajamas. No one knew where he got them.


    The hair that had been frozen in ce by hair wax was now falling down naturally. Under the warm


    light, Larissa shockingly get the aura of a ¡°sweet man¡±ing from him. Hearing the noise, Kevan


    turned over to look. When he saw her, he frowned, and he was back to being that cold man as usual.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you not to move around?¡± He turned off the stove, put down the spat, and got Larissa


    into a chair at the dining table before she could resist him. He did not even have time toke the apron


    off.


    ¡°Wait here. Breast is almost ready.¡± With that, Kevan turned back into the kitchen.


    Wendy had just emerged from her room at this time los. Her makeup was perfect and her clothes were


    neat. She looked at her watch and hurried to the entrance hall, ¡°I¡¯m in a rush, No need to make me


    breakfast!¡±


    Larissa raised her voice and delivered the message to the one in the kitchen. ¡°Wendy¡¯s going to work


    now. You don¡¯t have to make her breakfast.¡±


    Wendy froze before charging back to the dining room. ¡°You¡¯re here? Then the one making breast is-


    When she saw Kevan busy In the kitchen, she chucked away her briefcase and sat on a chair.


    ¡°No rush!¡± Wendy shouted at Kevan like she was scared he could not hear her, ¡°I have breakfast at


    home before I go!¡±

 Chapter 752

    Chapter 752


    Chapter 752


    After Kevan sent Aster to school he came back to the car. When he got in, his gaze drilled to Larissa,


    who was sitting in the backseat. She was staring nkly out the window while leaning against the door.


    He did not know what she was thinking about.


    She seemed to be like this all the way from home as long as Aster was not talking to her.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Kevan asked her.


    Larissa snapped out of it and forced a smile. ¡°Just figured something out.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Kevan was a little stunned.


    ¡°Nothing.¡± Larissa shook her head before changing the topic to Kevan himself. ¡°How long are you going


    to stay here this time?¡±


    Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t decided. Kevan started the car. He looked at her through the rearview mirror and asked,


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Just asking.¡± Larissa casually wrote it off before looking out the window in silence again.


    Kevan shoved down all the questions in his heart, but his worry just could not disappear. When did this


    change in Larissa happen? Kevan tried to recall carefully. It seemed to be-


    Wendy and Aster wereplimenting his cooking skills in a ridiculous manner at the table during


    breakfast. They evenpared it to Larissa¡¯s usual breakfast praising his and criticizing hers. At that


    time, Larissa already did not look okay.


    Although she had retorted, and he had smoothed things over and helped her regain her dignity, she


    seemed to be still stuck on this issue. Or at least, that was what it seemed to be from her current state.


    ¡°Your cooking is fine. Delicious even,¡± Kevan suddenly said.


    He skipped topics so fast that Larissa had no chance to react, ¡°Why are you suddenly talking about


    this?¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you angry?¡± Kevan studied her expression carefully. He then used a lighter tone to say. ¡°Wendy


    and Aster were just ttering me. I never took it seriously, so you don¡¯t have to either,¡±


    ¡°Huh? You thought I was Larissa now only realized what he was talking about andughed. ¡°I wasn¡¯t


    angry.¡±


    This time Kevan was the confused one. ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°I know what they¡¯re like. Larissa usually traded verbal barbs with Wendy like that. They would not get


    angry at each other over this. Besides, your cooking is truly better than mine.¡± She openly admitted the


    skill gap between her and Kevan. ¡°They were telling the truth.¡±


    Her words were sincere. There was no faking in it. Kevan was more confused than ever.


    ¡°Then why are you¡± He thought for a very long time before he managed toe up with a term. ¡°So


    down?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not down either.¡± Larissa felt resigned. ¡°I was just thinking.¡±


    She had just focused a little harder, struggled a little more, and got misunderstood for something else.


    She had just been thinking. She said that already.


    Kevan nodded in response, but he was still worried about it.


    The car stopped at the building where Blue Star Shipping was.

 Chapter 753

    Chapter 753


    Chapter 753


    Kevan quickly got out of the car to open the door for Larissa. He also made sure to give her his arm.


    Using his arm, Larissa stepped steadily on the floor..


    She had made a rare change to her usual working heels¨Cthey were her bat heels¡°-as both Kevan


    and Asterhad forced her to wear a pair of warm Ugg loafers instead.


    Thank goodness the trousers she had chosen were lorg enough. It was just enough to hide the loafers


    that shed with her overall style.


    Kevan stood in front of her. He bent down and helped her zip up her knee¨Clength down


    un jacket until her neck was covered up.


    ¡°It¡¯s cold out.¡± he said. When he saw her annoyed frown, he soothed her like a child. ¡°Be good.¡±


    Larissa immediately looked away, her face red. She did not dare to look at him.


    N?velDrama.Org content rights.


    After a night of restbined with the application of medicine from Kevan as well as a massage, the


    swelling at Larissa¡¯s ankle had shrunk, Still she could not use too much force when walking.


    She did not let Kevan send her up, but she hobbled into the building hersell, which attracted the


    attention of many people.


    Lewis had already prepared her name tag and given it to her. She sessfully passed through the


    many gates downstairs with it.


    Because it was past working peak hours, there were not many people lining up at the elevator. Larissa


    was toozy to call Lewis to make hime down and get her because of that. She thought it was a


    waste of his time.


    The space of the elevator car was narrow, and the air was not circting.


    The medicine smell from Larissa made her new colleagues standing near her cover their noses. They


    also gave her a lot of stares of .


    The inside of the elevator was all golden metal mirrors, so Larissa was able to see a.. the open and


    secret stares people were giving her. She looked down and said nothing. She acted like she did not


    sense anything and just stared at her feet nkly,


    After several stops, Larissa and another person were the only ones left in the elevator. That was a


    blonde, busty, beautiful woman, who wore thetest Chanel suit. She also had amoskin bag with her.


    They shared the same destination: the presidential office, which was


    located on the topmost floor.


    The moment the elevator doors opened, the woman behind Larissa quickly exited the elevator before


    Larissa hersell could.


    As the woman passed her by, Larissa could kind of hear a light snicker. Looking at her own outfit,


    Larissa was super annoyed.


    Ever since Larissa entered the building, no one was dressed the way she was. No one wore a thick


    down jacket. It was like they could not feel the cold outside, and they wore thin suits¨Csome lemale


    employees even wore short skirts without pantyhoses. They only covered


    themselves with a thin coat.


    When standing among them, Larissa stood out a lot.


    If she had known about this earlier, Larissa would have preferred to freeze to death even if it meant that


    those two males at home would nag her to hell for not wearing the jacket.


    Larissa took off the down jacket and held it in her arm. She calmed her breathing before stepping into


    the presidential office.


    She simply found a male colleague and asked with a polite smile. ¡°May I know where Mr. Lewis¡® ollice


    is?¡±


    ¡°Why are you looking for Mr. Lewis? The man was very alert upon seeing her unfamiliar face. ¡°Did you


    make an appointment? Mr. Lewis is very busy with work. He will not meet anyone if there is no


    appointment.¡±


    Larissa showed him her name tag. ¡°Im the new assistant for the president.¡± She saki, ¡°Mr. Lewis is my


    direct supervisor. I¡¯m looking for him to report for work.¡±


    ¡°Oh, so it¡¯s you!¡± The man suddenly realized it, and his attitude became friendlier. ¡°Mr. Lewis did tell us


    two days ago that there will be a new colleagueing today.¡± He stood up and led Larissa Inside. ¡°He


    should be in his office right now. I¡¯ll take you to him.¡±


    As it was during working hours, most people were seated at their workces. But Larissa and the guy¨C


    mainly Larissa¨Cwere walking by rather noticeably, so people kept looking up at thern. questioningly.


    Larissa hurriedly said, ¡°I¡¯m Larissa. Pleased to meet you all.¡±

 Chapter 754

    Chapter 754


    Chapter 754


    Larissa¡¯s colleagues had different expressions on theirces. Their attitudes to her were different too.


    The male colleagues were quite friendly. Some smiled at her, same nodded, and some waved too.


    Although the female colleagues were smiling, their smiles did not reach their eyes. Larissa could even


    see some obvious hatred on theirces.


    She did not know where the hatred came from¨Cher role was not the same as theirs, she would not


    threaten their positions at all. As for her


    appearance¡­ Well, it was no match for theirs either.


    Larissa could only pretend that she had not seen anything. She just pretended to be a dummy and


    treated everyone politely.


    Lewis office was next to Gary¡¯s, and it was at the innermost part of this floor.


    Gary¡¯s secretary, who had greeted her before, still recognized her. The moment she saw her, she stood


    up at once. Her greeting was still friendly despite her panic. ¡°Are you looking for Mr. Logan Senior?


    Larissa processed this title. ¡°Mr. Logan Senior¡± must be referring to Gary. So, she shock her head and


    pointed next door. ¡°I¡¯m looking for Mr. Logan Junior.¡±


    The secretary rodded before asking. ¡°Do you need me to make a call for you?¡±


    Larissa shook her head again. ¡°No need, I¡¯ve already made an appointment with him.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± The secretary smiled. ¡°If you need anything, you can find me any time. I¡¯m Marilyn White.¡±


    ¡°Okay, thanks. Marilyn,¡± Larissa also thanked the male employee who brought her over before she


    knocked on Lewis¡® office door and


    entered.


    The door had just closed when the male employee leaned over to Marilyn¡¯s desk to ask, ¡°You know this


    newbie?¡±


    As Gary¡¯s secretary, Marilyn was always a cold person. She frequently ignored many old employees,


    much less the new ones.


    Regaining her usual cold face, Marilyn returned to her seat and did not even look up. ¡°None of your


    business.¡±


    The male employee left timidly.


    Lewis stopped working the moment he saw Larissa enter his office. He took two to three steps forward


    to support her,ining as he did. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you to call me so that I can go down and bring you


    up?¡±


    Larissa was forced to sit on the couch in his ollice, and she felt resigned at his overreaction.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like I can¡¯t walk


    Besides, I don¡¯t want your special care. Otherwise, our colleagues will think too much into it¡±


    N?velDrama.Org content rights.


    She decided not to expose her identity until the day she officially took over thepany. Otherwise,


    she would not be only shaming herself when she messed up somehow. She would shame Gary 100.


    Lewis understood Larissa¡¯s concerns. He pressed his lips lightly together and decided not to say


    anything else. He looked down at her ankle which was covered by her trousers.


    ¡°Is it better?¡± he asked.


    Larissa lifted her trouser leg and showed him. ¡°It¡¯s much heller. Kevan massaged the swelling for me


    again this morning for ten minutes.¡±


    Lewis¡® expression becameplicated. ¡°He slept at your cest night?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Sensing Lewis¡¯shift in emotions, Larissa quickly added, ¡°He slept with Aster in analher room,


    don¡¯t overthink ill¡±


    Lewis locked down and skloped this topic. ¡°Come byter during break time in the alternoon. I¡¯ll


    massage it for you again.¡±


    Larissa said, ¡°Ckay,¡± before asking, ¡°What¡¯s my job scope? She desperately wanted to know.


    ¡°In half an hour, Mr. Logan will have a weekly meeting with all the department heads. You must note


    down everything and understand the true state of thepany. Alter that, there are these Lewis picked


    up a heavy stack of documents from his table.


    1/2


    ¡°Okay.¡± Larissa quickly entered her work mode. She got up to ept the documents, but Lewis


    avoided her. ¡°Il help you to bring them to your workce.¡±


    Larissa only remembered to ask, ¡°Where¡¯s my workce?¡±


    Larissa¡¯s position was ¡°assistant to the president.¡± so she had a way lower rank than Lewis. That


    naturally meant that she did not have her own office. Her workce was at a table outside Lewis¡®


    office. It was just across from Marilyn¡¯s. There was a path separating them.

 Chapter 755

    Chapter 755


    Chapter 755


    Lems helped Larissa out of his office, then he put the documents nicely on her desk


    ¡°Marilyn.¡± He turned to call her. ¡°Do you have extra pens and notebooks? Let Larissa have some.¡±


    Marilyn took out the things he wanted from her drawer before she delivered the things to Larissa¡¯s


    desk. ¡°Just stick with these for now. If you don¡¯t like them, I¡¯ll ask for more from the admir strative


    department.¡±


    ¡°I like them, thanks,¡± Larissa epted the pens and notebooks.


    Lewis rapped or Larissa¡¯s desk and instructed her. ¡°Il you don¡¯t know anything, just go to my office and


    ask me.¡±


    He spoke in Caldorian with her. Marilyn did not understand, so she just stared at them curiously with


    herrge green eyes.


    Sensing Marilyn¡¯s gaze. Lewis asked. ¡°Is there a problem?¡±


    Marilyn shock her head quickly. ¡°No! Not at all¡± She quickly returned to her workce.


    Larissa read the documents Lewis gave her seriously. She scanned them all. They were recent reports


    and statements from each department.


    She did simr work at Bartham¡¯s Winston Hotel so she got used to the job prettyst.


    Twenty minutester, the doors of the president¡¯s office and the executive assistant¡¯s office opened.


    Gary and Lewis appeared from their respective cffices.


    Larissa and Marilyn stood up at the same time like they were startled.


    Gary¡¯s gazerded on Larissa first. His face was beginning to soften when Larissa gave him a waming


    look. He immediately looked away and pulled his stemce back.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go for the meeting.¡± he said.


    Larissa and Marlyn walked behind them side by side.


    Gary and Lewis walked rather slowly today. Marlyn was confused at first until she noticed the unnatural


    way in which Larissa walked. Then, she understood.


    Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    The meetingsted the whole morning. Larissa¡¯s notes took up several pages. It was more than what


    Marilyn noted down for the meeting records.


    Seeing how Gary worked in person, Larissa only knew that managing arge corporation was harder


    than managing a hotel,


    When the meeting ended, it was already break time in the afternoon.


    Gary and Lewis¡® lunches were delivered to their offices every day. Today was no exception


    Marilyn carefully asked Lewis, ¡°Mr. Logan Junior, should someone deliver Larissa¡¯s lunch up here too?¡±


    Lewis had not yet spoken when Larissa quickly answered, ¡°No, not I can go eat in the caleteria mysel!!¡±


    Lewis gave her a look and asked, ¡°Do you know where the caleteria is?¡±


    Larissa hugged Marilyn¡¯s arm as she tried to get close to the woman. ¡°You¡¯re going to the cafeteria,


    right? I go with you!¡±


    ¡°¨¹m ¡°Marilyn looked at her, then at Lewis, before an idea hit her. It was the perfect idea. ¡°How about


    this¨Cwhat would you like to eat? IL bring it up for you.¡±


    Seeing that Larissa was about to refuse, Marily told her. ¡°I noticed that your leg seems to be injured,


    and it¡¯s difficult for you to walk. There. are a lot of people in the cafeteria, it won¡¯t be good il someone


    makes your injury worse! Don¡¯t go downstairs before you recover fully.¡± Lewis answered for Larissa.


    ¡°Sorry for the trouble, then.¡±

 Chapter 756

    Chapter 756


    Chapter 756


    Marilyn went to the cafeteria to get two lunches. When she was waiting for the elevator, she happened


    to meet people from the presidential office.


    There were some who she was friendlier with. They deliberately leaned in and asked her, ¡°Marilyn, do


    you know the background of that new assistant?¡±


    Marilyn¡¯s predecessor. Gary¡¯s previous secretary, was fired because she leaked his private Information


    by ident. She was unable to find a job in Westonia because Gary purposely made sure that she


    would not be able to. Having no other choice, she went back to her hometown.


    Leaming this lesson, Marilyn always kept her mouth shut whenever it came to Gary or Lewis¡® private


    lives.


    ¡°No idea.¡± she said.


    Someone noticed that she was carrying two trays.


    ¡°Who are you bringing lunch to?


    Because Mr. Logan Senior and Junior¡¯s lunches were arranged toe from high¨Cend restaurants,


    they naturally thought that it was for


    that new assistant.¡±


    The elevator happened to arrive then. Marlyn entered first, ignoring all of their questions.


    The others followed quickly, surrounding Marilyn while they chattered away. ¡°Did she ask you to help


    her? Or was it Mr. Logan Junior¡¯s instructions?¡±


    ¡°Is she serious? Acting like a diva on the first day of work! Marilyn¡¯s Mr. Logan Senior¡¯s secretary, not


    hers! Why should Marlyn serve her?¡±


    ¡°I told you that she¡¯s not a normal person! What kind of man is Mr. Logan Junior? Ive never seen him


    bring in anyone new alter joining thepany! That assistant definitely has something going on with


    him!¡±


    ¡°That assistant¡¯s kinda old, right? She wears such ugly clothes too! What does Mr. Logar Junior see in


    her?¡±


    ¡°Who knows? Maybe Mr. Logan Junior¡¯s tastes are not the same as normal men¡¯s


    All kinds of sour, cruel words exploded out of the mouths of all these well¨Cdressed women.


    Marilyn did her best to ignore thosements. Before she exited the elevator, she warned them in a


    low voice. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to lose your jobs, don¡¯t say such things ever again.¡±


    The crowd loooed at each other.


    The following altemoon was calm and peaceful.


    Larissa had no other work. She remained seated at her workce, seriously reading the documents


    from Lewis.


    In the middle of it all, Gary and Lewis entered and exited their offices several times. When they passed


    by her workce, they did not stop


    at all.


    N?velDrama.Org content rights.


    Blue Star Shipping did not seem to have a work overtime culture. The moment it was time to get off


    work, everyone stopped what they


    were doing and began to pack up.


    Larissa was unused to such an environment, but she was satisfied too. This seemed to be the first time


    she had worked during normal hours after graduating from university.


    Lewis sent her a text, telling her to wall for him. ¡°I¡¯ll send you hometer.¡±


    At the same time, she received a text from Kevan telling her that he was waiting downstairs.


    Larissa thought about it, then decided to refuse Lewis.


    Seeing that the two Mr. Logans had no intentions to get off work while Larissa herself had already


    stood up with her bag on her back. Marilyn stepped forward and supported Larissa considerately. She


    asked, ¡°You must not have driven here, right? Do you need me to give you a ride?¡±


    ¡°Thanks, but no need.¡± Larissa shook her head. ¡°Someone¡¯s picking me up.¡±


    Marilyn was not surprised. ¡°I¡¯ll go down with you then.¡± She smiled. ¡°We can chat a bit on the way


    down.¡±


    They had eaten lunch together in a small meeting room, so their rtionship was closer than it was in


    the beginning


    ¡°Sure.¡± Larissa felt good about Gary¡¯s beautiful and generous secretary. ¡°But I¡¯ll be walking a little


    slower, do you mind?¡±


    ¡°Of course not! Marilyn said.


    When those who had not yet left saw the way Marilyn was being such a pdog,¡± they showed looks of


    disdain or .

 Chapter 757

    Chapter 757


    Chapter 757


    But there were definitely those who came over to ¡°kiss up to Larissa too, like the busty blonde with blue


    eyes Larissa met in the elevator that morning.


    She naturally hooked herself onto Larissa¡¯s other arm and introduced herself before Larissa could


    react. ¡°Hi, Larissa, darling. Im Judy Turner,¡±


    Her perfume smelled worse than the medicine Larissa used. Larissa sneezed because of that.


    Judy swiftly let go and stepped aside, afraid that Larissa¡¯s snot would hit her. Judy let out a light tsk as


    she took out a tissue. She carefully wiped the hand that touched Larissa before along with the bag that


    hung on that same arm.


    Seeing the way Larissa and Marilyn were staring at her with aplicated look in their eyes. Judy


    smiled falsely at Larissa and apologized. ¡°Sorry, honey, I¡¯m a bit of a clean freak.¡±


    Larissa could understand. After all she would soon be together with the world¡¯s biggest clean freak.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡± She smiled with a look on her face that screamed ¡°I don¡¯t mind.¡±


    Judy did not touch Larissa again, but she still walked by Larissa¡¯s side.


    ¡°Larissa, are you supermiliar with Mr. Logan Junior?¡± Judy pretended to ask casually.


    Marilyn gave her a cold stare as a warning.


    Judy ignored it.


    Marilyn looked away and ignored her.


    Larissa, on the other hand, was awkward. She had already taken great care to maintain a distance


    from Lewis, but who knew that someone would still notice something wrong?


    ¡°No? Larissa pretended to be dumb. ¡°I met him for the first time today.¡±


    Marilyn pretended to be dumb too, and she did not make anyment on this.


    Judy clearly did not believe Larissa¡¯s le, but she did not expose her at once. She continued to ask, ¡°Did


    Mr. Logan Junior hire you in person?


    Larissa nodded. ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°W. Logan Junior has never hired a female assistant. You¡¯re the first!¡± The Jealousy in Judy¡¯s voice was


    obvious. Even if Larissa was slow, she could tell by this point.


    ¡°I¡¯m Mr. Logan Senior¡¯s assistant, not Mr. Logan Juniors.¡± Larissa corrected Judy. Besides, I¡¯m sure Mr.


    Logan Junior hired me because of my capabilities, and not because of whatever it is that you¡¯re


    thinking of.¡±


    The second hall of her words were spoken with a bit of guilt, but Larissa forced hersell to keep a


    straightce and act confident.


    Thankfully, this pretense was well¨Cmaintained.


    Judy was struck speechless by Larissa, and she left quietly by hersell.


    Kevan¡¯s car was parked at the same ce he did this morning.


    Marilyn helped Larissa to the roadside, and her expression changed when she saw the car brand.


    ¡°Sorry to trouble you so much today, Marilyn.¡± Larissa was very grateful to her as she waved Marilyn


    goodbye. ¡°See you tomorrow!¡±


    Marilyn quickly said, ¡®See you tomorrow!


    When they were speaking, Kevan had gotten out of the car. He went to the backseat door and opened


    it for Larissa.


    Marilyn was stunned when she saw him, and she sighed. ¡°Larissa, your driver is so handsome!¡±


    Kevan expressionlessly said. ¡°Ma¡¯am, please get in the car.¡±


    Larissa¡¯s spire chilled for no reason. She did not dare dy anymore and swiftly entered the car.


    ¡°Mommy!¡± Aster¡¯s delighted voice came from the front.


    Larissa was shocked. ¡°Old Daddy pick you up from school?¡±


    C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    ¡°Yup!¡± Aster put the car seat down so that he could look at her. He said proudly. ¡°We walked around


    Freddy¡¯s ssroom! Freddy¡¯s expression was too funny!¡±

 Chapter 758

    Chapter 758


    Chapter 758


    Aster and Freddy were in the same kindergarten. Because they were half a year apart, they studied in


    different ss groups.


    They did not have much interaction in school. They would greet each other and chat a little on the rare


    chance they met each other when going to school and going home after school.


    However, these little interactions were gone ever since the unhappy incident from before.


    Larissa did not know how she should react.


    Aster¡¯s little act of revenge was definitely childish, and should not be encouraged. But she could totally


    understand his extreme sensitivity. Besides, it was not like Aster¡¯s goal was to hurt anyone. So, she


    rubbed his head and smiled resignedly as she asked. ¡°Are you happy now?¡±


    Aster nodded hard. ¡°Yep! Freddy won¡¯t ever say that I don¡¯t have a daddy anymore!¡±


    Larissa¡¯s heart ached immediately. ¡°Yeah!¡± She pressed her lips tightly together and forced back the


    tears that she could feel wereing.


    Kevan had missed their conversation, When he got into the car, the strange atmosphere made him


    keep quiet.


    Aster sat back in his seat properly and put on his seat belt. ¡°Daddy, are we going home now?¡± he


    asked.


    Kevan hummed lowly in confirmation as he started the car.


    ¡°Aww¡ª¡°Aster was clearly disappointed.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Kevan¡¯s voice was softer when he saw Aster¡¯s sad face.


    ¡°I wanna watch a movie at the cinema.¡± Aster carefully said what he wanted.


    Kevan did not agree at once. He used his eyes to seek Larissa¡¯s thoughts on the matter.


    ¡°Sure.¡± Larissa naturally did not say no.


    ¡°Yay!¡± Aster was so happy he started dancing in his seat.


    There were not many people at the cinema on a weekday night.


    Aster chose a Disnie movie that was quite popr as it was being screened all over the world now.


    ording to him, everyone else but him had watched the movie in ss. Whenever his ssmates


    talked about the movie, Aster could only listen nearby, and he could not join in the conversation.


    Larissa kissed Aster¡¯s cheek with guilt. She had promised to make things up to her kid. But she still


    ignored him as usual in the end.


    Aster did not show any sadness though. He was still happy that he was no longer going to ¡°not fit in


    anymore.


    Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    Kevan came back with the movie tickets, and he had three cups of carbonated drinks and arge


    bucket of popcorn with him,


    The po bucket was shaped like the cartoon characters in the movie. Aster hugged it because he


    loved it so much. He could not even bear to eat the popcorn inside.


    It was not yet time to enter the theater yet, so the three of them sat in the hall.


    Aster and Kevan talked about their favorite characters while Larissa listened quietly. The atmosphere


    was harmonious until it was broken by someone-


    ¡°Larissa?¡± A surprised male voice sounded not far away.


    Hearing that. Larissa looked up to see Allen holding Freddy¡¯s hand. They were not looking at her


    though¨Cthey were looking at Kevan next to her.


    She pulled up a smile on her face as she greeted them normally. ¡°Hi, Allen. Hi, Freddy.¡±


    Hearing these two names, Kevan blinked and looked toward the two.

 Chapter 759

    Chapter 759


    Chapter 759


    When Allen locked eyes with Kevan, he could not help but shudder. After standing in ce for half a


    minute, Allen finally walked over to Larissa.


    Freddy was a bit timid. He kept hiding behind Allen. No one knew if it was because of the unhappy


    incident with Aster before or because of something else.


    ¡°What a coincidence, you¡¯re here to watch movies too? Afraid that Freddy and Allen thought that she


    was still holding a grudge, Larissa took the initiative to talk to them.


    ¡°Freddy¡¯s ss is going to have a stage y. It will be based on this movie, so I canceled his piano


    ss tonight.¡± Allen was talking to Larissa, but he kept ncing at Kevan. Finally, he could not help but


    ask. ¡°This is?¡±


    Larissa knew that he would ask, but she had not yet prepared the answer to this question. However,


    before she could speak, Aster could not help but quickly announce. ¡°This is my daddy!¡±


    His smug tone was obvious.


    Kevan smiled warmly and held Aster tighter in his arm.


    Although Allen had heard Freddy mention ¡°Aster¡¯s daddy¡± when he went to pick him up from school, he


    still had a bit of doubt. After all he had worked with Larissa together for so many years, and he had


    never seen any man appear with her intimately.


    However, that unfamiliar Caldorian man did not seem to be taking his intimacy with Aster. When Aster


    called him Daddy, their reactions were natural too.


    Allen nked out for a few seconds before he thought he figured it out. ¡°Your ex¨Chusband?¡± he asked


    Larissa. She definitely had a previous marriage or rtionship of some kind. Otherwise, she would not


    have given birth to Aster.


    If it was just an ex¨Chusband. The rm bells in Allen¡¯s heart began to quiet down.


    This time, Larissa¡¯s right to answer was still taken away from her. A strong and firm arm wrapped


    around her shoulder.


    Kevan trapped Larissa in his arms like he was iming her. There was a faint smile on his lips. His


    voice was deep but clear. ¡°I am her husband. Current husband.¡±


    Allen¡¯s eyes widened in shock. ¡°Wh¨Cwhat?¡± He hurriedly confirmed with Larissa. Is it true?¡±


    Larissa, of course, could not refute Kevan in public like this. Besides, this was a good chance to get


    Allen to give up for good.


    ¡°It¡¯s true.¡± Larissa adjusted her seating position and leaned a little into Kevan so that they looked closer.


    ¡°He is my husband.¡±


    C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    Allen refused to belleve it. ¡°Then why have I never heard you mention him before?¡±


    Larissa did not like talking about her private matters with others. If it were not for the fact that her


    roommate could not take care of Aster because of working overtime, no one in thepany would


    have known of Aster¡¯s existence as Larissa would not have needed to take Aster to her office.


    Although Allen was her superior, he had Freddy, a child who was close to Aster in age. So he had more


    non¨Cwork rted things to chat with Larissa about. That was why he knew a little more about her.


    She never mentioned Aster¡¯s father, so Allen thought that she was no longer in contact with whoever


    the person was. But she dropped a massive bomb in front of him today, it was so shocking that he was


    unable to recollect himself for a while.


    ¡°Because it was not necessary to mention it,¡± Larissa replied calmly. ¡°He was unrted to my job, so I


    do not have to report him to my superior.¡±


    Then ¡ª Why did he never show up for so many years?¡± Allen asked again.


    ¡°Hispany is in Caldor, so he was unable to leave so easily.¡± Larissa said. ¡°Our n was for me to


    bring Aster over here to get a green card, then wait for the heart of his business to move here. Only


    then would we immigrate together, Actually, it¡¯s not that he never showed up. He did, but I didn¡¯t need


    to tell you.¡±


    Allen waspletely struck speechless.


    Larissa fell a little guilty about Freddy¡¯s look, But she could notfort him in this kind of situation. She


    could only look down and look away.


    The announcement came at the right time, reminding them to enter the theater on time.


    With Aster in cre arm and Larissa in the other, Kever calmly said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    He did not even look at Allen or Freddy.

 Chapter 760

    Chapter 760


    Chanter 760


    Because they were watching the same movie, Larissa¡¯s group of three met Allen and Freddy in the


    theater a few minutester. Allen and


    Freddy¡¯s seats were in the row in front of them.


    It was unsure if it was due to Allen and Freddy getting a huge blow earlier outside, or if they were trying


    to avoid the attention of the other audience. But when they passed by in front of Larissa, they did not


    stop at all.


    The lights turned off quickly.


    Allen and Freddy vanished in the dark, and Larissa could no longer see them.


    Disnie movies were suitable for all ages, so the plot would be a bit childish for adults. Larissa only


    watched halfway before she fell asleep.


    She was woken by Aster, When she woke up, the movie was already finished. The lights in the theater


    were bright.


    The seats in the rows below them were all empty. A few cinema staff were cleaning up the trash row by


    row.


    Aster stood in front of Larissa. He was still hugging the po bucket that was not finished. He was


    frowning hard and staring at her unhappily as he scolded her sterly. ¡°Mommy, how can you sleep when


    you¡¯re watching a movie!¡±


    Larissa yawned as she straightened up. She rubbed her sore neck. Her voice was still thick with


    tiredness. ¡°Sorry.¡± She looked around but did not see Kevan. Suddenly, she felt panicked and was fully


    awake because of this scare. ¡°Where¡¯s your daddy?¡±


    ¡°Daddy went to the toilet Aster said, ¡°He told me not to wake you up, but everyone has left Aster had


    been waiting patiently at first. But the people began to leave as time passed until it was just him and


    Larissa left inside.


    When Aster saw the cinema statte in, but Daddy was nowhere to be seen, he could not sit still


    anymore.


    Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    Larissa grabbed her bag and held Aster¡¯s hand. ¡°Let¡¯s go. We¡¯ll find your daddy.¡±


    They had just walked to the exit when they ran into Kevan.


    ¡°You¡¯re awake?¡± He raised an eyebrow slightly,


    Larissa felt a little embarrassed. She mumbled a quiet ¡°Yes.¡±


    Aster anxiously held Kevan¡¯s hand as he pouted. ¡°Daddy, why did it take you so long?¡±


    Kevan fudged an answer before asking Larissa, ¡°Home now? Or do you want to walk around for a bit?¡±


    Larissa looked at her watch. It was almost 9 pm. It would probably be past 10 pm when they go home,


    pack for tomorrow, and shower.


    Aster still had school tomorrow, and she had work tomorrow. Naturally, they could not bete when


    going to sleep. Even if Aster was not finished, Larissa insisted firmly. ¡°Home¡±


    Kevan put Aster to sleep before going to Larissa¡¯s bedroom with the medicine in his hand.


    Larissa had just finished showering and was doing her skincare routine while sitting at the dressing


    table. She was dressed in a thin, silk


    nightgown.


    Having stayed at the hospital for several months, she did not care about her skin for a very long time.


    But now that she was working again, she had to start taking care of her skin again. Otherwise, she


    would be beaten by the other female employees at work.


    Kevan stood at the door. He did not rush to walk inside.


    Hearing the noise, Larissa turned to look. When she saw the medicine bottle in his hand, she looked


    pained as she tried to get out of it.¡±


    Can I not have this applied to my skin?¡±


    She had it applied this morning before going out by Kevan, then Lewis forced her to apply it in the


    afternoon at his office. The terrible smell of the medicine had stuck to her for the whole damn day.


    It was bad enough that anyone who got close to her could not wait to cover their noses and fucking run


    away like she was some sort of disease. Besides, the medicine was oily on her skin, and it did not feel


    comfortable.


    She had just managed to get clean to have a good night¡¯s sleep. Who knew-

 Chapter 761

    Chapter 761


    Chapter 761


    Kevan¡¯s answer was not surprising. ¡°No.¡±


    Larissa angrily screwed shut the cap of the moisturizer bottle before sitting on the bed resignedly.


    Kevan sat near her and put her leg onto hisp.


    Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    Larissa¡¯s skin was fair. It was a little red from the steam from the bathroom as she had just finished


    showering.


    Kevan¡¯s eyes darkened slowly. His normally cold fingers had grown warm due to his boiling blood. His


    palm rubbed circles into her ankle, The force he used was just right. Although there would be a bit of


    pain from his rubbing, it was still better than the ¡°abuse¡± Lewis gave her that afternoon.


    ¡°Hey, did you learn this from someone? Larissa was curious. She had wanted to ask for a while now,


    but she never found the chance to. ¡°Nope.¡± Kevan smiled. ¡°You ever heard of practice makes perfect?¡±


    Larissa froze for a moment. It was not difficult to figure out what he meant. But the moment she thought


    of the horrible things he went through, she could not help but shudder. Her heart actually ached a bit at


    this..


    ¡°With your background, shouldn¡¯t you have a whole group of bodyguards around you as a child? How


    would you still get hurt?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like you don¡¯t know what my family¡¯s like.¡± Kevan looked down, his smile turning a hit hitter. ¡°My


    two uncles. They¡¯ve wanted to kill me ever since the day I was born.¡±


    He was the second oldest of his generation. He was som a few years after Cody.


    Bernard had thought that his own son was now the oldest grandson, so he could openy inherit Soaring


    Corporation, But his grandfather refused to step down for so long, and his words clearly favored his


    oldest son¡¯s family.


    So, Berard schemed with Felix, causing Violet to miscarry several times. Thankfully, Viclet was


    extremely lucky because she get out of it alive every time. They even tried to get rid of Kevan after he


    was born.


    In the end, it was Rnd who could not stand their actions anymore, and he raised Kevanin person


    instead. Only then did Heard and Felix stop.


    To ensure that Kevan could protect himself, Rn sent him to learn martial arts, Laekwondo, and


    boxing. When Kevan was young, he was always bruised. There was literally no patch of his skin that


    was left untouched.


    In the beginning. Kevan would still obey Rnd and go to see a doctor, After a while, he lixed himself


    on his own. It got to the point that he was just as good as a doctor.


    Larissa bit her lip and stared at Kevan wordlessly. She should haveforted him, but she did not


    know how to say il


    Kevan looked up in Lime to see the gentleness and love in her eyes. At that moment, all the pain from


    before did not seem to matter anymore. All the hardship he faced these years seemed to be worth it


    too.


    ¡°I¡¯ve faced a lot of hardship. Don¡¯t think of me as that sort of rich kid who only knows how to enjoy life.¡±


    Kevan¡¯s voice was lighter, and it camed a hint of hurt in it.


    The pain in Larissa¡¯s heart grew worse, and her throat was stuck. She could only let out a shaky.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    She knew of his hardships, of course. Just breaking off from Soaring Corporation to start Microworks


    and have it grow to the way it was today was insanely difficult.


    ¡°So ¡ª Kevan¡¯s hand covered her ankle, his fingers caressing her soft skin.

 Chapter 762

    Chapter 762


    Chapter 762


    Kevan¡¯s fingertips had calluses on them, probably from long¨Cterm typing. When they brushed over


    Larissa¡¯s skin, electricity raced through her body from that point of contact.


    Larissa¡¯s face was so red, and she could not help but move a bi


    bil.


    Kevan though I that he wanted to pull her leg away, so he quickly grabbed her ankle. ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡± He


    lowered his voice. ¡°The medicine is not absorbed into your skin yet. I rub onto the sheels.¡±


    Lanssa stilled at once. She was very stiff as she replied quictly. ¡°Okay.¡± Then, she looked down and


    unknowingly picked at the sheets. causing deep wrinkles in the cloth.


    Kevan gazed at the top of her head as he controlled his urge to touch it. He changed to a lighter topic.


    ¡°How was your first day at Blue Star? Okay?


    ¡°Yeah, it wasn¡¯t bad.¡± Larissa¡¯s fingers moved from the bed to her back. She rubbed at the ce that


    ached. ¡°It¡¯s just that I sat for the whole day, and didn¡¯t feel so good.


    She used to work in a hotel, so she rarely sat down for the whole day. As a result, she did not get a


    cushion like her other colleagues. Without support for so long, her back ached so much it could not


    even stay straight.


    ¡°Want me to massage for you?¡± Kevan asked as he drew out a sheet of tissue to cken his hand.


    ¡°No neec, no Lanssa quickly waved her hand. ¡®It¡¯ll be line after I¡¯ve slept.¡±


    Her waist was the most sensitive part of her body, Kevan had only touched her ankle and it made her


    heart go crazy. If he touched her waist¨CLarissa was worried that she could not handle il.


    Thankfully, Kevan did not push it


    ¡°Sleep early, then.¡± He reluctantly moved her leg onto the bed. ¡°If your waist still hurts tomorrow, I¡¯ll


    massage it for you.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Larissa agreed quickly, but she was thinking that no matter how ufortable she was


    tomorrow, she would never say a thing!


    The next day, the morning seemed to repeat from yesterday¨Cexcept that Wendy was not there.


    Before leaving the house, Larissa ignored the persuasion from both Kevan and Aster, insisting on


    changing out of her ankle¨Clength down jacket to thetest Burberry windbreaker. It was matched with a


    thin white shirt that would not keep her warm as well as a pair of wide- legged trousers. Such a mature


    and elegant ollicedy look naturally could not be ruined by the furry Ugg loafers.


    The swell on her ankle was almost gone from thebined efforts of Kevan and Lewis during these


    two days. Larissa boldly changed into a pair of thin high heels. Under the unhappy stares of Kevan and


    Aster, Larissa threw back a ¡®It¡¯s none of your business,¡± before rushina out of the house with her bag.


    Aster stared helplessly at Larissa¡¯s retreating figure. He turned to Kevan for help aller a moment.


    ¡°Daddy, say something to Mommy! How can she be like that?¡±


    Kevan pressed his lips together, but his face did not show much emotion. ¡°Your mommy¡¯s an adult. She


    can take responsibility for her own actions,¡± he said.


    The truth is, Larissa regretted it after walking two steps out. Although the swell was none, the pain


    remained. But she had already thrown out the harsh words, so she could only force hersell to bear it in


    front of those two QUYS.


    Kewan held Aster¡¯s hand while also carrying his little schoolbag in his other hand, He stood silently


    behind Larissa and wasted for the elevator with her.


    Aster was still grumbling. ¡°Mommy¡¯s too naughty! Your leg¡¯s not okay yet! How can you wear heels?


    What if you twist it again¡±


    Larissa tumed to re at him. ¡°Don¡¯t Jinx me!¡±


    Westonia¡¯snd was very expensive. The apartment parking lot was built under the building. The


    moment they exited the elevator, the wind blew by. Larissa was so cold that she shivered, her arms


    automatically hugging her body.C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org

 Chapter 763

    Chapter 763


    Chapter 763


    Aster began ragging her again. ¡°We told you to wear a down jacket, right? But you didn¡¯t listen! With


    how thin your outfit is, what are you acing to do if you catch a cold!¡±


    Bloody hel, this tone, and attitude¨Cthe kid had copied Wendy perfectly.


    Larissa ignored him and quickly walked to the car, Kevan had unlocked the car earlier, so she entered


    the car. The thermostat was off in the car, but it was still warmer than outside.


    Kevan led Aster into the car. He was doing everything at a super casual pace. He also opened the car


    window on his side just a little bit, and the winter wind blew in through this crack. It al smacked onto


    Larissa¡¯s face.


    Larissa sneezed several times loudly.


    Kevan nced at her through the rearview mirror, but he still said nothing


    ¡°Can you close the window?¡± Larissa rubbed her itchy nose as she tried to discuss with Kevan. She


    lost all her patience because of the cold winds, and her voice was unfriendly.


    Kevan denied her righteously. ¡°There¡¯s no air cirction if the window is closed. It¡¯s not good for your


    health.¡±


    Larissa grilted her teeth angrily. She could only curl herself up and move to the other side.


    The soft nket was just above the seat. She could see it if she looked up to the side. Al she needed


    to do was to move her hand to bring it down. But if she took it, it meant that she admitted that she was


    cold. In other words, she would be throwing eggs into her ownce.


    After a series of mental struggling. Larissa chose her dignity¨Ceven if it meant that she needed to trade


    her health for it.


    She managed to bear it all until it was time to get down, Larissa was angry, so she did not even say


    goodbye. She wrapped herself firmly in her windbreaker and rushed into Blue Star Tower asst as she


    could.


    When she was surrounded by warm air, she finally felt like she was


    was alive again. Her frozen arms and legs had feeling again too.


    Having changed the way she dressed, the other colleagues in the presidential uffice looked at Larissa


    differentlypared to yesterday.


    The male employees did not even hide their amazement anymore. The female employees were jealous


    and scornful


    Gary and Lewis arrivedst in this whole department.


    When he passed by Larissa, Gary paused as he locked at the windbreaker on the back of her chair. He


    frowned a little. But he did not say anything and just walked into his office like nothing happened.


    ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    Two minutester. Larissa¡¯s phone vibrated as a message came in.


    Dad: Why didn¡¯t you wear a down jacket? It¡¯s so cold today.


    Well, he wasst in demanding an exnation.


    Larissa fudged it over by saying that she was not cold before turning off her phone and chucking it into


    her drawer.


    She spent the morning at her workce again. In the middle of it, she went to the pantry to get a cup of


    coffee. She just reached the door when she heard people chatting inside.


    ¡°That newbie dressed up today!¡±


    ¡°Maybe Mr. Logan Junior found her shameful because of her crappy outfit yesterday! Honestly, I don¡¯t


    know what he¡¯s thinking. What does


    The see in her!¡±


    ¡°Maybe Mr. Logan Junior just wants to have a little fun with something dillerent! After all, we have


    plenty of beautiful women in thepany. It¡¯s rare to have someone some like her.¡±


    ¡°Just wait and seel Mr. Logan Junior¡¯s probably just having fun with her! She will probaby be thrown


    away in a few days!¡±

 Chapter 764

    Chapter 764


    Chapter 764


    Larissa stood there as she thought about it for two minutes. Eventually, she still walked in with her cup.


    A group of women were having a little meeting in front of the coffee machine in the pantry.


    Larissa asked politely with a smile on her face, ¡°Could you guys excuse me for a bit?¡±


    The chattering stopped at once.


    The women let her pass while looking away from her or touching something else. They could not have


    made their guilt more obvious.


    Judy studied Larissa¡¯s expression carefully. Seeing that there was nothing odd about her. Judy simply


    assumed that Larissa did not hear


    anything.


    ¡°The coffee¡¯s not ready yet, so we¡¯re all waiting here.¡± Judy took the initiative to talk to Larissa, Her


    voice was sweet, like they were friends


    for many years.


    ¡°Oh,¡± Larissa politely responded. ¡°Then I¡¯lle byter.¡± She was about to leave when Judy grabbed


    her arm.


    ¡°Is the coffee for yourself, or is it for Mr. Logan Junior?¡± Judy stared at Larissa¡¯s mug. A sh of


    jealousy appeared in her eyes.


    Larissa figured it out the moment she followed Judy¡¯s gaze-


    This mug was given to her by Lewis yesterday. She had no idea where he got it from because it looked


    exactly the same as the one on his table. So, Judy had misunderstood.


    But Larissa did not bother to exin. Because no matter what she said, her colleagues will only think


    that she was trying to find an excuse.


    ¡°It¡¯s for mysell¡± she said.


    Judy¡¯s grip on her arm tightened, but she was still smiling as she said. ¡°You can leave the mug here,


    darling. I¡¯ll give it to you once the


    coffee is ready.¡±


    Larissa felt a little grossed out as she looked at Judy¡¯s fake smile. Even if Judy was willing to pour


    coffee for her, Larissa would never dare to drink it. What if something interesting¡± was added to her


    mug?


    ¡°Thanks, but that won¡¯t be necessary.¡± Larissa tightened her grip on her mug and forced a smile.


    ¡°There probably isn¡¯t enough coffee for all of you. I¡¯ll wait for the next round.¡±


    Thepany¡¯s coffee machine was not big. One round of coffee could only fill up five cups. There


    were seven people in the pantry right


    ¦°¦¯¦´,


    Larissa thought that she could use this excuse to leave, but Judy refused to let her go.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, we can all pour a little less and totally make sure there¡¯s enough for two extra cups,¡± Judy


    said and reached out to snatch Larissa¡¯s mug.


    Larissa was trapped by Judy¡¯s grip, so she was not able to avoid her even if she tried to. Judy


    sessfully stole the mug from her and deliberately smashed it on the floor, though she pretended like


    she dropped it by ident.


    The mug was now in pieces. The women screamed as they avoided the mess, including Judy, the


    person who started it all. She backed up more than a foot away from the pieces.


    Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    Larissa was the only one who remained there. After being stunned for a moment, she crouched down


    to pick up the big pieces to throw


    Into the trash can.


    ¡°Sorry, Larissa, darling. My hand slipped.¡± Judy apologized, but the triumphant smile was obvious.


    ¡°Where did you buy this cup? I buy another for you!


    Larissa was enraged, but she could notsh out as Judy was a colleague that she would have to work


    with for a long time.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Larissa maintained her fake smile. She did her best to hide her rage. ¡°I¡¯ll get the janitors to


    clean up. Be careful, you guys, don¡¯t louch it.¡±


    There was only one Janitor on every floor. She was currently cleaning in front of Lewis office. When


    Larissa went to get her, Lewis


    ¡°What happened in the pantry?¡± he asked curiously,

 Chapter 765

    Chapter 765


    Chapter 765


    ¡°I identally broke the mug you gave me.¡± Larissa did not want to make this issue bigger than it


    already was, so she purposely hid the truth. ¡°Do you have a new mug? I¡¯m a bit thirsty and I want to


    drink some coffee.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have any more mugs, but I do have a thermos that I barely used. It¡¯s pretty clean. If you don¡¯t


    mind, you can use it for now. I¡¯ll buy you a new cup tomorrow,¡± Lewis said.


    ¡°Sure.¡± Larissa was not that bad of a clean freak, so she did not mind as he already said that he had


    cleaned it, Lewis gave her his thermos.


    Larissa waited for a while, then she went to the pantry again.


    The cup pieces had already been taken care of by the janitor. The women had also vanished.


    Larissa waited for the coffee to finish brewing before she poured a cup for herself. She sipped at it as


    she walked outside. She ran into Judy again at the door.


    Judy was holding a one¨Ctime¨Cuse cup that she got from who knew where. When she saw Larissa, she


    widened her eyes.


    ¡°I was just going to make you some coffee!¡± She grinned. ¡°I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d juste by yourself.¡±


    Larissa smiled. ¡°Thanks.¡±


    Judy crumpled the paper cup and tossed it into the trash can. She followed Larissa back to her seat.


    ¡°Mr. Logan Junior has the exact same thermos as you do!¡± She pretended to say casually.


    Larissa did not hide it. ¡°Mr. Logan Junior lent this to me. My mug was smashed. He just so happened to


    have an extra.¡± With that, Larissa deliberately drank arge mouthful of coffee in front of Judy. She


    watched with satisfaction as Judy¡¯s smile froze on her face.


    ¡°Oh, by the way, do you have time tonight. Larissa? Judy forcibly changed the topic. ¡°There¡¯s a new


    restaurant open on Queensway, and some of us have agreed to go try it out. Do you want toe?¡±


    Larissa did not know who was included in the ¡°us.¡± But no matter who was going, she would not go


    ¡°Sadly not Larissa put a look of helplessness on her face. I¡¯ve got to do a verbal report for Mr. Logan


    Junior tomorrow. I¡¯ve got to go home and organize all the information and finish the slideshow.¡±


    ¡°A¡± Judy seemed to regret this state of events. ¡°Alright then. Once you¡¯re free, we can go again.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Larissa agreed. She was already thinking of what excuse to use to refuse by then.


    During mid¨Cday, Larissa and Marilyn went to eat in the cafeteria together. Her ankle did not hurt as bad


    as it did yesterday, so she naturally could not make someone grab lunch for her again.


    Larissa could sense all the stares from all over the cafeteria while she sat there. They stabbed into her


    back, It was so bad that the delicious food in her mouth tasted like wax


    She did not know that she was so ¡°famous¡± in thepany now. She could vaguely guess how these


    people knew about her and what sort of ¡°legends¡± they heard about her.


    Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    Marilyn could sense Larissa¡¯s awkward situation, so she asked considerately, ¡°Do you want to grab a


    box and bring the load upstairs to eat instead?


    Larissa refused her kind offer. But under the ¡°supervision of the crowd, they could not eat at all, Larissa


    put down her fork and knife after only having a few bites. Her tray was still full.


    Marilyn was not any better.


    They went back upstairs, still hungry. They stayed at their workces and shared a small bag of


    crackers Marilyn had forgotten in her drawer between themselves.


    Lewis had finished his lunch and came out from Gary¡¯s office right at that moment, so that scene was


    what he saw.


    ¡°Did you not eat well at the cafeteria, or did you not eat at all?¡± He asked.

 Chapter 766

    Chapter 766


    Chapter 766


    Marilyn shoved the remaining cr ackers into her mouth while turning her head. She was avoiding Lewis¡¯


    question.


    Compared to Marilyn, Larissa felt more at ease with him,


    She said calmly. ¡°The cafeteria is crowded. I don¡¯t think I can wait in the long lines, so i brought Marilyn


    along.¡±


    He looked at her before telling Marilyn, ¡°Order four meals from tomorrow onward. You can eat


    upstairs.¡±


    Marilyn hurriedly nodded. ¡°Okay.¡±


    She hadn¡¯t swallowed her cra ckers. A few crumbs slid into her throat while she was talking. She began


    coughing because of it.


    Frowning, he handed his credit card to Larissa. ¡°Your lunchtime is extended for another two hours.


    Grab something at a nearby restaurant.


    It¡¯s on me.¡±


    Although she tumed the offer down, she epted the suggestion for the extended lunchtime.


    C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    Blue Star Tower was located in the prosperous area of Westonia. There were a lot of restaurants in its


    vicinity.


    Larissa chose a restaurant from Marilyn¡¯s suggestion. They upied a table that was in a quieter.


    ¡°Larissa.¡±


    Now that Lewis was not around. Marilyn could confidently voice her doubt ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell the truth


    to Mr. Logan Junior? I bet he won¡¯t let it slide that easily.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s useless.¡±Larissa stopped flipping through the menu as she smiled helplessly.


    ¡°Even if he takes the issue upon himselt no one is able to control whatever theyment behind my


    back.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true¡± Marilyn nodded


    She then smiled. ¡°Nevertheless, you need not worry about drawing attention anymore. Their opinions


    won¡¯t affect you anyways.¡± Larissa couldn¡¯t bring herself to tell Marilyn something-that the presidential


    management stall was the center of all rumors.


    She went along with it instead. ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s best I focus on my job. As for the others, they¡¯re none of my


    business.¡±


    Marilyn became brighter because they were not in a serious atmosphere, hence the appearance of her


    talkative side.


    ¡°Larissa.¡± She suddenly became shy with red cheeks. ¡°About your dilver Is heken?¡±


    It took a while for Larissa to register who Marilyn meant by that.


    ¡°He¡± Larissa¡¯s chest felt stutty as she noticed the anticipation in Marilyn¡¯s eyes.


    After a moment of hesitation, she lowered her head. ¡°He has a girlfriend¡±


    Marilyn was disappointed. ¡°That makes sense. How can someone hot like him not be taken?¡±


    Larissa chuckled wryly and drank water to quell her guilt


    By the time they returned to the presidential office, the other staff had been working for over an hour,


    No one watched them leave, so no one knew of their whereabouts.


    ¡°Where have you guys been? Why are you back only now?¡± asked one of the curious colleagues


    Marlyn replied coldly. ¡°We were helping Mr. Logan Senior with something.¡±


    All of the calcting gazes were shifted away from them upon her answer.


    ¡°Larissa,¡± A male colleague called Larissa.


    ¡°Got it. Thanks.¡± She smiled,


    She wondered. ¡°Only a few people know I changed my job. They usually won¡¯t send me anything,


    though. Even if they have something for


    me, they would¡¯ve done it personally.¡±


    She walked to her desk. There was a box on it

 Chapter 767

    Chapter 767


    Chapter 767


    The taped box was about the size of three to lour shoe boxes together. But there was no sight of the


    express bill


    Only a sticky note was pasted on it with Larissa¡¯s name and department handwritten on it.


    The handwriting didn¡¯t ring a bell. She couldn¡¯t quess who the sender was.


    Instead of cweling on that question, she opened the box.


    Soon, she noticed that something was off.


    It seemed like someone had removed the tape and stuck it back again, She didn¡¯t use much strength to


    remove it.


    Larissa wondered if it was the sender¡¯s mistake or someone else had opened it before she did.


    After throwing the tape into the trash can, she opened the box.


    There was a bunch was stuff in it.


    There was a c ushion pillow, a neck pillow, a small nket and some snacks. On top of that there were


    also cartons of orange juice too.


    Larissa could guess who the sender was the moment she saw the orange juke.


    Quickly, she look her phone out of the drawer and turned it on. She was swarmed by unread messages


    and missed calls.


    Kevan texted and called her an


    an hour ago when she was having lunch outside with Marilyn,


    ording to the texts, he was waiting for her downstairs to give her something.


    He sent another message after Larissa didn¡¯t reply for a long time.


    He had left the box with the receptionist. Someone would hand the box to her, so he asked her to


    message him after receiving it.


    She quickly texted. ¡°Ireceived them.¡±


    Thinking about it again, she asked. ¡°Did you remove the tape and paste it again?¡±


    Kevan was driving at that time. ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    He replied thirty minutester. ¡°No. I didn¡¯t open it again after sealing it. Why? Did someone open it?¡±


    Worrying that something was missing, he sent her a list. ¡°Here are the things that should be in the box.


    See il someone has stolen anything.¡±


    Larissa checked and confirmed that she had everything in the box, feeling relieved.


    At the same time, she was curious why the anonymous person opened her mail


    Kevan felt assured to know that everything was there. He texted, ¡°It¡¯s flu season right now. Take care.


    year. The numbers could go up as high as millions, causing over ten thousand


    The influenza cases in Aldovia had high records every pe


    deaths.


    The sight of the orange juice was burdensome to her. She never liked orange juice


    ¡°Okay.¡± Frowning, she forced herself to reassure him..


    In case Larissa was simply brushing him oft Kevan highlighted, ¡°Send me a picture when you drink it.¡±


    Her heart sank as she took a carton of orange juice out of the drawer. She led her mug with ice from


    the pantry before pouring the juice.


    Then, she sent pictures of the mug and asked Marlyn to record a video of her drinking it.


    Her response received a satisfied emoji from Kevan, as well as an affectionate message. ¡°Good girl¡±

 Chapter 768

    Chapter 768


    Chapter 768


    Larissa nced at it and ced it in the drawer.


    Marilyn eximed. ¡°Larissa, why are you blushing? is something wrong with the drink?¡±


    Larissa touched her burning cheeks. Given that Mariyn didn¡¯t know the reason behind her red cheeks,


    she nodded. ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Marilyn said, ¡°That¡¯s weird. What can go wrong with orange juice?I can never understand you


    Caldorians.¡±


    Larissa linished reading the reports from Lewis in the afternoon. She concluded the cata. nning to


    present a slideshow to Lew¡¯s


    tomorrow.


    When she was halfway through it. Judy approached her. ¡°Larissa, our printer is out of service. Can I


    use yours?¡±


    There were


    two printers in the shared space in the presidential office.


    This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.


    One of them was thetest version. Anyone could use it because it had all the needed functions


    The other one had basic functions only. ording to Marilyn, it was once discarded but Gary didn¡¯t


    want to throw it away. Thus, It was


    ced on the only desk avable.


    It was Larissa¡¯s desk so she naturally handled i


    Although she disliked Judy, her professionalism never allowed her to mix her personal feelings when it


    came to work.


    ¡°Go ahead.¡± She minimized the window of her slideshow before standing up.


    Judy inserted her USB drive into Larissa¡¯sputer, With an apologetic smile, she asked, ¡°I might


    need more than ten minutes. Would you like to sit somewhere else?¡±


    Larissa grabbed her thermos sk. ¡°Ill go grab some water.¡±


    She stayed in the pantry for ten minutes. By the time she returned to her seat. Judy was no longer


    there.


    Larissa ced her thermos sk atop the desk, preparing to continue her work.


    Right then, she realized that the window of her slideshow was missing.


    ¡°Judy must¡¯ve closed it by ident,¡± she thought.


    It wasn¡¯t a big dea. All she needed to do was to spend a few seconds to open the slideshow.


    Soon, she realized that the whole tile went missing!


    Anxious, she scrolled through the deleted files and checked every file on herputer. However, she


    couldn¡¯t find her slideshow.


    The constant clicking sound of the mouse drew Marilyn¡¯s attention,


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Larissa? Marilyn asked concemedly.


    Larissa couldn¡¯t spare any ounce of her attention to answer that question. Her brows Lurrowed as she


    looked for the lile.

 Chapter 769

    Chapter 769


    Chapter 769


    After checking the final file on herputer, Larissa was certain that her slideshow was missing.


    Furious. She threw the mouse away and rushed to Judy. She couldn¡¯t care less about the pain in her


    ankle.


    Judy motioned for Larissa to give her a moment because she was on the phone.


    With a grim expression, Larissa waited about five minutes until the call ended.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Judy looked at her innocently.


    ¡°Did you delete the slideshow from myputer?¡± Larissa cut to the chase.


    Judy wore a confused look. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I did transfer my files from the USB driver to the desktop. I


    deleted everything alter printing the documents, I might¡¯ve deleted it by ident. I¡¯m sorry, Larissa.¡±


    She ced her palms together and tilted her head, trying to act cute. ¡°Is it important? I can redo one for


    you.¡±


    But there was no hint of apology in her words.


    Larissa would be an idiot if she couldn¡¯t tell that Judy deleted the slideshow on purpose.


    ¡°Sure.¡± Larissa forced a smile. ¡°Redo one for me.¡±


    Judy was stunned momentarily as she didn¡¯t expect Larissa to ept the offer.


    Her brows knitted immediately. ¡°I can help you out with it but I¡¯m kinda busy at the moment. I have to


    deal with an issue with the client


    right now.


    ¡°When do you need the slideshow? Can I do it tomorrow?¡±


    Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°I need it tomorrow morning. I have to get it done today.¡± Larissa wasn¡¯t backing down.


    She continued, ¡°If you¡¯re busy, you can do it and send it to me through email alter work. I¡¯ll forward the


    required documents to youter.¡±


    Judy¡¯s expression was bing gloomer.


    ¡°I mean ¡ª You know that the having dinner with Nina and the others.¡± She attempted to make an


    excuse.


    ¡°You can do it at home after dinner.¡± Larissa was infuriated because the effort she put in for hours went


    down the drain.


    She couldn¡¯t bother to keep the courtesy anymore. ¡°No need for the rush. You can send it to me before


    work tomorrow.¡±


    Judy¡¯s expression showed hatred, revealing her true colors.


    Still she maintained herposure.


    Instead of confronting Larissa, she made puppy dog eyes and whined, ¡°Larissa, I know that you¡¯re


    angry at me. But it was an ident ¡ª* Tears trickled down her cheeks. I make it up for you. I finish the


    slideshow no matter how long it takes. Could you forgive me?¡± Larissa had encountered various kinds


    of characters alter spending long years in the workce. Such a weak girl¡® act wouldn¡¯t faze her one


    bit.


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand how it was unintentional. But since you deleted the le, you have to redo one for me.


    As for forgiveness, it doesn¡¯t matter if you make up for your mistake.¡±


    zeher


    The li Larissa didn¡¯t care about the disapproving gazes around her. ¡°Il I don¡¯t receive the slideshow


    belore work tomorrow, report it to Mr. Logan Junior


    Even if she was going to receive a punishment, she was determined to drag the Innocent into the fray


    as well


    Tears welled up in Judy¡¯s eyes. She bit her lower lip. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll make sure to do it by then.¡±


    A colleague said to Larissa. ¡°It was an ident. Why are you making 11 difficult for her? You¡¯ve done


    the slideshow once, the process will be smoother if you do it again. sleep tonight.¡±


    ¡°I know, right? You should redo it again. Judy has her job to deal with. And her job is more important


    than yours. All you have to do is to read some documents and make some slideshows.¡±


    ¡°How about you help her deal with her client¡¯s issue? You¡¯re free anyway.¡±


    As everyone hurled disapprovingments at her, Larissa was on the verge of losing herself.


    She tightly clenched her fists until her nails dug into her skin. The pain was reminding her to keep calm


    and keep her anger at bay.

 Chapter 770

    Chapter 770


    Chapter 770


    ¡°What¡¯s with themotion? Are you guys out of work to do? Lewis warned coldly.


    Everyone froze. They were agitated for one second and went totally silent the next.


    Lewis walked over while everyone scattered away from Larissa and back to their seals. They buried


    themselves in their work, fearing meeting his eyes.


    Judy was flustered lon. She wiped her tears off and slightly lowered her head. She snited loudly,


    drawing Lewis¡® attention.


    This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.


    He frowned ard questioned Larissa, ¡°What happened?


    She took a deep breath and kept her cool.


    She had never thought of catastrophizing things from the beginning, let alone letting Lew¡¯s and Gary


    find out about it.


    Otherwise, things would go out of hand.


    ¡°Judy and I had a disagreement about work. It was a small dispute. Larissa tried to make it sound as


    trivial as possible.


    However, the others look herpromise as a sign of quill.


    Judy dipped her head lower wordlessly. Tears flowed down her cheeks again.


    There was a pool of tears on her desk in no time.


    ¡°Judy, it seems like you disagree with what Larissa said.¡± Lewis arched a brow.


    He acted like a sharp and considerate superior. ¡°Tell me. What¡¯s going on?¡±


    She sobbed for a moment before saying. ¡®She¡¯s telling the truth.¡±


    On top of her dodgy gaze, her hunched posture seemed to indicate that she was a victim.


    Larissa deemed it a waste of her acting skills it no one awarded her an Oscar.


    His gaze and tone softened. ¡°If you trust me, you can tell me the truth.¡±


    He cast a nce at Larissa. ¡°I will never condone power abuse within Blue Star Shipping. It that event


    comes to pass-¡±


    He dragged his voice on purpose before announcing. ¡°The perpetrator will be fired.¡±


    Judy and the female colleagues, who had previously bullied Larissa, were scared cut of their wits.


    ¡°Actually, I¡¯m the one to me for what happened today,¡± Judy confessed.


    ¡°I borrowed Larissa¡¯sputer and printer to print same documents. While I was deleling my liles on


    her desktop. I identally deleted her slideshow. It¡¯s important to her because she needs it to present


    a report to you tomorrow. That¡¯s why she asked me to redo it for her.¡±


    She emphasized the word ¡°identally in an attempt to avoid responsibility.


    ¡°Is she telling the truth?¡± inquired Lewis sternly.


    Larissa nodded. ¡°Yes.¡±


    She didn¡¯t wish for him to take her side, so she didn¡¯t expose her lies. The rumors spreading among the


    staff were a lot more than she imagined.


    If he stood up for her, people would twist the whole story and spread rumors even if she was innocent.


    ¡°Since Judy didn¡¯t do it on purpose, you shouldn¡¯t cross the line too much.¡± He pretended to scold her.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take at least two days to read all the documents I gave you. It¡¯s unrealistic to ask her to make the


    slideshow by today. Spend more time on it and redo it from scratch. If you can¡¯t finish it by tomorrow,


    report it to me the day aller.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Judy epted the oue obediently.


    ¡°Let¡¯s put an end to the matter.¡±


    Everyone started typing faster. It was as if they were working diligently. Lewis didn¡¯t stay longer. He


    returned to his office once the issue was resolved.

 Chapter 771

    Chapter 771


    Chapter 771


    Judy¡¯s s obs stopped very quickly. She let out a victorious smile.


    ¡°Larissa, it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to help you Judy acted like she was put in a difficult situation. ¡°You


    heard Mr. Logan Junior¡­ I¡¯m


    sorry, darling. You¡¯ll have to do the slideshow yoursell.¡±


    Larissa stared at her coldly before looking away. She walked back to her workce without looking


    back. She was scared that if she


    stayed any longer, she might p Judy for real.


    Seeing Larissae back with a dark face, Marilyn stopped herself from asking any questions. She


    did not dare to ask.


    Her workce was rather far from Judy¡¯s, so she did not hear anything Larissa said when at Judy¡¯s


    workce. She only knew that themotion there was pretty big, and it rmed Mr. Logan Junior,


    who normally never left his office during working hours.


    And from the look on Mr. Logan Junior¡¯s face when he came back, he did not seem too happy with


    whatever it was that had happened.


    Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.


    Larissa opened up the software and began redoing her slideshow again. She remembered the content,


    so redoing things was not hard. It


    just took up a lot of time because there were a lot of tables and charts.


    She did not finish her slideshow even when it was time to get off work.


    Marilyn waited until the rest of her colleagues were gone, and only Larissa was left. Only then s


    find Judy?¡±


    went over to ask softly, ¡°Why did you go


    Larissa was inserting data into one of the tables and charts when she replied. ¡°Judy deleted my


    slideshow that was hall done. I¡¯m redoing


    the whole da mn thing now.¡±


    ¡°Judy went this far?!¡± Marilyn was enraged. ¡°Didn¡¯t Mr. Logan Junior help you punish her?¡±


    Hearing this, Larissa looked up sharply. ¡°Why should Mr. Logan Junior help me punish her?¡±


    Knowing she had said the wrong thing. Marilyn quickly forced a smile. I saw Mr. Logan Junior go over,


    and I thought he might help back


    you up ¡­¡±


    Seeing that Marilyn did not suspect her rtionship with Lewis, Larissa slowly rxed.


    ¡°Judy said she deleted it by ident. Mr. Logan Junior has given me an extra day.¡±


    ¡°Since you don¡¯t have to submit it tomorrow, why are you still here?¡± Marilyn did not understand. ¡°No


    one other than the big bosses has


    the habit of working overtime in Blue Star.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s not much lett. It¡¯s better to finish it before I leave.¡± Larissa did not have the habit of dragging


    out her work assignments. Even if the incident with Judy did not happen, she was nning to work


    overtime anyway.


    ¡°I¡¯ll apany you then!¡± Marilyn smiled sweetly at Larissa. She did not wait for Larissa to agree at all


    and returned to her own seat. ¡°I you don¡¯t have anything else going on tonight, let¡¯s also go to that new


    restaurant on Queensway for dinner! I¡¯ve seen the reviews online.


    they all say that it¡¯s good!¡±


    ¡°Yeah Larissa was conflicted.


    She never really made real friends when she worked at the Regal Dynasty or the Winston Hotel. She


    was a workaholic.


    Now that Marilyn was treating her like a friend, it made Larissa leel a little ufortable. She was not


    used to i


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to go, it¡¯s fine.¡± Marilyn sensed Larissa¡¯s difort due to her long silence. She said.


    ¡°Til get someone else toe


    with me.¡±


    ¡°I go.¡± Larissa made her decision at once.

 Chapter 772

    Chapter 772


    Chapter 772


    Afraid that Marilyn would wait too long, Larissa only worked overtime for half an hour. Then, she turned


    off herputer. She put the statements and reports that were not yet typed into the slideshow into her


    bag. She intended to finish the slideshow at home.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± she said to Marilyn once she was packed.


    ¡°So soon?¡± Marilyn had been ying with her phone while waiting for Larissa. When she heard Larissa


    speak, she put down her phone in surprise.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Larissa smiled. ¡°It¡¯ste, and I feel a little hungry.¡±


    ¡°Me too.¡± Marilyn rubbed her stomach. Then, she walked over to Larissa and hugged her arm, and


    dragged her away quickly. ¡°Let¡¯s go then!¡±


    Marilyn must have been really hungry because she drove her car like crazy.


    Westonia was like Bartham. The traffic was awful. Marilyn¡¯s pink smart car was able to weave among


    the crowd size to its size. Soon, they reached Queensway.


    The restaurant they wanted to go to was on the main road of Queensway. It was a really obvious shop


    lot. Business was booming because of its recent opening. Even if Marilyn had booked a spot in


    advance, they were still stopped at the entrance.


    The waiter coldly told them. ¡°The previous customers are not finished. You will have to wait for at least


    half an hour and above.¡±


    The restaurant did not have a waiting area, so the people who were waiting to be seated had taken up


    the little space that was in front of the restaurant


    Larissa and Marilyn were squeezed in with this crowd. They were stuck. They didn


    They did not know if they should leave or not.


    Marilyn apologized to Larissa. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Larissa. I didn¡¯t think that we woulde early. If you don¡¯t


    want to wait, we¡¯ll switch to a restaurant with fewer people?¡±


    Larissa wrapped her windbreaker around herself and moved behind a tall man beside her. The chilly


    wind was blocked off by the man. Only then did she stop shivering. Forcing a smile, Larissa said, ¡°It¡¯s


    alright. Didn¡¯t you want to try this ce? We¡¯re already here, and it¡¯s only half an hour¡¯s wait.¡±


    *Thank you so much, Larissa! You¡¯re so nice!¡± Marilyn


    we her a bun


    As time passed, the sky turned dark, and the temperature grew colder.


    Many people wore down jackets. At the very least, they would still have a thick coat covering


    themselves. It made Larissa and Marilyn¡¯s outfits look rather out of ce.


    Larissa was already weak from working long¨Cterm in an office. Previously, she had been stuck in a


    hospital bed for several months, so she was even weaker than usual. Soon, the tall man entered the


    restaurant with hispanions, and Larissa was left to shiver in the cold.


    Seeing Larissa sneeze several times, Marilyn could not help but worry. ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    Larissa waved her off while she sneezed. ¡°It¡¯s¨Cachoo¨Clinel¡± She took out a pack of tissues from her


    bag. She then turned around to blow her nose.


    Marilyn brought her to a ce where the wind was not so strong. ¡°Why are your clothes so thin? You¡¯ll


    catch a cold like this.¡±


    Larissa eyed Marilyn¡¯s outfit. She thought that her words were not convincing.


    C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    Marilyn smiled and advised her, ¡°Don¡¯tpare yourself to me and those other people in thepany.


    We¡¯re used to it, and we don¡¯t feel anything at this point. If you can¡¯t stand the cold in Westonia, it¡¯s


    better to wear moreyers.


    ¡°The most that would happen is that people wouldugh at you for beingme. But it won¡¯t really allect


    you. But if you get sick because you wore feweryers, you¡¯d be the one who sulfers.¡±


    Larissa thought about it and found it very reasonable.


    When she reappeared, there was a cup of hot water in her hand. There was a thin slice of lemon in the


    water too.

 Chapter 773

    Chapter 773


    Chapter 773


    ¡°Here, warm your hands.¡± Marilyn gave Larissa the cup. ¡°I got someone to boll some water for you right


    now. So, there was a little dy.¡±


    Larissa held the paper cup with both hands. The heat spread from her palms into her body. It made her


    hunched shoulders rx.


    She sighed in gratitude. If it were not for the fact that she would get stares from others, Larissa wished


    she could press the paper cup to


    her frozen cheek.


    ¡°If it weren¡¯t for you. I would¡¯ve died.¡± Larissa said to Marilyn. I¡¯m not even kidding.¡±


    Marilyn stared at Larissa with thoserge eyes of hers. ¡°What nonsense are you saying? I just asked


    too, by the way. The customers earlier are fir shed and they¡¯re paying right now. We¡®.. be able to go in


    soon. You wor¡¯t have to freeze any longer.¡±


    Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.


    This made Larissae to me at once.


    As predictec, the waiter came to inform them that the table was ready for them less than five minutes


    later.


    The thermostat in the restaurant was turned up. It did not take long for Larissa¡¯s frozen arms and legs


    to move about again.


    The waiter led them to their seats. When they reached the center of the hall Larissa and Marilyn


    noticed Judy and her gang, who were


    Their chatter was very loud. The restaurant was not quiet and Larissa and Marilyn were standing quite


    a distance away. Still they were able to hear Judy and her gang¡¯s conversation very cleary.


    ¡°Did you see her face? Hahahaha! Oh my god, like, It was awesome!¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think that Mr. Logan Junior would take Judy¡¯s side. Truth be told. I thought he would side with


    that bitch and punish Judy, you feel


    me?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t Mr. Logan Junior always a fair man? He is totally my superstar!¡±


    ¡°Speaking of which, though. Does Mr. Logan Junior have anything going on with that bitch or not? If


    there¡¯s nothing going on, why would


    How would today¡¯s incident be exined?¡± he suddenly hire a lemale assistant for Mr. Logan Senior? If


    there¡¯s something going on


    ¡°Maybe they did have something going on. But d¡¯t W, Logan Junior already say? Workce violence


    is not allowed. That bitch did exactly that to Judy, and was caught by Mr. Logan Junior! He must hate


    her now. Maybe he¡¯l fire that little bitch two dayster. We can


    celebrate here then!¡±


    ¡°Fuck yeah!¡±


    ¡°A toast to Mr. Logan Junior


    ¡°To Mr. Logan Junior!¡±


    Larissa watched thern raise their sses. She fell rothing at all.


    It was Manlyn, who kept tugging on Larissa¡¯s sleeve, urging her to leave. When nothing happened.


    Marilynforted her in a low voice.¡± That¡¯s just how they are. They like talking shit about people


    behind their backs. Don¡¯t mind them. Just ignore them in the luture.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Larissa promised, but she was already holding a grudge on the inside.


    When she officially took over thepany, she would fire them all.


    It had to be said that there was a reason that this restaurant was popr. The ting of the dishes was


    amazing. The taste was insane


    Marilyn was obsessed with social media. She snapped a picture of each and every dish. Then, she


    picked the best one to upload online. Larissa was affected by her. She could not help but snap a few


    pictures too. She posted it all to her own social media andgged the location, adding a ¡°Not bad!¡± as a


    caption.


    Less than a minuteter, someone liked her post.

 Chapter 774

    Chapter 774


    Chapter 774


    Larissa recognized that unique profile picture at once. The background was an endless night sky.


    There was a golden crescent moon in the middle of it with bright stars nearby.


    This was Aster¡¯s art homework fromst week. ording to him, the name of this painting was called


    ¡°Mommy and Me.¡± Larissa was like the gentle moon that was always by the little stars¡® sides.


    Larissa thought that the person who liked her post was Aster. Just as she was amazed by his speed,


    she was greeted by Kevan¡¯s name when she tapped into the notifications tab.


    It was not strange for Kevan to like her post. Yet, the fact that he used Aster¡¯s profile picture, one that


    had such a significant meaning. made her feel strange.


    Marilyn had already put down her phone and started eating. Every bite made her moan in satisfaction.


    ¡°Larissa! C¡¯mon, try this! It¡¯s so good!¡±


    Larissa jotted as she looked away from Kevan¡¯s profile picture.


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    She smiled and shoved her phone back into her bag.


    She was anxious about her unfinished slideshow. Thus, Larissa did not spend too long on this meal


    When she left with Marlyn, the gang of colleagues were still there. Their dishes were all empty, and


    they were leaning against each other while making all sorts of poses. They were having so much fun


    taking selfies.


    This time, Larissa did not stop walking. Still, when they reached the doors of the restaurant, she heard


    the angry shouts of a woman inside.


    Larissa did not like to bother with these kinds of incidents. But Marilyn tugged on her arm.


    ¡°This sounds a bit like Judy.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Larissa was interested now.


    The other customers had stopped eating in the restaurant. They were looking at where the voice came


    from.


    Their focus was on Judy and a uniformed waitress.


    Judy was taller than the waitress. When she was shouting at the poor girl, it looked like she was


    bullying her.


    ¡°So, I¡¯m spending money here to take your shit?


    ¡°The customer is always right, don¡¯t you know that?


    I


    This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°I can sit for however long I like since I paid. You have no fucking right to kick me pull


    ¡°Bring me your manager! I want toin about you!¡±


    From Judy¡¯s words and the discussions with the other customers, Larissa was able to figure out the


    whole problem. Judy and her gang had already finished their meal quite some time ago. Yet they kept


    taking pictures in their seats. They did not want to pay and leave.


    The other customers who had booked reservations had waited for too long. They had urged the


    restaurant to hurry up. The waitress had no choice but toe and tell Judy and her gang to leave.


    Reportedly, the waitress¡® attitude was okay. She only asked them to leave in a roundabout way, and


    even apologized several times. But Judy exploded at once. She did not wait for the waitress to finish


    before jumping up to scream bloody murder at the poor girl.


    The waitress tried to defend herself while Judy had paused. ¡°When you called to book your reservation,


    we already reminded you that all customers can only be seated for two hours at most during peak


    hours. You and your friends have been here for two and a hall hours, the next group of customers are


    still waiting ¡­¡±


    ¡°What two hours? I don¡¯t fucking know!¡± Judy relused to listen. ¡°What kind of fucking rule is this? Why


    should we only sit for two hours? Don¡¯t think I won¡¯t fucking sue you guys!


    hours. If you feel that two hours is too short, you can change your time slot and sit here for as long as


    you like


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Judy sat back down in her seat as she crossed her arms. She looked super annoyed.


    ¡°Fucking bring me your manager¡±


    The waitress pressed her lips together.


    ¡°Please wait then.¡±


    With that the poor girl left.

 Chapter 775

    Chapter 775


    Chapter 775


    This scene was too familiar. Larissa used to experience this every day. Watching the poor waitress


    gelling shouted at by Judy. Larissa could not h but think back to her old self. She used to get abused


    all the time by weird hotel guests.


    Unable to keep watching, Larissa tugged on Marilyn and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Marilyn put away her phone, which she had been using to record the scene. She agreed with much


    anger and pily. ¡°Alright.¡±


    When they left the restaurant, Marilyn was still angry. ¡°Judy is horrible! I didn¡¯t even know she was like


    that in private!¡±


    Larissa did notment on Judy¡¯s actions. She did not want Marilyn to think that she was creating


    trouble or fanning the mes of conflict.


    When they said goodbye to each other, Marilyn said, ¡°I must let Mr. Logan Senior know about Judy¡¯s


    true face!¡±


    During dinner peak hours, Queensway was jammed with cars. There were no empty cabs that would


    pass by here.


    Marilyn offered to take Larissa home, but Larissa relused because of the inconvenience. In the end.


    Larissa chose to walk down a street to take the train home.


    C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    The winter wird blew hard, causing Larissa¡¯s hair to My back. She hunched and walked against the


    wind.


    Her nose was so cold that it turned red, and there was snot dripping out of it.


    Westonia¡¯s trains had a history of over a hundred years. Their stations were olderpared to


    Caldorian trains. There were ro thermostats in the station,


    Larissa only felt a little warmer after getting on the train.


    s, after getting out of the station, she was surrounded by the cold winds again. The hem of her


    windbreaker was flying in the wild


    breeze.


    Larissa sniffed as she entered her apartment building. The warden on duty greeted her. ¡°It¡¯s freezing


    out there, huh?¡±


    Larissa nodded.


    The warden studied her for a bit and told her kindly. ¡°The temperature will be lower tomorrow. It might


    even snow, Do wear moreyers!


    Don¡¯t catch a cold!¡±


    Larissa grunted hard as acknowledgment and smiled at him. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Mommy!


    The moment Larissa entered her apartment, a figure zipped over. It stopped for one second belore


    hugging her leg. Aster rubbed his nose before saying. ¡°Oh, right, your leg¡¯s not okay yet. Daddy said to


    not touch you!¡±


    Larissa patted his head and praised him. ¡°What a good boy!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Asters smile dropped for a moment as he grabbed her hand. He asked, ¡°Mommy, why is your


    hand so cold?


    Larissa pulled her hand back and answered, ¡°The winds were strong today. I¡¯ll warm up soon.


    ¡°Hmmph!¡® Aster locked up at her. ¡°Hold you to wear moreyers before you go cull But you just didn¡¯t


    listen!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not cold.¡± Larissa refused to back down. ¡°It¡¯s just that the wind was really strong today. My hands


    were exposed, so it feels cold.¡± ¡°Then gel Daddy to warm you up!¡± Aster pulled on her arm as he called


    out to Kevan. Cadily, Daddy! Come quickly!¡±

 Chapter 776

    Chapter 776


    Chapter 776


    Kevan was wearing a light gray sweatshirt. The sleeves were rolled up to his elbows.


    ¡°Howe you¡¯re back so early?¡± He was wiping his hands dry with a paper towel as he walked out of


    the kitchen.


    Larissa kicked off her heels. She walked toward Kevan with Aster.


    ¡°It¡¯s just dinner.¡± She took the chance to throw her hardbag onto the couch. She asked Kevan, ¡°How


    about you two? Have you eaten?¡±


    ¡°We just finished,¡± Kevan replied. ¡°I was washing the dishes.¡±


    Larissa froze as she looked at his hands. They were red because of the cold tap water. She hurriedly


    reminded him, ¡°We have a


    dishwasher


    ¡°The dishwasher isn¡¯t as clean as my washing.¡± Kevan¡¯s voice was mild, but his weird personality was


    on full disy. Larissa knew how bad his clear freakishness was. She sighed. ¡°Use hot water, at least!¡±


    Kevan threw the balled¨Cup paper towel into the trash bin far away from him while standing where he


    was.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± He stared at Larissa. ¡°It¡¯s not cold.¡±


    ¡°Your hands are already this red. You¡¯re telling me it isn¡¯t cold?¡± Larissa was pissed.


    This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Kevan shut her up with one sentence. ¡°Your hands are redder than mine.¡±


    Larissa looked down at her own hands. They really were redder than his.


    She guillity tried to hide her hands behind her back. s, Aster was gripping one of her arms, so she


    could not move at all.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah! Mommy¡¯s hands are sooooo cold!¡± Aster seemed to be going against her as he forced her


    hand into Kevan¡¯s palm. ¡°Daddy! Hurry and warm Mommy up!¡±


    Kevan simply took her hand. His body was always cold. His hands were always colder than normal,


    Combined with thect that he had run them under cold water to wash the dishes earlier Well, his


    hands were warmer than Larissa¡¯s


    Kevan¡¯s eyes narrowed, and Larissa felt a tingling feeling on her head. She tried to pull her hand back,


    but Kevan only held or tighter.


    ¡°You will wear thermal clothing and a down jackel tomorrow,¡± Kevan¡¯s voice was cold.


    Larissa was about to refuse when she heard him say. ¡°There¡¯s no use refusing.¡±


    His attitude was rather firm. ¡°If you don¡¯t wear it, I don¡¯t mind dragging things out with you at home. I¡¯m


    quite free now anyway.¡±


    Larissa pressed her lips together. She did not voice out all theints she had.


    ¡°Got it¡± she answered. Only then did Kevan¡¯s eyes solten a little.


    ¡°Hand.¡± He held out his other hand as he stared at her free hand. In such an atmosphere, Larissa did


    not dare do anything disobedient. She put her hand into his palm alter some hesitation.


    Kevan pulled her and she was forced to move forward. He brought her hands under his sweatshirt,


    cing them against his hot body.


    Larissa¡¯s eyes widened in shock. She curled up her fingers at once as she tried hard to separate them


    from his body. Kevan did not give her that chance though.


    ¡°Be good.¡± He pulled her back.


    Aster was blocking her off from behind too. ¡°Mommy, just be good, okay?¡±


    Trapped by both of them. Larissa could only admit defeat and let Kevan do whatever he wanted to her.

 Chapter 777

    Chapter 777


    Chapter 777


    Stuck between two live ¡°hand warmers,¡± Larissa¡¯s frozen hands soon warmed up. She was relieved.


    ¡°Can you let me go now?¡± she asked Kevan.


    His face remained unchanged. He was still stone¨Cfaced when he removed her hands from under his


    shirt.


    ¡°I will fill the bathtub for you. Take a nice bath.¡± With that, Kevan instructed Aster. ¡°Make mommy a


    ss of orange juice. Make sure she finishes it.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± Aster ran off once he got hissk. Larissa could not even stop him.


    Kevan stared at her. ¡°Finish it beforeing to the bathroom.¡±


    Kevan had already told Aster where the oranges were. So, Aster juiced the fruits and brought the cup


    to his mother slowly.


    ¡°Drink it quick, Mommy! Aster put the cup into Larissa¡¯s hands. He dropped to his knees on the floor


    and put his head on herp. He locked up to stare at her¨Cclearly following Kevan¡¯s orders.


    The smell of the oranges made Larissa frown. She teased Aster. ¡°This doesn¡¯t taste good. Can I not


    drink it?¡±


    ¡°Nope!¡± Aster red hard at her, ¡°You will finish it!¡±


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    Larissa nced at the bathroom. The door was closed. She discussed with Aster in a low voice. ¡°Your


    dad can¡¯t hear us talking now, Don¡¯t be so serious. Il pour it away in the kitchen, Don¡¯t tell him, okay?¡±


    Aster did not answer her question. He got up from the floor and ran to the bathroom. His slippers


    tapped out a rhythm on the floor.


    Through the half¨Copen door, Larissa could clearly hear Aster report to Kevan. ¡°Daddy! Mommy¡¯s being


    naughty again! She doesn¡¯t want to drink the orange juice! She even said she wanted to secretly pour


    the juice away!¡±


    Larissa¡¯s heart became cold. She had raised this son of hers for nothing!


    A minuteter. Kevan came out while holding Aster¡¯s hand. Kevan eyed Larissa coldly, and she quickly


    finished the orange juice.


    ¡°Done!¡± She showed him the empty cup.


    Kevan said nothing and just turned back into the bathroom.


    Aster took the cup from her and got candy from his pocket. ¡°Here. The prize for drinking that¡±


    Larissa scotted. She pinched his face hard and scolded him through gritted teeth. ¡°Little traitor!¡±


    But the scolding was one thing. She still epted the candy he gave her.


    Aster pouted. He scolded her. ¡°That¡¯s because Mommy is too naughty! Me and Daddy are only doing


    this for your own good! Can¡¯t you help us worry less?¡±


    Larissa¡¯s ear was going to be nagged off by her son. She turned her back to Aster to eat the candy.


    The sweet taste look away the aftertaste of the orange juice in her mouth, ¡°Fine, bleeding hell, I get it


    Chewing on the candy, Larissa ludged things with him. ¡°Wash the cup, yeah? I¡¯m going to take a bath!¡±


    Aster only fell silent now as he took the cup to the kitchen,


    Larissa went back to her bedroom to get a change of clothes. She nned to take a good, hot bath.


    The moment she opened the bathroom door, the steam in the space blinded her for a bit,


    Kevan¡¯s figure was only a faint dark shape in the steam. When he heard the sound of the door opening,


    he seemed to have turned over to look.


    ¡°The water is ready.¡± His voice was a bit floaty due to being in a steamy bathroom.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Larissa put her clothes on the shell above her head. She waited for Kevan to leave at the door.


    But he did not move.


    ¡°Your ankle is not fully healed yet,¡± he said. ¡°So. I will help you.¡±

 Chapter 778

    Chapter 778


    Chapter 778


    Larissa¡¯s body jalted. She backed away automatically. Out just as she had taken a step, her back was


    pressed up against the wet door. and her shirt was immediately drenched. The cotton fabric stuck to


    her skin, and it became transparent.


    Kevan walked closer to her. Hisce became clearer in the steam.


    Larissa was like a mouse that was caught by a cal. She trembled in theer. ¡°Dont¨Cdon¡¯te


    here,¡± she warned him inellectively. My ankle is fine, I don¡¯t need your help.¡±


    Kevan watched her. Then, he held out his hand to her. ¡°Come.¡± His voice was very light, but there was


    a threatening tone to it.


    Larissa¡¯s hand was already on the door handle. Her brain was calcting the chances of sessfully


    escaping.


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    Kevan took one step forward and had her in his arms in a bridal carry before she could open the door,


    Larissa screamed so loudly that one¡¯s ears could have exploded.


    Kevan looked at her and reminded her, ¡°Be quiet, don¡¯t scare Aster.¡±


    Larissa immediately covered her mouth. ¡°Put me down!¡± she hissed into his ear.


    Kevan ignored her. He sat on a stool close to the bath lub, putting Larissa in hisp, then carefully


    removing the slippers and socks that she was wearing.


    She wore short socks that covered only her toes and heels. Her ankles, which were exposed for the


    whole day, had already been frozen purple. It was a huge difference from her fair legs.


    Kevan pressed his lips together. Larissa could see his ur happiness through her eyshes. She knew


    that she was in the wrong, so she did not move anymore. She was scared that she would make him


    angry and make something bad happen.


    ¡°I¡¯ll wear snow boots to work tomorrow. The longest type of snow boots she automatically proposed.


    Kevan still said nothing as he lifted her trouser legs.


    Larissa¡¯s calves were frozen still because she had worn heels for the whole day, not to mention having


    walked back home from the train station. Kevan pressed on her flesh, and her calves did not change at


    all.


    Before he could speak, Larissa repeated, ¡°I swear I¡¯ll wear snow boots tomorrow! I¡¯m nothing!¡±


    Kevan still ignored her. He massaged her calves until her muscles rxed, only then did he put her on


    the floor.


    ¡°Have a 30¨Cminute bath, thene out.¡± He stood up and brushed the wrinkles out of his trousers and


    left the bathroom before Larissa could react. She only reacted to the sound of the door closing.


    She stood in the empty bathroom, surrounded by steam. She felt a strange sense of loss.


    Kevan was timing Larissa. The moment 30 minutes was up, he knocked on the bathroom door. ¡°Time


    toe out.¡±


    Larissa jolted awake when she heard him calling out to her. The hot bath was too nice. She did not


    even know when she started leeling sleepy.


    ¡°Okay!¡± Larissa called out as she cleaned hersell up as quickly as she could.


    Outside the bathroom, both Kevan and Aster stood by the bathroom doors like two statues, Larissa


    was given a big scare by them. Holding her hand over her heart, she red at Kewan. ¡°What did you


    two think you were doing?¡±


    Kevan did not answer, but Aster held her hand and dragged her to the dining room. ¡°Mommy,el¡±


    There was a ss of hot milk on the dining table. ¡°Daddy just healed this up!¡± Aster showed the ss


    of milk to her like he was offering up a treasure. ¡°Daddy said that Mommy will be able to sleep well after


    drinking milk!


    Larissa looked at Keyan, who had followed them. Aplicated leeling appeared in her heart. She fell


    like she was going to cry.

 Chapter 779

    Chapter 779


    Chapter 779


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Larissa said.


    Hearing this. Kevan frowned.


    Aster did not understand what exactly was happening between them. When he saw that Kevan did not


    say anything, he put his hands on his hips and scolded the man. ¡°Daddy! You must tell Mommy ¡°You¡¯re


    wee!¡±


    Kevan stared at Larissa dully before he finally said. ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡±


    Aster was happy, but Larissa felt a chill run down her spine. She finished the milk, abandoned the


    ss, and escaped to her bedroom.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to bed! You two go to bed too!¡±


    Aster watched her go and sighed. ¡°Mommy is so old now, why is she still so naughty?¡±


    Kevan patted Aster¡¯s head as his expression softened. ¡°It¡¯s okay if Mommy isn¡¯t good. We just need to


    protect her.¡±


    Larissa was able to fall asleep because the milk helped. Still, she was so cold that she woke up at


    midnight.


    The thick nket was still covering her. It had not been kicked off by her while she was asleep like she


    thought.


    Larissa curled up, hugging herself m. She tried to get warm like this. Still the bone¨Cchilling cold came in


    waves, and she kept shivering.All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    She started to suspect that the thermostat in the house was broken. After putting on a thick cotton shirt,


    Larissa picked up her phone and prepared to go check the thermostat. When she passed by the study,


    she was surprised to see light under the door.


    The person in the study heard her too. The sounds of light footsteps could be heard. A lew seconds


    later, the study door opened.


    Kevan was still wearing his sweatshirt, and his expression was stemer than before. Looking past his


    shoulder, Larissa saw that hisptop was open and turned on. He has to be staying upte to work.


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you sleeping?¡± Kevan asked her.


    Larissa wrapped the cotton shirt tighter around herself. ¡°The thermostat seems to be broken. I was


    going to go take a look.¡± When she spoke, her teeth were chattering.


    Kevan looked a little confused. ¡°Is the thermostat broken?¡±


    Larissa was surprised. ¡°Aren¡¯t you cold?¡±


    Kevan¡¯s eyes narrowed as he asked, ¡°You¡¯re cold?¡±


    Larissa nodded. ¡°It was so cold that I woke up.¡±


    Kevany expression grew more and more serious. He reached out to feel her forehead. A momentter,


    he concluded, ¡°The thermostat is not broker. You¡¯re having a fever.¡±


    He chased her back to the bedroom and made her be on the bed again. All the cold medication and


    cooling pads in the house that Kevan could use were used. He also covered Lanssa with the nket.


    ¡°Go to sleep it¡¯ll be fine tomorrow.¡± He looked at her as he sat on the edge of the bed.


    The nighlight at the head of the bed was din, so Kevan¡¯s face could not be seen. But his gentle words


    in that low voice entered Larissa¡¯s ears clearly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be scared. It be here with you.¡±


    He reached under the nket to hold her hand. Larissa¡¯s hands and legs were cold, and her hands


    were icy.


    Kevan did not scorn that feeling though. He wrapped his hands around hers and let her get warm using


    his own cold hands.

 Chapter 780

    Chapter 780


    Chapter 780


    Larissa did not sleep well. Previously, she was so cold that she was shivering. s, now she was so


    hot that she kept sweating.


    Still, there was a somewhat cold hand that kept holding hers. It gave her strength.


    When she woke up, the house was still dark. She stared at the ceiling for a while before she woke up


    fully. As usual, she rolled over to get her phone. But a strong grip pulled her back the moment she


    moved.


    Larissa hissed before getting a good look at what it was. Only then did she notice the dark figure hall¨C


    lying on the bed. Even though she could not see the person¡¯s face, she knew it was Kevan,


    He was sleeping with one arm pillowing his head. He was sitting on the floor in a twisted position so


    that he could stretch out his legs.


    Her heart aching for him, Larissa pushed him using their joined hands. ¡°Wake up!¡±


    Kevan did not sleep very deeply. He woke up the moment she called him. ¡°You¡¯re awake?¡± He sat up.


    His voice was hoarse from sleep.


    Without waiting for Larissa to speak he felt her forehead.


    ¡°Fever seems to be gone.¡± His voice was much more rxed as he got up from the floor. ¡°Do you still


    want to sleep?¡± he asked.


    Larissa shook her head. ¡°No.¡±


    Kevan went over to the window and pulled the thick curtain aside a little. The sunlight lit up the


    bedroom.


    Larissa shielded her eyes, before using her saliva to wet her throat. She asked anxiously, ¡°What time is


    it? Has Aster gone to school yet?¡±


    Based on the brightness outside, it must be quitete into the morning already.


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    Kevan came back, picked up her phone, and turned the screen on. ¡°It¡¯s almost 10 am. Aster did not go


    to school. He must be reading in


    the study now.¡±


    To prevent Larissa from kicking off the nket, Kevan watched her the whole night. He helped her


    change the cooling pads twice, so he only ended up falling asleep around 5 am.


    At 8 am, Aster came to find him once. Worried about Larissa¡¯s health, Kevan did not dare to leave


    Larissa alone at home. So, he called the kindergarten teacher to apply for a one¨Cday leave for Aster.


    ¡°I texted Lewis too. He said to let you rest at home.¡± The truth was, Lewis¡® first reaction was toe


    see Larissa at once, but Kevan refused. If Lewis came, Gary woulde too.


    If Gary came, Kevan could not stay here. Kevan would never let himself end up in a position like that.


    Larissa¡¯s eyes got used to the brightness. She rubbed her aching temples and said, ¡°Okay.¡±


    Seeing that the redness on herce had faded away, Kevan rxed a little. ¡°Sit for a bit before you get


    up. I¡¯ll make you breakfast.¡±


    s, Larissa grabbed his right hand the moment he turned around. Her grip was weak, All Kevan


    needed to do was to bug his hand away and he would break free.


    But Kevan stopped. He pushed down his raging emotions as he looked at their joined hands.


    ¡°I¡¯m not hungry.¡± Larissa licked her lips. When she saw that he did not resist, she lightened her grip a


    bit. ¡°Do you want to sleep on the bed for a bit?¡± she asked, her voice strained.


    She knew that it was easy for Kevan to misunderstand her words, so she rified, ¡°You sleep here,


    and I sleep in Wendy¡¯s room! Aster¡¯s bed is too small. It¡¯s notfortable for you to sleep there.¡±


    Although Kevan could sleep on Aster¡¯s little bed, it was still too small for him. He never stretched his


    legs out at all.


    Kevan smiled, his back still facing Larissa.


    ¡°I will prepare breakfast first. Aster¡¯s hungry too.¡±

 Chapter 781

    Chapter 781


    Chapter 781


    Kevan wished that he did not need to take his hand cut of hers. When his hand was empty again, it fell


    like he left half of his heart behind behind


    100. 100.


    Larissa did not stop him this time. She could go without breakfast, but Aster could not.


    While Kevan was making breakfast in the kitchen, Larissa got out of bed and went through her morning


    routine. After that, she grabbed her work things and went to Wendy¡¯s room.


    Having been distracted by the father and sonst night, Larissa had forgotten that she wanted to focus


    on her work. Although she was still ufortable because of the cold, her fever was gone. But she


    could not fall asleep again even if she wanted to.


    It was better to finish the slideshow instead.


    It did not take long for someone to knock on the door. Larissa closed herptop and stilled it under the


    nket with her documents.


    ¡°Who is 117 she asked.


    ¡°Me.¡± Kevan pushed open the door. There was a tray in his hands. ¡°I made chicken soup.¡± He ced


    the tray on the bedside table.


    The beautiful porcin bowl that Larissa bought online was filled with delicious chicken soup.


    ¡°I added some satt. Eat a little something at least, and then take your cold medication.¡±


    ¡°Leave it here. I¡¯ll eat once I¡¯m hungry.¡± Larissa was worried that he would find out about her work in


    secret, so she tried to chase him


    away. ¡°Go to sleep. My fever¡¯s gone. There won¡¯t be any problems.


    Kevan did not leave as she wished though. His sharp gaze looked at her before fixing on the bump


    next to her. ¡°What is this?¡± he asked.


    Larissa guiltily pressed her hand on the bump. her eyes looking everywhere except Kevan. ¡°Nothing.¡±


    Kevan ripped open the nket. His expression darkened at once when he saw the stack c¡® documents.


    ¡°You were working?


    Larissa bit her lip but she did not dare to reply.


    Kevan took away all her work¨Crted things and forced the porcin bowl into her hand.


    ¡°Eat!¡± he ordered harshly. ¡°Il you don¡¯t. I¡¯ll burn your documents and break yourptop.¡±


    Larissa knew that he would do exactly what he promised. So, she forced herself to eat half the chicken


    soup and take her cold medication.


    Kevan still did not leave. ¡°You¡¯re too disobedient,¡± he said. ¡°I have to watch you.¡±


    Larissa felt ke crying. Fucking damn it! She should not have felt like she lucked out!


    ¡°You already took my work away, I can¡¯t work even it I wanted to! If you really can¡¯t let this go, let Aster


    come and supervise me then, Why don¡¯t you go to sleep?¡± She tried to discuss it with him.


    ¡°No.¡± Kevan firmly relused. ¡°Aster can¡¯t handle you.¡±


    He took theptop, documents, and the tray of food. Standing up, he stared down at Larissa, who was


    half¨Csitting on Wendy¡¯s bed. ¡°Go


    back to your room.¡±


    As Larissa had done something wrong thing earlier, she was filled with guill. Alraid that she would make


    him angrier, she did whatever he told her to do.


    She went back to her room and waited for a while belore Kevan came in again. His hands were empty,


    and they were purpish red again probably because they froze under the cold water when he washed


    the dishes.


    Larissa held his hands and tried to warm them with her own. She kept scolding him. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you to


    wash the dishes with hot water?¡±


    Kevan stood in front of her. He did not say anything for a very long time. Larissa fourd it odd. She


    looked up and ended up looking into his scorching eyes.All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 782

    Chapter 782


    Chapter 782


    Kevan stared at her. He did not say anything, but his emotions were overflowing from his eyes.


    ¡°I know it hasn¡¯t been a week yet. But-¡± He licked his lips out of nervousness and held her hands


    instead. His voice was hoarse as he asked. ¡°Do you have an answer already?¡±


    Larissa froze at once. She did not think that he would mention this. She had been counting the days.


    There were still three days left before the week was up. Larissa was not someone who dragged out


    decisions, but this specific decision was hard for her.


    She wanted to wait. But Kevan could not seem to wait any longer.


    *I¡­¡± She lowered her head. She did not know what to say.


    Kevan¡¯s bright eyes dulled at once. He did not n to rush her. He knew that she still held things


    against him, and knew that this would not disappear so quickly.


    He was willing to give her time to process everything. But he could feel that she did care about him


    through her attitude today. And the reason that she cared about him-


    The more he thought about it, the more excited he was. So, he ended up asking.


    ¡°Never mind.¡± He let her go, a faint smile on his lips. It was like he did not mind. ¡°There¡¯s still time.¡± He


    backed away. He moved from the foot of the bed to the other side.


    Larissa felt a little sad as she stared at her empty hands. But this sadness did notst long.


    There were some sounds from behind her before the bed sank down a bit. Larissa turned back and


    saw that Kevan hady down on the bed. He did not look good, and there were dark circles under his


    eyes. He was still staring at her.


    The raging emotions had disappeared from his eyes. Larissa could only see calmness in them.


    ¡°Come here.¡± Kevan patted the empty space next to him. His aggressive attitude showed that she


    could not refuse him.


    ¡°Uh Larissa was hesitating when she heard him say, ¡°Yourptop-


    Larissa removed her thick jacket and got onto the bed. Kevan made sure she was under the nket


    too.


    All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    He turned to the side. sliding an arm under her neck while the other arm went around her waist. He


    trapped her in his arms.


    He rested his chin on her head, and Larissa could feel the vibrations that came from his talking.


    ¡°Sleep with me for a while.¡± His voice was tired, and Larissa stopped struggling at once.


    She buried her face in his neck, and her voice was dull, ¡°But I have a cold. I¡¯ll pass it on to you.¡± Her


    nose was blocked, and her throat was


    itchy. Thankfully, she did not cough like crazy.


    Kevan closed his eyes as he rubbed her back. ¡°It¡¯s fine, my immune system¡ª


    He was really tired. He did not even finish talking when his hand fell off her back as he fell dead asleep.


    Larissa¡¯s heart ached even more for him. If it were not for him taking care of her, why would he end up


    messing with his health like this?


    When she thought of this, she hugged him back.


    When Larissa woke up again, Kevan was gone.

 Chapter 783

    Chapter 783


    Chapter 783


    Larissa sneakily went to the door. She pressed herself against the door to listen to what was happening


    outside.


    The living room seemed to be empty.


    Larissa rejoiced. She nned to get herptop and documents back in secret without Kevan noticing.


    s, the moment she opened the room door, she heard the sound of the next door opening too.


    ¡°Mommy!¡± Aster shouted, ¡°You¡¯re awake!¡±


    Larissa¡¯s heart skipped a beat. Her expression showed some annoyance at the untimeliness of her


    son¡¯s appearance.


    Kevan followed behind Aster. He looked at her, his eyes stopping at a specific ce before they quickly


    moved away. His expression became somewhat unnatural too.


    Larissa was confused as she touched her face. Still before she could figure out what was wrong. Aster


    shouted out the problem.¡± Mommy! Why is your mouth swollen?!¡±


    Larissa froze.


    Aster was young. He screamed. ¡°Did you trip on your mouth? Did a mosquito bite you? Are there even


    mosquitoes in winter?¡±


    Larissa covered her mouth and ran back to her room. She saw her swollen lips in the dressing table


    mirror. There was even a spot that bled. A light touch made it hurt. She did not have to think too deeply


    to figure out who was responsible for this.


    That fucker, Kevan! He dared do this disgusting thing to her while she was asleep!


    Rage made Larissa¡¯s face be hideous. But when she thought of Aster, she forced herself to smile.


    When Larissa went out again, Kevan was ying with building blocks with Aster on the living room


    floor.


    The blocks were from Gary, who bought them thest time he came here. Aster could build the model


    of a city with it. Aster had worked on it for many days, but he¡¯d only built less than a tenth of it. The


    progress was very slow


    The building blocks now had a bit of the city¡¯s shape.


    ¡°Mommy, Daddy¡¯s amazing!¡± Aster boasted to Larissa. ¡°He is almost finished building this for me! I can


    take it to school to make the other kids jealous of me tomorrow! I¡¯ll make them know how amazing my


    daddy is!¡±


    Kevan pressed his lips together as he smiled at Aster. When he saw Larissaing over, he signaled


    to her with his chin to get the one- time¨Cuse mask on the coffee table.


    ¡°Wear that,¡± he said. ¡°There¡¯s a kid in the house after all¡± When he said the other half of his sentence,


    he stared at her lips again.


    Larissa was not sure if he wanted her to wear a mask to avoid viruses or to cover up the results of his


    disgusting act.


    When she thought of the state she was now in, Larissa ripped open the mask¡¯s packaging and put on


    the mask. She did not dare to get too close to the other two and sat on the couch that was further back.


    ¡°Where¡¯s myptop?¡± she asked Kevan. ¡®I need to go back to work tomorrow. I must finish my work.¡±


    Kevan did not stop her this time. ¡°It¡¯s all in the study,¡± he said.


    Larissa went to the study immediately. Her things were there like he said. They were ced with


    Kevan¡¯s ownptop.


    Larissa moved hisptop away, but her elbow identally knocked into the mouse nearby.


    Kevan did not seem to have turned off hisptop. It was only in sleep mode due to being left alone for


    too long. The moment the mouse moved, Kevan¡¯sptop screen lit up, and the lock screen was shown.


    Shockingly, the lock screen wallpaper was a picture of her,


    Larissa found the person in the picture familiar but unfamiliar at the same time.


    That was not a recent picture of her. It was a picture of her from a long time ago It seemed to be from


    when she was still in high school.All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 784

    Chapter 784


    Chapter 784


    Larissa hated taking pictures. This weird quirk was because of a very unhappy experience from her


    childhood.


    The Seymours were a typical rich family, When the firstpact camera was just Invented, Lana


    owned one when she was stil in elementary school.


    Children were always curious about new things. As a result, whenever Lana ran around the Seymour


    Mansion taking pictures with h camera, Larissa would sometimes secretly watch Lana from her


    bedroom door.


    The camera film only had twenty snaps per film rol. The Seymours did not have a special darkroom,


    and it was rare for the photo studios on the streets to have one too.


    So, Lana always took several photos on several lim rolls, and a driver would take them all to a cholo


    studio several miles away to get them developed, After that, the photos would be brought home.


    Lana was young. The camera was more like a ley to her. She took very random photos, so there were


    too many films that were either too bright or too blurry. The photos came out the same way, and so


    countless lims were wasted.


    Lana did not care though, so the Seymours would not care either.


    But one day. Yvelle had a photo with Larissa¡¯s blumed figure in it and she screamed at Larissa and


    beat her, ¡°Why are you running around when Nana¡¯s taking photos? Do you know how rxpensive tims


    are?! You ungrateful bich! You only know how to waste our money I wish I never gave birth to your


    When Yvette walked away, she tore up that phole and threw it at Larissa¡¯s Icet.


    ¡°What a fucking burden Larissa would forever remember the disgusted look in Yelle¡¯s eyes when she


    said that.


    From that time on, Larissa never watched Lana take photos in secret. Whenever someone wanted to


    take a picture of her, Larissa would remember that incident, and she would automatically feel scared


    and terrified.


    Sc. the picture of her that Kevan had used as his wallpaper had to have been photographed in secret.


    But she did not know Kevan at all at that time. She did not know how the hell he managed to get that


    photo.


    Larissa stared at the picture, at thece that was the same yet different for a long time. Then, she put


    Kevan¡¯sptop back into sleep mode as she calmed herself down to start working.


    She did not have much left to do. She only spent about an hour or so to finish it all. Alter making


    backup coples of the slideshow to her USB drive, the cloud, and even sending a copy to Lewis Larissa


    linally turned off herpto


    Gritting her teeth, she thought angrily to hersel¡°, ¡°Let¡¯s see how Judy¡¯s going to delete it now!¡±


    When she was leaving the study with herptop and documents, she nced at Kevan¡¯s aptop again,


    She still minded the picture very much¨Cbecause she thought that her high school sell was toomel


    Honestly, out of all things, that was


    ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    what she cared about the most!


    She studied at an Important high school in the city then. The rules were very strict.


    They had to wear a boring uniform to school every day. Their homeroom teacher did not let them dress


    up either. They could not wear jewelry, and girls were not allowed to keep their hair long. At that time,


    all the girls in their ss mostly had ordinary bob cuts.


    Although Lanssa looked good without makeup she still thought that it was themest way of dressing


    with the current beauty standards.


    Larissa thought that she had to have a serious talk with Kevan to make him change the walpaper.


    The moment Lanssa went iside, Aster grabbed her and dragged her to the living room to make her y


    will h


    His former y mate, Revan, was making dinner for the three of them.


    Larissa forced down the urge to cough as she adjusted her mask. She make sure the mask covered


    her nose and mouth.


    ¡°Can you y by yourself? She tried to discuss it with Aster ¡®Mommy¡¯s sick I cant be so close to you,¡±


    when I went to find Daddy! You were hugging him when you slept! It was closer than you being with me


    now!¡±


    Larissa¡¯s face tumed red. The shame she felt now was like she had been caught cheating with


    someone else in bed.


    The moment she started talking, a series of violent coughs exploded out of her. It was probably


    because


    ¡°That¡¯s because


    panicked and had no time to breathe property.

 Chapter 785

    Chapter 785


    Chapter 785


    Hearing the noise, Kevan threw down the spat and ran out of the kitchen.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± He was still wearing the apron with flowers printed on It, Larissa was already used to


    theical sight of him wearing that apron.


    *Tm. Fine.¡± Larissa coughed out the two words with difficulty. She coughed so hard that she bent over


    with a hand on her chest.


    Kevan quickly poured a ss of warm water and pushed it into her hand.


    Larissa moved to the balcony. She pulled off her mask to drink the water.


    Having managed to calm down, Larissa red sharply at the two guys who were watching her ar


    distance away. She said. ¡°You two stay away from me!¡±


    Seeing that Kevan was going to walk over to where she was, she pointed a finger at him and shouted,


    ¡°Especially you! Don¡¯t you dare


    Kevan frowned and stared at her in confusion. He did not understand why within a few short hours, she


    went from willingly hugging him to


    sleep to haling him so much she had to avoid him.


    Larissa¡¯s face was already red from coughing. It covered up the fact that she was also blushing


    because of her humiliation. Avoiding


    Kevan¡¯s gaze. Larissa went back to her bedroom in the most roundabout way poss be.


    ¡°You two eat your dinner first. I¡¯lle out and eat after you¡¯re done so I don¡¯t pass on my sickness to


    you


    With that she escaped back into her room and mmed the door shut.


    Kevan delivered Larissa¡¯s dinner to her in her room.


    ¡°Why are you ¨C Larissa was about to start scolding him when the dark look on Kevans face made her


    shut up.


    ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    But this time, he did not force her to eat. He sat on the edge of the bed and stared at her.


    Larissa was very unsettled by his stare. She could not help but ask, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡±


    Kevan only spoke up now. ¡°Did I do something wrong again?¡± His voice was not as cole and scary as


    Larissa thought, it was actually solt hoarse, and sounded just a little hurt.


    Larissa¡¯s heart lelt like it was being crushed into pieces. Because of the guill, Larissa¡¯s voice became


    softer. ¡°No, it¡¯s not you. It¡¯s me¡­¡±


    She repeated Aster¡¯s question to Kevan. When she finished, her whole face was so red that even her


    neck turned red.


    As Kevan Estened, his tense body rxed. His t face had a smile of great interest on it.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± His eyes darkened. ¡°Why can you sleep on the same bed as me? There¡¯s nothing between us


    at all¡±


    Larissa red at him. She could not believe that he would say something so shameess.


    ¡°Because it¡¯s all your fucking fault!¡± She trembled will rage. ¡°Weren¡¯t you the one who made me go to


    bed with you?¡±


    Oh, I made you, and so you did exactly what I told you to?¡± Kevan leaned over to get close to her. His


    smirk grew bigger. ¡®Now I see that you¡¯re rather easy, hmm?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the one that¡¯s easy!¡± Lanssa¡¯s rage grew bigger and bigger. She also felt hari by his


    misunderstanding, so she began to cry. ¡°Get out! Fucking get out! She grabbed the pillow behind her


    and threw it hard at him.

 Chapter 786

    Chapter 786


    Chapter 786


    ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    Kevan did not avoid Larissa¡¯s attacks. He just stood there and used his chest to bear it all.


    Larissa was really angry. She used a great deal of her strength to throw the pillow, but she did not


    expect that Kevan would just stand


    there and let her beat him..


    So, when she saw him sway dangerously, her quilt swallowed the rage from before, and words of


    concem escaped her mouth. ¡°Are you


    okay?¡±


    The pillow fell off Kevan¡¯s body. Hr gripped his chest with pain, and there was a painful expression on


    his face.


    Larissa panicked even more. She threw the nket oll and got closer to him.


    ¡°Does it hurt?¡± she asked anxiously as she sat on her legs in front of him. She did not know what to do


    all of a sudden.


    Kevan did not say a single word as he gritted his teeth. He seemed to be in the greatest pain possible.


    ¡°Sorry Larissa¡¯s lorehead began to sweat from her panic. She reached out to rub his chest but realized


    halfway through that this was


    not suitable.


    But she had not even pulled her hand back when Kevan gripped her wrist tightly. He pulled her, and


    she stumbled right into his arms.


    Kevan¡¯s hands pressed against her neck and waist, Irapping her.


    ¡°Larissa Seymour,¡± he whispered into her ear. His breath was so hot. His low, maic voice wiggled


    into her ear with out any problem.


    Larissa sirened up immediately as her face was stuck against his neck. She stopped breathing on


    instinct.


    ¡°Admit it woman. You must have me.¡± Kevan¡¯s voice was like magic. It could trick people¡¯s hearts.


    Larissa¡¯s face burned so red. She listened as he continued saying. Mike Young, Allen Grint, or even


    anyone else is impossible for you.


    You can only have me.¡±


    Having her real thoughts exposed and guessed right by Kevan, Larissa lelt super humted and angry.


    She struggled furiously to escape


    his grip.


    ¡°The fuck are you saying?! Let me go! Kevan why the fuck are you so annoying?! If you don¡¯t let go I¡¯m


    going to fucking kick you out of the damned house!¡±


    However, Kevan never let go no matter how much she beat him and screamed at him. ¡°Larissa.¡± He


    called her name again. This time, his voice was more serious than before.


    Larissa froze. Although she was still angry, she was also scared because of his sudden seriousness.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that hard to see your own heart clearly, you know.¡± Kevan let her go alter he linished saying


    that.


    Larissa was still frozen.


    ¡°Eat.¡± Kevan rposed himsell. It was like nothing had happened between them. His expression and


    tone were so calm like it was just the usual business. ¡°I wille to get the dishester.¡±


    Larissa had no appetite at all. She sat on the bed and stared at the dishes Kevan left her.


    They were all her favorite foods, but she did not even want to pick up her spoon and fork.


    Her brain kept reying what he said.


    ¡°Admit it, woman. You must have me.¡±


    Kevan¡¯s voice was like magic, it refused to disappear.


    Larissa did not know if she really had to have him. But I was like he said, the moment Larissa thought


    of sharing the same bed with Mike


    Disqust exploded in Larissa¡¯s stomach, and goosebumps appeared on her skin.


    She did like Kewan. This was a truth that could not be changed. But she was not sure of Kewan¡¯s


    feelings for her.

 Chapter 787

    Chapter 787


    Chapter 787


    Larissa could sense the way Kevan treated her differently, But she was not sure if the dillerence in


    treatment was because of her or


    because of Aster,


    After all, he knew from the beginning that Aster was his son, Maybe his actions of pleasing her were all


    because of giving Aster aplete


    family.


    But that picture-


    Larissa rolled out of bed and quickly stormed out of the door. She scared the two people watching a


    cartoon on the couch. They tumed around to stare at her,


    ¡°Mommy, have you finished eating?¡± Aster asked first.


    ¡°Not yet.¡± Larissa forced a smile out with great difficulty. ¡°I¡¯m looking for your daddy.¡± As she spoke, she


    looked at Kevar. ¡°Come to the study with me.¡±


    Kevan gave the


    the remote control to Aster. As he stood up, he put his hand on the kid¡¯s head. ¡°Watch by yourself, then


    shower and go to sleep when it¡¯s time. Do you understand?¡±


    Aster nodded. ¡°Get it! He smiled styly like a fox. His eyes were sparkling. ¡°Don¡¯t mind me. Chat for as


    long as you want!¡±


    Larissa red at him, and Aster sat up straight and pretended to watch the television.


    Kevan followed Larissa into the study. Afraid that Aster would listen to them in secret, Larissa closed


    the door. She even locked it.


    Kevan raised an eyebrow at her actions. When she turned around, he pretended to go back a few


    steps. He let out a terrified expression that only made him look dumb. ¡°What are you going to do to


    me?¡±


    Larissa was just about to demand answers from him when he said that. So, she ended up sputtering


    instead.


    Scon, Kevan spread his arms, looking like someone who was going to die. ¡°Come at me then.¡±


    To his le performance, Larissa only snapped, ¡°Crama queen!¡±


    Kevan smiled lightly and returned to being normal, He stuck his hands in his pockets as he leaned


    against the edge of the study table. He asked, ¡°Did you bring me here because you ligured it out?¡±


    Larissa pressed her lips together. ¡°It¡¯s not that


    A sturned expression shed through Kevan¡¯s eyes. He stopped smiling as he stood up straight


    suddenly. ¡°Then what is it? His tone became cold very quickly.


    Larissa walked over to open Kevan¡¯sptop in front of him. Kevan froze for a bit before reaching out to


    stop her. But he was still toote.


    This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Theptop screen brightened up at once, and a young Larissa appeared before their eyes.


    ¡°What is this?¡± Larissa stared at Kevan as she asked super seriously.


    Kevan timidly pulled his hand back and pretended to be stupid. ¡°Can¡¯t you tell? It¡¯s a picture of you.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I know it¡¯s my picture.¡± Larissa pressed her hands against the table as she struggled to look


    up at him. ¡°I¡¯m asking you where. The Fuck, Cid. You, Get. This. Picture. From?


    The second hall of Larissa¡¯s words were bit out in chunks¡­


    Kevan did not reply.


    Larissa pressed further. ¡°You met me when I was in high school? To Larissa, this possibility was very


    low. Alter all she did not remember him at that time at all.


    His face should be memorable enough for people wherever he went¨Cthis of course included her.


    Kevan still remained silent.


    ¡°Are you also from Keystone High School?¡± she asked carefully.


    Hartham¡¯s Keystone High School was one of the most important high schools in the city. There were


    many outstanding alumni who were from that school But a rich Bartham kid like Kevan would normally


    study in a private school or be sent abroad like Lara.


    As expected. Kevan gave a negative answer. ¡°No¡±

 Chapter 788

    Chapter 788


    Chapter 788


    Larissa licked her lips in disappointment as she muttered. ¡°Then how the hell did you even know me


    Her high school life was incredibly simple. In order to get into an important university and change her


    late by escaping the Seymour family, she spent every single moment of her life studying..


    Any free time she had she was studying at home and revising her work. She never wasted time on


    anything else.


    In other words, Kevan could not have known her at all unless he was in the same school as her..


    Larissa¡¯s nk expression did not seemke.


    Kevan¡¯s tense feelings rxed again. He had been excited and happy then because he thought she


    finally remembered him. But in the end, she did not, and disappointment took over Kevan.


    He¡¯d had her in his heart for so many years. He thought of her every day and night and never forgot


    about her. He thought that he was special to her at least.


    But now he realized that he was only a random nobody to her. He never mattered in her life.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know you before we first met in Regal Dynasty.¡± Kevan looked down. The hands in his pockets


    turned into fists. His cold voice had a hint of self¨Cdeprecation in it.


    ¡°I don¡¯t remember where the picture came from, I probably saw it by chance and thought it was nice, so


    I saved it and made it my wallpaper.¡±


    He did not want her to know that he had lost his heart to her so long ago. He had to hold onto what little


    dignity he had left. However, his exnation did not convince Larissa.


    Although the picture¡¯s background was blurry, one could still tell that it was the gates of Bartham¡¯s


    Keystone High School. The person who took this photo could only be a ssmate or an alumnus.


    But none of these people seemed to have any connection to Kevan.


    His ¡°saw it by chance¡± was a little too random.


    Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Really?¡± Larissa stared at him suspiciously.


    ¡°Why would I lie to you?¡± Kevan smiled, ¡°I have no reason to lie for this sort of thing.¡±


    Larissa thought about it, and she really could not think of anything that he could gain by lying to her.


    ¡°Fine.¡± She gave up trying to figure out where the picture came from as she soltened her tone to


    discuss with him. ¡°Can you please change the picture? It¡¯s too ugly.¡±


    Her disdain for her old sell was real. Kevan raised an eyebrow. ¡°It¡¯s not like I can¡¯t change it. His tone,


    his expression Larissa¡¯s eye twitched. She ignored the bad feeling she got and waited for Kevan to


    continue.


    ¡°This is the only picture in myptop that can be used as a wallpaper,¡± Kevan said casually. ¡°Unless


    you give me a new picture. Otherwise. I can¡¯t change it.¡±


    This request was very simple, Larissa sighed in relief and asked, ¡°Why kind of pictures do you like? I


    find some for youter and email them to you.¡±


    ¡°Any kind is fine. But just one thing-¡°Kevan paused as he smiled wider. ¡°It has to be a picture of you.¡±


    Larissa froze.


    ¡°This¡­¡± She hesitated and refused in a roundabout way. ¡°I don¡¯t like taking pictures of myself. Why


    don¡¯t you use Aster¡¯s pictures instead? I have a lot on my phone. I can send them all to you.¡±


    Kevan had no ns to discuss things with her. He mmed hisptop shut and grabbed it ¡°I¡¯m not


    changing it then.¡± He began to walk out. ¡°Aster said he wanted to y games on myptop this


    afternoon. I¡¯ll ask him what the name of the game he wanted to y was and download it for him


    tonight.¡±


    If he lent hisptop to Aster, the kid would see her old photo too.

 Chapter 789

    Chapter 789


    Chapter 789


    It was not a problem if Aster saw Larissa¡¯s picture. But if Asler told Wendy aboul il-


    Larissa could imagine how Wendy wouldugh at her and whatce she would make.


    Til take the pictures for you now, okay?¡± She gave in helplessly.


    Kevan stood there and watched her. ¡°Sure.¡±


    Larissa pressed her lips together and raised her phone. She pointed the front camera at herself and


    randomly snapped a few shots.


    Her phone was an old one fromst year. The front camera was not really good, and it did not have any


    pretty filter functions. Combined with her randomness¨Cnone of the pictures could be used.


    Kevan stared at her phone¡¯s photo album, and his frown grew deeper.


    ¡°I don¡¯t mear to force you to take pictures.¡± He returned Larissa¡¯s phone to her. ¡°If you¡¯re not willing


    Tm wiling! Larissa interrupted him. ¡°Il retake the pictures until you¡¯re satisfied. Okay?¡±


    Kevan locked hesitant.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take the pictures in whatever way you want!¡± Larissa patted her chest in promise.


    ¡°Tine, then.¡± Kevan gave her back her phone and took out his own phone. ¡°Come here.¡± He waved her


    over.


    Larissa immediately went over to him, Kevan pulled her into his arms. Before she could react, he


    kissed her lips.


    When Larissa¡¯s brain waspletely nked out, she heard the sound of the picture being taken.


    The kiss did notst long¨Cprobably just two seconds. But it was enough for Kevan to take a pretty


    picture-


    This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Their perfect faces had ayer of soft yellow light on them. It was rather warm and dreary, Larissa¡¯s


    eyes were wide while Kevan was gazing at her. His eyes were so bright.


    Their expressions were very different from each other¡¯s, and it made the picture have some sort of


    secret story behind it.


    ¡°This picture will work.¡± Kevan let go of Larissa as he seriously decided to pick the picture ne look. It


    was like his ¡®cruel¡± act was just a necessary ¡°sacr*ce that he had to do to get the picture.


    ¡°Done.¡± He sent the picture to hisputer easily and made it the new wallpaper,


    Larissa¡¯s face was burning red from seeing the picture of him kissing her. ¡°You can¡¯t use this! She


    wanted to snatch Kevan¡¯sptop from him, but he avoided her easily.


    ¡°You said it yourself. I can take the picture in whatever way I want. You would be willina. Kevan used


    her words from earlier and shut her up. He walked out of the study with hisptop while she was still


    shocked. ¡°If you have nothing else. I¡¯ll go download Aster¡¯s game.¡±


    ¡°Stop!¡± Larissa chased after him. Kevan did not stop.


    Afraid that Aster would see that picture that was not suitable for children to see, Larissa hugged Kevan


    from behind in a panic. She waspletely stuck to him to prevent him from walking lurther.


    Kevan¡¯s body swayed dangerously from the way Larissa jumped at him, but he did stop.


    ¡°Aster can use myptop to y his game! Yourptop has too many secret documents. What if he


    makes yourptop get a virus? The consequences wil be had!¡±


    Larissa¡¯s arms were strangling his waist. Herce was stuck to his back.


    s, belore Kevan could speak Aster¡¯s demand came from not far away. ¡°What are you doing?¡±

 Chapter 790

    Chapter 790


    Chapter 790


    Larissa¡¯s body froze. She turned around to look at Aster.


    Aster seemed rather angry as he stared at Larissa with disapproval,


    Larissa quickly let go of Kevan. She was about to exin when the kid said. ¡°You guys are not hugging


    me!¡±


    He pouted.


    Larissa found his hurt look very funny.


    Kevan was the calmest out of all three of them. He waved to Aster and said. ¡°Come here.¡±


    Aster¡¯s eyes lit up at once, and he ran to Kevan.


    Kevan cave Larissa hisptop and bent down to hus Aster.


    Aster hugged Kevan and left a big, wet kiss on his cheek. ¡°Daddy¡¯s the best!¡±


    Kevan nced at Larissa, who had aplicated look on her face as she stood there. He purposely


    asked Aster. ¡°Is Memmy not good?¡±


    ¡°Mommy is good too! Aster always liked totter his mother. He naturally would not ¡®disrespect her now.


    He quickly reached out to Larissa after saying that, adding, ¡°I want Mommy¡¯s Fug too!¡±


    Larissa let her Sor crag her over. Aster¡¯s arms were hugging both Kevan and Larissa. It made the three


    of them stick together tightly.


    Kevan used his free hand to hug Larissa¡¯s waist and trap her in his arms. Larissa red at him in


    secret warning him not to push his luck.


    Kevan ignored her though, and just spoke to Aster. ¡°Happy now?


    ¡°Want¡± Aster tock out his phone and said shyly. ¡°I want to take a picture with Daddy and Mommy-


    ¡°Of course.¡± Kevan agreed. He turned to Larissa at once.


    Aster ca oled his mother. ¡°Mommy!¡±


    Larissa could not win against these two annoying people. Even if she hated taking pictures, she could


    only do it. ¡®Sure.¡±


    Aster grinned and raised the phone as high as he could go so that everyone¡¯s faces were in the


    camera. ¡°One, two, three, cheers!¡±


    The picture was taken, Aster¡¯s bright smile Larissa¡¯s awkward smile, and Kevan¡¯s gentle smile were all


    frozen in this picture.


    Aster sent this picture to Wendy at once. He shouted excitedly. ¡°I want Godma to print this picture for


    me. I¡¯ll take it to school to show the


    other kids!!


    Larissa wanted to stop him. But the moment she thought of how people gave Aster weird looks for


    having no father all these years, she


    decided not to say anything in the end.


    Aster quickly noticed theptop in Larissa¡¯s arms. ¡°Is this Caddy¡¯sptop?¡± he asked.


    Kevan nodded once. ¡°Yes.¡±


    Aster¡¯s eyes were lilled with hope. ¡°Is it for me to y games with?


    Before Kevan replied, Larissa denied him at once. ¡°No! Daddy¡¯sptop has very important documents


    on it. You can¡¯t y with it. If you want to y games so badly, I can let you y on my oldptop. You


    tell me the name of the game, and I¡¯ll download it for you.¡±


    Kevan Side¨Ceyed her, smirking so obviously.


    ¡°Mommy¡¯s right. He cooperated with her. ¡°I can¡¯t let you use myptop for now.¡±


    ¡°Aww¡ª¡°Aster pouted disappointedly, ¡®Mammy¡¯s oldptop is soggy¡±


    ¡°Then use my currentptop!¡± Larissa decided at once. The brat could use whateverptop he wanted


    as long as it was not Kevan¡¯s. ¡°I


    you think myptop is shit, I buy you a new one tomorrow!¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t y games for too long. Just use Morvy¡¯sptop.¡± Kevan rubbed Aster¡¯s head stopping


    Larissa from wanting to buy a newBelongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 791

    Chapter 791


    Chapter 791


    Aster agreed. ¡°Oh, okay.¡±


    Kevan gave Larissa a weird smile. ¡°If you need to work, you can use myptop.¡±


    Larissa sneered at him. ¡°Thank you for that, but I don¡¯t. Flipping. Need t


    The kid had seen Larissa and Kevan sleeping in the same bed. He now wanted to sleep with them


    together.


    Although Larssa¡¯s lever was gone, her cold was rol gone. Worried that she would pass it to him, she


    persuaded Aster to not sleep with her.


    In the end, this whole thing ended with Kevan going over to apany him to bed.


    Larissa was happy to have the whole bed to herself. She even childishly rolled around the bed a few


    times. But when she turned off the lights and listened to her own breathing, she let that the bed was too


    empty. It made her leel a lttle lonely.


    When she realized that, she felt terrified. She hid hersell under the nket and curled up under IL She


    also hugged herself. But even with that, she was unable to stop herself from leeing lonely.


    She tossed and turned a lot that night before she finally fell asleep because of the cold medicine.


    She did not hear the moming rm. When she finally opened her eyes, there was only len minutes left


    before her work time started.


    Larissa dressed herself. She did not even apply makeup. She also simply threw on some clothes. She


    did not care if the clothes matched. and she rushed out of the door.


    Kevan had probably gone off to send Aster to school. There was no one at home. There was breakfast


    on the table and a note Kevan left for her. ¡®I¡¯m sending Aster to school, and I¡¯ll be back soon. Eat your


    breakdast first I send you to workter.¡±


    Larissa could not wait anymore. She grabbed a cab downstairs. When she was in the car, she only


    texted Kevan, ¡°I¡¯m already going to


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    work¡±


    Larissa was trulyte for work. As the subject of public opinion in thepany, she was prepared for


    her colleagues in the department to


    talk shit about her.


    However, when she entered the office, all the seals were emply.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Lanssa was confused. She texted Marilyn. Where did you all go?¡±


    Marilyn did not respond to her,


    Larissa tried knocking on Lewis¡® office door. There was no response either. The door was not locked.


    She went inside and was surprised to see the office was empty too. Gary¡¯s office was the same.


    She did not get any news about a holiday, so today must be a normal work day. Besides, although


    some colleagues were not here, their Laptops were on and their bags were there.


    Did they maybe go have a meeting?


    Larissa heard Marilyn say that when the presidential office has a departmental meeting, they would


    normally use a small meeting room on the same floor. She went to find the room and saw one of the


    meeting room doors closeil.


    Larissa put her ear to the door and could hear the sounds of people taking inside.


    After she was sure everyone was there, Larissa rxed a little. But the question of what she should do


    next became a huge problem.


    She was alreadyte. It she went in like that, it would definitely make things dillicult for Gary and Lewis.


    They could not criticize her, but they could not just let her all either.

 Chapter 792

    Chapter 792


    Chapter 792


    Larissa looked up to see an angry, dark¨Cfaced Gary. Behind him was Marilyn, who looked very serious


    too.


    When he saw Larissa standing outside, Gary stepped walking in surprise.


    Larissa humedy greeted him. ¡°Mr. Logan Senior, Mr. Logan Junior.¡± She bowed her head. She did


    everything she could to act like she was not familiar with these two men.


    Gary nodded and grunted once in response to Larissa. Then, he walked away without even looking at


    her to help maintain her act.


    Lewis also paused in front of Larissa. ¡°Late with no reason. Your attendance bonus along with other


    bonuses for this month are deducted. ¡°He yed the part of a cold, heartless superior, and he ordered


    Larissa, ¡°Come to my office and exin the reason why you werete.¡±


    His voice was not quiet, so all the other colleagues stuck at the door of the meeting room could hear


    him.


    Marilyn gave her a look of sympathy while the others sneered at her.


    Larissa bowed her head even more. She followed behind Lewis.


    The moment she entered his office though, she looked up at once and rolled her neck. She


    comined, ¡°Fuck, it¡¯s tiring.¡±


    Lewis gave her a look. ¡°Serves you right.¡±


    He and Uncle Gary never wanted her to hide her identity in the first ce. Larissa was the one who


    insisted on suffering through this. She even let idiots bully her.


    Larissa pressec her lps together and decided not to argue with him.


    ¡°Is your lever gone?¡± Lewis sat in his chair and asked her as he worked on hisputer.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Larissa also sat down on a chair in front of him. ¡°I measured before going to sleep yesterday.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough. If your fever isn¡¯t gone, Mr. Rogers would not have let youe.¡± Levis coked up to stare


    at her thick down jackel. Then, he said. ¡°You could have worn the outfit you did lecay earler. You just


    had to make things harder for yoursell.¡±


    ¡°The others think my outfit isme.¡± Larissa tugged on her cor as she pouted. ¡°I just came here.


    Shouldn¡¯t I try to blend in with the


    department?


    This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°That¡¯s not necessary.¡± Lewis¡® tone became serous. ¡°You will be thepany¡¯s future manager. You


    don¡¯t need to have good connections with your subordinates and employees. The only thing you need


    to co is to convince them with your capabilities. Sa-


    Lewis opened the slideshow she sent over and changed into work mode in a second. ¡°Are you ready to


    report?¡±


    Larissa¡¯s preparations were very good, and her report made Lewis satisfied.


    ¡°Once your cold ispletely gone, you will meet clients with me in a few days. You will officially follow


    up with projects.¡±


    This was the process of getting familiar with thepany¡¯s operations, and it was something Larissa


    had to go through as the sessor of thepany.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Larissa was a little excited.


    Compared to sitting at her workce and staring at documents, Latissa preferred to perform fieldwork.


    She did not need to suffer any rejection from her colleagues either,


    s. Lewis killed her excitement. He gave her a huge ck of documents and told her. ¡°Firish reading


    all the information about the projects over the next few days.¡±


    Larissa carried the documents back to her workce.

 Chapter 793

    Chapter 793


    Chapter 793


    Marilyn gave Larissa looks with her eyes. She was telling her to look at thepany¡¯s internal


    communication software.


    Larissa had been busy trying to find people when she first arrived. Then, she was called into Lewis


    office.


    Only now did she have the time to open up all the scltware on herptop.


    The message icon in the bottom righter of theptop¡¯s screen kept shing.


    Larissa clicked on it and saw Marilyn¡¯s message.


    ¡°Judy has been fired by Mr. Logan Senior in person Today¡¯sst¨Cminute meeting was held because of


    Judy. Mr. Logan Serior was so angry! Thank goodness you did note!¡±


    Judy was fired?


    Shocked, Larissa nced over in the direction of Judy¡¯s seat, but there was a wall blocking her. So,


    she was not able to see il Judy was


    still there or not.


    ¡°What happened?¡± she asked Marilyn, who sent her a link.


    Larissa only found out that Blue Star Shipping had a little internal forum after she clicked on the link.


    The forum had a. kinds of sections for different topics.


    Marilyn hinted at her.


    ¡°Look at the top trending post in the gossip section!¡±


    The posts in each section were arranged based on how popr they were. The most viewed and


    commented¨Cen post would be pushed


    all the way to the top.


    Larissa saw the headline. ¡°Viral Mean Girl on Facebook and Twitter Is Actually From Our Company!¡±


    and she was very confused.


    Larissa rarely used any other social media apps apart bum instant messaging ones. When she came to


    Aldovia, almost Purryone was on


    Facebook Twitter, and Instagram.


    Larissa got dragged into spending more time on these apps by Wendy. SIL, she did not really use them


    often.


    Things remained the same after she changed her phone, except for WhatsApp. She would still go on


    WhatsApp and see if Kevan had any


    As she was not on Facebook or Twitter, she did not know who the Viral Mean Girl was.


    Thankfully, there was a video in the main thread.


    The video was something Larissa had seen in person before.


    It was the entire incident of how Judy screamed at the waitress at the restaurant.


    After the video, the poster included Judy¡¯s information Ike her name, department, and position. Many


    colleagues followed the post, and they confirmed the truth of this information.


    ¡°I know this Judy She is from the presidential office, yeah! But thest time I spoke to her, I thought she


    was nice. I didnt thrk ¡ª¡±


    *I know her too! But unlike the other person above me, it was never nice when I spoke to Judy. I¡¯m not


    surprised that she would do something like this,¡±


    ¡°Finally! Someone who has insider information! Quickly! Tell us about all the weird things about Judy!


    I¡¯m too curious?


    The post ended up bing a collection of weird things about Judy.


    This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.


    Larissa picked a few to read. They were mostly colleagues from other departmentsining about


    Judy being a snob, and how she looked down on others and loved showing off.


    All these could match up with the Judy Larissa knew


    ¡°Of course!!¡±


    Marilyn used a series of exmation marks to emphasize just how serious the issue was.


    She randomly took screenshots of a few pictures on Facebook and Twitter and sent them to Larissa.


    All of them wereizens condemning Judy.


    Some of them even tagged Blue Star Shipping and demanded thepany fire Judy.


    ¡°Because someone found out that Judy works at nurpany, a lot ofizens condemned our


    company too. They demanded thepany give an exnation. Our rivals also took the opportunity to


    get people to boycott ourpany.


    ¡°This thing got pretty big, so Mr. Logan Senior and Junior heard about it too. Yesterday, Mr. Logan


    Senior directly told Human Resources to fire Judy. He ever got the Legal Department to send a legal


    letter to Judy to sue her for damaging thepany¡¯s reputation.


    ¡°This morning. Mr. Logan Senior called us all to the meeting room to have a meeting, and he scolded


    us, saying that we should be careful with what we say when not in thepany too. Otherwise, we


    would end up like Judy as well.¡±

 Chapter 794

    Chapter 794


    Chapter 794


    Objectively speaking, Judy¡¯s actions could only prove that her personality in private was shit.


    Even if the video got posted online, the worst that could happen was that people would condemn her


    so much that she lost her dignity. It


    would not get so bad that she would lose her job.


    s, the bad thing about this was that people managed to find out exactly who she was


    was near impossible to find the true identity of a person based on just one video online. One needed


    advanced face recognition


    technology for that.


    For Judy¡¯s identity to be exposed in just a day was definitely because the video was spread


    everywhere. So much so that Judy¡¯s friends and acquaintances were able to tell that it was her.


    Still, Larissa thought the most important thing was that Judy had offended too many people. Thus,


    others would purposely drag her down


    and post all of her information online.


    Theizens wanted Judy to be punished. So, the most direct way was to pressure thepany she


    worked at and get her fired.


    Although Blue Star Shipping did not depend on theseizens to make money, thepany¡¯s


    reputation was still affected when the issue got bigger. When clients thought of reaching out to their


    company for business, there would be concerns on their end.


    So the easiest option was to fire Judy.


    Larissa would be lying if she said she was not happy Judy was fired.


    After all, she was a victim of Judy¡¯s workce violence.


    But since Judy could join Blue Star in the first ce and work under Gary and Lewis for so long, her


    capabilities must be quite good.


    Besides, Judy seemed to have a certain credibility in the presidential office.


    Larissa was worried that the moment she left, the others in the same department would have some


    kind of opinion or something.


    So. Larissa asked Marilyn, ¡°Don¡¯t the others have thoughts on Judy¡¯s termination?¡±


    This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.


    Marilyn replied, ¡°Unless they want to get fired too, they can only remain silent! Do you have time after


    work today? I treat you to a meal! Let¡¯s celebrate Judy getting fired! Let me tell you a secret. I actually


    hated her for a long time!¡±


    Larissa did not expect Marilyn to hate Judy.


    Based on Larissa¡¯s observations. Judy may be arrogant, but she sill treated Marilyn well.


    Truth was, everyone seemed to treat Marilyn very well. It was probably because they were scared of


    her.


    ¡°I treat you instead, Larissa said. Last time Marilyn had treated her. This time, she had to treat Marilyn


    back.


    Marilyn was so polite to Larissa, and she was finally convinced by Larissa. They discussed it for a while


    before they decided on a trendy


    restaurant


    Without Judy. Larissa found working hours easy to go through. No one dared to target her, though their


    attitude to her could not be said to


    be any better.


    But Larissa did not have much contact with them, so she could still handle it.


    After work, Larissa and Marilyn waited until everyone had left before going out to wait for the elevator


    together.


    A whileter, they met Gary and Lewis.


    Manlyn quickly greeted the men, and Larissa followed her lilend. ¡°Mr. Logan Senior, Mr. Logan Junior,¡±


    Gary looked at Larissa and


    Manlyn replied, ¡°Lariss.


    He asked as a greeting, ¡°Why you leave sote?¡±


    agreed to have dinner together. There won¡¯t be any seats for us if we went early.¡±


    ¡°Well, our seats are close to each other, and Marilyn has helped me out a lot with work.¡±


    Larissa was grateful to Marilyn, so she said a few good things about her friend.


    Gary nodded in satisfaction as he said, ¡°Good.¡± Then, he instructed Marlyn. Larissa just joined us.


    Please guide her more.¡±


    Marilyn quickly answered. ¡°I will,¡±


    The elevator arrived.

 Chapter 795

    Chapter 795


    Chapter 795


    Larissa held the door to let Gary and Lewis in. But Lewis held the other side of the door as he gestured


    gentlemanly at Larissa and said, ¡±


    Ladies first.¡±


    Larissa was wondering if she should be polite with him when Marilyn pulled her into the elevator.


    Marilyn was smiling as she kept thanking Lewis, ¡°Thank you, Mr. Logan Junior!¡±


    All four of them stood in the elevator. Mostpany employees had already left, so the elevator did not


    stop and went down quickly.


    Lewis pretended to ask casually. ¡°Where are you going to eat?¡±


    This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Realizing that he was talking to them, Marilyn¡¯s eyes widened as she said shakily, ¡°We¡¯re going to a


    famous Caldorian restaurant nearby.¡± Aldovia¡¯s Caldorian restaurants were mostly changed to fit the


    taste of the locals, so it was not original.


    However, the restaurant near theirpany maintained ¡°Caldorian originality.¡± Hence, it attracted a lot


    of Caldorians who were working or studying abroad in Westonia, It became a trendy restaurant.


    Larissa had already heard of this restaurant when she was still working at Winston Hotel But it was far,


    and since she could already make Caldorian food herself, she never thought of trying the food at the


    restaurant.


    Now that Marilyn mentioned it today, Larissa was interested too.


    ¡°That restaurant, huh Lewis was silent for a moment before he suddenly asked with a smile. ¡°Do you


    mind me joining in? I suddenly want to eat something Caldorian too.¡±


    Faced with one¡¯s superior¡¯s request, one could not simply refuse even if one felt ufortable,


    Larissa and Marilyn looked at each other before they nadded ¡°heartily.¡±


    They both said, ¡°Sure.¡±


    Thankfully, Gary was not affected, and he did not ask to join. They separated at the building¡¯s main


    entrance. Gary got into his car while the other three walked to the restaurant.


    Lewis was the one who suggested walking.


    were very expensive.


    Thepany was near the restaurant, it was hard to find parking there, and the parking fees w The


    cold night wind blew hard, and Larissa kept wiping off the snot from her nose. Herir nose was


    already rubbed red and raw by the rough tissue.


    Lewis frowned when he saw that. ¡°Have you taken medicine at thepany today?¡± he asked. The


    concern in his voice was unmistakable. Startled, Larissa quickly put some ¡°distance¡± between them.


    ¡°Thank you for your concern, Mr. Logan Junior. I took my medication this afternoon.¡±


    Larissa looked at Marilyn nervously. Thankfully, Marilyn did not notice anything strange in Lewis words.


    She continued to walk forward, and her expression did not change.


    use they made a reservation this time. After they ordered their food, they did not talk anymore. Larissa


    and Marilyn kept drinking their lemon water while Lewis looked at his phone now and then to reply to


    messages.


    Ten minutester, the three arrived at the restaurant. They did not have to wait outside because


    The atmosphere at the table became awkward.


    Lewis put down his phone and stopped holding himself as a supervisor of thepany as he spoke to


    the two women in a friendly manner. ¡°Don¡¯t be so reserved. I¡¯m not too bad of a person to be with in


    private.¡±


    Larissa smiled while Marilyn said, ¡°Of course.¡±


    Lewis nced at Larissa before choosing to talk to Marilyn. ¡°Did you know about how Judy usually


    bullied neers in thepany?¡±

 Chapter 796

    Chapter 796


    Chapter 796


    Although Lewis sounded like he was just asking, it also sounded like he was trying to ce me on


    someone.


    Marilyn was Gary¡¯s secretary. Although she did the typical jobs of a secretary, she was still closer to


    Gary than the others in the presidential office.


    Gary was focused on his work. He also held high standards for his employees. He did not care too


    much about a person¡¯s character, but he could not tolerate people lording over others in thepany.


    In situations like these, Gary¡¯s secretary would have a very important role-she had to report to him


    about the most unimportant things in thepany on time. They might be inconsequential, but they


    were definitely things that needed to be dealt with.


    Marilyn seemed to realize her mistake as well. She looked down guiltily and gripped her drink with both


    hands.


    ¡°I heard some of it.¡± She admitted to Lewis. ¡°It¡¯s myult for not reporting it to Mr. Logan Senior.¡±


    ¡°But you made up for it, didn¡¯t you? Lewis gazed at her. His eyes had some kind of meaning in it.


    Marilyn jolted as she looked up in shock. Her mouth fell open, but she could not speak


    ¡°What do you mean? Larissa was confused. She felt like she was not on the same channel as them.


    Lewis cleared up Larissa¡¯s confusion. ¡°Marilyn was the one who made the post that exposed Judy in


    thepany¡¯s internal forum.¡±


    Blue Star Shipping¡¯s internal forum was fairly unrestricted. One¡¯s ount did not need to use real


    names. The ounts could be made as long as it was made on thepany¡¯s internal IP address.


    However, every IP was locked to a specificptop. As long as the IT Department was asked to check,


    they would be able to identify who made a post


    The post on the forum was quite trendy. Lewis naturally saw it too. He thought the poster had some


    sort of beef with Judy and sparked a war¡± on purpose, so he got the IT Department to check. He was


    surprised to find that it was Marilyn, All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°What?¡± Larissa was shocked too. She turned to Marilyn and asked. ¡°Is it true?¡±


    Marilyn could not deny it now that Lewis had ¡°exposed her like that. ¡°Yeah, I did make that post.¡± She


    looked awkward, like a criminal caught quilty of a crime.


    Larissa did not expect Marilyn to do something like this.


    Marilyn¡¯s job was all rted to Gary, It was rare for her to talk to the other employees in the presidential


    office. So to the others in the office, Marilyn was an ¡®Ice Princess¡± who could not care less about what


    people said or did.


    ¡°Why?¡± Larissa asked.


    *Td like to know too.¡± Lewis took over and stared at Marilyn. ¡°If you were only doing this for the


    company, you could just report to Mr. Logan Senior, and he would fire her.¡±


    The way Marilyn did it seemed like she wanted Judy¡¯s reputation in thepany to bepletely


    ruined.


    Marilyn¡¯s fingers rubbed at the ss she was holding before she finally muttered, ¡°Because I wanted to


    avenge Larissa.¡±


    She covered her face in embarrassment as her voice grew quieter. ¡°I feel so childish for doing this, and


    I couldn¡¯t tell you guys. I was afraid you¡¯dugh at me.¡±


    Larissa froze again. However, warmth hugged her heart soon. She grabbed Marilyn¡¯s hand in gratitude


    and said, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Marilyn was still shy as herce was red. ¡°For what-7 She talked badly about you in the restaurant that


    day. Anyone would not have been able to bear it, I got angry and


    Marilyn looked up and secretly checked Lewis expression. She asked carefully, ¡°Mr. Logan Junior, I


    won¡¯t lose my job over this, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course not.¡± Leais smiled very kindly. ¡°You did very well.¡± He praised Marilyn¡¯s actions. ¡°I will


    suggest to Mr. Logan Senior to increase your bonus this month¡±

 Chapter 797

    Chapter 797


    Chapter 797


    Marilyn¡¯s previous embarrassment vanished as


    smiled brightly. ¡°Thank you, Mr. Logan Junior Her gratitude was real Her joy was the


    most obvious that Larissa had seen in these few days.


    It turned out that people were all the same when bonuses were in front of them.


    Their food arrived. Larissa and Lewis ate happily. Marilyn could not eat spicy things, so whenever she


    took a bite, she had to drink some water before swallowing it.


    Seeing that Marlyn was struggling to eat as she ate like she was eating poison, Larissa was a bit


    confused. ¡°If you don¡¯t like Caldorian food, why did you suggesting here?¡±


    Larissa never cared too much about food. Back then, she would just mess around with Wendy,


    ordering fast food fakeout from nearby whenever they did not feel like cooking. Otherwise, they would


    just find a way to deal with it in the hotel


    When Larissa went outside to eat in restaurants, she did it for the clients. The locations were all


    decided by her assistant. Larissa never had to thirk


    Today was simr too. Marilyn was the one who suggested and decided everything. Larissa was only in


    charge of paying.


    ¡°Because you¡¯ve never tried this restaurant before! I wanted to bring you here to try.¡± Marlyn¡¯s tongue


    was sticking out due to the spiciness.


    She did not look Fke the ¡°Ice Princess¡± now and kept hissing when she spoke, ¡°Everyone said the


    Caldorian food here was original so guessed you would like it.¡±


    Larissa was so louched that she felt like she was going to cry.


    Her early working experiences told her that there were no real friends in the working world.


    But Marilyn¡¯s acts for her changed Larissa¡¯s understanding of lile.


    ¡°I do like it.¡± Larssa said. ¡°Hut you don¡¯t have to force yoursell because of me. Next time, just pick a


    restaurant that everyone likes!¡±


    ¡°Sure!¡± Mariyn said before gubbing down hall a ss of water.


    When it was time to pay. Larissa and Lewis fought over it for so long.


    Although it was decided that Larissa would pay earlier. Lewis saiddies could not be responsible for


    the bill. He snatched the bill away before Larissa could.


    Marilyn watched Lewis and sighed. ¡°Mr. Logan Junior is such a handsome gentleman. Whoever


    marries him will be very lucky and happy!¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Larissa agreed. ¡°Mr. Logan Junior does seem alright. Gentle and considerate in private. He


    must be good to his wife.¡±


    This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.


    To Larissa, Lewis was a suitable candidate for a husband. He had a lot of good points. He was serious,


    responsible, detalec, considerate


    The only bad point he had was that he worked t


    too much.


    ¡°Hey, do you like him? Larissa asked Marilyn. Her eyes were sparkling with the light of gossip.


    Besides worrying about Larissa¡¯s marriage, Gary also worried about Lewis And Larissa, too, wanted to


    help Lewis find a good partner so that he could have a family soon.


    The nurse in Barthan was quite good, but a long¨Cdistance rtionship was unreble. After all, Lewis¡®


    work was al locused in Aldovia, so


    it was better to find a local wile instead.


    Larissa did not know many unmarrieddies here. The only ones she knew that could be good for


    Lewis were even lewer. Marin was the best one so far, and she knew Lewis too. The ¡°blind date¡± part of


    the process could be avoided.


    Marilyn paricked at Larissa¡¯s question. Her eyes Icored everywhere else except for Larissa. What


    nonsense are you saying?¡±

 Chapter 798

    Chapter 798


    Chapter 798


    ¡°Why not?¡± Larissa thought Marilyn had overreacted. ¡°Mr. Logan Junior is not a wall or something.


    What¡¯s wrong with liking him?¡±


    Marilyn waved at Larissa to tell her to be quiet. ¡°Don¡¯t let Mr. Logan Junior hear you say that!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Larissa turned to look at the direction Lewis had left in. Once she was sure she could


    not see him, she said, ¡°I thought ourpany doesn¡¯t prevent workce rtionships?¡±


    She knew this because the presidential office had one couple. Although it was not obvious, they did not


    hide themselves when they were being affectionate with each other.


    Although Lewis was strict, that was only on work. He could not preventdies from liking him.


    ¡°Shh Marilyn moved her chair closer to Larissa and leaned closer to her. She spoke in a low voice, ¡°Our


    female employees know that all other men in thepany are avable except for Mr. Logan Junior.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Larissa only heard this for the first time.


    ¡°Mr. Logan Junior did not make any rules¨C But previously, some bolddies confessed to him, Birted


    with him openly and secretly. In the end, they were all fired.¡±


    The previous examples still frightened Marilyn, ¡°Moreover, you will get fired too for showing that you


    like him for just a little bit! So, after that, no one dared to try again.¡±


    ¡°Huh ¡ª Larissa could not understand why Lewis insisted on being single. After a moment of thought, a


    dumb idea came to her mind. ¡°He can¡¯t be into guys, right?¡±This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.


    The moment Larissa said that, Marilyn rushed to cover Larissa¡¯s mouth. She looked up at the same


    time and said shakily. ¡°Mr. Logan Junior


    Lewis stopped next to them. He looked at Marilyn, then at Maria, and he frowned. ¡°What are you two


    doing?¡±


    ¡°Nothing. We were just chatting.¡± Marilyn smiled sheepishly. She let go of Larissa and straightened up.


    Then, she changed the subject like she did not mean to and said, ¡°Howe you came back so fast?¡±


    Lewis still watched them suspiciously. ¡°There weren¡¯t a lot of people paying for the bill¡± he replied.


    Marilyn quickly grabbed her bag and stood up to prevent him from asking more questions. ¡°Let¡¯s go


    then since we¡¯ve paid!¡± As she spoke. she pulled on Larissa¡¯s arm.


    Larissa was not afraid of Lewis, but she was afraid of Lewis seeing Marilyn in a bad light, so she


    agreed with her friend and said. ¡°Thank you for your treat today, Mr. Logan Junior. I guess today ends


    here.¡±


    Lewis pretended not to notice the weirdness of bothdies as he agreed with Larissa. He followed them


    out of the restaurant.


    They walked back to thepany to get their cars.


    Larissa did not drive to work, so Lewis suggested sending her back. ¡°It¡¯s easy for me to drop by


    Larissa¡¯s ce, I can give her a lift back.¡±


    ¡°Sure. Drive safely.¡± Marilyn was probably still worried about Lewis holding her ountable, and she


    did not say more to him. She got into her car and escaped.


    After getting into the car, Lewis only started demanding answers from Larissa. ¡°Who did you say was


    into guys to Marilyn earlier?¡±


    He only heard that one sentence, But from thedies¡® reactions, he might be who they were talking


    about


    Larissaughed as she tried to fudge it over. ¡°Just a male colleague.¡±


    ¡°Who?¡± Lewis refused to let her go. He wanted to find out exactly who. ¡°Which department? What¡¯s his


    name?¡±


    ¡°Why are you asking such detailed questions? Larissa pretended to re at him angrily. ¡°Ourpany


    has no rule saying we can¡¯t hire people like that!

 Chapter 799

    Chapter 799


    Chapter 799


    ¡°Cant | be curious? Lewis reached out to grab his phone when he saw that Larissa refused to say it. ¡°If


    you don¡¯t tell me, I¡¯ll call Marilyn


    right now


    Larissa hurriedly stole his phone from him and gave In helplessly. ¡°I¡¯ll say it! Don¡¯t make things hard for


    Marilyn!¡±


    Lewis smirked victoriously and waited for Larissa¡¯s answer.


    ¡°The guy I was talking about Larissa sucked in a deep breath as she prepared for hersell to be ¡°killed¡±


    by Lewis. ¡°Is you.¡±


    Lewis¡¯ face showed that he knew it. Yet, he wasn¡¯t particrly unhappy. ¡°Where did you get this


    conclusion from?¡± He asked her earnestly. ¡°I don¡¯t remember ever being interested in guys in front of


    you.¡±


    This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.


    ¡°But you never showed interest in women in front of me either!¡± Larissa fired back at him. ¡°Look at you,


    You¡¯re almost forty, and you still don¡¯t have a girfriend. How could people not overthink things then?¡±


    Lewis¡¯ face darkened. He defended himself ¡°Just because I don¡¯t have a girlfriend now doesn¡¯t mean I


    didn¡¯t use to have them.¡±


    ¡°Then why did you stop female employees from liking you?¡± Larissa argued.


    ¡°Because it will affect my work.¡± Lewis¡¯ eye twitched as he recalled how those women tried to seduce


    him. His temples ached,


    He continued. ¡°Coming randomly into my ollice to pour me coffee and give me snacks. Some even got


    naked and jumped at me. If it were


    you, could you stand it?¡±


    Larissa imagined it. ¡°Nope.¡± Her emotions died quicky. ¡°But-haven¡¯t you decided to find someone to get


    married yet?¡±


    ¡°Why are you the same as those naggy rtives now? Lewis scored her. ¡°I never pressed you to lind a


    partner. Yet, here you are.


    pressing me to get one!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not pressing you to get a partner! I care about you!¡± Larissa corrected him. ¡°Since my dad has all


    the free time in the world to arrange blind dates for me, why doesn¡¯t he arrange some for you? No, I¡¯ve


    got to talk to him about this!¡±


    ¡°Hold it right there! Lewis stopped her as he began to beg for mercy. ¡°My dear cousin, leave it, please?


    It¡¯s not time for me to marry yet, and I¡¯m not in a hurry. Uncle Gary finally left me alore to focus on you.


    Just let me have some time to myself and take a break, huh?¡±


    ¡°So you want me toke all the attacks for you? Larissa raised an eyebrow,


    ¡°Don¡¯t you have Mr. Rogers? He won¡¯t let you take all the attacks. Don¡¯t worry.¡± Lewis was confident in


    Kevan, ¡°Oh, by the way, there¡¯s something I need to tell you. I forgot about it because of you and


    Marilyn.¡±


    Although Larissa thought the way Lewis changed topics was a bit stiff, she still let him speak. ¡°What is


    it?¡±


    ¡°I met your friend when I was paying earlier, Aster¡¯s godma.¡±


    ¡°Wendy?¡± Larissa was surprised.


    ¡°Yeah, her.¡± Lewis nodded. ¡°She recognized me and said hello to me.¡±


    Larissa¡¯s curiosity grew. Wendy should be very busy during these few days. She did not even have


    time toe home. Why would shee all the way here to eat?


    ¡°Was she alone? Did you tell her that I was here? Larissa asked.


    ¡°There was a man with her. They must have been together. But I don¡¯t know if there was anyone else. I


    told her you were here, and her reaction ¡ª hmm how to say was a bit panic end? She did not seem


    comfortable either. She said she needed to apany her friend. and decided not to find you.


    ¡°I¡¯m not familiar with her, so I didn¡¯t ask much.¡± Lewis said.

 Chapter 800

    Chapter 800


    Chapter 800


    Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.


    It was not strange to have a meal with a friend of the opposite gender, but Lewis¡® description of


    Wendy¡¯s reaction made Larissa suspicious.


    Panicked, ufortable. Wendy even deliberately avoided Larissa.


    No matter how it looked. Wendy did not seem to be just friends with that guy she was with.


    Larissa quickly texted Wendy via WhatsApp. ¡°You got a situation going on?¡± She watched the words


    ¡°bro name for a few minutes before it disappeared. No new message appeared in the chat.


    appear under Wendy¡¯s


    Well it seemed that Wendy had decided to ignore her.


    Larissa calcted the time. Wendy must still be eating now, or she was having fun with her ¡°boyfriend.¡±


    Larissa held back from video-


    calling Wendy. She didn¡¯t want to disturb them. She closed WhatsApp,


    Seeing Larissa throw her phone back into her bag as well as hearing the happy snort she let out, Lewis


    looked at her and asked. ¡°You¡¯re


    happy?¡±


    *Not bad. I guess.¡± Larissa said lightly. There was a hint of a smile on her face.


    She never expected that this day woulde. When she was pregnant with Aster, Wendy told her that


    she was the kind of woman who would never marry.


    Having been ¡°roommates with Wendy for so long, Larissa had truly not seen any man appear around


    her friend in a close way before.


    But Wendy was definitely a romantic, Larissa could tell from all the romantic teen dramas that Wendy


    liked to watch during her free time. It was just that Wendy¡¯s love life was rather hard.


    She either didn¡¯t like the men she managed to connect with, or their perspectives didn¡¯t align. As a


    result, long¨Cterm rtionships eluded them. Consequently, Wendy remained single to avoid ¡°jinxing¡±


    potential partners.


    How nice it was for Wendy to have something romanticing her way now.


    Larissa really wanted to see who that man was since he could ¡°defeal¡± the ¡°demonic¡± Wendy.


    Larissa was still self¨Cquarantining at home as her cold was not gone.


    Kevan and Aster were ying with building blocks in the living room, Larissa returned to her room after


    she finished showering.


    In the middle of everything, Kevan brought her medication with a ss of warm water. He also took her


    temperature again,


    ¡°No matter what time you go out tomorrow, you will wait for me to send you to work,¡± he ordered her


    coldly. ¡°If you don¡¯t eat breakfast, i won¡¯t let you go to work. There¡¯s no use even if you look for Mr.


    Logan.¡±


    Larissa knew he would do as promised, so she quietly said, ¡°Okay.¡±


    Only then did Kevan¡¯sce soften. He ruffled her hair and said softly, ¡°Sleep early. I put Aster to bed.¡±


    Larissa frowned when she heard that. ¡°Don¡¯t spoil him.¡±


    As she and Wendy were busy, Aster became independent pretty early on. He did not need people to


    put him to bed when he started kindergarten,


    But since Kevan had been here, this brat had be more fragile. He even gained bad habits that


    Larissa hersell could not stand.


    ¡°I¡¯m just doing my best to make up for the years that I wasn¡¯t there for him.¡± Kevan said with some


    annoyance and sadness. ¡°Besides, I like the way he depends on me. It gives me a sense of being a


    father.¡±


    Kevan smiled a little beforeforting Larissa. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Aster was taught well by you. He won¡¯t


    be a bad boy just because! spoil him once in a while.¡±


    Larissa was struck speechless by him, ¡°Fine.¡± She decided to let go.

 Chapter 801

    Chapter 801


    Chapter 801


    Larissa could not interfere with Kevan and Aster even if she wanted to. But someone else¨Cshe


    absolutely had to interfere with.


    Larissa waited until 10:30 pm. She figured that Wency would be back at her hotel by row, so she texted


    Wendy. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±


    This time, there was not even a ¡°typing there, Wendy had ignored her directly.


    Larissa waited for ten minutes, and there was still no response, so she made a video call, However, it


    was not answered.


    She called Wendy five to six times before Wendy linally answered angrily. ¡°Are you luckra stupid or


    what, Larissa Seymour?¡±


    Larissa rubbed her ears as she asked evilly. ¡°What? Did disturb you two?¡±


    Wendy roared, ¡°Fuck off!¡±


    Larissa was smart enough to pull the phone away from her ear earlier, so she was able to prevent her


    ears from exploding.


    ¡°Go on. Tell me.¡± Larissa changed her position or her bed. She sat against the headboard while leaning


    against a pillow. ¡°What¡¯s the guy¡¯s name? How old is he, where is he from, and what¡¯s his job?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re really fucking stupid. Larissa Wendy hauled again, but it sounded half¨Chearted this time.


    ¡°We can talk about whether or not I¡¯m stupid after I¡¯ve done my!


    y full body checkup for the mid¨Cyear. Let¡¯s talk about your boyfriend now the one my cousin saw


    tonight.¡± Larissa forcibly reminded Wendy. ¡°You know, the one you ate with and avoided me lor.¡±


    Realizing she was not going to get out of it. Wendy finally answered unwillingly. ¡°That¡¯s not my


    boyfriend¨Cat most he¡¯s just a friend with


    benefits.¡±


    ime, and she made Keyan


    made Kevane here.


    ¡°What?¡± This was pretty shocking. Larissa did not control the volume of her voice in time,


    He hurried Into her bedroom and asked anxiously, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Larissa smiled awkwardly as she shook the phone in her hand. She answered. It¡¯s nothing. I¡¯m talking


    to Wendy.¡±


    Kevan said, ¡°Ch.¡± Before he closed the door, he gave Larissa a worried look.


    This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Mr. Rogers is not gone yet? Wendy asked Larissa when she heard the noise.


    Larissa did not let her change the subject. ¡°Carry on with your thing!¡±


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t I finished? Wendy did not want to continue, though.


    *You just said who he was. Aplete story needs a beginning, a climax, and an end. If you really


    don¡¯t know how to start, I¡¯ll give you a hint¨CTell me how you know each other, how you became friends


    with benefits, how things are going for you, and if there¡¯s a future between you two. Stuff like that.¡±


    Larissas gossiping soul was on fire. She wished she could be with Wendy and talk with herte into the


    night like she did during her


    university days.


    ¡°Why are you so nosy? Wendy scorned her.


    Larissa iritably hurried Wendy, ¡°Hurry up and tell me! Stop talking nonsense!¡±


    Wendy sighed heavily. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll tell you everything. Our hotel has got that Industrial Summit, right?


    He¡¯s one of the participating guests. Actually, I didnt have a good impression of him¨Cyou remember the


    last time we lock Aster out to eat, and I said I met a pervert in the toilet? Yeah, that¡¯s him.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± This incredible development was unexpected for Larissa.


    Wendy suddenly started stammering. ¡®Because


    ¡°Butter, he exined to me why. He said he did what he did that day because. W


    ¡°Because what?


    ¡°Because he fell in love with sight.¡± Wendy¡¯s voice suddenly became very smal, and it was filled with a


    shyness only found In

 Chapter 802

    Chapter 802


    Chapter 802


    Within the context of love, the idea of ¡°love at first sight was incredibly romantic. It was also the most


    desired goal for most young men and women. However, from the standpoint of probability, this was the


    least probable thing to happen.


    The chances of such a thing happening were so low that Larissa never believed it could happen, and


    she was proven wrong today. But she was not angry. She was actually happy for Wendy. 1


    ¡°Oh, man! This is totally the plot of a teenage drama series Larissa eximed with excitement.


    Love at first sight and coincidental meetings were the standard plot for most teenage drama series.


    Wendy was beautiful enough to be the main female lead. But the guy ***


    ¡°Is he handsome? Larissa was so excited that her voice was shaking.


    ¡°Um Wendy hesitated for a few seconds. There was some pride in her shyness.


    ¡°Not as good as your Mr. Rogers, but he¡¯s still good¨Clooking. Speaking of¨Che does look a bit like Mr.


    Rogers. It¡¯s not just as delicate. And their auras are not the same. Mr. Rogers is more of a cold type.


    He¡¯s more of the sweel type.¡±


    Larissa could hear the satisfaction in Wendy¡¯s voice. She tsked twice and asked. ¡°He loves you at first


    sight, and you feel good about him, Why don¡¯t you just get into a rtionship?¡±


    A friends¨Cwith¨Cbenefits rtionship was not stable after all.


    ¡°His business is in Calder. Besides¨CAthough he didn¡¯t say, his clothes and way of speaking show that


    his family background is not a Simple one. I get into a rtionship with him, his family will ty hallway


    across the globe toe kill me.¡± Wendyughed at herself.


    ¡°That might not be true. Maybe his family wille over to give you a hundred million dor check to


    make you leave him? Won¡¯t you have gained a lot then?¡±


    All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Oh, yeah! Wendy yed along with Larissa. ¡°Then I¡¯ll split the money with you and Aster, and we


    won¡¯t have to worry about our lives in the future. That will be great!¡±


    They chatted happily for a while before they fell silent again,


    ¡°If you really like him, long¨Cdistance rtionships and family background aren¡¯t a problem,¡± Larissa


    advised her seriously after a moment.


    ¡°it he can¡¯t stay here, you can follow him back to Caldor! Your family background isn¡¯t bad either, and


    so is your work. Why aren¡¯t you a good match for him?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s enough, man. Stop worrying about me!¡± Wendy interrupted her and said lightly, ¡°I¡¯m feeling


    comfortable where we are now. Let¡¯s ¡ª just fulfill each other for now! I won¡¯t think about the future and


    just go with the low.¡±


    The atmosphere in the presidential office was much more harmonious than before, probably because


    Gary had gotten angry during the meeting as well as the loss of Judy. No one ever tried to bully


    someone else anymore.


    Soon, a week passed. Larissa began to meet clients with Lewis and head projects. She gradually


    familiarized herself with her job.


    The Industrial Summit at Wendy¡¯s hotel also came to an end. A weekter, Wendy linally came home


    with her luggage.


    To avoid disturbing Wendy, Kevan moved out of their apartment and checked into the nearby Winston


    Hotel


    The first night Wendy came home, she and Larissa shook Aster off. Then, they hid in Wendy¡¯s room


    and opened a bottle of red wine.


    Landsa asked Wendy. ¡°How¡¯s things with your friend with benefits?


    Wendy swirled the red wine in her ss. She stared at the red liquid in her ss with a ¡°whatever¡±


    type of smile on her lice.


    ¡°He¡¯s gone back to Caldor, It¡¯s hard to tell if we¡¯ll see each other agah. Anyway, it¡¯s worth it to have


    been together with a fine guy like him.¡±

 Chapter 803

    Chapter 803


    Chapter 903


    Content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Although she tried to appear indifferent, Larissa could detect the sadness in her expression.


    ¡°Are you still in contact with each other? Larissa asked.


    ¡°Yeah, we are. Just Tke how Aster and Mr. Rogers were previously, we spent half an hour video calling


    each other every night. It¡¯s pointless.¡± Leaning back, Wendy looked up and stared at the celling with


    vacant eyes.


    ¡°If you find it pointless, why not just break up?¡± Larissa deliberately tried to rile her up.


    Wendy gave her the side eye. ¡°Why should I break up? Keeping in contact with him doesn¡¯t stop me


    hum sleeping with other ment Besides, we might meet again in the future¡±


    ¡°Well I haven¡¯t seen you sleep with other men either. ¡°Larissa muttered as she bit the tim of her wine


    ss.


    ¡°What are you talking about? Do you know how many men are pursuing me right now? If you like. I


    bring a different man home every night for a month¨Cstarting tomorrow! Wendy red at her.


    ¡°Alright, I believe you! For the sake of my son¡¯s mental health, don¡¯t bring any mer home! Larissa


    stopped her in a hurry.


    ¡°Oh? Larissa, you sounded a little hypocritical just now!¡± Wendy raised her eyebrows.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Larissa was puzzled.


    ¡°You can bring men home. But it would affect your son¡¯s well¨Cbeing if I were to do it?¡± Wendy


    challenged.


    Larissa defended herself instinctively. When did I ever bring a man home? Dont use me without


    reason!¡±


    ¡°What about Mr. Rogers? He stayed over for a whole week,¡± Wendy kicked Larissa¡¯s shin with her loot.


    In a low tone, she said, ¡°What progress have you two made in this past week?


    ¡°What progress could we make?¡± Larissa quiltily brought the ss to her lips to avoid the question.


    ¡°I have to say. It¡¯s annoying when you keep avoid ng the topic. Wendy gulped down the wine in her


    ss.


    She continued. ¡°If you want to get back together with him, do it soon so that Aster can have aplete


    family. Tell him clearly if you don¡¯t want to reconcile, Stop stringing him along. It¡¯s pointless to


    procrastinate.¡±


    ¡°But


    Larissa was about to speak when Wendy interrupted her with a wave other hand. ¡®Don¡¯t give me


    excuses! Before I met Mr. Rogers. I was on your side as I think your reservations were valid.


    ¡°However, now that I¡¯ve spent some time with Mr. Rogers. I can clearly see how he treats you. He has


    already taken the initiative to narrow the huge gulf between both of you.


    ¡°All you need to do is gather some courage to take a step toward him. Ask yourself. Do you really like


    him? Will you be sad if you lose him?


    your answers are yes. then reconcile with him.¡±


    Larissa pursed her lips and did as Wendy said.


    Putting her hand on her chest, she could feel her heart beating rapidly.


    She closed her eyes and thought, ¡°Do like Kevan?¡±


    There was no doubt about that.


    Six years ago, he had already fallen in love with him.


    Would she be sad if she lost him?


    Upon imagining a future without him, her heart raced uncontrobly. A lump rose in her throat, causing


    tears to well up in her eyes.


    She was certain that she would be devastated.

 Chapter 804

    Chapter 804


    Chapter 804


    Although Kevan did not stay over at Larissa¡¯s house anymore, he appeared at her doorstep promptly


    the following day. He brought a delicious breakfast from the hotel.


    While enjoying breakfast, Wendy praised Kevan continuously, ¡°Mr. Rogers, you are the best man on


    earth! If you didn¡¯t have someone you love already. I would definitely go all out to pursue you!¡±


    After hearing herpliments. Kevan seemed to be in a good mood, and his attitude toward her


    improved. ¡°Ms. Simmons, what would you like for breakfast tomorrow? I have the hotel prepare it.¡±


    Larissa rolled her eyes discreetly as she bit into her crispy bacon.


    Wendy did not hold back and rattled off a list of dishes. Lastly, she added meaningfully. ¡°Mr. Rogers, if


    you ever need my help, feel free to let me know.¡±


    Kevan smiled and nodded. ¡°Alright.¡±


    Aster couldn¡¯t get used to Kevan¡¯s absence andined throughout the car ride. He only stopped


    after Larissa insisted firmly.


    As usual, Kevan would drop Aster off at kindergarten, and Larissa would wait in the car.


    Peering through the car window, she saw Aster holding Kevan¡¯s hand. He was taking excitedly about


    something. Kevan bent down to match Aster¡¯s height, listening to him attentively. A warmth enveloped


    Larissa¡¯s heart, and she was even more sure of her decision,


    Aher twenty minutes, Kevan emerged from the kindergarten. He took almost twice as much time as


    Larissa to drop him off. Larissa could probably guess why he was dyed for so long,


    ¡°Did one of the teachers strike up a conversation with you again? Crossing her arms, she raised an


    eyebrow and asked in a teasing tone


    The female teachers in Aster¡¯s ss were generally young in age. Compared to an old maid like her,


    they are weak to handsome men, Kevan¡¯s attractive face was as powerful as a nuclear weapon in


    making them swoon


    Larissa heard from Aster that whenever Kevan dropped him off at the ssroom, the teachers would


    hold him back for a chat. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.


    ¡°Yeah. The teacher mentioned that the kindergarten would have a baking contest as a parent-child


    activity this Saturday. She suggested


    that we join.¡±


    Larissa was skilled in baking. After all, she had learned baking from Violet for some time.


    ¡°Sounds good. After work. I will go to the supermarket to get some tools and ingredients. Do you want


    toe along? Larissa decided


    quickly and invited Kevan.


    Kevan seemed pleasantly surprised. After a brief pause, he smiled widely, ¡°Sure.¡±


    ¡°Will you pick me up after work?¡± Larissa asked.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll wait for you downstairs after picking Aster up.¡± Kevan said eagerly.


    The atmosphere at the presidential office today was a little strange.


    From her desk, Larissa noticed her colleagues heading into Lewis office one after another all morning.


    She asked Marlyn, ¡°What¡¯s going on? Did I miss something?¡±


    Everything seemed normal yesterday. She wasn¡¯tte today either.


    Marilyn was just as puzzled. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I ask someone during lunch break.¡±


    However, before the lunch break, Lewis emerged from his office and announced to everyone. We¡¯re


    having a meeting in the conference

 Chapter 805

    Chapter 805


    Chapter 805


    Larissa and Marilyn were unaware. The others didnt seem surprised by Lewis decision.


    Content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Larissa and Marlyn were prepared toke notes and had their notebooks ready. On the way to the


    conference room, they were surprised to see colleagues pass by empty¨Chanded.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on? Larissa nced at Marilyn with a questioning look.


    Once everyone was seated, Lenis entered the roam, He closed the door and scarred the room before


    walking to his seat.


    Larissa was ferling puzzled over Gary¡¯s absence from the department meeting. She heard Lewis


    speak, ¡°I¡¯ve received your resignation letters.¡±


    Startled. Ler ssa widened her eyes. Marilyn, who was next to her, had a simr expression.


    The others either stared defiantly at Lewis or looked down with a guilty expression.


    *This doesn¡¯t have to go through Mr. Logan Senior, I can tell you now. I¡¯ve approved your resignation


    letters. Furthermore, I¡¯ve informed the human resources department. They will handle your resignation


    procedures this attemoon.¡± Lewis¡® expression was calm as it this wasnt a big dral,


    His indifference left everyone stunned.


    Larissa covered her mouth in surprise. She suppressed the urge to ask how the pres dential office


    would operate with no one working.


    However, she held back in front of everyone.


    A female colleague stood up and ced her hands on the table. She questioned Lewis, ¡®Are all our


    senior employees worth less than an ipetent mistress?¡±


    When she said that she looked right at Larissa.


    Caught in the crosshire, Larissa nearly choked.


    What did this have to do with her again?


    ¡°First Larissa is not my mistress. If you continue spreading rumors. I will sue you for defamation.


    Second, she i ispetent and better than most of you..


    ¡°If you doubt me. I can share her r¨¦sum¨¦ publicy. Third, I appreciate your contributions to thepany.


    But both Mr. Logan Senior and do not respond well to threats.¡± Lewis replied.


    His gaze turned cold. ¡°Please tell Judy to stop ying these games in the future.¡± When Lewis


    mentioned Judy¡¯s name, more proble appeared flustered,


    The female colleague who spoke before shouted, ¡°It has nothing to do with Judy! We¡¯re upset with your


    favoritism toward Larissa!


    ¡°Everyone is aware whether Judy is involved or not. I have to remind you of something. Da in form


    Judy as well. When you list joined thepany, you signed a nonpeting use.


    ¡°You can¡¯t join apetitor within one year of your departure. You know how strong the legal


    department of Blue Star Shipping is


    ¡°Before signing any contract with Moorewell Shipping, you¡¯d better get them to pay the penalty for


    breaching the contract. Ctherwise, I will make sure that you lose everything.¡±


    The Moorearl Shipping that Lewis mentioned was a renowned shippingpany. Their headquarters


    were located in Westonia. Moorewell Shipping was Blue Star Shipping¡¯s biggest rival. They were


    known for being ruthless in business.


    When Judy stirred up the scandal online, thispany had engaged paid posters to start a smear


    campaign against Blue Star Shipping. In the end. they snatched a client from Lewis, whom he had


    been taking to for weeks.


    Larissa hadn¡¯t expected Moorewell to be involved in this collective resignation.


    Alter their ns were exposed, the people who seemed dend earlier had looks of dismay on theirc


    Lewis didn¡¯t want to waste any more time on them. He adjourned the meeting and lelt the conference


    room.

 Chapter 806

    Chapter 806


    Chapter 806


    In this weaponless war. Larissa initially believed she and Marilyn were the sole outsiders.


    As she listened to their conversation, she realized they were responsible for the situation. She was the


    source of conflict, and Marilyn was the one who caused Judy to resign.


    In order to not be the target of public criticism, Larissa grabbed Marilyn¡¯s hand and took their things


    from the table. She lowered her head and tried to leave as inconspicuously as possible.


    Before they got to the door, several people blocked their way


    tude was a


    ¡°You must be feeling proud now, aren¡¯t you? Nina Swan, the female colleague who challenged Lewis,


    led the group. Her attitude was as


    rude as ever.


    She was bigger than Larissa. Although she wasn¡¯t as tall, her imposing manner was still intimidating


    Larissa had been through many crises in her life. Although she wouldn¡¯t go out of her way to look for


    trouble, she wasn¡¯t scared of subordinates who tried to give her attitude


    ¡°Yes, I am proud.¡± She straightened her back and crossed her arms. Because of her height, she


    deliberately looked down at them in a


    mocking manner.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been trying everything to get rid of me, but you people were the ones who lost your jobs.¡±


    Larissa imitated the tone of viins in movies and cackled. ¡°I can only say that you guys overestimated


    your self¨Cworth. Or maybe, you guys arepletely stupid!


    ¡°You!¡± Nina turned red with anger and raised her hand to p Larissa,


    Larissa was already prepared to intercept her and counterattack. Suddenly, someone bumped into her,


    causing her to stumble to the side.


    The next second, a loud p was heard.


    Larissa turned to look in disbelief. Marilyn wasn¡¯t originally in range of Nina¡¯s p, but somehow, she


    was now standing in Larissa¡¯s previous position. She held her cheek with her head turned to one side.


    Larissa rushed to Marilyn and asked. ¡°Marlyn, are you okay?¡±


    Marilyn¡¯s eyes were red and glistening with tears. No one knew whether it was due to pain or


    grievance. She forced out a smile andforted Larissa. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Rubbing her cheek, she faced Nina


    in her usual reserved manner.


    Tm


    ¡°You have two minutes to get out of here. If anyone is still here when the lime is up. I will call the police.


    I believe this is good enough evidence,¡± Marilyn said, pointing to the red mark on her cheek.


    Marilyn was Gary¡¯s spokesperson, so she was highly respected among the employees in the


    presidential office. In addition, Nina knew that Marilyn had the upper hand. Although Nina was


    reluctant, she led the group away dejectedly.


    Before they let the conference room, Nina threatened Larissa, ¡°Everyone in our department is leaving,


    so all the operations in the presidential office wille to a halt. Mr. Logan Junior will regret it sooner


    orter! Let¡¯s see how long you can remain smua!¡±


    Larissa felt somewhat worried about it too, yet she couldn¡¯t show her concern openly. With a cold


    laugh, she said. ¡°You¡¯d better worry about the hefty contract penalty! Blue Star Shipping has nothing to


    do with you in the future!¡±


    When she mentioned the contract penally lee, everyone¡¯s faces turned pale. They fed with their tails


    between their legs.


    After everyone left, Larissa focused her attention on Marlyn. She felt both sorry and guilty when she


    saw the mark on Marilyn¡¯s cheek. ¡°It¡¯s all my fault. You wouldn¡¯t have taken that bit if I had stopped her


    earlier.¡±


    I


    ¡°It¡¯s not your fault. I decided to step in to block the hit, but I think my actions were unnecessary, You


    could have dodged that, I did that out of instcl. My body moved before my brain did.¡± Embarrassed,


    Marilyn smiled and palled Larissa¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Not at all! I¡¯m thankful for your help. Otherwise, I would be the one getting pped.¡± Larissa wouldn¡¯t


    be so retarded to deny her sacrifice.


    This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.


    ¡®Does it still hurt? It seems she hit you pretty hard. Should I tell Mr. Logan Junior so that you can go to


    the Infirmary for some medicine?¡±


    Nina was strong, so her p should be quite heavy. Although Marilyn was tall, she was thinner than


    Larissa. Il seemed like she didn¡¯t exercise much. It would be extra painful for her to withstand that

 Chapter 807

    Chapter 807


    Chapter 807


    ¡°It¡¯s a little sore, but I¡¯ll be fine in a while. It¡¯s too much to go to the infirmary for this.¡± Marilyn waved her


    hands and looked at her watch.


    She added, ¡°It¡¯s lime for lunch. I need to deliver lunch to Mr. Logan Senior and Junior, Would you wait


    here for me? I¡¯lle and find you afterward.¡±


    Larissa pulled out a chair and motioned for her to sit down.


    ¡°You will probably scare them if you deliver lunch looking like this,¡± she teased Marlyn.


    Manlyn¡¯s face flushed with embarrassment. She covered her cheek with her hand.


    ¡°What should I do? I can¡¯t just ask them to get their meals themselves, right? You might end up as the


    only employee of the presidential office, apart from Mr. Logan.¡± She peeked at Larissa through her


    fingers.


    *Ill go deliver their lunch. You stay here and wait. Il be back soon.¡± Larissa patted her shoulder.


    The hotel only delivered lunch at the entrance of the presidential office. Larissa had to pick it up, which


    meant walking across the entire


    office area.


    The office area was in chaos. The employees gathered in groups and whispered in low voices, with


    anxious looks on their faces.


    When Larissa walked past they all fell silent and red at her, as if they wanted to devour her whole.


    Larissa ignored their looks and collected the lunch.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.


    On her way back, she heard Nina speak sarcastically to someone. ¡°Some people are only fit for menial


    tasks!¡±


    Larissa drew to a halt and smiled widely at Nina. ¡°Too bad that some people spend all day doing


    demanding tasks. However, their


    superiors didn¡¯t even bother to keep them from resigning. They might even lose everything they have in


    the end!¡±


    Nina almost choked with anger.


    With her head high, Larissa stalked past them triumphantly. No one dared to taunt her.


    Larissa brought the lunch boxes to Lewis¡® office, but no one was inside.


    Lewis just left the conference room. He had nothing else on his schedule, so he shouldn¡¯t have left the


    company.


    She headed to the presidential office instead.


    As expected. Gary and Lewis were there. They sat on a single sofa, each with a cup of tea in front of


    them.


    The tea seemed freshly brewed and steaming hot.


    Larissa approached and smelled a refreshing aroma of tea. ¡°You two have so much free time,


    gathering here for tea?¡± she teased.


    Gary noticed her carrying the lunch boxes and questioned, ¡°Why are you delivering lunch today?


    Where¡¯s Marilyn?¡±


    Larissa¡¯s expression changed instantly. She pouted, seemingly wronged. ¡°About Marilyn, she got


    pped by someone in my slead,¡±

 Chapter 808

    Chapter 808


    Chapter 808


    ¡°pped in your slead? What do you mean? Gary¡¯s pleasant expression immediately darkened when


    he heard this.


    Larissa told him what happened in the conference room in an exaggerated manner. Finally, she got to


    the point. ¡°Marilyn has been so helpful to me. Can we give her a raise?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± As long as it didn¡¯t involve Kevan, Gary always agreed to Larissa¡¯s requests, will inform the HR


    departmentter. Marilyn¡¯s sry will be raised by 10%.¡±


    Larissa gave him a bear hug. ¡°Thanks, Dad!¡±


    Gary burst intoughter, his eyes crinkling. He patted her hand and said. ¡°I haven¡¯t had the chance to


    talk to you recently, Now that you¡¯ve been in Blue Star Shipping for some time, how do you find the


    work? Is difficull?


    Larissa nced at Lewis and said proudly. ¡°With Lewis around, what difficulties could I possibly have?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good to know.¡± Gary seemed relieved. ¡°You know that my health is declining. Dr. Smith has


    been telling me for years to step down and rest.


    ¡°However, I¡¯m worried that Lewis wouldn¡¯t be able to handle the old fogies in the boardroom. Lark, work


    harder and take my position as Soon as you car. When you and Lewis can support earn other, I can


    finally be rest assured.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I will do my best! Larissa promised solemnly.


    She wasn¡¯t that clear on the severity of Gary¡¯s epileasy, but she had witnessed his seizures twice. Both


    seizures happened on the first and second time they met. Al this frequency, seemed urgent for Gary to


    step down and rest.


    Larissa fet the heavy weight on her shoulder. But it gave her motivation to work harder.


    ¡°By the way, everyone in the presidential office had resigned. What should we do about the workload?


    Larissa looked worried. Given their attitude today, they wouldn¡¯t do the proper hancover procedures.


    ¡°Even if we start recruiting today and ask them to start tomorrow, it would take time for training.¡±


    In other words, the presidential office might take a month to resume normal operations,


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. I have pulled in the most e te staff from other departments. They willplete


    the handover of their tasks this afternoon. They can start working tomorrow officialy.¡±


    Gary remained calm andposed. There was no sign of panic in his voice.


    Larissa was shocked by his efficiency. ¡°That¡¯s realy fast!¡±


    ¡°If we don¡¯t act quickly, Bue Star Shipping or I will end up being led around the noses by those


    employees. Larissa, you must remember not to give in easly.


    ¡°If youpromise, others might take it for granted and ask for more. You would only end up in a


    losing position, Gary sald seriously.


    Larissa nodded. ¡®Til remember that.¡±


    ¡°This principle not only applies to work but also to rtionships, just like you and Kevan. ¡°Gary


    changed the topic abruptly.


    When he brought Kevan up, Larissa knew he would nag again,All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Oh! Marilyn is waiting for me to have lunch with her! She grabbed both Marilyn¡¯s and her lunch boxes.


    Without waiting for Gary to speak, she ran out quickly. The door to the office closed with a bang.


    Gary¡¯s face darkened. He grilled his teeth and sighed helplessly. ¡°This girl ¨C


    ¡°Lari is already more than thirty years old. She knows how to handle her own rtionships. Don¡¯t you


    worry about her,¡± Lewis cevised.


    ¡°She¡¯s my only daughter. Who should I worry about if not her? Oh, right! I¡¯ll worry about you instead.¡±


    Gary looked up and gwelews aside


    The calmness on Lewis face cracked a little. He passed the utensils to Gary and opened the lunch


    boxes, saying, ¡°Just continue worrying about Lar ther

 Chapter 809

    Chapter 809


    Chapter 809


    Nina¡¯s p was hetty, whereas Marilyn¡¯s skin wasir and delicate. Alter half an hour, the mark on her


    lace hadn¡¯t faded. It seemed to be redder and more swollen.


    Before lunch break ended. Larissa rejected her suggestion of covering it up with foundallor. She


    dragged Marilyn to the infirmary without hesitation.


    The doctor prescribed an anti¨Cinmmatory ointment, but it couldn¡¯t be applied directly. Marilyn had to


    remove her makeup first.


    Marilyn grabbed Larissa¡¯s hand desperately, almost begging on her knees. ¡°I¡¯ll apply when I get home.


    I¡¯ll put on a thickyer. Would that


    work?¡±


    Everyone has the desire to look beautiful. Although Larissa didn¡¯t care much for makeup, she could


    understand if others were reluctant to remove it.


    ¡°Alright, make sure you apply it properly tonight! Otherwise, the swelling might not go down.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± Marilyn nodded.


    The entire alte moon at the presidential office was spent in chaos.


    Employees transferred from other departments arrived at 2:00 pm. Their arrival startled the presidential


    office¡¯s employees who were waiting for the HR department to process their resignation.


    Lewis was waiting at the door for them. He led the iing employees to their seals one by one,


    recing each cutgoing tt member.


    He did not mention the matter of handover procedures. Apart from Larissa, no one knew about it. When


    Lewis announced it publicly. everyone was stunned. After recovering from the shack, they were


    displeased.


    ¡°You said we could leave in the afternoon! Why do we have to hand over our work now?¡±


    ¡°Yeah! Can your word¡¯s even be trusted now?¡±


    ¡°Since


    ce you agreed to let us go, don¡¯t go back on your word!¡±


    Lewis stood in the center of the crowd and waited for them to finishining.


    ¡°Regardless of anypany, you need to hand over your work before resigning. I only need an


    alternoon of your time. After the handover, you can start work at Moorewell Shipping tomorroOW,


    ¡°Of course, you can choose not to hand over and leave now. Since you¡¯re going to lose a lortune


    anyway, a little more wouldn¡¯t hurt,¡± he


    said coolly.


    As soon as he said that, some gave up and sat down on their seats to hand over their tasks. Others


    stubbornly refused to as through with the resignation process and left with their personal belongings


    Content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Those leaving urged the rest who stayed behind. ¡°What are you waiting for? Let¡¯s go! Since we¡¯re


    already going to lose money, why let them have it easy? Since they don¡¯t appreciate us, we won¡¯t


    oblige them either!¡±


    Seeing some hesitating, Nina stomped and threatened, ¡°If you don¡¯t leave now, you will bear the


    consequences¡±


    The rest got up from their seals reluctantly. After they left, hall of the presidential office was emoty


    Larissa asked Lewis with a worried look, ¡°Now that everyone¡¯s gone, how will we proceed with the


    handover?¡±


    Lewis seemed to have expected this result. He sad calmly, ¡°We weren¡¯t going to do the handover with


    them in the first ce.¡±


    ¡°What? Then who will hand over the tasks? Larissa sald, puzzled.


    Lewis smirked. ¡°I will,¡±

 Chapter 810

    Chapter 810


    Chapter 810


    Lew¡¯s was Gary¡¯s executive assistant and the backbone of the entire presidential ollice.


    Apart from Marilyn, he oversaw the work of everyone in the department. They all reported their work to


    him. Thus, he knew each person¡¯s job scope and progress like the back of his hand. It was as if he was


    doing the work Hrsell,


    Handing over tasks to a dozen people was time¨Cconsuming and difficult. However, when it came to


    Lewis, hepleted his work inst motion. Everything progressed at double speed. Before the end of


    the day, the presidential office had resumed normal operations.


    After resolving all the issues, Lewis stretched his sore back and pounded it sporadically with his arm.


    Larissa looked up and offered without hesitation, ¡°Do you need me to help with that?


    She said that cut of instinct. She had forgotten to maintain her distance from Lewis.


    The words had left her mouth when she snapped back to reality, Flustered. Larissa looked at Marilyn


    who was sitting across from he


    her.


    Content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Marilyn was looking at her with a frown. Nalicing her nce, Marilyn smiled at her and lowered her


    head to locus on her work as if she hadn¡¯t heard anything.


    Lewis stopped in front of Larissa¡¯s desk and looked down at her. He said formally. ¡°tlery won¡¯t work


    with me. Your bonus for this month is docked.¡±


    Larissa responded, ¡°Never mind then.¡± Retracting her concem, she pretended to reply coldly.


    When Leais returned to his office, she messaged him immediately. ¡°Thanks for your quick thinking!


    Otherwise, our rtionship would have been exposed!¡® Lewis took the chance and joked. ¡°How will you


    thank me? How about paying for dinner tonight?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t de dinner tonight. We will have stew for dinner tomorrow. Would you like to join us?¡± Larissa


    remembered her promise to Kevan.


    ¡°Sure, ask Mr. Rogers to buy more ingredients. I have a hip appetite.¡± Lewis didn¡¯t held back.


    ¡°Lewis, Inever thought that you were so shameless! The longer Larissa spent time with Lewis, the more


    she saw a side of him that he never showed anyone else.


    Although it wasn¡¯t all good, his imperfections made Lewis seem more human. In her eyes, Lewis was


    no longer the perfect unattainable being. He was truly her cousin now.


    Lewis sent a pouty emoji and continued making his requests, ¡°Don¡¯t make the stew too spicy. I can¡¯t


    take the heat. It would be great if you could make two different vors of stew.


    ¡°I likemb, so you can get that to put in the stew. For the other, maybe you can get some seafood, I


    prefer lobsters and abalone. They might be pricey, but it¡¯s nothing to Kewan.¡±


    Cursing him mentally for being shameless. Larissa ended the conversation with a smiling emojt


    Despite the chaos at the presidential office, they managed to leave work on time, thanks to Lewis


    leadership.


    Larissa took her phone out of the drawer. Kevan¡¯s WhatsApp message had arrived ten minutes ago.


    ¡°We¡¯he downstairs.¡±


    She replied. ¡°I just got off work. I¡¯ll be right down.¡±


    As she got up. Marilyn Inked arms with her.


    Are you leaving? Marilyn asked.


    ¡®Yes.¡® Larissa¡¯s gaze unconsciously drifted to Marlyn¡¯s cheek


    The mark on Marilyn¡¯s face had started fading. However, it seemed swollen. Although she tried to cover


    up with foundation, a slight Swelling still could be seen.


    ¡°Remember to apply the ointment when you get back, Larissa reminded her.


    ¡°What of


    ointment? Lewis¡® voice came from behind, startling them.


    Marilyn lowered her head and covered her cheek vill her hands.

 Chapter 811

    Chapter 811


    Chapter 811


    Larissa was about to reply when Marilyn grabbed her wrist.


    She replied instead, ¡°I identally hit my leg on the table and bruised H. Larissa went to the infirmary


    and got some ointment for me. She was reminding me to apply it when I get home.¡±


    Lewis nodded and said coolly. ¡°I see. Be careful next time.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Marilyn responded in a soft tone.


    Larissa nced at Marilyn and noted that her face had turned redder than when Nina pped her on


    the cheek earlier.


    Larissa bid them farewell at the entrance.


    Marilyn immediately spotted Kevan¡¯s car. ¡°Is your drivering to pick you up again?¡± she asked.


    Hesitating for a moment Larissa noticed Lewis¡® attempts at suppressing a smile. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m going now!


    Larissa replied with difficulty and waved goodbye.


    The next moment she turned back. ¡°Mr. Logan Junior, could you send Marilyn home? Since she hurt


    her leg, driving would be inconvenient for her.¡±


    As soon as she said this, Marilyn¡¯sce flushed red. She waved her hands frantically. ¡°It¡¯s alright! It


    won¡¯t affect my driving! There¡¯s no need to send me home.¡±


    All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Although she refused firmly. Lewis had his principles as a gentleman.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to be polite with me. Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll send you home!¡± Lewis said with a smile.


    Marilyn looked to Larissa for help, but she just gave her a push and mouthed silently. ¡°Go for it!¡±


    As Marilyn froze. Larissa quickly got into the car.


    Inside the car, Kevan and Aster were going over their shopping list. When Larissa got in the car, Aster


    comined with a frown, ¡°Mommy. you¡¯re so slow!


    Larissa leaned forward to Aster, who was sitting in the passenger seat, and tapped him on the head.


    ¡°Now that you have your dad, you¡¯re Starting to find me annoying?¡± she said hall¨Cjokingly


    ¡°No way! I love Mommy the most!¡± Aster said innocently with his eyes wide.


    Although he liked his father a lot, Kevan told him that his favorite person should only be Mommy alone.


    However, when he grew up and got married, his favorite person could only be his wille.


    Even though Larissa knew that Aster was trying to buller her up, his deration instantly improved


    Larissa¡¯s mood. She ruffled his bangs and smiled with motherly affection,


    Kevan handed her his phone. ¡°We made a list. Take a look and see if there is anything else to add.¡±


    Larissa and Wendy frequently cooked at home. They never baked anythingplex. Thus, they


    needed to buy new tools and Ingredients. Kewan and Aster had no knowledge of baking, so they listed


    a few essential items based on their imagination.


    Larissa went through the list and added some missing items from the list. ¡°Tomorrow night, we will have


    stew at home, so we will buy the groceries we need at the same time, I invited Lewis for dinner as well.


    He said he wantsmb and some expensive sealood.¡±


    As Larissa spoke, she observed Revan¡¯s reaction. Without hesitation, he agreed, ¡°Sure.¡±

 Chapter 812

    Chapter 812


    Chapter 812


    It was a weekday night, so many people were at the supermarket. Most of them were Ike Larissa. They


    had just finished work and were there to buy groceries for dinner,


    Aster was too old to sit in the shopping cart. He held Larissa¡¯s hand and followed closely behind Kevan,


    who was pushing the cart in front.


    Larissa rarely went to the supermarket. This chain supermarket was huge. She often fell lost whenever


    she entered. She had to rely on the staff¡¯s guidance to find what she wanted. Therefore, Larissa


    decided to use her usual strategy and asked for help from a store employee.


    However, before she could open her mouth, Aster interrupted her. ¡°Mommy, you don¡¯t have to ask for


    directions! Daddy knows where everything is! He is so amazing! He memorized where everything was


    the first time he brought me here!¡® Aster¡¯sce was filled with admiration for Kevan.


    Although Aster did not show any disdain for her, Larissa stil felt embarassed by his words.


    She apologized to the store employee, but he wasn¡¯t offended at all. In fact, heplimented her.


    ¡°Your husband is really handsome! Your son is so cute!¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Lanssa didn¡¯t feel like exining her rtionship with Kevan to a stranger, so she


    chuckled awkwardly.


    Unfortunately. Aster took it seriously and continued questioning her. ¡°Mommy, is Daddy your husband?¡±


    Wel


    Larissa looked to Kevan, hoping he woud help her out of this situation. However, he acted like it was


    none of his bus ress. staring at her with the same curious lock as Aster.


    Larissa simply ignored Aster¡¯s question and nced at the notes on Kevan¡¯s phone. ¡°Let¡¯s start with


    buying flour.¡±


    To avoid their inquisitive questions, she walked away quickly. However, she hadn¡¯t taken two steps


    ahead when Kevan tugged her back by


    All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    the hood of her down jacket


    He said with a wry smile, ¡°You¡¯re going the wrong way. It¡¯s over here.¡±


    Larissa felt ashamed. ¡°Ch.¡±


    After that Kevan never let go of her hand by giving a reasonable excuse. ¡°What if you get lost waking


    around on your own?¡±


    Larissa, who had gotten lost countless times before, sighed, ¡°Fine.¡±


    With Kevan as Iher navigator. Larissa¡¯s time in the supermarket was cut by more than half the usual


    time she spent wandering around. They gathered all the items they needed and filled up tworge


    shopping bags,


    Kevan loaded the shopping bags into the car. Asler pped his hands and cheered him on, throwing in


    some ttery as well.


    For the past few days, Larissa had heard too much of Aster¡¯s praises that she had grown numb. She


    couldn¡¯t muster up the energy to even


    be jealous anymore.


    Because of her hectic week earlier, Wendy¡¯s work was rtively rxed this week. She could leave


    work on time and return home earlier than Larissa.


    When Larissa opened the door, Wendy was sitting on the sofa in her work clothes. She hadn¡¯t even


    removed her makeup. This was unusual as Wendy would immediately change intoloitable clothes


    and remove her makeup when she came home.


    Staring at the screen intently. Wendy had her phone in her hand. The sweet smile on herce was a


    little bashful and filled with happiness.


    ¡°Alright, send me a message when you¡¯ve taken oll tomorrow. I¡¯ll estimate the time to pick you up at the


    airport.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need. I will probably arrivete at night. You should have a good rest. The other party will


    send a car to pick me up.¡± A male voice rang out clearly through Wendy¡¯s phone speaker and echoed


    across the room.


    Without a doubt the man on the other end of the call was most likely Wendy¡¯s mysterious blend.

 Chapter 813

    Chapter 813


    Chapter 813


    Larissa coughed loudly and cleared her throat. Finally, Wendy realized that they were at the door. In a


    hurry, she turned off the video call andined to Larissa. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you make a sound when you


    entered?¡±


    ¡°I just made a sound, didn¡¯t I? Larissa changed into house slippers and came up to Wendy. Grabbing


    her arm, she asked enthusiastically, ¡°Is heing to Westonia tomorrow!¡±


    Frowning, Wendy pulled her arm away and pushed Larissa with disdain. ¡°It¡¯s none of your business! Go


    and help Mr. Rogers to prepare dinner! I¡¯m starving


    However, Larissa didn¡¯t leave. ¡°He just went home a few days ago, and now he¡¯s already lying back!


    Looks like he is really interested in you. Ms. Simmons! She poked Wendy with her elbow and winked


    yfully. ¡°You better seize this opportunity. Men like him are rare!¡±


    ¡°Get lost! There¡¯s nothing between us. Stop spouting nonsenser Wendy kicked her in frustration


    Larissa chuckled and continued provoking her ¡°When are you going to introduce him to me? How about


    invite him to dinner? Am I being considerate enough?¡±


    From N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Argh!¡± Wendy covered her ears and shouted irritably. ¡°Mr. Rogers! Get this annoying pest out of here!¡±


    Kevan shifted the shopping bags from his left hand to his right. In a few steps, he wrapped his arm


    around Larissa¡¯s waist.


    ¡°Excuse me.¡± he apologized to Wendy and dragged Larissa into the kitchen despite her resistance.


    Kevan closed the kitchen door with his foot and ced the shopping bags on the counter.


    Larissa took out and organized the items they had bought. Then, she look an onion from the fridge and


    asked Kevan, ¡°Should I peel it?¡± She remembered hearing him talking to Aster about cooking


    scrambled eggs tonight.


    ¡°I do it.¡± Kevan took the onion from her and skillfully peeled it. While he was doing that, he asked. ¡°Is


    Wendy talking to her boyfriend on video call just now?¡±


    Larissa was stunned. ¡°Why are you suddenly interested in gossip?¡± in her memory, Kevan was usually


    aloof and didn¡¯t like discussing other people¡¯s private matters.


    Kevan choked on his saliva at that moment. Larissa didn¡¯t know whether it was because of her words


    or the onion¡¯s pungent smell


    Kevan put on an indifferent tone and said. ¡°I¡¯m just asking casually.¡±


    I


    ¡°it¡¯s alright! I won¡¯t judge even if you confess that you¡¯re curious!¡± Larissa teased him with a side


    nce.


    When she noticed his cold look, she quickly stopped joking around. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t call him her boyfriend


    exactly. They seem to have mutual feelings, but they are still getting to know each other.¡±


    ¡°Did Wendy show you any pictures?¡± Kevan asked,


    Larissa clicked her tongue. Asking casually? Kevan seemed to be more curious about the man than


    her!


    ¡°No, she¡¯s really good at keeping secrets! She hasn¡¯t shown me any pictures. I dont even know his


    name, age, or which hotel he works at! I don¡¯t know what she is so afraid of,¡± Larissained in a


    low tone. She turned around and saw Kevan pondering deeply.


    ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± she asked curiously.


    A sudden realization dawned on her, and Larissa¡¯s excilement rose. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me, you know the man


    Wendy¡¯s interested in? Tell me, who is he? What does he look like? Is he young and handsome? Is he


    good enough for Wendy?¡±


    Kevan furrowed his brows at Larissa¡¯s constant chatter. ¡°I don¡¯t know him. If you have time to gossip


    about others, you might as well cut up the union.¡± He handed the peeled onion back to her.

 Chapter 814

    Chapter 814


    Chapter 814


    The atmosphere at the table was usually cheerful Aster and Wendy were die-hard fans al Keyan. They


    showered him with praise andpliments on everything he did.


    Fortunately, Kevan was used to such attention. Throughout dinner, he remained cam and did not let


    their praises get to his head.


    Larissa disapproved of their battery and refused to associate with them.


    She lowered her head and focused on shoving lood into her mouth. Larissa did not engage in any


    conversation that was unrted to her.


    Hallway through the meal, Kevan asked Wendy, What time will your friend arrive tomorrow? I don¡¯t


    have much to do, so I can help you pick him up.¡±


    Wendy had her mouth full of food at that moment. When she heard the question, she almost choked on


    her dinner. She quickly took some tissue and covered her mouth, coughing and spullering.


    Larissa poured a ss of water for Wendy and salted her back to help her recovet, After a long while.


    Wendy finally caught her breath.


    ¡®No need to trouble you, Mr. Rogers His partner wil send a car to pick him up. His hotel arrangements


    have already been made as well.¡± She waved off Kevan¡¯s offer with a nervous expression.


    ¡°Alright. If you need anything, just let me know.¡± Kevan did not insist.


    ¡°Surr,¡± Wendy answered politely.


    Larissa was a little puzzled when she listened to the conversation.


    Kevan wasn¡¯t one to meddle in others¡¯ affairs. Besides, he wouldn¡¯t degrade himself to act as a driver


    and pick someone up at the airport. His behavior tonight was unusual.


    Larissa suspected that he knew Wendy¡¯s mysterious friend.


    Nibbling on her lork, Larissa tried to recall. She had not mentioned this to Kevan before, and Wendy


    wouldn¡¯t either. Perhaps Wendy¡¯s mysterious friend was someone close to Kevan. That man revealed


    his rtionship with Wendy to the public, which was why Kevan knew.


    However, Larissa struggled to think of anyone else other than Dn who was close to Kevan. If it wereContent ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Dn, it would exin why Wendy kept their rtionship hidden. After all having an altar was a serious


    matter.


    However, that man wasing to Westonia to attend the hotel industry summit. Since Dn was a


    lawyer, it was out of the question.


    Besides, she heard that man¡¯s voice just now. While the sound was distorted, she was certain it


    sounded nothing like Dn.


    Larissa found herself in a dilemma. She realized it was because she knew too little about Kevan and


    felt ashamed.


    Kevan knew everything about her. He knew her birthday, zodiac sign, blood type, and her preferences.


    In addition, he remembered the names of her family, friends, and close colleagues.


    What impressed her the most was his ability to sense a slight shift in her emotions. Yet, she couldn¡¯t


    reciprocate what he did for her. Kevan noticed Larissa¡¯s dejection.


    After dinner, heered Larissa and forced her to wash the dishes with him.


    Wendy and Aster slouched on the sofa with full stomachs. They watched on with amusement, clearly


    enjoying themselves.

 Chapter 815

    Chapter 815


    Chapter 815


    Larissa followed Kevan reluctantly into the kitchen. He closed the door yet again.


    Content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°What happened to you just now?¡± He had his back to the door, blocking her escape.


    ¡°What do you mean, just now? What¡¯s wrong with me?¡± Larissa was stunned by his question.


    ¡°During dinner just now. you were lost in thought with a sad expression.¡± Kevan reminded her.


    Larissa realized what he was referring to and felt flustered. She didn¡¯t want to tell him the truth, so she


    used Wendy as a shield. To make it seem more believable, she said with a pout.


    ¡°I¡¯m sad because Wendy won¡¯t bring her friend back to meet me. Even though we are best friends and I


    tell her everything I didn¡¯t expect her to hide this from me.¡±


    Kevan didn¡¯t seem the least bit suspicious. The lensed lines on his face softened, and he ruffled


    Larissa¡¯s hair affectionately. ¡°Maybe she


    felt that it wasn¡¯t the right time to introduce him to her friends. Or


    He paused abruptly with a cold look in his eyes. ¡°That man has something to hide. That¡¯s why he


    doesn¡¯t want to meet you.¡±


    Suddenly, Larissa grabbed Kevan¡¯s wrist and tugged on his arm.


    ¡°Hey, are you saying that because you know who he is?¡± She leaned in, almost pressing against


    Kevan¡¯s chest.


    Although Kevan¡¯s inner voice was urging him to hold her tightly in his embrace, her question was hard


    for him to answer,


    I


    Kevan pushed her away with a stem expression. ¡°Didn¡¯t already tell you? I don¡¯t know him.


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible! You definitely know who that person is Otherwise, why would you go and pick him


    up? Mr. Rogers personally picking this man up at the airport? That person¡¯s identity must be


    extraordinary! Larissa was bing moreinced.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know him. The reason I said I would pick him up was to help Wendy out. Don¡¯t overthink it¡±


    Kevan insisted.


    ¡°You¡¯re not the kind of person who helps Just anyone!¡±


    Larissa had spent enough time with Kevan to know that. In addition, she had gathered as much


    information from Dn. She had a fair understanding of Kevan¡¯s personality.


    As Dn would put it, Kevan was a shrewd man. He only made friends when it benefited him.


    He would only help others with the expectation of something in return. Of course, these principles did


    not apply to Kevan¡¯s family and close friends,


    Larissa could count the number of people in his inner circle on one hand, However, Wendy wasn¡¯t part


    of his inner circle.


    ¡°Wendy¡¯s friendship does not benefit you in any way.¡± Larissa stared at him suspiciously. Hearing her


    words, he chuckled.


    ¡°You¡¯re wrong. Being in Wendy¡¯s good books carles substantial benelis,¡± Kevan chirped with a sincere


    smile.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Larissa was caught off guard. Before she could rity what benefits Wendy could bring him, he


    evicted her from the kitchen. ¡°Go and bother those two. Don¡¯t disturb me while I¡¯m doing the dishes.¡±


    Larissa was perplexed. ¡°Wasn¡¯t it you who dragged me here in the first ce?¡® she shouted anally from


    the other side of the door.


    After finishing the dishes, Kevan came out to the living room with a te of cut fruits.


    ¡°Mr. Rogers, can¡¯t you stay here forever?¡± Wendy looked at Kevan longingly, who only smiled without a


    word.


    He took some tissue and dried his hands. Picking up his coat from the back of the so, he bid farewell.


    ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. I¡¯m heading back to the hotel,¡±


    Hearing this, Larissa put down the fork in her hand and stood up immediately. With her mouth full of


    strawberries, she mumbled. Til see you off.¡±

 Chapter 816

    Chapter 816


    Chapter 816


    Larissa¡¯s unexpected actions caught Kevan off guard, After a pause, he smiled and said. ¡°Sure.¡±


    ¡°I want to go too!¡± Aster eximed and jumped off the s, rushing toward Kevan.


    Wendy acted swiftly and caught Aster by the waist. She held him in her arms lightly. ¡°Why are you


    going out sote at night? It¡¯s cold


    outside. You might catch a cold!¡±


    Aster struggled to escape, but Wendy red at him and threatened in a low tone. ¡°If you struggle any


    longer, I will not take you to McRonald¡¯s behind your mother¡¯s back again!¡±


    Aster settled down immediately.


    Wendy shot a simile at Larissa and Kevan. ¡°I will take care of Aster, Don¡¯t worry, Larissa, take your time


    in sending Mr. Rogers off. If you


    don¡¯t want toe back home, it¡¯s fine too.¡±


    Larissa shot her a re, signaling for her to shut up. She grabbed Kevan¡¯s hand and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Larissa¡¯s apartment faced the street, with the main road just outside. Kevan¡¯s car was parked by the


    roadside, less than six feet from the apartment entrance. It took less than a minute to get to his car.


    When Kevan unlocked his car. Larissa¡¯s heart sank, Grabbing his wrist instinctively, she said. ¡°Let me


    walk you home.¡± She lowered her head, and her voice was muttled by a thick wool scarf that covered


    hall of herce


    Kevan raised his eyebrows. ¡°On foot?¡± Larissa nodded. ¡°Yeah!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s too cold. I¡¯m not dressed warmly.¡± Kevan seemed unwilling.


    He only wore a thin shirt under his coat. His neck was exposed to the wind. Staring at his Adam¡¯s


    apple, Larissa had a distressed look on


    herce.


    Kevan chuckled and rested his hand on Larissa¡¯s. His eyes were tender as he said, ¡°Get in the car. I¡¯ll


    take you for a ride.¡±


    Westonia was a city that never slept. At 8:00 pm, the city was at its liveliest. The neon lights decorating


    the streets shone down on the fashionable young people roaming around in groups.


    Kevan drove at a slow pace. In less than five minutes, several cars behind them honked impatiently.


    However, Kevan ignored them. The heating in the car was working well.


    Larissa soon broke into a sweat. Taking off her scarf and down jacket, she held them lightly in her


    arms.


    Kevan took a tissue to wipe the sweat off her forehead. Larissa was deep in thought at that moment.


    When his fingers touched her skin.


    she jumped in surprise.


    Noticing his intention, Larissa took the tissue from him and rubbed it on her face haphazardly.


    Kevan chuckled at how fustered she was. ¡°Is there something you want to tell me? Feel free to say ¡±


    He had always been patient with her, if she were unwilling to speak, he would drive around all night for


    her. However, she seemed so anxious that he fell sorry for her, In the end, Kevan decided to make it


    quick.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.


    ¡°How did you know? Am I that obvious? Larissa tumed to him in surprise and patted her cheeks in


    frustration


    ¡°Yes.¡± Kevan nodded solemnly.


    Normally, he couldn¡¯t grasp her thoughts. However, Larissa was surprisingly easy to read when she


    was in a dilemma.


    Larissa lowered her head once again.

 Chapter 817

    Chapter 817


    Chapter 817


    Larissa¡¯s heart was pounding rapidly. A sense of fear surged within her whenever she thought about


    what she would say. Larissa felt a


    strong urge to retreat.


    However, she had finally gathered the courage to make this decision. She didn¡¯t know when she would


    muster up the courage to attempt once more if she missed this opportunity.


    Larissa closed her eyes and took a deep breath. ¡°Previously, you said you would give me a week to


    consider. The week has passed.¡±


    She had been counting the days for the past week. When her week was up, she spent the entire day in


    torment, waiting for Kevan to ask


    for her answer.


    However, it seemed as if he had forgotten about it. Until today, he hadn¡¯t brought it up. Larissa couldn¡¯t


    wait any longer. She didn¡¯t want to


    ait any longe


    drag it out further.


    Kevan¡¯s eyes lit up, and he drawled. ¡°Yes?¡±


    Lately, he had been enjoying his time with Larissa. Besides, she hadn¡¯t done anything that crossed his


    boundaries.


    Kevan didn¡¯t want to disrupt the harmonious atmosphere between them. That was why he didn¡¯t


    pressure Larissa for an answer after the


    week had passed.


    He knew that Larissa tended to run away from difficult situations. Now that she brought it up on her


    own initiative, things were likely


    heading in the direction he hoped for.


    As expected, she said. ¡°Il marry you.¡±


    Countless fireworks went off in Kevan¡¯s mind. Staying focused on the road was hard as he tried to


    avoid the sidewalk.


    ¡°Alright.¡± He forced himself to sound calm, but his wide smile betrayed the happiness he felt.


    ¡°But ¡ª ¡°Larissa changed the topic immediately. ¡°I don¡¯t n to return to Caldor in the short term, so we


    might not be able to get our marriage certificate for a while.¡±


    Although Larissa had a green card, she was still a Caldorian citizen as she had notpleted the


    immigration process.


    While foreigners could register their marriage here, it was much moreplicated than in their home


    country. Larissa wanted to get it done all at once when she returned to Caldor in the future.


    Kevan understood her concern. ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡±


    However, the expression on his face darkened. There was something he hadn¡¯t told her yet. It wasn¡¯t


    the right time.


    Kevan wasn¡¯t certain of Larissa¡¯s feelings toward him. When he was sure that she genuinely liked him


    and wanted to marry him willingly.


    only then would he reveal the truth.


    ¡°Besides, can we keep our marriage a secret for now? Only you, me. Aster, and Wendy should know


    about this. I¡¯d rather not tell my father


    and Lewis about this yet.¡±


    Kevan disagreed. ¡°Why? Am I an embarrassment to you?¡±


    ¡°No! You know that my father disapproves of you. He will probably be very upset if he finds out that we


    are married. His health is deteriorating, and he has frequent seizures. I¡¯m worried that he won¡¯t be able


    to handle It Larissa waved her hands in denial


    She wanted to keep this from Lewis as she didn¡¯t want to put him in a difficult posillon.


    Il Gary found out that Lewis had also kept this a secret from him, things could be disastrous.


    Kevan furrowed his brows and thought for a moment. Finally, he decided topromise. ¡°Alright.¡±


    In fact, he didn¡¯t n to publicize their marriage for now.


    After all, there were enemies back in Caldor scheming to take him down.


    ¡°I have a condition,¡± Kevan added. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.


    ¡°You have to make it clear to Mr. Logan that he cannot arrange blind dates for you anymore. Otherwise,


    I will tell him the truth regardless of whether he can handle it or not.¡± Kevan snorted coldly.


    ¡°Okay, I will talk to myther about this tomorrow!¡± Larissa agreed readily.


    As long as she was firm about it Gary wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything.

 Chapter 818

    Chapter 818


    Chapter 818


    The car stopped at the entrance of Larissa¡¯s apartment. Looking at the familiar surroundings, Larissa


    asked in surprise, ¡°Why are we back here?¡±


    Kevan raised his eyebrows and chuckled. ¡°Were you hoping toe to my hotel? Let¡¯s go then.¡± He


    pretended to start the car engine.


    Larissa lunged forward and stopped him. With a charming smile, she said, ¡°No, no! Aster¡¯s waiting for


    me at home!¡±


    Kevan snorted and held her hand instead. ¡°You want to leave? Fine.¡± He pointed to his cheek. ¡°Give


    me a kiss, then I¡¯ll let you go.¡±


    This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.


    Staring at his perfect profile. Larissa licked her lips unconsciously and swallowed. The silence was


    deafening in the car. Larissa could hear her own heartbeat pulsing in her ears.


    She leaned in and inched closer to Kevan¡¯s face. Finally, her lipsnded on his cheek. In less than a


    second, she pulled back immediately.


    ¡°I¡¯m leaving!¡± Larissa undid her seatbelt and escaped from the car as fast as she could.


    Kevan touched the warm spot on his cheek and smiled, his eyes twi nkling.


    After she took a few steps toward the entrance, Larissa seemed to remember something and turned


    back. Through the half-open car window, she waved to Kevan with lushed cheeks. ¡°Well see you


    tomorrow!¡±


    With a gentle smile, Kevan responded in a soft tone, ¡°Yeah, see you tomorrow.¡±


    A1 8:00 am, Kevan arrived punctually with breakfast. He unpacked the containers andid them on the


    table one by one. After that he naturally took a seat beside Larissa.


    Wendy¡¯s look of suspicion shifted back and forth between them. ¡°You two


    This was the first time Larissa and Kevan sat together for breakfast. Usually, Kevan would sit beside


    Aster. However, Aster was being pushed aside this morning.


    Kevan smirked and extended his arm, wrapping it around Larissa¡¯s waist.


    Wendy¡¯s jaw dropped, and her eyes widened in disbelief.


    ¡°We have decided to get married,¡± Kevan casually dropped a bombshell on Wendy.


    ¡°What? You two are getting married?¡± With a doubtful look on her face, Wendy rubbed her ears. ¡°Am I


    hearing this right?¡±


    ¡°No, you¡¯re not mistaken. I heard it too,¡± Aster replied. He seemed moreposed than Wendy, but


    the Joy on hisce was evident.


    ¡°That¡¯s fantastic!¡± Aster eximed with a wide smile, revealing his bright and white teeth.

 Chapter 819

    Chapter 819


    Chapter 819


    Raising his hand, Kevan ruffled Aster¡¯s hair. Aster grabbed onto his arm and climbed into hisp.


    This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.


    ¡°When are you two getting married? Where will you get married? When you marry, will you invite many


    guests, like on TV? Should I invite


    my ssmates?


    is initially excited.


    ¡°But I¡¯ve seen that in dramas, kids aren¡¯t allowed to attend weddings¨CDoes that mean I can¡¯t go


    either?¡± Aster, who was deted instantly when he said this.


    His childish reasoning broughtughter to the three adults present.


    ¡°Of course you can attend. You can invite your ssmates if you wish. However, we have not set a


    date for our wedding. You might need


    to wait for a while.¡± Kevan had always been patient with Aster.


    ¡°Alright then.¡± Aster seemed a little disappointed. Soon, he asked, ¡°Will you be having your wedding in


    Westonia or Bartham? If it is in Bartham, can I invite my ssmates there? Besides, will we stay at


    Bartham in the future? Am I going to transfer schools to Bartham?¡±


    Kevan had yet to discuss these things with Larissa. Naturally, he couldn¡¯t give Aster a definite answer.


    ¡°Well, we had not decided where the wedding would be. Where would you like it to be held?¡± K


    Kevan threw the question back to Aster.


    ¡°I want it to be in both ces! That way, I can invite all my ssmates! I miss my friends back in


    Bartham. I wonder if they miss me too.¡±


    Excitement filled Aster¡¯s eyes as he imagined how his parents¡® wedding would be.


    Kevan turned to Larissa. ¡°What do you think?¡±


    In Larissa¡¯s opinion, she had no ns of holding a wedding. She had gone through a wedding once.


    Although that marriage was a failure. at least she had fulfilled her dreams as a teenage girl. She had no


    intention of going through it a second time. The reason was that


    weddings were too damn exhausting!


    However, Kevan and Aster looked forward to having a wedding. Larissa could not bear to dampen their


    spirits at this point.


    She ate her breakfast and said indifferently. ¡°Let¡¯s think about itter. There¡¯s no rush.¡±


    Since they had agreed not to publicize their rtionship for now, there wouldn¡¯t be a wedding anytime


    soon. During this period, she could slowly persuade both father and son to give up on having a


    wedding.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Kevan dropped the topic immediately.


    Now that Larissa finally took a step in his direction, he didn¡¯t want to ruin the harmonious atmosphere


    they had finally achieved. Furthermore, he didn¡¯t want to scare Larissa off by pressuring her.


    ¡°If you are not in a hurry for a wedding, how about getting a marriage certificate? Since you have


    decided to marry, you must register for marriage, right? Will you be registering here in Aldovia or back


    in Caldor?¡± Wendy asked.


    ¡°Back in Caldor. Once my work settles down, I will make time to go on a trip.¡± Larissa could answer this


    question, at least.


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound very sincere! You¡¯ve only just started your job here. He will have to wall at least


    half a year to ten months for you to


    settle down.


    ¡°I think you should return to Caldor this weekend and get the mage certificate as soon as possible.


    Your father and Lewis wouldn¡¯t scold you even if you take a day or two off work, Wendy reprimanded


    Larissa with a frown.


    Larissa red at her. ¡°Do you think I¡¯m that mean?¡±


    Wendy nodded very slightly.


    Larissa kicked her under the table. ¡°Get lost!¡±


    ¡°Watch yournguage! There is a child present!¡± Wendy dodged and pointed at Aster, reminding


    Larissa. Sulking, Larissa retracted her foot.


    ¡°It was my idea to dy our trip.¡± Kevan took the me for Larissa. ¡°I still have some matters to deal


    with in Caldor. It¡¯s not yet time to bring Lari and Aster back.¡±


    Wendy didn¡¯t say anything.


    It must be for Larissa¡¯s and Aster¡¯s safety that he did not want to bring them back to Caldor for now.


    ¡°Well if you¡¯re getting married, does that mean you will move in together?¡± Wendy asked again.


    ¡°About this Larissa hadn¡¯t thought of this question yet.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Kevan answered firmly.

 Chapter 820

    Chapter 820


    Chapter 820


    Larissa turned to look at Kevan in shock and nervousness


    ¡°When Lari has more time, we can pack up and move.¡± Keyan shot Larissa a smile, ignoring the


    questioning look in her eyes. ¡°We have an event to attend at the kindergarten on Saturday. How about


    Sunday?¡±


    Larissa¡¯s eyes grew wider, and she stammered at the unexpected news. ¡°W¨CWhere are we moving to?


    Why don¡¯t I know about this?¡±


    Kevan let go of her waist and ruffled her hair affectionately. He whispered in a mysterous tone. ¡°You¡¯ll


    find out this Sunday.¡±


    When Kevan said to wait until Sunday, he absolutely would not reveal a hint about their new home


    before that


    Even though Larissa pestered him with questions throughout the entire ride to work, he remained tight¨C


    lipped. Larissa could not get any clues from him.


    When she got out of the car, Larissa mmed the door, seething with anger, Kevan covered his ears


    and stared after her retreating figure with a smile.


    Larissa arrived in the nick of time. Her new colleagues had all arrived. They were working swiftly and


    silently at their own tasks.


    Content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Perhaps because everyone was still unfamiliar with each other, or maybe it was just their usual habit of


    working.


    Whenever someone passed by, it seemed as if they didn¡¯t notice. They didn¡¯t raise their heads to look


    around or judge others on their


    clothes and appearances.


    Larissa finally felt that she was back in a normal working environment. She didn¡¯t have to walk around


    with her head down for fear of incurring judgment.


    When she almost reached her desk, she felt two buming gazes boring into her from a distance.


    The owner of that gaze was none other than Marilyn, who was sitting across from her.


    Marilyn was her only friend in Blue Star Shipping.


    Larissa was a little perplexed by Marilyn¡¯s intense stare. Turning on herputer, she logged into her


    messaging app and asked Marilyn,¡±


    What¡¯s wrong?


    She tried to recall their interactions from yesterday evening after bidding her goodbye. Up until now,


    they hadn¡¯t had any cortact in between. She couldn¡¯t have done anything to offend Marlyn.


    Marilyn replied with an angry emoji. Larissa responded with a series of question marks.


    The next second, she heard a rapid tter of keystrokes from the other side.


    From the intersity of her typing, it was obvious that Marilyn was in a bad mood.


    Larissa¡¯s heart sank, feeling ill at ease.


    Soon, Marilyn¡¯s message came. ¡°You¡¯re so inconsiderate! How could you ask Mr. Logan Junior to send


    me home? Don¡¯t you know how awkward I tell yesterday? I¡¯m so mad right now!


    So that was the issue.


    Larissa breathed a sigh of relief. She wasn¡¯t a fool. She could tell that Marlyn had a crush on Lewis.


    Lewis, however


    she did not create opportunities for them, it would be impossible for Marilyn to confess to him.


    ¡°Okay, okay! I¡¯m sorry¡± Larissa apologized profusely, but she did not mean it.


    Inwardly, she wasn¡¯t sorry for what she did.


    ¡°Mr. Logan Junior even noticed the mark on my cheek! My image ispletely ruined! I¡¯m going crazy!


    He saw me in such an ugly state! Don¡¯t stop me. I¡¯m going to jump off a building now!¡±


    based on her messages alone.


    Marilyn was particrly concemed about her image. She dared not show herself without makeup in


    front of ordinary colleagues.


    It was worse now that the person she liked caught sight of her being less than perfect. Larissa could


    understand the frustration she must have fell.

 Chapter 821

    Chapter 821


    Chapter 821


    Thinking of that Larissa felt a little regretful for what she did. She was impulsive in setting them up. So,


    she didn¡¯t consider whether it was


    the right time to do it.


    ¡°To express my apology, how about I invite you to my ce for dinner tonight? We will be having stew.¡±


    The mark on Marilyn¡¯s cheek had faded without a trace because of the ointment she got from the


    infirmary. It was Larissa¡¯s chance to tum


    the situation around.


    ¡°Stew?¡± Marilyn had not tried Larissa¡¯s cooking before. Recalling her previous experience with


    Caldorian cuisine, she felt apprehensive. ¡°Is it spicy?


    ¡°There are spicy and non¨Cspicy options. You can go for the non¨Cspicy one,¡± Larissa replied.


    Marilyn agreed immediately. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll be there.¡±


    Since she had a ride, Larissa asked Kevan to not pick her up. She did not mention to Marilyn that


    Lewis would also being. After work, Larissa walked with Marilyn, leaving Lewis behind.


    This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.


    Both cars met up in front of Larissa¡¯s apartment building. As Larissa and Marilyn got off, a white BMW


    pulled into a parking spot in front of


    them


    Marilyn had ridden in Lewis¡® car yesterday, so she recognized his license te immediately.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that.¡± Marilyn widened her eyes in surprise as Lewis got out and closed his car door. ¡°Mr. Logan


    Junior,¡± she finished her


    sentence in a whisper.


    Seemingly ufortable, she hid behind Larissa and lowered her head to avoid eye contact with


    Lewis.


    Lewis locked his car. When he turned around, he noticed the two of them by the roadside. When his


    gaze fell on Marilyn, he was stunned


    but soon recovered.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you go up?¡± he asked Larissa, who replied. ¡°It¡¯s because we ran into you here!¡±


    Larissa dragged Marilyn¡¯s arm and pushed her forward. She put on an embarrassed chuckle and said,


    ¡°I forgot to mention, I invited Mr. Logan Junior as well. I hope you don¡¯t mind?¡±


    Marilynughed dryly. ¡°Of course not.¡± The three of them went upstairs together.


    The door was opened by Aster. ¡°Mom- He was initially overjoyed when he saw Larissa, but he quickly


    realized there were two other people behind her. One was his uncle, the other was an Aldovian woman


    he didn¡¯t recognize.


    Long ago, Larissa and Wendy had taught him to not reveal his rtionship to Larissa in front of


    strangers.


    Aster¡¯s mind raced as he did some quick thinking. Since he shouldn¡¯t refer to Larissa as his mommy,


    then he should not mention that


    Lewis was his uncle either..


    Thus, he greeted Larissa and Lewis formally. ¡°Larissa, Lewis, nice to meet your Both of them were


    stunned at his words.


    Aster grabbed Larissa¡¯s hand and pointed to Marilyn, ¡°Larissa, who is this? She¡¯s so pretty!¡± His sweet


    words were quite effective with


    Marilyn.


    Blushing, she bent down and introduced herself, ¡°I¡¯m Larissa¡¯s colleague, so you can call me Marilyn


    as well.¡±


    ¡°Marilyn, wee to my home.¡± Aster stretched out his hand and Marilyn shook II, saying. ¡°Thank


    your¡±


    Larissa retrieved a pair of home slippers for Lewis and disposable ones for Marilyn.


    Lewis and Gary had each bought a pair of home slippers at the department store. Normally, they did


    not prepare slippers for guests bul


    made do with disposable ones.


    After all, Larissa and Wendy had been working in hotels for many years. No one would say anything if


    they look one or two disposable


    products back home.


    Besides, disposable slippers were clean and convenient. Guests could just throw them away and there


    was no need to wash or disinfect


    ¨C


    Also, the next guest wouldn¡¯t feel disgusted by wearing slippers wom by other people.


    Naturally, Lewis put on his house slippers which were made of cotton. On the other hand, Marilyn


    stared at the disposable slippers in front of her. Her smile faded slightly.

 Chapter 822

    Chapter 822


    Chapter 822


    Wendy had arrived home half an hour before Larissa, By now, she was already in her loungewear and


    watching TV, slouching on the s. In her arms, she held a bag of potato chips that they bought from


    the supermarketst night.


    Inparison to Kevan who was busy in the kitchen, she seemed very rxed.


    Approaching Wendy with Lewis¡® and Marilyn¡¯s coals, Larissa kicked her under the coffee table. She


    hissed with displeasure, ¡°Can¡¯t you go and help out?¡±


    Wendy winced in pain and withdrew her leg. She red at Larissa and said through gritted teeth. ¡°It¡¯s


    not like I can be of any help! Mr. Rogers came over early in the afternoon to wash the vegetables and


    prepare the seafood. Tell me, what else can I do?¡±


    Hearing this, Larissa nced at the kitchen with a puzzled expression. ¡°Then why is he still in the


    kitchen?¡±


    Wendy cestured towards Aster with her chin. Ask your scr


    Larissa lured her questioning gaze on Aster, who replied proudly, ¡°Daddy is mading pretzels for me!¡±


    ¡°Pretzels?¡± Larissa furrowed her brows. ¡°Why did he suddenly decide to fry pretzels?


    Wendy waved her phone. ¡°Your son saw that on Instagram! Since there was an epidemic spreading in


    Caldor, everyone was stuck at home ying around with random things. Aster hadn¡¯t tried pretzels


    before, so he was very interested. Mr. Rogers said he would make it so that Aster could try it for


    himself.¡±


    Larissa had not personally fried pretzels at home before this, so she found it novel as well.


    ¡°Both of you have a seat. I¡¯ll get you something to drink. We have water and soda. What would you


    like?¡± Larissa molioned to Lewis and Marilyn.


    Lewis and Marilyn replied simultaneously, ¡°Water would do.¡±


    They exchanged surprised looks after that. Marilyn blushed and lowered her head immediately. Larissa


    noticed her reaction and suppressed a smile, but she didn¡¯t call her out


    From N?velDrama.Org.


    Ayer of four was scattered on the countertop. Several long pieces of dough were neatly arranged on


    it. Kevan was standing at the frying pan with an apron around his neck. The sleeves ofhis shirt were


    wrapped tightly with cling wrap as he deep fried the pretzels in hot oil


    When the surface of the pretzels had turned golden brown, Kevan scooped out the filed pretzels and


    lined them on a te with paper


    towels.


    ¡°That smells amazing.¡± Larissa swallowed her salva and watched as Kevan twisted the dough into


    pretzels and put them in the frying pan.


    The boiling of emitted a sizzling sound as numerous bubbles were formed.


    Kevan took a step back. Picking up a cooled pretzel from the te, he tore off a small piece and


    brought it to Larissa¡¯s mouth.


    Looking at her expectantly, he said, ¡°Give it a try.¡±


    He was like a student waiting for his teacher¡¯s approval.


    The crispy texture in her mouth made Larissa exim. ¡°This is delicious!¡±


    Since going abroad and the few months she was in Calder, this was the first time she tasted such


    delicious pretzels.


    Kevan breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°It¡¯s my first time making them. I was worried they wouldn¡¯t turn out


    well¡±


    In Larissa¡¯s eyes, his self¨Cdeprecatingment seemed to be uncalled for. She pursed her Ips and


    suppressed the sarcasm on the tip of her tongue.


    Inexplicably, she reached out for another bite of the pretzels.


    s, Kevan intercepted her before she managed to get one.

 Chapter 823

    Chapter 823


    Chapter 823


    ¡°Don¡¯t eat so much, you need to leave room in your stomach for the stew. I spent so much on sealood.


    We can¡¯t let them take advantage


    of us.¡± Kevan said.


    His stingy attitude amused Larissa. ¡°Mr. Rogers, you have a worth of over a hundred million dors.


    Can¡¯t you be less stingy?¡± she said, giving him the side eye.


    Kvan shrugged it off, ¡°Well, we can¡¯t let others take advantage of us.¡± He bent down and nted a kiss


    on Larissa¡¯s cheek. Giving her at cheeky smile, he whispered into her ear, ¡°My money is only for my


    wile.¡±


    His hot breath made Larissa blush red with embarassment. Trying to calm down her racing heart,


    Larissa turned away stiffly. ¡°Lewis and Marilyn are waiting for me to get them water.¡±


    She grabbed two bottles of water from the fridge and almost fled from the kitchen.


    Lewis and Marilyn were already seated on the s. Although Wendy was usuallyzy at home, she


    was enthusiastic about hosting quests.


    Larissa had only left for a few minutes before Wendy had filed the table with various snacks. They were


    the ones that Kevan and Larissa


    bought at the supermarket yesterday.


    Wendy opened each package and offered them to the two guests. ¡°Try this. It¡¯s dried mango. It¡¯s not


    too sweet!


    Lewis declined her offer with a wave of his hand and Marilyn said, ¡°I¡¯m on a diet, so I can¡¯t have any


    sweets.¡±


    Wendy rolled her eyes and turned to Larissa. ¡°Why is yource so red?¡±


    Larissa was taken aback but she quickly fanned herself with her hand. ¡°It¡¯s too hot in the kitchen.¡±


    Wendy didn¡¯t suspect anything and expressed concern for Kevan. ¡°You¡¯ve be so red after just a


    short while in the kitchen. Kevan has been standing by the frying pan all this time. He must have been


    really ufortable!¡±


    Larissa mumbled an excuse before handing the water to Lewis and Marilyn, who were seated on the


    sofa side by side.


    ¡°Wait for a moment longer. There¡¯s one more dish to prepare before we can start having our meal.¡±


    Although Larissa and Wendy usuallymunicated in Caldorian, they switched to Aldavian so that


    Marilyn could understand them.


    Marilyn nodded to indicate that she wasn¡¯t in a rush,


    Lewis asked Larissa. ¡°Is the stew ready?¡±


    ¡°What? Oh, I don¡¯t know. I didn¡¯t take a look just now.¡±


    Larissa was surprised by his question. She quickly walked toward the kitchen and Lewis followed


    closely behind her.


    Now that they were away from the crowd in the living room, Lewis leaned in from behind and warned


    Larissa in a low whisper. ¡°This is the


    Last time. If you dare meddle in my airs again, I will have Gary set up blind dates for you every day.¡±


    Larissa stopped in her tracks when she heard his words. She was preparing toe up with an excuse


    s. Lews brushed past her.


    When Kevan was done frying the pretzels, everyone finally gathered around the dining table.


    Larissa initially wanted to seat Lewis and Marilyn together, but he saw through her intentions.


    Lewis forcibly pulled Larissa to sit in between both of them.


    Kevan, Aster, and Wendy sat on the other side of the table.


    After Aster¡¯s Introductions, Marilyn had a clear understanding of the rtionships among the people in


    the room.


    Wendy was Larissa¡¯s ssmate and roommate. She was also Aster¡¯s mother.


    Kevan was Aster¡¯s father.


    Larissa had also mentioned that he was her driver.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    Regardless, they seemed unusually close, which intrigued Marilyn.


    Mr. Logan Jur or was usually reserved with the opposite sex. However, she witnessed him forcibly


    pulling Larissa to sit beside him with a dark expression just now.


    Marilyn lowered her head, dejection clouding her eyes.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.

 Chapter 824

    Chapter 824


    Chapter 824


    Wendy had gotten the stew base from a friend in Caldor. One was sp icy and the other was tomato-


    vored.


    They were both her favorites.


    Thus, the person who enjoyed the meal the most was Wendy hersell, along with Aster who was


    clueless.


    As for the others. Kevan was fuming as he didn¡¯t get to sit next to Larissa. He had a sour expression on


    his face throughout dinner.


    Lewis was still upset with Larissa meddling in his rtionships.


    He looked displeased and did not speak an extra word. Still, he indulged in as much seafood as he


    wanted.


    Marilyn remained quiet, probably due to her unfamiliarity with everyone or Lewis¡± attitude.


    Larissa was stuck between Lewis and Marilyn.


    She tried to engage in conversations with both of them, switching between one and the other.


    Before the meal was over, she was exhausted and regretted her choice in trying to set Lewis up.


    Finally, the meal was over. The food that Kevan prepared was devoured.


    Even the tomato stew was hall gone, though Wendy had to take most of the credit for that.


    She sat back in her chair and patted her rounded belly, eximing. ¡°Amazing! I wish that every day


    could be like this!¡±


    ¡°Sure, as long as you¡¯re willing to foot the bill. We can eat like kings every day!¡± Larissa smirked.


    Wendy red at her and snorted. ¡°Fine! I know that¡¯s because you favor Mr. Rogers over me! Geez,


    even Mr. Rogers himsell hasn¡¯tined! I never thought you would choose your lover over an old


    friend like me! I misjudged you!¡±


    ¡°Speaking of that, your lover should havended by now, right? Aren¡¯t you going to give him a call and


    check up on him?¡± Larissa locked at her watch. Wendy was reminded of her oversight.


    She jumped up from the chair, but when she caught sight of Larissa¡¯s pointed look, she sat back down.


    ¡°What¡¯s there to ask about? He¡¯s a grown man, he can¡¯t get lost!¡± Wendy suppressed her concern and


    put on an indifferent air. ¡°I¡¯m telling you, Larissa. I¡¯m not as shallow as you. At this moment, nothing is


    more important than my idol Mr. Rogers!¡±


    Wendy¡¯s tone and actions made Larissa feel an urge to beat her up.


    Still she seemed oblivious and continued payingpliments to Kevan. ¡°Mr. Rogers, you worked so


    hard to prepare dinner tonight! Let me do the dishes! Larissa will handle the trash. You just sit back and


    rx. After that. Larissa will give you a massage! She¡¯ll bring you


    some snacks too.¡±


    Larissa voiced her displeasure, ¡°Why are you dragging me into this?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Rogers has been working hard all afternoon to prepare a feast for us. We need to repay him,


    okay? Wendy argued.


    ¡°True, but ¡°Why was she carrying the brunt of the work?


    Before Larissa could finish her sentence, Kevan shot her a piercing nce from across the table. She


    swallowed her words.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll take out the trash. And I do the rest.¡±


    It was gettingte, so Lewis and Marilyn did not stay for long. They both came in their own cars. Thus,


    she did not insist on Lewis sending


    Marlyn home.


    Anyway, he had warned Larissa to stay out of his affairs.


    Larissa only told Marlyn to drive carefully and text her when she got home.


    She cleared the dining table and got Lewis to take the trash downstairs when he left.


    Larissa remembered her promise.


    She cut up some fruits before she ted them and brought them out. She even ced a fork beside


    Kevan¡¯s hand.


    Kevan smirked in satisfaction.


    He picked up a strawberry with his fork and ate IL


    Then, he turned with his back toward her. Content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Pointing to his shoulder, he said. ¡°I¡¯m feeling a little sore


    sore here, give me a massage.¡±


    She noticed Wendy¡¯s smug expression and pursed her lips.


    Larissa ced her hands on Kevan¡¯s shoulders.


    She had some knowledge of massage techniques. So she was more skilled than the average person.


    Feelingfortable, Kevan closed his eyes and enjoyed the massage in silence.


    Aher massaging his tense shoulders, Larissa moved her hands up from his neck to his temples.

 Chapter 825

    Chapter 825


    Chapter 825


    As Kevan didn¡¯t ask her to stop, she didn¡¯t dare to stop.


    She felt his body leaning back.


    In the end, his body weight was fully leaning on her. It was clear he had fallen asleep.


    Larissa didn¡¯t have the heart to wake him up.


    He must have been exhausted preparing a feast for them the whole aftemoon. It was understandable


    that he would be tired by now.


    She whispered for Aster to tum off the television. Wendy also left the living room


    ¡°You should let Mr. Rogers sleep over here tonight¡± Wendy said.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Larissa had the same thought.


    Once they were alone in the living room, Larissa supported Kevan¡¯s back and prepared to get up from


    the s. She intended toy him


    down gently on the s


    s, she had hardly moved when Kevan opened his eyes.


    His dark eyes seemed clouded by a hazy mist. There was an unexpected charm to him being so


    unguarded.


    ¡°Did I fall asleep?¡± He rubbed his forehead and sat upright.


    His deep voice sounded slightly hoarse, but it only added to his allure.


    ¡°What¡¯s the time?¡± he asked Larissa, who replied. ¡°It¡¯s half past ten. It¡¯s toote to leave now, just sleep


    here.¡±


    The haze in Kevan¡¯s eyes disappeared and revealed a calcting glint.


    ¡°Where shall I sleep?¡± He stared intently at Larissa, with a yful smile on his lips.


    Content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Larissa¡¯s heart sank and her cheeks burned with embarrassment.


    ¡°You can choose to either sleep on the sofa or Aster¡¯s room,¡± she stuttered as she tried to avoid his


    intense gaze.


    Kevan sat up from the s. His tall frame blocked out the light, casting his shadow over Larissa.


    ¡°Larissa.¡± He wrapped an arm around Larissa¡¯s waist and leaned in, forcing her to meet his gaze.


    ¡°You¡¯ve decided to marry me, so there is no reason for us to sleep separately.¡±


    As Larissa was captivated by his mesmerizing smile, he kissed her


    When Larissa returned from taking a shower, Kevan had been waiting on her bed for quite some time.


    Although they had shared a bed when she was sick before, that was a special circumstance.


    Facing him while fully conscious felt awkward.


    Kevan put away his phone and leaned against the headboard, walching her calmly. He didn¡¯t say


    anything but walled silently for her to


    Larissa hesitated for a minute at the door before mustering the courage to move closer step by step.


    She tried to not look at him as she walked to the other side of the bed.


    Larissa lifted the nket and quickly slipped under the covers


    With her back toward him, Larissa turned the bedsidemp off and said, Tm going to sleep, good


    Before she could finish speaking, Kevan¡¯s scorching body pressed up against her.

 Chapter 826

    Chapter 826


    Chapter 826


    Larissa¡¯s body stiffened. She didn¡¯t dare to move.


    She asked, ¡®What what are you doing?¡±


    Kevan wrapped an arm around her waist. His lingers lickled the soft flesh on her tummy.


    Larissa couldn¡¯t help but snuggle closer to Kevan to escape his fingers.


    Time seemed to pause at that moment. Everything became stil.


    The only thing ringing in Larissa¡¯s ears was Kevan¡¯s heavy breathing. Her heart was in her throat. It


    was thumping so hard that it almost leaped out of her chest


    Kevan held her tighter and rested his chin on her shoulder. His cheek brushed against her slender


    neck. His lips lingered on her face. leaving a trail of kisses.


    ¡°What do you think I am about to do?¡± He nibbled on her earlobe and whispered in a low. husky voice.


    Larissa shivered as an electric current coursed through her body. She opened her mouth, but there


    was no sound. In this situation. nothing she said seemed appropriate.


    Kevan¡¯s patience wore thin in her silence. His hand on her waist slipped under her pmas and Inched


    upward.


    Larissa¡¯s legs tensed even more. At this moment, her throat felt parched due tock of moisture.


    ¡°May 17 Kevan asked, a hint ofughter in his seductive voice. ¡°If you want me to stop now.


    Larissa¡¯s heart almost stopped as an imitable leeing rose up within her. ¡°Why are you being so


    annoying?¡±


    His words were such a mood¨Ckiller,


    She hadn¡¯t resisted from the beginning.


    Didn¡¯t that aready indicate her wishes?


    This was clearly an unspoken understanding between adults, and yet ¡ª


    A soft chuckle echoed in Larissa¡¯s ear. Kevan had tipped her over and pinned her beneath him. ¡°Why


    are you so impatient?


    He nibbled on her ups, a hint of amusement in his dark eyes.


    Larissa became more irritated after getting leased by him.


    ¡°Gary away from me!¡± She pushed against his chest to keep him at bay,


    Kevan grabbed her wrists. He used only one hand to hold both her arms above her head.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t finished with what I was saying earlier. Even if you were to tell me to stop now, I wouldn¡¯t.¡±


    Kevan said in a tender tone.


    What happened next was obvious.


    Kevan had held himself back for too long.


    Now that Larissa had given in, he was like an insatiable beast.


    He made love to her all night, but he still fell unsatislied.


    I wasn¡¯t until Larissa had tears in her eyes that he released her.


    Holding her in his embrace, he watched as she fell into a deep sleep,


    It was the weekend.


    Larissa slept until she woke up naturally.


    From N?velDrama.Org.


    The bedroom was still dark due to the drawn curtains.

 Chapter 827

    Chapter 827


    Chapter 827


    She found her phone on the bedside table.


    It was already 11:00 am.


    Kevan was nowhere to be found.


    Larissa turned on the lights. She noticed a set of clean clothes ced beside her pillow,


    Kevan had prepared that for her in advance.


    A warm feeling filled her heart. Still, the warmth vanished as she felt a soreness spreading throughout


    her body.


    In her mind. Larissa cursed. ¡°That assholer


    She struggled to put on the clothes. s, the crew¨Cneck sweatshirt was unable to hide the hickeys


    Kevan nted on her neck.


    Cursing again, she put on a thickyer of concealer to cover the red marks on her skin.


    When Larissa emerged, Aster was eating alone in the dining room.


    Kevan and Wendy were nowhere to be seen.


    She asked in a hoarse voice, ¡°Where are your dad and your godmother?¡±


    ¡°Daddy went to the study to take a call, I don¡¯t know where Godma is. I haven¡¯t seen her since I woke


    up.¡± Aster replied. He asked with concern, ¡°Mommy, are you sick? Why is your voice so hoarse?¡±


    Larissa blushed and came up with an excuse. Im not sick just a little parched. I¡¯ll be fine after drinking


    some water.¡±


    Aster was still young and innocent, so it was easy to deceive him.


    ¡°You should go and freshen up! I pour you a ss of water so you can drink it after washing up!¡±


    As he said that, he got down from the chair and ran to the kitchen.


    After Larissa finished washing up, she found a ss of lukewarm water on the dining table. It was just


    the perfect temperature.


    This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.


    ¡°Thank you. Aster.¡±


    She bent down and nted a kiss on Aster¡¯s cheek.


    ¡°How about me?¡± Kevan¡¯s voice rang out behind her, startling Larissa.


    She turned around to re at him and asked, ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Kevan walked up to her and embraced her. He pointed to his cheek. ¡°My good morning kiss.¡±


    His affectionate gestures were natural and seamless. It was as if he had done this countless times


    before.


    s, Larissa was theplete opposite.


    They were a couple in the past and she had decided to marry Kevan once again. Still, Larissa was


    unustomed to his intimate actions.


    She fell awkward whenever Kevan got close to her, but she never once felt repulsed by him.


    Embarrassed. Larissa pushed him away and said in a low tone, ¡°Stop messing around!¡±


    Kevan moved in closer and chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m not messing around. Since you won¡¯t kiss me. I¡¯ll kiss you


    instead. It¡¯s no different.¡± He pecked her on the cheek and pulled back.


    Larissa red at him in annoyance. ¡°Can¡¯t you behave properly?¡±


    She cautiously nced at Aster to see his reaction, but he seemed calmer than Larissa expected. He


    was unfazed, as if he was ustomed to such interactions.


    Larissa narrowed her eyes. This wasn¡¯t a good sign.


    1/2


    Having known Larissa for many years. he had only seen her in work mode.


    She dedicated much of her time to work.


    He didn¡¯t expect her to have spare time for acthit es that were unrted to work.


    ¡°I leamed it back in Caldor,¡± Larissa sald.


    Hearing this, Alen¡¯s admiration was evident on his face. ¡°When it¡¯s done, you have to let meste it!¡±


    Larissa smiled. ¡°Sure.¡±


    Wrapping his


    is arms around Larissa from behind. Kevan snuggled closer to her and interrupted their conversation.


    He spoke in a friendly tone to Allen. ¡°You and Freddy should have more of her cake! Larissa¡¯s cakes


    are even better than those sold in


    stores. Aster and I eat them often, so we won¡¯t miss out.¡±


    Allen¡¯s expression carkened and his gaze lingered on the couple.


    Finally, he responded with a smile. ¡°Sure.¡±


    Larissa had not baked for many years, but she could still remember the steps.


    It wasn¡¯t that hard for her to pick baking up again from muscle memory.


    Two days ago, Kevan and Aster had crammed for this bakingpetition as wr..


    They managed to help out with various tasks and weren¡¯t a burden to her.


    Soon, they progressed to the cake¨Cbaking step. With the batter in the oven, Larissa had some free


    time.


    Kevan had already prepared the whipped cream in advance.


    Strawberries for decoration were already cleaned and sliced, ready to be ced on the cake.

 Chapter 828

    Chapter 828


    Chapter 828


    The kindergarten¡¯s parent¨Cchild activities were held in the afternoon.


    Only a few sses were joining. Thus, there were fewer people in the kindergarten aspared to


    regr school days.


    Kevan held a bag filled with baking ingredients in one hand. He held Aster¡¯s hand in the other.


    Larissa was on the opposite side of Aster. She was waiting for Wendy¡¯s reply.


    Wendy had a day off today. Usually, she would be home all day. This time, her mysterious lover came


    overst night. So, she left the house


    early in the morning.


    The two of them were spending time together now.


    Larissa was very curious about the mysterious man who made Wendy¡¯s love life bloom. Still she didn¡¯t


    want to push it since Wendy wasn¡¯t willing.


    The three of them would not be home for dinner tonight. So, Larissa sent a message to Wendy saying


    that she needed to settle dinner on


    her own.


    Of course, if Wendy wanted to bring her man along for dinner, she was more than wee.


    s, Wendy hadn¡¯t responded to her message all day.


    The baking ss was filled with people. Families joining in the bakingpetition outnumbered the


    tables avable. Thus, quite a few


    families had to share a table.


    Larissa didn¡¯t expect to meet Allen here. She also didn¡¯t expect Allen to bring Freddy and share a table


    with them.


    Since thest time they parted ways at the cinema, she and Allen had not been in touch.


    This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.


    While she was sad at the loss of their friendship, she didn¡¯t want to be entangled with him again.


    ¡°Larissa,¡± Allen greeted her with a smile.


    His attitude was just as natural as before.


    Larissa turned to see Kevan¡¯s reaction.


    He had a poker face on, not showing any emotion.


    ¡°H.¡± She waved to Allen and Freddy with a formal smile.


    Freddy still seemed somewhat apprehensive around her.


    From the beginning to the end, he stayed close behind Allen and spoke in a barely audible tone.


    Allen ced the ingredients he prepared on Larissa¡¯s table and asked. ¡°Do you mind if we join you?¡±


    Larissa felt uneasy, but she couldn¡¯t refuse.


    The table was to be shared after all


    It wasn¡¯t her private property.


    ¡°Sure,¡± she replied.


    ¡°What are you making? Allen asked.


    Larissa took out the ingredients from the bag one by one as she replied, Tm baking a strawberry cake.¡±


    She had learned how to make various desserts from Violel previously.


    Making a cake was simple.


    Larissa wasn¡¯t here to win.


    She wanted Aster to experience the atmosphere, so she didn¡¯t put in too much effort.


    1/2


    ¡­¡­¡­..


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    Having known Larissa for many years, he had only seen her in work mode.


    She dedicated much of her time to work.


    He didn¡¯t expect her to have spare time for activities that were unrted to work.


    ¡°I leamed it back in Caldor.¡± Larissa said.


    Hearing this, Allen¡¯s admiration was evident on his face. ¡°When it¡¯s done, you have to let me taste it!¡±


    Larissa smiled. ¡°Sure.¡±


    Wrapping his arms around Larissa from behind. Kevan snuggled closer to her and interrupted their


    conversation.


    He spoke in a friendly tone to Allen, ¡°You and Freddy should have more of her cake! Larissa¡¯s cakes


    are even better than those sold in stores. Aster and I eat them often, so we won¡¯t miss out.¡±


    Allen¡¯s expression darkened and his gaze lingered on the couple.


    Finally, he responded with a smile, ¡°Sure.¡±


    Larissa had not baked for many years, but she could still remember the steps.


    It wasn¡¯t that hard for her to pick baking up again from muscle memory.


    Two days ago, Kevan and Aster had crammed for this bakingpetition as well.


    They managed to help out with various tasks and weren¡¯t a burden to her.


    Soon, they progressed to the cake¨Cbaking step. With the batter in the oven, Larissa had some free


    time.


    Kevan had already prepared the whipped cream in advance.


    Strawberries for decoration were already cleaned and sliced, ready to be ced on the cake.

 Chapter 829

    Chapter 829


    Chapter 829


    Kevan picked up a strawberry from the te. He brought it to Larissa¡¯s lips. He gestured for her to


    open her mouth.


    Larissa wasn¡¯t used to such public disys of affection.


    She wanted to take the strawberry with her hand.


    s. Kevan docged.


    ¡°You can choose between me feeding you by hand or by mouth,¡± Kevan whispered in a low lone


    against her ear.


    Larissa opened her mouth and bit into the strawberry.


    Kevan didn¡¯t let go.


    ter she bit off hall of the strawberry, he ate the other half.


    After


    ¡°That¡¯s realy sweet.¡±


    He licked the remaining juice off his lips, exuding a seductive expression.


    Larissa could sense the burning gazes of other people on Kevan. She felt irritated by that.


    Jealousy surged within her, filling the air with a sour taste.


    She pinched the flesh on his waist. She warned him through gritted teeth, ¡°You better tone it down


    before I teach you a lesson back home!Content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Kevan¡¯s smile widened and he agreed in a cheerful tone. ¡°Okay.¡±


    He seemed to be in a good mood.


    Larissa increased the strength her grip on him. ¡°No smiling allowed!¡±


    His charming smile made the young female teachers swoon over him as if they were oblivious to her


    presence.


    Kevan pursed his lips and put on a straight face.


    Satisfied, Larissa let go of him. ¡°Stay like that.¡±


    Kevan had a hint of amusement in his eyes.


    He suppressed the urge to smile and said, ¡°Fine.¡±


    Inparison to their leisurely pace. Allen and Freddy were all over the ce.


    They decided to make custard tarts, which were even simpler than cakes.


    The tart shells were store¨Cbought, and they only needed to pour the custard mixture into the shells.


    Even so, their table was a mess.


    Milk, eggs, and sugar were strewn everywhere.


    Even Larissa, who wasn¡¯t that particr about cleanliness, frowned at the sight of how dirty and sticky


    their side of the table was.


    She couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Do you need any help?¡±


    Larissa had no doubt if she let them continue, the mess on the table would be disastrous.


    By that point, Kevan might even throw them out along with the table.


    ¡°Yes, please?¡± Allen looked at her pleadingly, as if Larissa was their savior.


    ¡°Of course,¡±


    Larissa took the mixture from his hands and quickly mixed the baller.


    1/2


    ¡°Bake them in the oven for half an hour and they should be done,¡± she said.


    Allen let out a sigh of relief and slumped into a chair.


    He eximed. ¡°This is much more challenging than work!¡±


    Freddy sat down beside him, keeping his head down in silence. He seemed lost in his thoughts.


    ¡°How is your new job? Allen asked Larissa.


    ¡°It¡¯s going fine.¡± Larissa answered.


    ¡°I see. I was hoping that it your new job didn¡¯t go well I could convince you to return to Winston. None


    of the people under me can match. up to you.¡±


    Allen seemed disappointed.


    Larissa didn¡¯t take his praise seriously. She had said simr things to others out of courtesy before.


    ¡°You need to give them more opportunities to grow. Their skills will naturally improve. It would be easy


    to surpass me.¡±


    ¡°No, you¡¯re d Herent from them.¡± Allen shook his head firmly and gave her a meaninglu. look.

 Chapter 830

    Chapter 830


    Chapter 830


    Allen¡¯s words sounded a little ambiguous.


    ¡°What¡¯s different? I have alsoe this far by leaming step by step like everyone else.¡± Larissa


    rified in a hurry.


    She was afraid that Kevan would be offended and do something overboard.


    Kevan wasn¡¯t paying attention to their interactions.


    At this moment, he was ying a childish game with Aster.


    They were smearing whipped cream and flour on each other¡¯sces.


    They were thoroughly enjoying themselves.


    Larissa took a moment to nce over. When she saw cream on them, her temples throbbed.


    ¡°Excuse me,¡± she said to Allen.


    Going over to the other side of the table, she pinched Aster¡¯s ear.


    In reality, she wanted to pinch Kevan¡¯s ear instead.


    However, she didn¡¯t want to embarrass him in front of everyone in the room.


    ¡°What are you twa doing? After thepetition is over, we need to go for dinner, What if the restaurant


    won¡¯t let us in now that your clothes are so dirty?¡± Larissa scolded with a frown.


    Then we will lind one that will,¡± Kevan answered.


    It was as if he wasn¡¯t the same person who got the housekeeping staff fired over a small Imperfection


    in his hotel room.


    Aster was initially frightened by Larissa¡¯s threat


    As soon as he saw Kevan backing him up, he pulled away from Larissa and threw himsell into Kevan¡¯s


    arms.


    He chimed in with a retort, ¡°We will find one that will let us in!¡±


    Larissa was loo lurious to say a word.


    Before she could react, Kevan scraped some cream with his linger and smeared it at the corner of


    Larissa¡¯s mouth.


    Then, he high¨Cfived Aster,


    Both of them had triumphant looks on their faces for their sessful prank.


    Larissa should have fell angry, but when she saw the happiness on their faces, she relented.


    Finally, Aster shed the maturity he had beyond his years and showed his child sh side.


    Larissa couldn¡¯t help smiling.


    Under Kevan¡¯spany, Aster¡¯s transformation was evident to all.


    Although Larissa sometimes found it annoying, she feltforted by Aster¡¯s change.


    She became more convinced of the choice she had made.


    Still, they couldn¡¯t continue fooling around like this.


    There would not be enough of the precious cream to decorate the cake when it was ready.


    Larissa put on a stem face and confiscated the whloped cream.


    She handed them each a wet wipe and demanded that they clean up,


    Once everything was selled, she looked back and saw Freddy staring at them.


    Noticing her gaze, Freddy averted his eyes and looked miserable again.


    Larissa felt a prickly sensation in her aching heart.


    This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.


    top simr to As


    Perhaps it was because Freddy¡¯s experience was too simr to Aster¡¯s.


    When she saw Freddy¡¯s pitiful expression, she couldn¡¯t help but see Aster in him.


    Some time ago. Aster must have been in the same situation.


    He could only look longingly at other ssmates whoughed heartily in thepany of both parents.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Kevan noticed Larissa¡¯s vacant expression. He followed her gaze and saw a sullen


    little boy across from them.


    He had seer that boy a few times.


    Aside from being the son of a man who had a crush on his wife, Kevan didn¡¯t like the boy much.


    That kid had mocked Aster for not having a dad.


    In his opinion, that child was a brat who had been bullying ssmates since childhood.


    Despite that, Larissa¡¯s gaze seemed tender when she looked at that boy.


    ¡°What¡¯s on your mind?¡± he asked.


    Freddy seems quite pitiful.¡± Larissa pursed her lips.


    They were conversing in Caldorian, so no one could understand what they were saying.

 Chapter 831

    Chapter 831


    Kevan snorted with disdain.


    ¡°His pitiful situation is caused by his dad. I wouldn¡¯t be difficult at all to find him a stepmother. Instead,


    he wants someone else¡¯s wife!¡±


    Larissa chuckled at his words.


    The sense of pity she felt for Freddy disappeared instantly.


    Kevan¡¯s reasoning made sense. The situation was easy to resolve.


    As long as Allen found a wife to many, Freddy would have aplete family again.


    No matter how much she pitied Freddy, she couldn¡¯t fulfill his wish.


    Compared to other children, her own son took priority.


    Finally, the cake was ready.


    When they opened the oven, a sweet and enticing aroma walted out.


    Larissa cut off the edges of the cake into a te and asked Aster to share them with other children.


    She assumed that he would give some to Freddy first, but he went straight to another table.


    After the te was empty, only then did he return.


    Larissa was a little angry.


    She hoped that Aster would be lively and mischievous, but she didn¡¯t want him to be sellish.


    She pulled him aside and asked, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you share the cake with Freddy?¡±


    Aster replied honestly, ¡°I don¡¯t like him, so I don¡¯t want to share with him.¡±


    Aster and Freddy were good friends previously, but their friendship had soured since that incident in the


    car.


    It hadn¡¯t improved until now.


    Larissa understood Aster¡¯s leelings to some extent.


    As an adult, she hoped he could be considerate of others a


    and see the bigger picture.


    ¡°If you exclude him and only share with other kids, you will make him sad. Think about it, II everyone in


    ss ganged up and refused to


    y with you, wouldn¡¯t you feel sad too?¡± She tried to reason with Aster.


    In the past Aster would have admitted his mistake.


    He would have apologized to Freddy with some cake under her guidance.


    But this time, he stood his ground and argued in delense of himself. ¡°It¡¯s not that I dislike him without


    reason. It¡¯s because he made a


    mistake and hurt me. That¡¯s why I don¡¯t like him. Daddy told me that as long as it is not illegal, I can do


    whatever I want.


    ¡°So, I don¡¯t want to do what I don¡¯t feel like doing. Since I don¡¯t want to share the cake with him, I


    absolutely won¡¯t. I don¡¯t care how he


    feels. He didn¡¯t care about my feelings previously.¡±


    Larissa had never thought that her obedient son would rebel against her before reaching adolescence.


    Still, his words made sense.


    His reasoning was logical.


    Still, she had never instilled such thoughts in him, nor would Wendy.


    Only Kevan would.


    After all, that man was used to thinking about himsell only.


    1/2


    Larissa couldn¡¯t determine whether this was ethically right or not, so she couldn¡¯t decide on her next


    course of action.


    After thinking for a moment, she said. ¡°Let¡¯s leave this at that for now. We will discuss this at home.¡±


    Once they got home, she needed to have a discussion with Kevan on how to educate their son in the


    future.


    Allen¡¯s tarts didn¡¯t need any decorating.


    They were ready to go as soon as the tarts were taken out of the oven.


    Freddy took two and walked up to Larissa apprehensively.


    He offered one to her and the other to Aster. ¡°Do you want to try?¡±This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.

 Chapter 832

    Chapter 832


    Chapter 832


    Larissa was decorating the cake when she heard Freddy¡¯s offer.


    She froze in ce and stared at the tarts in his hands.


    Larissa didn¡¯t know how to respond.


    Aster had a strawberry in his hand and ced it on the cake.


    He ignored Freddy.


    Freddy¡¯s face tell,


    Larissa realized that his feelings might have been hurt, so she quickly took the tarts. She stuffed one


    into Aster¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± She bent down and ruffled Freddy¡¯s hair affectionately.


    Only then did Freddy show a shy smile.


    Aster turned away with pursed lips.


    He gripped the tart in his hand, but he didn¡¯t eat it nor throw it away.


    Thepetition ended. As expected, Larissa¡¯s strawberry cake didn¡¯t win any prizes.


    However, it received unanimous praise from Aster¡¯s ssmates.


    Larissa suspected that most of the credit was because of Kevan¡¯s and Aster¡¯s good looks.


    Allen cleared up his table and came over to ask Larissa. ¡°We¡¯re going out for dinner. Do you want to


    join us?¡±


    Larissa declined his offer. ¡°Sorry, we already made ns with other friends.¡±


    Allen didn¡¯t seem disappointed and replied with a smile, ¡°Let¡¯s make ns for another time. Freddy


    hasn¡¯t hung out with Aster for a long time, he has been pestering me about it recently.¡±


    With that, he gave Freddy¡¯s hand a squeeze. ¡°Right Freddy?¡±


    Freddy, who had been silent all along, nodded and looked up at Larissa with an innocent expression.


    ¡°That¡¯s right! Larissa, when will you bring me and Aster out to y?¡±


    Larissa could reject Allen without any guilt, but she was easily persuaded when it came to children.


    ¡°Well, let me discuss it with Aster first.¡±


    She had no right to make decisions on Aster¡¯s behall, so she could only try to convince himter at


    home.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Fortunately, Freddy didn¡¯t press for a definite answer.


    Larissa breathed a sigh of relief.


    Kevan¡¯s car was parked a street away.


    ¡°You two wait for me here, I will bring the car over,¡± he instructed Larissa and Aster.


    Allen brought Freddy and caught up to them.


    ¡°Larissa, can you watch Freddy for me? I need to get the car.¡±


    Without waiting for Larissa¡¯s response, he pushed Freddy to her side and left in a hurry.


    Freddy stood at Larissa¡¯s side in silence, fidgeting with his hands.


    He did not utter a single word.


    1/2


    ¡°Okay.¡± Freddy replied in a low tone.


    He kept his gaze ahead and avoided looking at Larissa.


    Larissa could feel that Freddy seemed different from before.


    She had interacted with Freddy quite a bit so she understood his personality.


    Under usual circumstances, he was livelier than Aster and had more to say.


    However, he seemed listless thest two times they met.


    She wasn¡¯t sure if it was due to the unpleasant interactions they had previously or something else.


    Suddenly, some children came running toward them, engrossed in y.


    Seeing that they were about to collide with Freddy. Larissa grabbed his arm and moved him out of their


    way.


    The children realized their mistake and apologized before running away out of fear.


    Larissa bent down and asked Freddy, ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    Freddy¡¯s face was pale and he had a distressed look on his face.


    Larissa grew worried. ¡°Are you hurt somewhere?¡±


    Freddy bit his lower lip and replied after half a minute, ¡°No.¡±


    Larissa didn¡¯t believe him.


    That group of children didn¡¯t bump into him, yet he seemed to be in serious pain.


    ¡°Did I hurt you when I pulled you away?¡±? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.

 Chapter 833

    Chapter 833


    Chapter 833


    Larissa might have used too much force earlier.


    As she spoke, she reached out to pull up Freddy¡¯s sleeve.


    He pulled away in rm and hid his arm behind him.


    Freddy insisted, ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt.¡±


    Larissa wasn¡¯t feeling at ease with his strange reaction.


    ¡°Let me talk to your dad. We should go to the hospital for a check¨Cup, okay?¡± she tried to coax him with


    a gentle tone.


    Freddy¡¯s resistance grew stronger.


    He took a few steps back and shouted at Larissa, ¡°No! Don¡¯t tell my dad! I¡¯m not going to the hospital¡±


    Larissa grew worried and waved at him.


    ¡°Okay, I won¡¯t tell your dad. I won¡¯t bring you to the hospital either. Come over here and let¡¯s talk


    properly.¡±


    Freddy kept his distance and looked at her warily.


    He did not move closer to Larissa at all.


    Larissa and Freddy remained in a standoff until Kevan¡¯s and Allen¡¯s cars pulled up in front of them.


    Kevan honked the horn, startling Larissa.


    At this moment Freddy dashed past her and got into Allen¡¯s car.


    Allen seemed to be saying something to Freddy in the car.


    Then, Freddy rolled down the window and shed a bright smile at her.


    He waved to her and called out, ¡°Larissa, goodbye!¡±


    There was no sign of his previous aversion to her.


    Larissa¡¯s heart sank.


    This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.


    She felt something off with Allen and Freddy.


    Seeing that Larissa hadn¡¯t moved from her spot. Kevan honked the horn again.


    Larissa picked up the bag at her feet and held Aster¡¯s hand as they got into the car.


    ¡°Why did it take you so long?¡± Larissa asked Kevan.


    He parked the car just one street away from the kindergarten. Including the time he took to walk there,


    it should only take him live minutes. Still he and Allen took nearly ten minutes to return.


    ¡°Your ex¨Csuperior chatted with me for a bit,¡± Kevan replied calmly.


    Larissa was shocked. ¡°What did he say?¡±


    Kevan nced at Aster, who was engrossed in a game on his phone. ¡°I will tell you when we get home,


    but you¡¯d better stay away from him in the future. There is something fishy about him,¡± he said with a


    cold gaze.


    ¡°Huh? What do you mean? Larissa didn¡¯t understand.


    Kevan didn¡¯t borate further.


    Larissa had made reservations at a restaurant for dinner. It was near the hotel where Wendy worked. It


    was also Wendy¡¯s favorite


    restaurant.


    Larissa had the idea of bumping into Wendy, that¡¯s why she decided toe here for dinner. That


    woman was so caught up with her lover that she had not replied to Larissa¡¯s messages.


    Because of the restaurant¡¯s great location, it was always crowded.


    Larissa reserved a table that was not directly by the window, but they were sufficiently close. It was


    facing the hotel¡¯s entrance so she could easily see who came out of the hotel.


    Larissa ordered something and kept her eyes fixed on the hotel.


    Kevan followed her gaze and asked curiously, ¡°What are you looking at?¡±


    Larissa smirked and said. ¡°I¡¯m setting up a trap and waiting for my prey to fall into it.¡±


    Kevan quickly understood. ¡°Are you waiting for Wendy?¡±


    Larissa nodded, ¡°Yes. She hasn¡¯t replied to my message all day. I want to see just how charming her


    mysterious friend is to keep her so engrossed.¡±


    Kevan¡¯s expression changed, and he said, ¡°Let¡¯s change restaurants.¡±


    ¡°Why? I finally managed to book a table here. Who knows, Wendy and her friend might turn up. I want


    to give her a good interrogation when they arrive!¡± Larissa disagreed.


    Before she could finish her sentence, a familiar figure appeared at the entrance of the hotel opposite


    the restaurant.


    Larissa was overjoyed and took up her phone to take a picture. However, she froze in ce when she


    saw the man beside Wendy.


    ¡°How could this be?¡±

 Chapter 834

    Chapter 834


    Chapter 834


    They ended up eating dinner at home.


    Larissa had no appetite.


    She picked at her food before making an excuse to go back to her bedroom.


    When Kevan entered the room, he saw her sitting on the edge of the bed with her head down.


    She was looking at her phone with a conflicted expression.


    Hearing his footsteps, Larissa looked up and asked Kevan, ¡°Did you already know earlier on?¡±


    Thinking back, his unusual behavior made sense.


    *Not that early. The night before yesterday, I heard that man¡¯s voice on Wendy¡¯s video call. I found it


    familiar, but I only suspected it.¡±


    Kevan walked over to her and sat down.


    ¡°So, that¡¯s why you deliberately offered to pick him up at the airport to confirm your suspicions?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Now that things had progressed this far, Kevan had no need to hide anything.


    Although Wendy declined his offer, Kevan managed to confirm his suspicions on his own yesterday.


    His ears had not deceived him.


    This whole situation had be quite tricky.


    ¡°Are you going to tell Wendy the truth?¡± he asked Larissa. Her attitude would determine his next step.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Larissa sighed.


    The moment she found out about Wendy¡¯s lover, she was in a dilemma regarding this matter.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what his intentions are.¡± That was the most troubling thing for her.


    ¡°If he ising after us, I¡¯ll tell Wendy to stay away from him. But what if he has genuinely fallen for


    Wendy at first sight?¡±


    Larissa was reminded of the happiness she saw in Wendy¡¯s face recently. What Larissa least wanted to


    do was to hurt her.


    ¡°Based on what I know of him, the probability of the second scenario happening is close to zero.¡±


    Kevan¡¯s words were like a bucket of cold water that dashed her hopes.


    Larissa gripped her phone tightly.


    She fell a heavy weight on her chest, suffocating her.


    This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.


    ¡°What should I do? I can¡¯t tell Wendy directly that the man she loves is a fraud. Everything she


    experienced was just a trap he set toe after us ¡ª*


    She gritted her teeth to hold back tears.


    Larissa couldn¡¯t imagine if Wendy could take the blow.


    She was her best friend and her savior who had rescued her from the lowest point in her life.


    Apart from Aster, Wendy was the closest and dearest person to her in this world.


    ¡°She would be terribly hurt. You might not believe it. Even though she seems carefree, she is more


    sensitive than anyone else.¡± Larissa choked up, tears falling on herp.


    Kevan tenderly pulled her into his embrace and wiped away the tears on her cheeks. ¡°If you find it


    difficult to bring up, we can think of another way,¡± he said.


    Kevan chuckled andforted her, ¡°I will tell you once you stop crying.¡±


    Larissa wiped her tears hastily with the back of her hand and sniffed. Putting on a serious face, she


    said. ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡±


    Kevan kept his promise and revealed his n. ¡°In fact there are many ways to break them up. We can


    choose a method that would hurt Wendy the least


    ¡°Like letting her know that Edmund is a scumbag? Right! I can find an opportunity to drug Edmund,


    strip him naked, and put him in bed with another woman. Then, we can get Wendy to catch him in the


    act! This way, Wendy will give up on him for good! This n is perfect!¡® Larissa linished his sentence


    eagerly.


    Watching Larissa get so excited, Kevan fell a headacheing on.

 Chapter 835

    Chapter 835


    Chapter 835


    ¡°It¡¯s a perfect n, so I will handle it. You just have to wait for the good news, okay?¡±


    Of course. Larissa believed in Kevan¡¯s ability to pull this off


    She nodded. ¡°Alright.¡±


    Kevan let out a sigh of relief.


    ¡°However, until the matter is resolved, Wendy can¡¯t suspect anything,¡± he reminded her.


    ¡°That might be a little difficult.¡± Larissa felt discouraged. She and Wendy understood each other the


    most in the world. She could put on an act in front of others, but not Wendy. ¡°She can easily see


    through me.¡±


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s only one solution.¡± Kevan frowned and thought for a moment.


    Larissa waited for him to continue.


    Finally, Kevan said, ¡°Move out.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Larissa thought she had misheard him.


    ¡°You should move out. Since we¡¯ve decided to get married, we will have to move in together sooner or


    later. I bought some properties in Westonia years ago. My initial n was to show you around for a few


    days before deciding where to move to, but now the situation is urgent. You should stay temporarily at


    the nearest one andy low for now,¡± Kevan repeated.


    Wealthy people in Caldor often bought properties all around the world. It wasn¡¯t something out of the


    ordinary. Even if Kevan bought a whole building and rented it out, it was considered normal for people? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    of his worth.


    However, Larissa wasn¡¯t mentally prepared to move in with him.


    ¡°When shall I move?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Today? Latest by tomorrow. You should take advantage of the free time this weekend to move.


    Otherwise, we will have to dy by another week. Our ns might be easily exposed if you were to


    face Wendy every day for a week.¡± Kevan did not give her any time to think


    twice.


    Larissa weighed her options and made a decision. ¡°Okay, we will move out tomorrow. I will let Aster


    know so that he can pack his things in


    advance.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± Kevan¡¯s mood visibly improved when he finally convinced Larissa.


    He would let that idiot, Edmund, have his way for a few days. After all, he wouldn¡¯t be able to do


    significant harm anyway.


    Regarding the move, Aster was more excited than reluctant


    Although he didn¡¯t want to be apart from his dear godmother, he loved the thought of spending every


    day with his own dad.


    Larissa thought Aster would be difficult to persuade, but she felt a chill on behall of Wendy when Aster


    agreed so readily.


    She eximed, ¡°Your godmother raised you from when you were a baby! When you were just born and


    needed to be carried, it was Godma whoforted you every night when you cried and fussed. In the


    end, as soon as you found your dad, you became ready to abandon her!¡±


    Aster wrinkled his nose in shame and mumbled in a low voice, ¡°I¡¯m not going to abandon her. We can


    still visit her often! Besides, I will video call her every night! But since Godma has a boyfriend now, she


    wouldn¡¯t mind if we moved out, right?


    ¡°Maybe she even wants us to move out! In that case, her boyfriend wouldn¡¯t have to stay in a hotel and


    can save a lot of money!¡±


    When Larissa heard him mention Wendy¡¯s boyfriend, herposure was affected once again.


    Feeling conflicted, she told him, ¡°Alright, Lime to wash up and go to sleep! Get up early tomorrow


    morning to pack your things. We will


    move out in the afternoon!¡±


    ¡°Move out? Where are you moving to?¡± As Larissa finished speaking, Wendy¡¯s voice was heard from


    the entrance.

 Chapter 836

    Chapter 836


    Chapter 836


    Larissa was startled out of her skin. She almost forgot to maintain the expression on her face.


    Kevan remainedposed.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t we discuss moving earlier? Since we¡¯re free, we¡¯ll move some of our things to the new house.¡±


    This topic was initiated by Wendy herself yesterday.


    When she heard Kevan¡¯s words, she didn¡¯t suspect anything. ¡°You found a house so quickly?¡±


    Kevan smiled. *Tve been nning it for a while.¡±


    Wendy gave him a thumbs up. ¡°Truly belitting your style. Mr. Rogers!¡±


    Larissa turned her back toward Wendy to avoid eye contact with her.


    Wendy hugged Larissa from behind and asked jckingly, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Missing me already?¡±


    Larissa chosed up and spoke in a trembling voice, ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like we won¡¯t see each other anymore! Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯lle over often to mooch off your


    meals!¡± Wendy consoled her instead.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Larissa grabbed her hand and squeezed her eyes shut. She tried not to think about the jumbled


    mess in her mind.


    Aster seemed very enthusiastic toward Wendy after getting scolded by Larissa.


    This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.


    He clung to her and asked, ¡°Godma! Did you go on a date today?¡±


    Blushing. Wendy let go of Larissa and poked Aster in the forehead.


    She said, ¡®Little kids should meddle in adult matters!¡±


    ¡°Godma, are you happy now that we are moving cut? You can bring your boyfriend to stay at home!¡±


    Aster paid no heed to Wendy and


    probed.


    ¡°Larissa! What nonsense have you been spouting to your son?¡± Wendy poked Larissa in the back and


    red at her.


    *I didn¡¯t teach him anything. He must have been inlluenced by watching cheesy dramas with you every


    day.¡± Larissa insisted, shifting the


    me to Wendy.


    Wendy was rendered speechless by Larissa¡¯s words.


    After a moment, she warned Aster, ¡°Godma is still a single woman, I have no boyfriend. Don¡¯t spread


    rumors everywhere! If I can¡¯t get married in the luture, I will move in with you and have you take care of


    me when I am old!¡±


    ¡°Huh? But I heard you on the phonest night. Aster had a puzzled expression on his face.


    Wendy¡¯s face turned pale and rushed to cover Aster¡¯s mouth with her hand. ¡°You heard wrong!¡±


    She signaled to him with her eyes to shut up.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to cover his mouth, Aster already told us about this.¡± Larissa gave her a cold nce.


    ¡°stair, you chatterbod I will never take you out lo McRonald¡¯s behind your mom¡¯s back anymore!¡±


    Wendy was both embarrassed and


    angry.


    Aster lunged forward to cover Wendy¡¯s mouth. ¡°Mommy, Godma is just saying that out of anger! Don¡¯t


    believe her! She never took me out to McRonald¡¯s without your knowledge!¡±


    Larissa chuckled and decided to not engage in their battle. ¡°I¡¯m going to take a shower and go to


    sleep.¡±


    She quickly left the scene.


    When Larissa came out of the bathroom, there was no one in the living room.


    Kevan was wailing for her in the bedroom.


    Larissa thought for a moment. ¡°Is it about Alen?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Kevan replied with a serious expression.

 Chapter 837

    Chapter 837


    Chapter 837


    Larissa¡¯s heart sank. ¡°What did he say to you?¡±


    ¡°He knows that I¡¯m your ex-husband.¡± Kevan stared at Larissa calmly.


    ¡°He must have guessed it I never told him that.¡±


    Larissa never discussed her private matters with others.


    Even the fact that Aster was her biological son was revealed identally when Aster let it slip during a


    ydate with Freddy.


    Later, it was Freddy who told Allen about this


    ¡°He even knew about Ruby.¡± Kevan felt uneasy when he mentioned her name.


    He observed Larissa¡¯s reaction closely. As expected, there was a flicker in Larissa¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°He didn¡¯t know Ruby¡¯s name, but he knew about the things that happened between the three of us-


    Kevan continued.


    Thus, Allen was convinced that Larissa and him were merely acting.


    Allen had wamed him, asking Kevan to leave on his own ord.


    He even said that he was the only man worthy of Larissa.


    ¡°He probably had someone investigate me, or someone close to us reached out to him. Given that


    Edmund appeared here out of the blue. I suspect that both of them are in contact,¡± Kevan concluded.


    Larissa tried to brush off the unease she fell when Ruby¡¯s name was mentioned,


    She tried to focus on the main issue. ¡°So, Edmund is here toe after us?¡±


    Kevan didn¡¯t give her an affirmative answer. ¡°I¡¯m just suspicious about it.¡±


    He reached out and rubbed her furrowed brow. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Didn¡¯t I promise you that I¡¯d handle it?¡±


    Wendy was not the only worrying thing on Larissa¡¯s mind right now.


    It wouldn¡¯t be that hard to separate Edmund and Werdy.


    Kevan might only need to make a phone call and it could be done within two days.


    What worried her more was Kevan¡¯s safety.


    Regardless of what Edmund did or was nning to do his end goal would be to eliminate Kevan.


    ¡°What about if you return to Caldor?¡± After hesitating for a while. Larissa spoke up.


    ¡°What?¡± Kevan¡¯s smile froze.


    ¡°You would be caler In Caldor.¡± Larissa exined.


    After all Kevan¡¯s stronghold was in Caldor, He would be more protected there. Moreover, many


    unexpected events could happen in


    Aldovia.


    Random shootings and gang fights on the streets could serve as a cover for an assassination attempt


    ¡°I don¡¯t wish the people around me to keep getting involved in our problems,¡± Larissa said.


    First, it was Wendy, then Allen, Next, it could be Lewis or Gary.


    She didn¡¯t mindcing danger with Kevan, but she didn¡¯t want to see her family and friends getting into


    trouble as well


    ¡°I understand. Edmund came to Aldovia because of me. Il elt, he would leave as well. Then, Wendy


    would be out of danger without you needing to do anything. As for your ex-boss hali!¡± Kevan shilled his


    gaze away from Larissa and smirked.


    He picked up the clothes beside him and got up. ¡°As you wish. I will leave tomorrow morning.¡±


    1/2


    st relying on her father and cousin¡¯s influence in the


    n her current position, she did not have the ability to ensure his safety. She was s


    company. She had not built up her own influence here vel.


    Larissa did not have the power to bypa ss them to achieve her goals.


    Regarding Kevan¡¯s matters, she couldn¡¯t seek help from them. She was well aware of Gary¡¯s allitude


    toward Kevan.


    If he learned about the danger that Kevan would bring, Gary would do everything in his power to stop


    them from being together.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough. You don¡¯t need to me yourself or feel guilty. I don¡¯t want to cause trouble for you


    either.¡± Kevan brushed her hand away.


    In the end. he couldn¡¯t truly be mad at her.


    Whenever he saw her distressed expression, his heart would soften.This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.

 Chapter 838

    Chapter 838


    Chapter 838


    Kevan bought a flight ticket back to Calder.


    Before he left, he helped Larissa move into their new ce.


    Their new home was only two streets away from Larissa¡¯s original apartment.


    It was a penthouse on the 43rd floor with a beautiful view, overlooking the entire city of Westonia.


    It wasn¡¯t Kevan¡¯s best property in Westonia. Still, it was the most suitable for Larissa and Aster at the


    moment.


    The interior design and furniture were left behind by the previous owner.


    Although it didn¡¯tpletely match their tastes. Kevan had no time to renovate the property due to the


    recent purchase.


    The advantage was that everything they needed was already avable.


    They didn¡¯t need to worry about the hassle of renovating the ce just yet.


    Regardless, both Larissa and Aster were satisfied.


    Kevan¡¯s schedule was tight. After moving all their luggage to the new house, he had to leave.


    With tears in his eyes. Aster grabbed his leg and refused to let Kevan go.


    His anguish was as if he was experiencing a separation worse than life and death.


    ¡°Daddy! Don¡¯t go! I don¡¯t want you to leave! Didn¡¯t you promise me that you would never leave me any


    more!¡±


    Kevan was always gentle and patient with Aster. Seeing him cry like this, he couldn¡¯t bear to drag Aster


    away by force and leave.


    Kevan exined to him repeatedly. ¡°I am just going back to handle some matters. I¡¯ll be back very


    soon.¡±


    Aster was too upset to listen. He sobbed, ¡°Daddy, don¡¯t go! I won¡¯t let you leave!¡±


    In the end, Larissa pulled Aster off Kevan so that he could catch his fight.


    As soon as Kevan left, Aster locked himself in his room. He even forbade Larissa from disturbing him.


    Wiping his tears, Aster opened his WhatsApp and video called Kevan.


    Kevan epted his call immediately. With a smile, he said, ¡°You¡¯ve done well¡±


    Aster¡¯s face was downcast and he said with a pout, ¡°Mommy is so heartless! I¡¯ve cried so much, but


    she still won¡¯t let you stay!¡±


    Kevanforted him, ¡°Your mother wants me to focus on my job. Don¡¯t me her.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t me her.¡± Aster rarely got angry with Larissa. ¡°Daddy, are you going back to Caldor?¡±


    Kevan answered. ¡°Yes.¡±


    Since he was chased out, there was no point staying in Aldovia.


    Besides, he did need to return to Caldor and settle things once and for all.


    ¡°I won¡¯t be gone for too long. When I¡¯m away, listen to your mom. Don¡¯t make her angry, alright?¡± he


    instructed Aster.


    Aster nodded vigorously. ¡°Got it!¡±


    Kevan thought for a moment and added. ¡°Don¡¯t y with Freddy anymore. Keep your mother away


    from his dad as well.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t y with Freddy! He seems to be acting weirdtely, I¡¯m a little scared of him now! However,


    Mommy keeps wanting me to y


    with him.


    ¡°Whenever Mommy is around, Freddy acts extra friendly to me. If I am mean to Freddy, Mommy will


    scold me.¡± Asterined with pursed lips.


    Kevan taught him, ¡°Next time, you should treat Freddy nicely in front of your mother, il you go


    overboard, she will think that she hasn¡¯t


    Aster pondered over and assured Kevan, ¡°Oh, I will do my best.¡±


    ¡°If there¡¯s any problem, call me immediately, III can¡¯t handle it, look for Uncle Lewis. Do you have Uncle


    Lewis¡® number? If not. I¡¯ll send you his number.¡± Kevan, who was usually cold and alcol, seemed like a


    nagging olddy right now. He was genuinely concerned for his wife


    and sor.


    ¡°I have it.¡± Thest time Lewis and Gary came to visit. Aster had saved their phone numbers.


    From N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Good.¡± Kevan waved to the camera and said goodbye. ¡°I¡¯m going to the airport. See you tomorrow.¡±


    Holding back his tears, Aster waved as well ¡°Goodbye, Daddy!¡±

 Chapter 839

    Chapter 839


    Chapter 839


    The moment Kevan was gone, the job of sending Aster to and from schoolnded on Larissa¡¯s head.


    Her sprained ankle had recovered, and she could drive now.


    It was convenient too.


    It was just that the lime she got off work waster than Aster¡¯s school dismissal.


    She could only do as she did before and ask the teacher to watch Aster.


    When Kevan left, he had spoken with Lewis beforehand.


    This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.


    So, Lewis knew about Larissa¡¯s difficulties.


    t Larissa reused.


    He told Larissa to leave work early, but L


    Blue Star had just experienced a crazy wave of employees quitting from the presidential office.


    They were at a time when they needed people to step up to help out.


    Plus, the employees who quit had taken away quite a few clients too. Thus, the office felt really


    depressing.


    Larissa had to stick with thepany and show her support.


    Edmund¡¯s sudden appearance made Larissa feel stressed out. It also made her feel very pressured


    again.


    She talked to Lewis. She wanted to use the afternoon break hours for extra lessons. So, she asked for


    his help.


    Lewis did not refuse.


    So. Larissa abandoned her mealtime friend, Marilyn. The moment afternoon came by, she grabbed her


    lunch and went to Lewis¡® office to


    find him.


    They ate their lunches while following up withpany projects. Sometimes, Gary would join in to


    discuss the future developments of the


    Marilyn had been abandoned. Thus, she was a bit upset at that. So, kept asking Larissa out to go


    window shopping and eat together. s. Larissa refused every lime.


    Without Kevan and Wendy helping to watch her son, Larissa could only reject her.


    Marilyn asked Larissa curiously. ¡°Why are you so anxious to go home every day? Do you have a


    boyfriend? Are you secrelly in a


    rtionship with him?¡±


    ¡°Why should being in a rtionship be kept a secret? Larissa retorted.


    Marilyn spread her hands. ¡°Maybe you don¡¯t want people to know about it?¡±


    ¡°Nah!¡± Larissa denied it. ¡°I need to pick Aster up from school. There¡¯s no one at home to take care of


    him.¡±


    ¡°What about that super handsome driver you have?¡± Marilyn asked.


    ¡°He¡¯s on leave.¡± Larissa lied. ¡°He will onlye back after a period of time.¡±


    Marilyn refused to let her off. ¡°You should be free on the weekend then? You¡¯ll go window shopping


    with me on Saturday afternoon! It¡¯s a


    deal!


    Larissa originally wanted to have extra lessons with Lewis on that day, but


    ¡°Alright then.¡± Larissa agreed.


    Other than work, the thing Larissa was worried about the most was Wendy and Edmund¡¯s rtionship.


    She would text Wendy every day to ask about Edmund in roundabout ways.


    1/2


    He did not seem like he was going to leave.


    Larissa could not help but wonder if Edmund


    was really in love with Wendy.


    Could it be¡­that maybe Larissa and Kevan had guessed wrong?


    Larissa texted all of these to Kevan.


    After Kevan went back to Caldor, he seemed super busy.


    Combined with the time difference between them, Kevan did not reply quickly to Larissa¡¯s messages.


    She had to wait for at least an hour or two.


    Kevan told her not to be anxious and to continue observing Wendy and Edmund. He said that they had


    to be very careful


    But Larissa could not be as calm as Kevan was


    ¡°How about we go through with our original n and break them up by force?¡±

 Chapter 840

    Chapter 840


    Chapter 840


    Larissa was still in the middle of nning how to break Wendy and Edmund up when a sudden call


    from Wendy interrupted her.


    Wendy asked, ¡°Are you free now? Can you apany me to the hospital?¡±


    Larissa had been having extra lessons in Lewis¡® office when she got that call. The moment she did, she


    put down her work and applied for a half¨Cday leave from Lewis.


    Wendy did not seem to go to work that day. Larissa went home to pick her up. Wendy left the house


    without makeup, and she looked a little weak. There were heavy dark circles under her eyes.


    Larissa asked anxiously. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Wendy bit her lip and stayed silent for a while. Then, she sighed and said quietly. ¡°I might be pregnant.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Larissa was so shocked that her hands jerked on the steering wheel, turning it around, causing


    the car to nearly bang into the roadside.


    Thankfully, Larissa was able to turn the car back the right way, but it did not stop the drivers behind her


    from honking at her angrily and loudly while cursing her out at the same time.


    Wendy was so scared by Larissa¡¯s actions. She held her stomach and reminded Larissa. ¡°Hey! Calm


    down a bill¡±


    Larissa decided to park the car by the side of the road and took a few deep breaths. Only then did she


    manage to get herself to be calm.¡± Let me process this.¡± She said.


    Wendy yed with her hands, her head down as she began to exin her situation with great difficulty.


    ¡°My period this month has beente for many days and I¡¯m pretty regr normally. So, I bought a


    pregnancy test kit to test myself. In the end, it was positive. Two


    lines on the stick. But it might not be uratel


    It was hard to tell if Wendy was trying tofort Larissa or hersell. I always took preventive measures


    alter doing it with him. The chances of getting pregnant should be small¡±


    Larissa was not as optimistic as Wendy.


    Il Edmund really got close to Wendy on purpose, then doing something to make sure she got pregnant


    was not a difficult thing.


    Larissa controlled her endless fear and anger. She started the car again and said the best she could


    without any emotion, ¡°Let¡¯s just get you checked at the hospital first. We¡¯ll talk about it once the results


    come out.¡±


    ¡ª


    The results came out pretty fast. The pregnancy test had not been wrong. Wendy was really pregnant.


    Based on the timing, it must have happened during the Industrial Summit.


    Wendy sat in the car with the diagnosis in her hand. She did not say anything for a very long time.


    Larissa asked her, ¡°Do you n on telling him?¡±


    Wendy shook her head nkly, ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    Larissa asked again, ¡°Then do you want the child?¡±


    Wendy still shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    Larissa took a deep breath as she did her best to control her emotions. ¡°Do you want to hear what I


    think?¡±


    Wendy turned to look at her. ¡°Yeah.¡±


    This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.


    ¡°Abort the child and break up with him.¡± Larissa knew that her words were harsh, but it was better for


    things to hurt now than to have them


    hurt longerter. This was the best option for Wendy now.


    Wendy¡¯s hand rubbed her stomach. Her eyes showed that she was not willing to abort the kid. She


    liked children obviously, otherwise, she would not have persuaded Larissa to keep Aster.


    Larissa would do everything to raise the child with Wendy.


    But those were all pipe dreams.

 Chapter 841

    Chapter 841


    Chapter 841


    ¡°It he is a responsible, good man, he would not have made you get pregnant when he is not ready to


    marry you yet.¡±


    Larissa could not reveal Edmund¡¯s true identity. She could only let Wendy know that Edmund was no


    good person through this sort of roundabout way.


    ¡°He never mentioned anything about marrying me¡± Wendy mumbled. ¡°But he always said that he was


    serious about me.¡±


    ¡°Then call him right now and tell him you¡¯re pregnant. Ask him what you should do now.¡± Although


    Larissa was anxious, this was Wendy¡¯s life. She could not make any final decisions for her best friend.


    ¡°I ¡ª¡°Wendy hesitated. ¡°Can I have two days to process it all?¡± She pleaded with Larissa. ¡°I really can¡¯t


    think straight now. Maybe I¡¯ll have calmed down within two days and I¡¯ll have figured it out.¡±


    Larissa could not bear to force her. ¡°Okay.¡±


    It was almost time to pick Aster up from school. Larissa asked Wendy. ¡°Want to go pick Aster up with


    me?¡±


    Wendy nodded lifelessly. ¡°Sure.¡±


    There were always kids running around in the kindergarten, Larissa kept Wendy behind her. She was


    constantly looking out for any little¡± bombs¡± that would shoot over from wherever.


    Wendy was not as nervous as Larissa. She followed along very slowly.


    Every time Larissa tumed back, she could see Wendy staring at the children walking past them.


    Larissa had mixed feelings. She pretended not to know anything and urged Wendy to walk faster.


    They finally arrived at Aster¡¯s ssroom door. The children were almost gone, but Aster was not inside.


    Seeing Larissa and Wendy appear together, the teacher froze for a moment before exining. ¡°A child


    from the afternoon sses fell from the slide. He had hurt his head, so Aster has apanied him to


    the hospital¡±


    Larissa was confused and curious. ¡°Aster apanied him?¡±


    ¡°Well there¡¯s a teacher too! That kid¡¯s parents are still busy with work, so they could note yet. Aster


    is quite good friends with him. and he¡¯s worried that his friend might be afraid white alone at the


    hospital so he offered to go with him.


    ¡°They should be back soon. We thought you woulde to pick Aster up at your usual time, so Why


    don¡¯t you wait here for a bit? I¡¯ll call the teacher there.¡± The teacher took out her own phone as she said


    that


    Larissa stopped her. ¡°No need. We¡¯ll go pick him up at the hospital


    The teacher gave Larissa the hospital¡¯s address. It was not far from here. Just a 10¨Cminute drive from


    the school.


    The kid who fell was still getting stitches. Aster was with him next to the bed, holding the kid¡¯s hand


    lightly and giving him encouragement.


    The teacher brought Aster out and gave him to Larissa. After thanking Larissa, the teacher hurriedly


    went back to watch over the other kid.


    A nurse came over and asked Larissa quietly in a mysterious way, ¡°Is your child also going to school at


    Sundale Academy?¡±


    Larissa did not know why the nurse was like this, but she nodded and said, ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m telling you, that kindergarten is kinda problematic. They might be abusing children.¡± The nurse


    advised her out of kindness. ¡°You¡¯d better change your kid into a safer school¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Larissa was shocked.


    Sundale Academy was a kindergarten she and Wendy chose after researching online as well as asking


    many friends. It should be the region¡¯s most integrated kindergarten. Moreover, the school has almost


    50 years of history. There were no cases of child abuse up until


    now.


    *Child abuse


    This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.


    Do you have prool? Larissa asked the nurse. slide and hurt his head. Who knows if it¡¯s true? And two


    days ago, there was another kid who gol sent over with bruises on their arm. ¡°The teacher said that the


    kid knocked into a table when ying. But I¡¯ve been in the emergency department for so many years. I


    can tell that it was not something you get by knocking inta lumilure. The kid was beaten by someone.¡±

 Chapter 842

    Chapter 842


    Chapter 842


    Larissa did notpletely believe what the nurse said.


    Forget what the other case was, but there were witnesses who saw the kid in Aster¡¯s ss fall down


    from the slide¨CAster being one of


    them. This could not beke.


    So. Larissa only smiled and thanked the nurse for her reminder. She then left the hospital with Aster.


    On the way to the parking lot. Aster anxiously cleared things up. ¡°Mommy, don¡¯t listen to the bad things


    the nurse said! Our teachers are all very good! They did not abuse us! Tommy really fell down the slide!


    I was right behind him!


    ¡°I know.¡± Larissa patted Aster¡¯s head. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t change schools for you.¡±


    Aster rxed.


    The hospital was not really a good ce for a healthy person to stay in for too long, so Larissa did not


    let Wendy go in with her. Wendy


    waited in the car.


    Aster saw Wendy in the car, and he ran over while letting go of his mother¡¯s hand. Aster opened the car


    door and was about to jump onto Wendy when Larissa snapped. ¡°stair Simmons! Stop!¡±


    Aster stopped fearfully. He turned to stare at Larissa in confusion.


    Larissa walked over quickly, took Aster¡¯s hand, and threw him into the back seat of the car.


    ¡°You are already a big boy. You can¡¯t just do what you want anymore.¡± Larissa scolded him with a stern


    lace. ¡°You¡¯re quite heavy now. If you just jump onto Godma like that you will hurt her, do you know


    that?¡±


    Aster realized his mistake and apologized to Wendy with his head down. ¡°Sorry, Godma. I will never do


    that again.¡±


    Wendy rubbed her stomach, frightened. But she was still kind and friendly to Aster. ¡°Yeah, I forgive


    you.¡±


    Larissa eyed Wendy¡¯s t stomach before mming the door shut. She went around the head of the


    car to get into the driver¡¯s seat.


    Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    Aster did not notice the heavy atmosphere in the car. He asked Wendy curiously. ¡°Godma, did your


    boyfriend go away already?¡±


    Wendy¡¯s smile froze. She forced herself to be calm as she replied, ¡°No. Why do you ask?¡±


    Aster was more confused. ¡°If your boyfriend is not gone, howe you have time toe get me?¡±


    Wendy turned around to grab Aster¡¯s cheeks as she purposely asked through clenched teeth, ¡°Oh, so I


    can¡¯t miss you then?¡±


    Aster refused to ept her answer as he spoke out his own guess. ¡°Is it because your boyfriend is too


    busy with work, so he can¡¯t stay


    with you tonight?¡±


    Wendy squished Aster¡¯s face harder. ¡°Stop being such a gossip at such a young age! Aren¡¯t you


    annoying


    Aster shut up at once. He looked like he understood. Less than two minutester, he asked again. ¡°Are


    we going out to eat today?¡±


    Kevan had been gone five days. In these five days, Larissa insisted on buying groceries from the


    supermarket after work to cook at home In order to maintain her ¡°good mommy¡± image. This was to win


    back Aster¡¯s heart, which had long since gone over to Kevan.


    Larissa¡¯s cooking was not bad. But it was just that¨Cnot bad.


    Aster¡¯s taste had be very fussy due to Kevan¡¯s Interference. He could not ept food that just


    tasted ¡°not bad,¡± but he could not say that. If he said that, Larissa would definitely get angry.


    If Larissa got angry, then Kevan would get angry too. When Kevan gol angry, he would video call Aster


    and scold him.


    Aster knew that Kevan was very busy these days. Although they would sill video call every night, they


    couldn¡¯t chat long.


    Aster did not want to take up Kevan¡¯s time with such a small issue and affect his mood.


    So, when the kid saw Wendy today, he was very happy. With Godma around, Aster thought that they


    might go out to eat something good for a change.


    However, Larissa firmly denied him. ¡°No. We still have groceries from yesterday. I n to make chicken


    soup for: huge meal¡±

 Chapter 843

    Chapter 843


    Chapter 843


    Larissa did not want Wendy to keep this child. Still, it was important to keep Wendy¡¯s body healthy


    regardless of what decision Wendy


    would make.


    Wendy looked at Larissa with mixed feelings. She lorced down the tears that wereing and thanked


    Larissa seriously.


    Aster reacted theplete opposite.


    He looked down disappointedly and secretly texted Kevan. ¡°Mommy¡¯s going to cook at home again.¡±


    He added a crying emoji


    Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    Kevan sent back a series of hug emojis andforted him. ¡°When I get back I will cook the most


    delicious things ever for you. Just bear with it for a while.¡±


    Aster sent more crying emojis. ¡°I thought we could go out and eat since Godma¡¯s here today!¡±


    Kevan was interested immediately. ¡°Your godma¡¯s with you two today? Her boyfriend¡¯s gone?¡±


    Kevan checked his work phone. He did not receive any news that Edmund had left Aldovia.


    ¡°Her boyfriend¡¯s not gone. He must be working I guess. Godma came to pick me up with Mommy,¡±


    Aster said.


    Kevan could not help but be on alert. Based on the information he got from Larissa, Wendy was always


    stuck to Edmund whenever she


    was not working.


    Edmund would not work at this time, andbined with what Larissa said about breaking them up-


    ¡°Is there anything weird about your mommy?¡± Kevan asked Aster.


    Aster stared at Larissa for a while, and he replied. ¡°Nope. Mommy¡¯s very normal¡±


    Kevan was conlused. Larissa should not be so calm about Wendy.


    He could only instruct Aster to help him. ¡®Keep a serious eye on your mommy. If there¡¯s something


    weird about her, tell me immediately.¡±


    Larissa¡¯s dinner this time took longer to cook because she needed to make chicken soup.


    Wendy strolled around their house. She had not stopped wowing in amazement for a very long time.


    Herce had envy written all over it.


    Eventually, shey down on the solt real leather couch and eximed, ¡°How nice it is to be rich!¡±


    Larissa stared at her wordlessly and gave her a ss of hot milk. ¡°Drink this first¡±


    Wendy smirked. ¡®Hey, I didn¡¯t know that I¡¯d be treated so well because I¡¯m pregnant! Maybe I should


    keep the kid?¡±


    Her dangerous words scared Larissa so much. ¡°Don¡¯t joke about this,¡± Larissa warned her seriously.


    ¡°Even if you want to keep the kid, you should think about it deeply and weigh the pros and cons before


    deciding.¡±


    Wendy pouted and mocked Larissa sheepishly. ¡°You¡¯re so boring!¡±


    Larissa Ignored Wendy¡¯sment.


    Wendy¡¯s phone rang at this time. Normally, Wendy would hurriedly get out her phone. But today she


    surprisingly let out an annoyed expression,y there, and did not move.


    Larissa raised her leg in preparation to kick Wendy automatically before she suddenly remembered


    that Wendy was pregnant. So, she quickly changed it to palling Wendy lightly instead.


    ¡°Answer the phone.¡±


    Wendy rolled over and buried herce into the sofa, She said dully, ¡°He¡¯s calling, I don¡¯t wanna


    answer.¡±

 Chapter 844

    Chapter 844


    Chapter 844


    Larissa did not need to think to know who Wendy was talking about.


    ¡°Are you an ostrich?¡± Larissa dug out Wendy¡¯s phone from between the couch cushions and gave it to


    Wendy. ¡°The more you don¡¯t


    answer, the more he¡¯ll think crazy things.¡±


    Wendy pouted as she got up reluctantly. She answered the video call under Larissa¡¯s forceful gaze.


    To prevent Larissa from seeing Edmund¡¯s face. Wendy turned around and forced a normal smile to


    appear on her face.


    Wendy was like Larissa, having worked in the customer service industry for many years. She was good


    atking her emotions.


    Edmund did not notice anything as he asked Wendy. ¡°Have you eaten?¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡± Wendy brushed her hair over from behind her ear to cover herce, which was free of makeup.


    ¡°I¡¯m waiting for my chicken soup to


    be ready.¡±


    ¡°You still have chicken soup? How nice!¡± Edmund¡¯s voice was filled with admiration.


    Wendy asked him, ¡°What about you? Have you eaten?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t eat without you.¡± Edmund¡¯s voice was the type that lovestruck little girls would like¨Cwhiny but


    cute. But to Larissa, whose ¡°girly heart¡± had died a long time ago, such a thing was only disgusting and


    gross to her ¡°middle¨Caged woman¡± ears.


    Larissa cringed, and goosebumps broke out on her skin.


    Wendy¡¯s face turned red. Knowing Larissa was nearby, she pretended to scold Edmund. ¡°Don¡¯t say


    gross stuff like that! Go eat!¡±


    Larissa shuddered and hugged herself, rubbing her arms.


    N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    Wendy moved her phone away and rolled her eyes at Larissa at an angle where Edmund could not


    see. She mouthed to Larissa, ¡°Piss off!¡±


    Larissa huffed and turned around coldly. Once she was certain Wendy could not see her face, Larissa


    allowed her worry to show on her


    Wendy and Edmund flirted for a long while until Larissa called for her to go eat. Only then did Wendy


    put her phone down reluctantly.


    Larissa wasying out the forks and spoons as she mocked Wendy. ¡°Huh, and I wonder who the hell it


    was who said that she didn¡¯t want to answer the call,¡±


    Wendy sat down sheepishly and gave herself a full bowl of chicken soup.


    ¡°I¡¯m on leave tomorrow, and I¡¯m going to meet up with him.¡± Wendy stirred the hot soup as she


    continued in a low voice. ¡°I¡¯m nning on telling him.¡±


    Larissa¡¯s hand jolted, and a good deal of the soup sprayed onto the table. ¡°Sure.¡± She forced herself to


    calmly clean the soup stains as she said, ¡°Remember to let me know once you guys have gotten to a


    conclusion.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Wendy promised.


    After Wendy left, Larissa video¨Ccalled Kevan. The anxiety she was feeling did not allow her to ask if


    Kevan was free this time. Thankfully, Kevan answered fairly quickly. He did not make her wall for a lew


    hours like usual.


    It was still daytime in Caldor.


    Kevan was sitting in his office, and Dn linally showed himself after a very long time. ¡°Hey, Larissa,


    long time no see.¡± He waved at Larissa through the screen before Kevan shoved him out of the


    camera¡¯s range.


    ¡°Are you busy?¡± Larissa asked Kevan. She was a little redced because she might have disturbed


    him while at work. ¡°If you are, I will call


    you againter.¡±


    ¡°No. Is there something going on?¡± Kevan stared at the camera, so it was like he was staring at


    Larissa.


    1/2


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­.


    volce grew quieter. ¡°She¡¯s pregnant.¡±


    Kevan¡¯s face did not change, but his pupils shrunk sharply. He frowned and asked. ¡°Edmund¡¯s kid?¡±


    Larissa sighed and replied, ¡°Yeah.¡±

 Chapter 845

    Chapter 845


    Chapter 845


    Dn¡¯s voice sounded in the background. ¡°Larissa¡¯s Iriend is pregnant with Edmund¡¯s kid?¡±


    Kevan gave Dn a cold re to shut him up. ¡°Does Wendy want the kid?¡± Kevan asked.


    ¡°I think she does. Although Wendy said that she did not know, Larissa could tell what Wendy was really


    thinking of based on her actions.¡± She wants to go discuss it with Edmund tomorrow.¡±


    Kevan was silent for a while.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Seeing his reaction, Larissa was more anxious.


    ¡°Edmund probably wouldn¡¯t want her to abort the kid.¡± Kevan calmly analyzed things for Larissa. ¡°The


    kid is his key to controlling Wendy. It will make Wendy stick with him even more. By then, when he


    wants to do bad things to you, Wendy might even support him because of the kid.¡±


    ¡°No way!¡± Larissa retorted automatically. She believed that her friendship with Wendy could not be


    destroyed by anyone or anything.


    ¡°To Wendy, maybe you¡¯re more important than Edmund, but you may not necessarily be as important


    as her own kid. That¡¯s exactly what Edmund¡¯s betting on.¡±


    When Kevan said this, he was interrupted by a snort ofughter.


    Dn¡¯sughter was so obvious that no one could ignore him. ¡°Bruh, why are Edmund and Cody¡¯s


    actions exactly the same?¡± He said mockingly. ¡°I thought Edmund might be better than his big brother.


    But in the end, he only knows how to use women and children to get what he wants.¡±


    Larissa only understood hall of what Dn said.


    Edmund was using Wendy and her unbom child while Cody-


    Larissa could only think of Ruby and Bethary.


    Ruby and Bethany, huh-


    Larissa looked down and her eyes dulled.


    Seeing her expression change, Kevan¡¯s face darkened as well. He did not need to guess to know what


    she was thinking of right now.


    ¡°Are you bored?¡± Kevan asked Dn coldly.


    Dn was super confused. ¡°How am I bored? Wasn¡¯t I just discussing with you


    Then Larissa video called you?¡±


    Kevan red hard at Dn, who immediately shut up and walked out. ¡°Fine, I¡¯m off to work. Come find


    me once you¡¯re linished with your


    ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    call.*


    The moment Dn left, both sides became quiel


    ¡°So what are we going to do now? Larissa broke the awkward silence as she Ecked her lips.


    ¡°It¡¯s best if you can convince Wendy to abort the kid. Although Kevan said so, he knew that Larissa


    would not force Wendy to do it i Wendy wanted the child. So, he could only think of more backup ns.


    ¡°Have you prepared your n to break them up?¡± He asked.


    Larissa froze before saying, ¡°Tve already found someone. I¡¯m just missing a good opportunity.¡±


    ¡°Give me the contact information of the person you found. I¡¯ll arrange it.¡± Kevan already had a good


    n in his mind.


    Larissa gave Kevan the phone number and email address. After a moment of hesitation, she instructed


    him. ¡°Don¡¯t overdo it. Wendy Is


    pregnant now, and her emotions are unstable. I¡¯m scared that she¡¯ll do something stupid.¡±


    ¡°What about you?¡± Kevan suddenly asked randomly.


    Larissa was confused. ¡°Me what?¡±


    1/1


    of such a thing made Kevan tremble from fear.


    ¡°No. I didn¡¯t.¡± Larissa¡¯s three words made Kevan rx. ¡°At that time, I ¨C Larissa did her best to ignore


    the pain from the past as she


    purposely said in a rxed tone. ¡°Was pretty good. Don¡¯t think too much into it.¡±

 Chapter 846

    Chapter 846


    Chapter 846


    Because of the topic that Kevan raised. Larissa had nightmares for the whole night.


    This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.


    In the nightmare, she was back to the days when she was pregnant and helpless.


    She went through the experience of struggling with whether or not she wanted the child again. But this


    time. Wendy was not with her.


    When Larissa woke up in the morning, her pillow had a big wet stain on it. It was super obvious on the


    light blue pillowcase.


    Afraid that people might see, Larissa purposely charged out the sheets and pillowcases, washed them,


    and hung them out on the balcony to dry.


    It was to the point that Aster saw it after waking up, and he eximed, ¡°Mommy! Did you wet your


    bed?¡±


    Larissa did not want to talk to her stupid son.


    After she prepared breakfast, she grabbed her keys to leave the house.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to pick up your uncle.¡±


    Because Larissa had a kid at home. Lewis arranged for the extra lessons to be held at Larissa¡¯s ce


    in order to make things convenient for her.


    Lewis¡® car was parked outside the building. When he saw Larissa, Lewis gave her a paper box while he


    picked up the other one himself. The box was a bit heavy, and Larissa asked, ¡°What is this?¡±


    Lewis jerked his chin at her box and said, ¡°Documents.¡± Then, he pointed at his own box. ¡°Stuff I


    bought for Aster.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I already say to stop buying things for Aster?!¡± Larissained. ¡°He doesn¡¯t need anything


    else, and there are too many toys at home already!¡±


    There were still many toys from the huge bunch of loys that Gary and Lewis bought for Aster that were


    still wrapped in their original packaging.


    Lewis always ignored Larissa¡¯s words, and he would also retort like he was the reasonable one. ¡°I


    hardlye by.¡±


    When Larissa moved, she brought Lewis¡® and Gary¡¯s slippers over here too.


    Lewis changed his shoes and stared at the shoe rack that took up the whole wall.


    ¡°What are you looking at?¡± Larissa waved a hand in front of him.


    Lewis looked away. ¡°Checking if Aster still has enough shoes.¡±


    Larissa angrily emphasized again, ¡°He doesn¡¯tck anything! If you buy anything I will fucking throw it


    out!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, yeah,¡± Lewis fudging was obvious.


    Aster had only finished hall his breakfast. When he heard the noise at the door, he ran over and called,


    ¡°Uncle Lewis¡°¡±


    Lewis picked Aster up and spun around with him in his arms. Then he opened up his paper box like he


    was offering up the rarest treasure and told the kid. ¡®All yours.¡±


    Aster let out an exmation of shock, then he hugged Lewis and kissed him several times. ¡°Thank you.


    Uncle Lewis!¡±


    Lewis smiled kindly at the kid. Larissa watched it all, and she suddenly had a strong sense of duty.


    She had to help Lewis find a good partner and make sure he got married and had his own kid!


    Larissa told Aster to y by himself outside while she and Lewis entered the study to work.


    at thepany.


    The study in the new apartment was bigger than the one in the old apartment. It was almost as big as


    Lewis¡® office at the


    1/2


    Lewis looked around and simply pulled out a chair to siL ¡°This ce is pretty good.¡± He said, ¡°You must


    have spent quite the money, huh?¡± Larissa nearly spat out the water she had just drunk. Adjusting her


    breathing, Larissa answered honestly. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Kevan bought it.¡± The apartment looked pretty


    expensive. Based on her pay grade, she could never ever buy such a ce even if she worked her


    whole life. So, she had no need to make a weak lie that could be disproven by others easily.


    ¡°Mr. Rogers bought this ce to give it to you?¡± Lewis asked again.

 Chapter 847

    Chapter 847


    Chapter 847


    Lewis had been looking around for a bit, but he never saw any


    of Kevan having lived here before.


    Larissa did not n on telling Lewis about her rtionship with Kevan now, so she made up an excuse.


    ¡°Aster and I are temporarily living here. Wendy just got a new boyfriend who used to try to date me


    before, but she doesn¡¯t know it. I feel like It was a bit awkward, and I¡¯m worried that she might figure it


    out.


    ¡°Kevan just happened to have a ce here, so he let us move over.¡±


    Lewis nodded and stopped asking anything else.


    The ¡°extra lessons¡±sted for the whole morning.


    Larissa ordered takeout instead of cooking in the afternoon to save more time for her learning.


    When she was eating, she spoke to Lewis. ¡°If you¡¯re free in the afternoon, could you help me watch


    Aster for a bit? I have a window shopping and dinner date with Marilyn.¡±


    Lewis agreed, but he did not forget to remind her. ¡°Come home early.¡±


    Larissa gave Lewis the ¡°okay¡± sign.


    Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    Larissa met up with Marilyn during a weekend for the first time. Marilyn was still dressed up, but her


    clothes were more casual than the


    ones she usually wore for work.


    The moment she saw Larissa, Marilyn happily came over to grab her arm. ¡°Any shops you¡¯d like to


    see?¡± Marilyn asked.


    Larissa shook her head. ¡°I follow you.¡± However, less than half an hourter, she regretted her words.


    Marilyn was like a window¨Cshopping robot who would never get tired. She dragged Larissa around


    several shops in the mall.


    Unlike Larissa¡¯s decisive shopping style. Marilyn would grab several clothes off the rack to try on one


    by one for every shop she entered.


    She even demanded feedback from Larissa¨Cbut in the end, Marilyn would not even buy a single piece.


    Larissa sat on the shop¡¯s couch, holding the mineral water given by the shopping assistant as she


    texted Wendy. ¡°What¡¯s up? Have you


    finished discussing with him?¡±


    Marilyn appeared from the fitting room. She spun around in front of the mirror before looking at Larissa


    eagerly. ¡°What do you think? is it


    nice?


    Larissa was already out of words and excuses, so she could only use the things she had already said


    before. ¡°It¡¯s pretty good. Yellow makes your skin stand out, and the style of the skirt is pretty good.¡±


    Marilyn frowned though. ¡°I don¡¯t like the waist design here. You can¡¯t see the waistline.¡±


    Larissa silently drank her water.


    ¡°Tu try a different dress!¡± Marilyn returned to the fitting room.


    Larissa returned her attention to her phone. There was no notification on her screen. She began to


    worry. It was almost in the afternoon, those two should be finished with their discussion by now. But


    Wendy said nothing at all. Larissa could not tell what the ending would be


    like at all.


    Marilyn appeared from the fitting room again and repeated the things she had done earlier. She even


    said the same thing as before. ¡°What do you think? Is it nice?¡±


    Larissa was not focused on Marilyn right now. She gave a look at the outfit, and noticed that the dress¡®


    waist design had the same issue as the previous dress¡®, so she just said, ¡°You can¡¯t see the waistline


    with this either.¡±


    But Marilyn said, ¡°I think this dress is quite suitable for me though! The color isn¡¯t bad either and it¡¯s


    quite fashionable!¡±


    1/2


    Later. Marilyn tried on several more clothes.


    Larissa paid a bit of attention instead of just tossing out random feedback. Sometimes, she would even


    nitpick the outfits Marilyn chose.


    In the end. Marilyn bought several outfits that Larissa had nitpicked, and a few outfits that Larissa had


    praised the most¨Cand these outlits got given to Larissa in the end.


    ¡°Here, for you! Didn¡¯t you say you liked them?¡± Marilyn¡¯s smile was surprisingly sincere.

 Chapter 848

    Chapter 848


    Chapter 848


    Larissa did not know if Marilyn was doing it on purpose or not, but all of her actions made Larissa feel


    somewhat annoyed.


    She refused Marilyn¡¯s good intentions. ¡°These clothes are suitable for you, but not quite suitable for


    me. Just keep them for yourselves.¡±


    Marilyn seemed to have sensed something as her mood changed suddenly. ¡°Larissa, are you upset?¡±


    She anxiously held Larissa¡¯s hand as she hit the nail on the head. ¡°Because I bought clothes that you


    don¡¯t like?¡±


    Larissa pressed her lips tightly together. Her silence was considered a positive answer.


    Marilyn was honest though. ¡°Fine, I admit it. I did it on purpose.¡±


    Larissa was


    surprised. ¡°Why?¡±


    Marilyn huffed as she pretended to be unhappy. ¡°Because I¡¯m mad! You ignored me for this whole


    week! When you were window shopping with me, you weren¡¯t serious either! I asked you if the clothes


    looked nice, but you still weren¡¯t serious!¡±


    Larissa scratched her face awkwardly at Marilyn¡¯s scolding, ¡°Sorry.¡± Thankfully, the best thing Larissa


    could do was apologize. Her sincere attitude was always satisfactory. ¡°Mr. Logan Junior arranged quite


    a lot of duties for me this week, and you know how strict he is with


    workUpstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    ¡°Today¡¯s my fault. I treat you to dinner, you pick the ce, how about that?¡±


    ¡°Alright then! I guess I¡¯ll forgive you!¡± It was easy to cheer Marilyn up. ¡°But before dinner-¡± She lifted the


    shopping bags in her hands. looking a little embarrassed and sheepish. ¡°I gotta retum these. Truthfully I


    also don¡¯t think they look nice.¡±


    Larissa had just apanied Marilyn to return all the clothes when a notification rang on her phone.


    She thought that Wendy had finally responded to her, but it was Kevan who texted her instead. He


    askedpletely out of nowhere. ¡°Did


    Wendy find you?¡±


    It was midnight in Caldor right now. There was something clearly wrong if Kevan was asking about


    Wendy at this time instead of sleeping.


    ¡°No. Did something happen?¡± Larissa asked.


    ¡°Are you free to answer a call?¡±


    When seeing these words from Kevan, Larissa¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and she began to feel afraid.


    She said to Marilyn, ¡°Why don¡¯t you go to the restaurant? I need to make a call¡±


    Marilyn froze and nodded. ¡°Sure,e over a


    over as soon


    n as you can.¡±


    Larissa quickly called Kevan before Marilyn had walked far away. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± She asked.


    Kevan was silent for a few minutes, and Larissa¡¯s anxiety grew.


    ¡°Wendy caught Edmund cheating this morning.¡± Kevan said slowly after a long time. ¡°She left


    immediately. I thought she would go lind


    you


    Larissa froze on the spot. Fear gripped her heart, and she could not breathe. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me


    earlier!¡±


    She did not expect Kevan to put the n into action so quickly, so she was not prepared for such an


    emergency situation like this either.


    Larissa took several deep breaths before she managed to calm down. ¡°I¡¯m ending the call. It call you


    again when I¡¯ve found Wendy.¡±


    Finding Wendy was the most important thing right now.


    Larissa ran down the stairs with a hand on the handrail while she called Marilyn. Im sorry, Marilyn, I


    suddenly have an emergency, and I must go home now. I¡¯ll treat you to a meal next time. I¡¯m really,


    really sorry.¡±

 Chapter 849

    Chapter 849


    Missa kept calling Wendy¡¯s number like crazy, but no one answered at all. Eventually, Wendy¡¯s phone


    gave out the message that the none had been turned off, though Larissa did not know if it was because


    Wendy was annoyed or if the phone¡¯s battery ran out.


    arissa was more anxious than ever, and she mmed her foot on the gas pedal to drive over to her old


    apartment as fast as she could.


    arissa still had her old key to the apartment even though she had moved. The truth proved that this was


    a wise choice.


    he could not even be bothered to change her shoes as she charged into the living room, but the scene


    in the living room waspletely ifferent from the way Larissa imagined il-


    fendy was sitting on the couch, a huge bucket of fried chicken in herp. There was a massive oil stain


    around her mouth from chewing n chicken wings. The trash bin nearby was filled with colorful snack


    bags along with a whole lot of empty milk cartons.


    arissa¡¯s anxiety calmed down some, and her worry changed into rage. She exploded at Wendy. ¡°Why


    didn¡¯t you fucking answer the thone?¡±


    Wendy slowly got up from the couch, her hand feeling for her phone. She asked in confusion, ¡°Huh?


    Where¡¯s my phone?¡±


    Larissa really wanted to strangle Wendy to death.


    ¡®Call me again, I¡¯ll find my phone.¡± Wendy told Larissa.


    ¡°Your phone¡¯s already turned off.¡± Larissa growled through gritted teeth.


    Wendy put down the bucket of fried chicken. ¡°Wait a minute, I¡¯ll go check the study.¡±


    ¡°Forget it.¡± Larissa stopped Wendy. ¡°That¡¯s not important now.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Wendy dumped herself back onto the couch and grabbed the bucket of fried chicken again.


    She asked Larissa, ¡°Want some?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Larissa had no appetite because of Wendy.


    However, Wendy, being the person involved, seemed to bepletely out of it. She continued to eat


    happily and keptughing at the talk show being shown on the television.


    Larissa seriously wondered if Wendy had been hit so hard by the cheating that she had lost her mind.


    ¡°Hey-¡± Larissa smacked Wendy¡¯s leg and asked, ¡°Did you talk to him today?¡±


    Wendy¡¯s eyes remained fixed on the television as she replied, ¡°Nope.¡± Her voice was calm as hell.


    Larissa choked because of her response, but she still asked anyway. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you wanted to talk


    to him today?¡±


    ¡°I went to find him, but I saw him in bed with some other woman, so I left. Didn¡¯t manage to talk to him.¡±


    Wendy had a mouthful of chicken. so her speech was very unclear.


    ¡°What?¡± Larissa acted shocked and surprised. ¡°He was in bed with some other woman?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Wendy nodded, finally looking at Larissa. Her eyes showed  though. ¡°Don¡¯t act so


    shocked, okay? What¡¯s so weird or surprising about that? Weren¡¯t you cheated on too?¡±


    Larissa was struck speechless by Wendy again. She managed to say alter a while, ¡°I just think that


    you¡¯re too calm. I experienced it, so i know how shit that feels. Your current state isn¡¯t quite right¡±


    ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    ¡°I¡¯m not too calm. You¡¯re Justte,¡± Wendy said, ¡°I¡¯ve already fell all the shit that I needed to feel. When


    I came back, I cried several times too. Now I¡¯m already in the ¡®eptance¡± stage.¡±


    Larissa knew that Wendy was mentally strong, but she did not think that Wendy would be this strong.


    ¡°So are you nning on breaking up with him?¡± She carefully raised a different topic.


    Wendy snorted. ¡°I never started anything with him. How am I supposed to break up with him?¡±


    1/2


    ¡°Once my annual leave has been approved, I¡¯ll abort it.¡± Wendy¡¯s calm expression linally cracked. ¡°I


    don¡¯t want to give birth for that piece of


    shit excuse of a man!¡±

 Chapter 850

    Chapter 850


    Chapter 850


    Larissa had prepared a whole lot of words offort, but none of them were used. She was quiet for a


    while before asking Wendy, ¡°Do you wanna go over to my ce and stay there for a while?¡±


    Although Wendy was acting really calm, Larissa still worried about her being alone in the apartment.


    This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.


    ¡°Sure!¡± Wendy happily agreed and threw the fried chicken she was holding away. ¡°I¡¯ll go pack right


    now!¡±


    Because they did not live far apart, Wendy only brought a few things. ¡°Tve never lived in a huge ce!¡±


    She was so excited along the way. One could not tell that she had taken a huge blow today.


    Lewis was still at Larissa¡¯s ce. When he saw Larissa bringing Wendy back before Larissa¡¯s


    supposed time of return with a pale face, a bunch of questions ran through Lewis mind. In the end, he


    just asked. ¡°Did you have your dinner yet?¡±


    ¡°She did.¡± Larissa pointed at Wendy. ¡°I didn¡¯t.¡±


    Wendy quickly said, ¡°I can still eat!¡±


    There were many people in the house. Lewis ordered takeout, which was mostly things that Wendy


    wanted to eat.


    Wendy¡¯s appetite had increased, probably because she was pregnant. Larissa stared at her with wide


    eyes and an open mouth. Belore Wendy could grab the third slice of pizza, Larissa stopped her. ¡°If you


    eat anymore, your stomach will burst!¡±


    Wendy licked her fingers, still wanting more. But she still stopped when she saw her big stomach.


    After dinner, Wendyy on the couch, ordering Aster to serve her and give her anything she wanted,


    like water and snacks.


    Larissa and Lewis cleaned the dining table together. Lewis quietly asked Larissa, ¡°Wendy broke up with


    her boyfriend?¡±


    His keenness surprised Larissa. But after a moment¡¯s thought she figured it was not that hard to guess.


    After all Wendy made it so obvious.


    ¡°Yeah¡± Larissa replied, ¡°She¡¯ll be staying here for a while to heal from the breakup.¡±


    Lewis turned to look sympathetically at Wendy, and then he asked Larissa again, ¡°Should we change


    our location for tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°No. We¡¯ll be in the study. That¡¯s not disturbing anyone.¡± This apartment was big enough, and there


    was a distance from the study and the living room. Moreover, the soundproofing was better than the old


    apartment, so they did not have to worry about Wendy disturbing them.


    ¡°Fine then.¡± Lewis pointed at the study. ¡°I¡¯ll leave the documents in the study, and I won¡¯t take them


    away. If you don¡¯t have anything to do at night, you can still look through them.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Larissa agreed.


    Wendy had Aster forpany, so Larissa was not the least bit worried. She hid in the study with her


    phone and secretly video¨Ccalled Kevan while pretending that she was ¡°working overtime¡°.


    Kevan was waiting for her too. The moment the call connected, he answered quickly. ¡°Did you lind


    Wendy?¡±


    ¡°Yes, she was at home, and she was fine.¡± Larissa sat on her chair as sheined somewhat


    cutely at Kevan. ¡°She could eat and sleep. Like, she was totally chill and finepared to me.¡±

 Chapter 851

    Chapter 851


    Chapter 851


    Kevanforted Larissa in amusement before asking, ¡°What happened to her and Edmurd?¡±


    ¡°She broke up with him, and she ns to abort the baby soon.¡± As Larissa spoke, her voice grew


    quieter. ¡°I feel a little bad.¡±


    It was probably because of her nightmare yesterday, but Larissa suddenly felt that she was too cruel to


    lorce Wendy to abort her child.


    ¡°I keep thinking what it Edmund was not as trashy as we thought, what if he really loved Wendy


    Then everything they did would have been to break up a potential marriage as well as the murder of an


    innocent life.


    Kevan firmly interrupted Larissa. ¡°There is no such possibility. Everything you¡¯re doing is for Wendy¡¯s


    own good.¡±


    ¡°But Larissa still teat bad.


    ¡°This matter has already ended. Stop thinking about it¡± Kevan advised her. ¡°Apany Wendy. Go


    window shopping, watch a movie, buy whatever you want. Use my card.¡±


    He had left a card with Larissa. It had unlimited credit and had no PIN either. Larissa had kept it in her


    purse and never used t


    ¡°I have money.¡± She was used to being independent from a young age, and so Larissa was not used to


    spending other people¡¯s money. Afraid that Kevan would overthink, she quickly added. ¡°When I¡¯ve


    finished using my money. I¡¯ll use your card.¡±


    Kevan knew her better than she knew herself though.


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    He smiled faintly and changed the subject. ¡°Is work going well?¡±


    ¡°Not really.¡± Larissa frowned. ¡°My cousin¡¯s been guiding me and he¡¯s been talking about the various


    operations of variouspany projects. Maybe it¡¯s because I wasn¡¯t a part of this industry previously,


    so I sometimes don¡¯t really understand.


    ¡°Besides ourpany doesn¡¯t look great either


    N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    There was a female colleague who had a conflict with me previously, and she got manipted a bit by


    Marilyn¨Cmy dad¡¯s secretary, and my only friend in thepany¨Cand got fired.


    ¡°The moment that colleague left she took every single person in the presidential office with her. Those


    guys took away a few major clients 100. Although my dad told my cousin that this was not a huge loss.


    I did go through the monthly financial report from the Finance


    Department forst month


    ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s pretty bad.¡±


    Gary and Lewis kept telling her not to worry. Using their words, they kept saying that this was a ¡°small


    issue¡± that they could fix pretty easily, and that they would not let this ¡°small issue¡± be a problem she


    had toce on her path to inheriting thepany.


    But Larissa never really believed their words. She was new to this industry, and there was a lot that she


    did not know. But she had seen plenty of reports and knew how to analyze the data. Their profit level


    had dropped a lot due to the loss of clients. Even if they wanted to cover it up, they could not do it at all.


    ¡°Do you have any other options other than believing in your dad and your cousin? Kevan asked her.


    Larissa looked down even more, and her voice was even duller than before. ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Then it¡¯s not a problem?¡± Kevan did not think this matter was an issue. ¡°This isn¡¯t something you


    should be worried about. You just need


    to do what you¡¯re meant to do.¡±


    Larissa still could not let go though. ¡°In the end, I was the one who started this She had been frequently


    thinking these days that if she had been nicer to Judy and not started a light with her, would things


    have not gotten to the point it did now?


    ¡°It¡¯s not yourull Kevan denied her words immediately. ¡°You won¡¯t start lights with your colleagues.


    You didn¡¯t make your colleagues quit their jobs either, Larissa, stop taking responsibility forulls that


    aren¡¯t yours. You will only make yourself feel worse.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Larissa licked her lips. But she could not control herself. She was always scorned by the


    people closest to her as a child, and Yvette definitely med her for everything and refused to let


    Larissa defend hersell.


    Larissa ended up gaining a habit of apologizing immediately in order to prevent herself from getting


    beaten. screen. ¡°Go shower and sleep. Aren¡¯t you still going to learn with Lewis tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°I go through the documents he left behind first. Larissa pointed at the heavy ck of documents on the


    table.

 Chapter 852

    Chapter 852


    Chapter 852


    Larissa read those documents until 2 am. When she went back to her room, she purposely went to the


    quest room as she wanted to


    check on Wendy.


    Carefully pushing open the door, Larissa saw darkness and no light. The person lying on the bed heard


    the noise though, and she


    Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    shouted, ¡°Who is it?¡±


    Larissa screamed in learful shock. After she calmed down, she put a hand to her wildly beating chest


    and turned on the ights.


    Wendy sat on the bed, her hairpletely messed up. She looked very energetic and not sleepy at all.


    They stared at each other for a while before Larissa asked, ¡°Why aren¡¯t you sleeping yet? It¡¯s sote.¡±


    ¡°I should be asking you that.¡± Wendy looked annoyed. ¡°It¡¯s already sote, and you stille to other


    people¡¯s rooms secretly. Who are you trying to scare?¡±


    ¡°I just finished reading the documents Lewis left for me.¡± Larissa said. ¡°I just happened to pass by your


    room, so I decided toe take a


    look.¡±


    ¡°Tsk!¡± Wendy rolled her eyes at Larissa. ¡°Don¡¯t think I don¡¯t know where the study is! Just happened to


    pass by¡® my ass. Can you lie better


    or something?¡±


    ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll tell you the truth.¡± Larissa closed the door and walked to the bed. ¡°Actually, I¡¯m worried- She


    hesitated. ¡°If you are so sad that you died here. this ce that Kevan bought with a high price will not


    be able to be lived in, and it can¡¯t be sold either.¡±


    ¡°Fuck off!¡± Wendy was so angry that she grabbed a pillow and threw it at Larissa.


    Larissa caught the pillow quickly and reminded Wendy. ¡°You¡¯re pregnant, dummy! Don¡¯t get mad! Don¡¯t


    do anything crazy!¡±


    Wendy stopped in the end out of concern for her own health, even though she was angry.


    Larissa did not care to get too close to Wendy. She threw the pillow back onto the bed and sat at the


    loot of the bed. ¡®You can¡¯t sleep?¡± She asked Wendy. ¡°What are you thinking about? Try and tell me.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t thinking about anything.¡± Wendy refused to have a heart¨Clo¨Cheart with Larissa. ¡°I slept too


    much in the morning.¡±


    ¡°Bruh, as it I don¡¯t know you?¡± Larissa snorted at her, ¡°You¡¯re basically a pig. No matter how much


    asleep within three seconds t when your head hits the pillow¡±


    h you s sleep in the morning, you can fall


    Having been exposed by Larissa, Wendy red at her timidly before whipping out her phone and


    throwing it at Larissa.


    ¡°See for yourself¡±


    Larissa and Wendy almost had no secrets between them, and they knew each others¡® important


    passcodes. Larissa sessfully unlocked Wendy¡¯s phone and she asked. ¡°See what?


    Wendy looked at Lanssa like she was looking at an idiol. She bit out the words. ¡°Whats. App!¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Larissa calmly opened the app.


    Because she worked and lived in Westonia long¨Cterm, Wendy rarely contacted people with her


    WhatsApp as the Aldovians use other apps tomunicate, Larissa knew most of the people on


    Wendy¡¯s contact list.


    The topmost chal¡¯s contact¡¯s name had a pig emci on it. The profile picture was a scenery picture that


    no one knew came from where. Larissa had never seen it, but she guessed that this must be Edmund


    Rogers.


    So. Larissa tapped into this chat. It was filled with Edmund¡¯s messages.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?


    ¡°Why do you suddenly want to break up?¡±


    ¡°Did something happen?¡±


    ¡°Wendy, please answer the phone.¡±


    ¡°Wendy, don¡¯t scare me!¡±

 Chapter 853

    Chapter 853


    Chapter 853


    ¡°Answer the phone, let¡¯s talk about this!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°Answer the phone?¡±


    Larissa scrolled upward. It took her at least one minute before she finally reached the message that


    Wendy sent, ¡°We¡¯re finished.¡± The timestamp was 9:06 am.


    Wendy s


    saw that sentence too.


    ¡°I left the hotel and went home, then I texted him that. Then I ignored him. Tell me how fucking dumb he


    is? Doesn¡¯t he know what he has done? Does he need people to, like, fucking spell it out for him


    without leaving him any dignity?¡± Wendy was super pissed as she finally started pouring out the words


    she wanted to say.


    ¡°We had already agreed to just be friends with benelits. Il someone decided to stop, the other would not


    harass the person who called to stop things. But in the end? Seriously, I¡¯m telling you, Larissa, men are


    fucking liars!


    ¡°He was the one who said he liked me. He was the one who said he wanted to be with me. In the end,


    he couldn¡¯t even fucking control himself and sleep with someone else anyway Fucking son of a bitch! I


    really am blind!


    * actually thought that if he wanted the kid, I would marry him and give birth to the vid! I¡¯m lucking


    stupid! So fucking stupid!¡± At the end of all that Wendy actually got choked up and her eyes clearlyN?velDrama.Org is the owner.


    leared up.


    Larissa went over cuickly to hug Wendy. ¡°It¡¯s not your faull.¡± Sheforted Werdy.


    Wendy jerked free of Larissa¡¯s hug and tumed away, quickly wiping her eyes. She did not wart Larissa


    to see how stupid she looked while


    crying.


    Heartache and guilt rushed up together, and Larissa¡¯s heart squeezed in pain. She wanted to say


    something, but she did not know what to say. She did not care to think about what would happen to


    their friendship when Wendy lound cut about the truth someday.


    ¡°Never mind. Forget it. Let¡¯s not talk about this anymore.¡± Wendy waved her hand and relumed to


    normal really quickly.


    *Stop looking sad too, huh? Wendy squished Larissa¡¯s cheeks like how she usually treated Aster. ¡°It¡¯s


    not a big deal. It¡¯s not worth being


    sad over.¡±


    *Come on, gimme a big smile.¡± Wendy gave Larissa a dumb grin even as she spoke,


    Larissa tried to smile, but her vision grew blurry instead.


    ¡°Hey-¡± Wendy panicked. ¡°Don¡¯t cry! Why are you crying?¡±


    Larissa cried harder. Her tears crashed against the back of Wendy¡¯s hand, and it was so hot that


    Wendy let go immediately.


    ¡°Larissa Seymour, don¡¯t you dare fucking cry on me!¡± Wendy made hersell look stern as she wamed


    her in a loud voice. ¡°I you keep crying


    Wendy¡¯s mouth trembled and she started wailing with Larissa.


    It took who knew how long, and no one knew who


    and disgusting.


    first. But when the two separated, there were


    there were tears on theirces. It


    on theirces. It was ugly


    Wendy pointed at Larissa and startedughing like an idiot. ¡°Larissa, you¡¯re fucking uglyl Damned ugly,


    bitch! Hahahahahaha! I wanna take a picture and post it on my Instagram!¡± She reached for her phone


    as she spoke.


    ¡°Oh, you think you¡¯re the only one who knows how to shitpost on instagram? Larissa whipped out her


    phone too. They snapped pictures of each other for who knew how long and fired cruel words at each


    other for a while.


    But in the end, no one posted anything to Instagram. This wave of weird emotions came and passed


    quickly. They wiped their eyes and put down their phones, barely managing to find their peace again.


    ¡­


    with me and just approved it.¡±


    Larissa¡¯s heart trembled. ¡°Then when are you going to ¡®She could not bring hersell to say the words


    ¡°abort the child.¡±


    ¡°I will book an appointment with the doctor tomorrow, and see when she is avable.¡± Wendy was very


    calm though, ¡°You might have to let me stay here for a while before my surgery. Mrs. Johnny called me


    earlier, and said that there was a man shouting my name at our apartment door for a long while, and


    she chased him away.¡±

 Chapter 854

    Chapter 854


    Chapter 854


    On Sunday morning. Lewis came over early and gave Wendy two tickets for a big Tinseltown sci¨Cli


    movie that had just hit the cinemas.


    ¡°If you¡¯re feeling bored, you can take Aster to the movies.¡±


    This movie was quite popr recently. During weekends, the theaters for that movie were always


    packed. Wendy had wanted to watch the movie with someone before, but she was unable to get


    tickets.


    ¡°Fantastic!¡± She happily agreed and leaned down to hug Aster and give him a kiss. ¡°Come have fun


    with Godmater! I¡¯ll take you to eat


    the best food there is!¡±


    Although Larissa was worried about Wendy¡¯s health, she also hoped that her friend could go out and


    do something to distract hersell.


    ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    While Aster was looking for his bag


    ag in his


    room, Larissa quickly grabbed her son and instructed him to take note of several things.


    ¡°Godma¡¯s not feeling very good. Be a good boy when going out with her, walk properly, and don¡¯t run.


    Don¡¯t jump on Godma, and watch over her. Don¡¯t let her eat random things. She cannot eat cold or


    spicy foods. She can¡¯t eat too many sweet things as we.. Do you


    understand?¡±


    Aster nodded obediently. ¡°Got it?¡¯


    Larissa palled his head and helped him put his phone into his little hag. ¡°Trot me when you¡¯ve reached


    the mall Let me know when you¡¯ve


    arrived home. Il there¡¯s anything, you must call me.¡±


    Just like Larissa instructed, Aster texted the moment they reached the mall. He also reported live all the


    ces he and Wendy had gone to, what they bought what they ate in a very detailed manner.


    Larissa¡¯s phone was on the table. It vibrated every other minute and naturally made Lewis notice it.


    ¡°Who is it?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Aster.¡±


    Larissa un locked her phone and nced through the photos her son had just sent then she locked her


    phone again, ¡°I got him to watch Wendy for me. He¡¯s quile responsible.¡± She chuckled as she spoke.


    ¡°Wendy seems to be in a good mood,¡± Lewis sald, ¡®She doesn¡¯t look like someone who just got broken


    up with.¡± He had specially bought movie tickets for Wendy because he hoped that she could be


    distracted from her sadness. But Wendy¡¯s actions surprised Lew¡¯s. I was to


    the point he wondered if he was being extra.


    ¡°She¡¯s a poser. She looks strong on the outside, but is actually very fragile on the inside.¡± Larissa¡¯s


    smile gradually faded away as she


    sighed softly in billerness.


    ¡°If you want to take care of Wendy, then you can¡¯t attend the business trip on the day after tomorrow?


    Lewis asked alter he remembered


    this matter.


    This business trip was nned half a month ago. They were going to meet a major client in Egron.


    Originally, Larissa was not supposed to


    join in on this matter.


    But since the presidential office had undergone such a big change, with the one originally in charge of


    this having cull, Gary and Lewis discussed among themselves and decided to bring Larissa with them.


    Apart frommirizing herself with work, she could go abroad and have some lun too.


    Larissa would not refuse such a good opportunity, of course. She even arranged to leave Aster will


    Gary for a lew days aller she had gone on a business trip.


    But now..


    Wendy had decided to abort the baby, so she needed to recover al home alter. She had no family in


    Aldovia, so Lailssa was the only one who could hep Wendy with everything.


    ¡°Yean,¡± Larissa said apologetically. ¡°Sorry for giving you trouble.¡±


    lower and lower, he smiled more. But his voice was stil stern as he pretended to be stern. ¡°Think about


    how you want to make it up to me.¡±


    Larissa¡¯s eyes sparkled as she automatically responded. ¡°By linding you a wile?¡±


    Lewis¡® face darsened at once. ¡°I think you really want to go on blind dates.¡± Heughed coldly.


    Larissa denied it at once. ¡°Nope! I don¡¯t wanna!¡± Then she apologized humbly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, man, I was


    wrong. I won¡¯t bring this up aga


    Please spare me


    Lewis still kept his t face as he tapped on the table. ¡°Enough, Keep working.¡±

 Chapter 855

    Chapter 855


    Chapter 855


    Lewis was a workaholic. Larissa was the same. They did not put down their work even when lunchtime


    rolled around.


    They simply ate innt noodles while they worked.


    Larissa¡¯s phone suddenly rang. When she saw that it was Aster, Larissa panicked and answered the


    call at once.


    ¡°Mommy-¡°Aster was crying as he called cut to her.


    Larissa¡¯s heart began to pound. She felt more worried than ever. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Her voice was


    trembling.


    ¡°Godma¡¯s missing¡±¡± Aster sobbed as he tried to say everything clearly.


    Larissa walked out of the study at once. Seeing that something was wrong, Lewis followed too.


    ¡°Don¡¯t cry.¡± Larissaforted him. ¡°Tell Mommy properly what happened.¡±


    Aster took several deep breaths to calm down.


    ¡°Godma and I were eating, and then she said she wanted to go to the toilet and woulde back. She


    told me to wait for her at my seat.¡±


    Aster had already texted Larissa about it before they ate. He even snapped a picture of the restaurant.


    ¡°And? Larissa had no time to change. She simply grabbed her down jacket that was hung up in the


    entrance hall and left the house. Lewis helped her call the elevator as he listened to the voice that had


    leaked out of the phone speakers.


    ¡°So. I waited for her while I ate. But she still didn¡¯te back after 10 minutes. I called her and she


    didn¡¯t answer either. I even asked the Ms. Waitress to find her in the toilet. She called Godma¡¯s name


    but no one responded. Mommy, I¡¯m scared! Pleasee get me!¡± Aster¡¯s fear was obvious.


    ¡°I¡¯m already out of the house. I can go over scon.¡± Larissa unknowingly spoke faster. When she entered


    the elevator, she also anxiously kept punching the ¡°close¡± button. ¡°Stay where you are and don¡¯t go


    anywhere else. If strangers try to take you away, Shoul for help and get the waitress to help you call the


    police.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± Aster agreed.


    ¡°I won¡¯t hang up the phone.¡± Larissa maintained the connection to help Aster feel saler. ¡°Don¡¯t be


    scared. Mommy¡¯s with you.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Although Aster said so, he still rushed his mother, ¡°Mommy, pleasee faster!


    Lewis had specially bought the tickets at the nearest cinema, so it saved them quite the travel time on


    the road. Like yesterday afternoon, Larissa sped through the roads to reach the mall ihal Aster was at


    with the fastest speed possible.


    Unable to wait for the elevator, Larissa ran up the esctors. Ignoring the confused and curious stares


    she got from the others.


    Larissa and Lewis looked for the restaurant that Asler had shown them via a picture shop by shop.


    Once Larissa saw Aster sitting in the restaurant safely, she allowed her tears to fall. Aster was looking


    around, his hand gripping his phone tightly as he sat stiffly in his chair.


    ¡°Aster!¡± Larissa rushed over to hug him as she pressed his head into her chest.


    Aster froze for a bit before walling out loud. He cried out all the hurt he fell during these ten or so


    minutes.


    The restaurant became really quiet, only Larissa and Aster¡¯s walls could be heard, Everyone was


    staring at them in shock. No one knew what had happened.N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.

 Chapter 856

    Chapter 856


    Chapter 856


    Lewis arrived at the restaurant before someone called the police. After he paid, he picked Aster up and


    pulled Larissa out of the ce.


    Now that the situation was under control, the people in the restaurant kept looking at them though, and


    their quiet discussions kept going.


    Aster¡¯s emotions calmed down slowly after they were in the car. His wailing changed into sniffling and


    huping. He held Larissa¡¯s hand and refused to let it go.


    Lewis did not rush to start the car. He took some tissues and gave them to Larissa to clean herself and


    Aster up. They had cried so hard that their eyes were red. Their faces were wet with tears and it


    actually looked kind of scary.


    ¡°Try calling Wendy,¡± Lewis said to Larissa, who dug for her phone while hugging Aster.


    Wendy¡¯s phone remained unanswered like yesterday, But this time, she had her phone with her, so it


    was impossible for her to not have heard the ringtone.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we call the police? The ringing in the phone made Larissa¡¯s feare faster. A million bad


    thoughts shed through her mind.


    ¡°There¡¯s no point.¡± Lewis denied her suggestion at once. ¡°The police won¡¯t care since it¡¯s been less


    than an hour since she had gone missing¡±


    ¡°Then what do we do?¡± Larissa could not calm down. ¡°Why don¡¯t you wait here with Aster, and I¡¯ll go up


    and find her?¡±


    The mall was huge. There were a lot of people during weekends. Il something happened to Wendy,


    someone would have seen it. Moreover, up until now, the mall was fine and no police came inside. So,


    Wendy¡¯s life must not be in danger.


    But she left Aster alone in the restaurant for so long and her phone could not be reached. It was likely


    that Wendy¡¯s freedom was restricted


    so it was highly possible that she was still in the mall,


    ¡°No.¡± Lewis stopped Larissa. ¡°I¡¯ll send you and Aster home. If Wendy had gone home, you would know


    immediately too. Leave the rest to me. All you need to do is take care of Aster. The kid¡¯s scared.


    Comfort him.¡±


    Larissa looked down at a still frightened Aster and thought about it for a few seconds. ¡°Okay.¡±


    The apartment was empty. Larissa searched every room, but there was no Wendy. Lewis had gone


    back to the mall after he dropped


    Larissa and Aster at home. He told Larissa to wait for his phone call at home.


    Larissa washed Aster¡¯s face andforted him for a long while. Aster soon fell asleep probably


    because he was tired from crying. Larissa carried him back to his room before calling Wendy again. But


    no matter how many times she called, nothing changed.


    Larissa¡¯s heart was really racing from strong anxiety now, and it made her stomach hurt.


    She kept calling the same number and listened as no one answered over and over and over again.


    Time trickled slowly away. When the message finally came through that Wendy¡¯s phone had been


    turned off, Larissa angrily threw her phone. It bounced on the soft bed several times as Larissa covered


    herce and started crying softly.


    Hot tears dripped through her fingers and wet her hands both front and back. It also dripped into the


    sleeves of her sweatshirt. They were fine during the morning Aster had just been boasting proudly of


    the food they were ealing an hour agoN?velDrama.Org is the owner.

 Chapter 857

    Chapter 857


    Chapter 857


    Larissa did not dare to think how she was going to tell Wendy¡¯s parents in Caldor if anything had really


    happened to Wendy.


    After an hour had almost passed, Lewis¡® phone call came. It was ratherte. Larissa quickly answered


    and asked desperately. ¡°Did you find her?¡±


    ¡°Not yet¡± Lewis said.


    What little hope that had appeared died immediately. Larissa¡¯s shoulders slumped and she seemed to


    have lost her soul. Her voice was also dull. ¡°Oh-


    ¡°I looked at the surveince footage in the mall. After Wendy left the restaurant a man followed her to


    the toilet. When she came out, the man was with her. They must know each other. I¡¯ve taken a picture


    and I¡¯ll send it to you now.¡± The moment Lewis said that, Larissa¡¯s WhatsApp got a notification.


    Larissa tapped into Lewis¡® picture. He had snapped the picture from the surveince camera screens.


    There was a male and female couple in the picture. The woman was Wendy, as for the man


    Although there was only a blurry side profile. Larissa still recognized him. ¡°It¡¯s Edmund Rogers¡±


    ¡°Edmund Rogers?¡± Lewis muttered the name repeatedly. ¡°Sounds familiar I feel like I¡¯ve heard that


    name somewhere before.¡± He took some time to remember, then asked Larissa. ¡°What rtionship


    does he have with Mr. Cody Rogers of Soaring Corporation?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s Cody¡¯s younger brother and is also Kevan¡¯s cousin. And he¡¯s also that ex¨Cboyfriend that Wendy


    just broke up with! The moment


    Larissa had confirmed this information, she got more anxious than ever. ¡°Did the surveince cameras


    see where they went?¡±


    As it stood, Edmund was now a very dangerous person. If he really had some kind of end goal by


    getting close to Wendy, he could do crazy things to Wendy after she had firmly broken up with him.


    ¡°Only that they had left the mall.¡± Lewis let out a helpless sigh.


    ¡°Wait. I¡¯ll call youter.¡± Larissa hung up the phone and called Kevan.


    She could not call Wendy, but maybe she could contact Edmund through Kevan. She did not care what


    Edmund wanted. As long as she could give it she would. As long as he was willing to let Wendy go


    safely.


    However, Kevan had either fallen asleep or was still busy. He did not answer the call after a very long


    time.


    Larissa anxiously walked round and round in her room. She wished she could just go from Aldovia to


    Kevan¡¯s side in Caldor, grabbing him


    by the cor to make him answer the phone.


    After some time, Larissa finally chose to give up. She fell weakly onto the bed, holding her phone while


    she kept crying. Suddenly, her


    phone vibrated like crazy.


    Larissa jolted, sitting up quickly. However, what appeared on the screen was not Wendy¡¯s name or


    Kevan¡¯s. It was an unfamiliar number. Following her gut Larissa carefully answered the phone and said,


    ¡°Hello?¡±


    There was silence on the other end of the phone before a strange yet familiar voice sounded out. ¡°Long


    time no see, Larissa.¡±


    That voice had a sinister smile to it. Larissa¡¯s arms broke out in goosebumps and cold sweat appeared


    on her back.


    Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    ¨C


    ¡°Edmund Rogers Larissa said this name with forced calm. ¡°Juste at me with everything you have.


    Don¡¯t hurt Wendy.¡±


    ¡°Hurt Wendy?¡± Edmund Laughed. ¡°I can¡¯t wait in love her to death. How could I hurt her? Besides,


    she¡¯s still pregnant with my baby. How ruthless could I possibly be to hurt them?¡±

 Chapter 858

    Chapter 858


    Chapter 858


    Larissa kept trembling. She could not be bothered to think where Edmund had found out that Wendy


    was pregnant. She dug her nails hard into her flesh, using the pain to force herself to be calm.


    ¡°You ¡­¡± She gritted her teeth, her throat tight. ¡°What do you want to do exactly?¡±


    ¡°I want to meet up with you.¡± Edmund said.


    Larissa gripped her phone very tightly as she asked him, ¡°It meet with you, will you let go of Wendy?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Edmund agreed very readily. ¡°But-¡°His dragging out of the message caused Larissa to


    hold her breath. ¡°You can onlye alone.¡± Edmund¡¯s voice became cold. ¡°If I found out that you¡¯ve


    called the police, or that someone¡¯s following you secretly


    Edmundughed evilly. ¡°You don¡¯t want to know what I do to Wendy.¡±


    *Fine!¡± Larissa could not be bothered to think. The only thing in her head right now was to save Wendy


    from Edmund. Even if she had to lose her life for this, she did not care. After all, this happened


    because of Larissa herself.


    *I go alone. Give me the address.¡±


    Edmund¡¯s address was near the airport. It was very far from here.


    Larissa could not leave Aster alone at home, but she did not dare to tell Lewis either. After a moment¡¯s


    thought, she left a note for Aster. telling him to call Lewis after waking up to get his uncle toe


    apany him.? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    Before leaving, she stared at Aster¡¯s sleeping face for a while. The more she looked, the sadder and


    more reluctant she was. She did not dare to stay long. She only bent down to kiss Aster¡¯s forehead


    lightly before closing her eyes to force down her tears.


    ¡°Goodbye.¡± she whispered. Maybe this would not be a good ¡°bye.¡± After all, they might never meet


    again.


    On the way there, Larissa could not help but call Kevan again with a shaky hand. Still, no one


    answered: so, Larissa hung up instead and gave up on trying.


    Maybe they really had a shit destiny together. Even in if they had decided to be together, they would


    still be separated for a million reasons.


    Larissa parked the car by the road and sent Kevan a final WhatsApp message. ¡°Take care of Aster and


    my dad.¡±


    ¡°For me,¡± she thought.


    Once she was on the road again, Larissa was more rxed than before. It was probably because she


    had given everything she had to Kewan, whom she trusted.


    She was not really trying to go die. But what it it really¨CWell that was her lile too. There was nothing to


    lear orin about.


    After she reached the ce, Larissa found out that it was a very small and lonely motel. In a ce like


    Westonia, people who lived in motels like these were usually from the lower sses, and they usually


    had a prettyplicated background¨Cnormal residents usually stayed away from such ces.


    Larissa nervously zipped up her down jacket fully and covered her head with a hat. She wrapped a


    scarf around her neck to also cover herce with,


    She lowered her head and tried to make herself as small as possible. Even so, when she walked


    through the corridors, she was still catcalled and whistled at by a couple of thugs leaning against doors.


    Larissa¡¯s right hand was hidden in her pocket. She lowered her voice to scare them. ¡°Fuck off if you


    don¡¯t want to diel


    When the thugs saw that her pocket was bulging with something, they ran away, scared. They only


    threw ugly curses at Larissa.


    Afraid that someone woulde looking for more trouble, Larissa quickly moved forward. When she


    found Edmund¡¯s room, she knocked on the door.


    Larissa replied, ¡°It¡¯s me, Larissa.¡±


    The door cracked open.

 Chapter 859

    Chapter 859


    Chapter 859


    Edmund carefully showed only hall his face. He kept locking behind Larissa. Once he was certain there


    was no one else, he unchained the door and opened the door fully.


    ¡°Get in,¡± he said, but Larissa did not move.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Wendy?¡± she asked. ¡°Tell Wendy toe out and I go in.¡±


    ¡°Wendy¡¯s not here.¡± Edmund said.


    Larissa immediately backed up to be out of Edmund¡¯s range. ¡°Since you don¡¯t keep your promises


    She turned around to prepare to


    leave, but the doors on the right and left of Edmund¡¯s room opened to let out several men in ck


    suits. They surrounded her.


    N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    Larissa only realized that she had fallen into Edmund¡¯s trap. The men caught Larissa and led her up.


    They locked her in Edmund¡¯s room.


    The small room was messy as hell and there was a slinky smell in it.


    Seeing Larissa¡¯s frown, Edmund let out a creepy a ss smile. ¡°Rx, we won¡¯t stay here for long. Just


    bear with it a littlerger.¡±


    He leaned down to pinch Larissa¡¯s chin with two lingers. That face that looked like Kevan¡¯s slowly came


    nearer,


    Larissa jerked free of his fingers and turned away.


    ¡°Isk!¡± Edmund sneered. ¡°Larissa, do you even know what kind of situation you¡¯re in? If I were you, I¡¯d


    be a good little girl and try everything I can to keep mysell alive.¡±


    Larissa¡¯s face was stone. It was like she did not hear anything he said. She asked, ¡°Where¡¯s Wendy?¡±


    This was the only thing she cared about.


    ¡°Wendy¡¯s line.¡± Edmund got close to her face again as he used a finger to stroke her cheek


    obsessively. ¡°I told you. I won¡¯t hurt her.¡±


    Larissa sneered co olly. ¡°Do you think you still have any trust in me here?¡±


    Edmund thought about it for a few seconds before he suddenly pulled away. ¡°Fine, I let you see her.¡±


    He took out his phone and made a video cal. The call connected quickly and Edmund showed Larissa


    the phone screen so that she could clearly see. A Caldorian man appeared on the screen.


    ¡°Mr. Rogers? Did you need something?¡± His fluent Cadorian further exposed and confirmed his


    nationality.


    Edmund ordered. ¡°Show us. Wendy.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± The screen changed to show an unconscious woman on a bed..


    Larissa¡¯s heart squeezed with fear as she asked sharply, ¡°What have you done to Wendy?¡±


    ¡°Quietly, darling.¡± Edmund made a shushing motion with his finger. He lingered a lock of Lairssa¡¯s hair


    near her ear as he reminded her.¡± Wendy¡¯s sleeping. Don¡¯t wake her up.¡±


    ¡°How do I know that she¡¯s sleeping or if she¡¯s Larissa stared hard at the unmoving Wendy as she


    desperately tried to ligure out if her friend was alive or not.


    Edmund ended the call though. Tve already let you see her, Larissa. Don¡¯t push your luck. His voice


    was cold and evil.


    ice was


    ¡°However-¡± Edmund put his phone away. ¡°I can promise you, as long as you listen to me, I¡¯ll let Wendy


    go once we leave here.¡±


    Larissa¡¯s throal tightened. Hall a minuteter, she agreed. ¡°Okay.¡±


    As she was in such a bad position now, she could only obey Edmund¡¯s Instructions. As long as she


    was obedient, she might be able to Save Wendy.


    ¡°Good glit, my sweet darling.¡± Edmund smiled with satisfaction as he wrapped Larissa Into his arms. He


    lowered his head to take a deep snill of her hair. ¡°How deliciously nice.¡±

 Chapter 860

    Chapter 860


    Chapter 860


    Larissa did not know what Edmund had gone through to be so weird.


    Suddenly, he had a new, additional aura of an evil creepy lucker-or maybe he was always like that, but


    he hid it wellst time.


    The creepy per vert killers Larissa had seen on TV gradually merged with Edmund¡¯s face. She held her


    breath and gritted her teeth, which only barely allowed her to not show her fear.


    Feeling how terse Larissa was, Edmund only smiled more. It seemed like the more uneasy she was,


    the more excited he was.


    ¡°You¡¯re scared of me. sweet girl.¡± Edmund used a tone of certainty.


    Larissa locked down and said nothing. Her hands, which were lied behind her back, gripped the bed


    sheets beneath her tightly.


    N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    ¡°I really wanna take a picture of you like that and let Kevan see it.¡± Edmund¡¯s linger kept stroking her


    whole face.


    ¡°He must feel really bad to see his darling woman in trouble and fear,hmm?¡±


    ¡°Darling woman?¡± Hearing this, Larissa raised an eyebrow and said mockingly. ¡°Isn¡¯t Kevan¡¯s darling


    woman still in jail right now?¡±


    ¡°Larissa.¡± Ed mund¡¯s eyes turned cold as he warned her, ¡°Don¡¯t f ucking y with me. Etile b itch. Don¡¯t


    think I don¡¯t know that you and Kevan are nning to get remarried!¡±


    Only a few people knew that Larissa and Kevan were going to get remarried. It was not hard to guess


    that Wendy had leaked this


    Information to Edmund by ident. This was probably one of the reasons why Edmund did everything


    he could to get close to Wendy too.


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s true that I¡¯m getting remarried to Kevan.¡± Larissa admitted it freely. ¡°But what can marriage


    prove? Don¡¯t forget that Kevan and I got marriedst Ume when he was still in love with Ruby Cole.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because Ruby Cole was already married!¡± Edmund snapped back agitatedly at Larissa. He


    suddenly smiled a bit and became calm again probably because he realized his emotions were too


    easily affected by her.


    ¡°Then tell me, why would he marry you again if he didn¡¯t love you?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear Wendy say that my biological father is Blue Star Shipping¡¯s current president, Gary


    Logan? Larissa lifted her chin like she was proud as she tossed out Gary¡¯s name. ¡°Kevan and I are


    only tying ourselves together for mutual benefit.¡±


    ¡°Blue Star Shipping? Edmund¡¯s eyes narrowed sharply. ¡°The same Blue Star Shipping that made my


    brother go bankrupt?¡±


    Larissa froze. She knew, of course, about the cooperation between Gary and Cody, but she never


    heard about the cue of this thing.


    She silently shouted to hersell ¡°F uck!¡± and had not even thought up an excuse to distance hersell from


    this when Edmundughed coldly. ¡°I guess I can¡¯t really spare you any more.¡±


    Larissa screamed inside at herself angrily. She wished she could sew her f ucking mouth shut


    Suddenly, Edmund¡¯s phone rang. He smiled and waved his phone in front of her.


    Kevan¡¯s name was clearly shown on the bright screen.


    ¡°Finally,¡± Edmund said.


    Larissa started getting tense again as she stared at Kevan¡¯s name. Edmund watched her closely and


    purposely asked, ¡°Wanna know what


    I¡¯m going to say to him?


    Larissa did not know what Edmund wanted from her by saying this, so she did not dare lo simply


    answer.

 Chapter 861

    Chapter 861


    Chapter 861


    ¡°Since you don¡¯t wanna know- Edmund let go of Larissa, straightened up, and took care of his clothes.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll answer the call outside.¡±


    Larissa


    was afraid that he would see the desperate need in her eyes, so she forcibly looked away from


    Edmund. ¡°Do whatever you want.¡±


    she said indifferently.


    ¡°Tsk.¡± Edmund confidently left the room,


    After that, one of the ck-suited men entered the room and stared emotionlessly at Larissa. He


    warned her. ¡°Don¡¯t even think of


    escaping!¡±


    Although the guy locked dangerous and fierce, he did not have the same sort of oppressive feel that


    Edmund had.


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    Larissa raised her bound legs and asked. ¡°Tell me how the hell I¡¯m supposed to escape?¡±


    The man huffed and looked away. He ignored her after that.


    Larissa talked to him though. ¡°How much is Edmund paying you for this? give you double-for both you


    and your friends.¡± Could you please let me go?¡±


    The man red at her and shouted. ¡°Shut up!¡±


    Larissa ignored that though. ¡°I mean ¡± She continued to persuade the man. ¡°I¡¯m richer than Edmund.


    Besides, even if you take me away sessfully, my family won¡¯t spare you guys.


    ¡°You probably don¡¯t know that my dad has eyes and power everywhere in Westonia. And Kevan-I¡¯m


    sure you guys know just how


    powerful he is. It¡¯s only a matter of time before they find out who you are. I don¡¯t know If you have


    families-even if you don¡¯t, you should have parents, right?


    ¡°Kevan¡¯s always cold and cruel when dealing with his enemies. If he finds out about you guys, do you


    think you and your families will have


    good endings?¡±


    The calm that the man had began to c rack,


    Larissa continued trying her best. ¡°I promise you, if you let me and my friend go. I will give you more


    than just double the money. I won¡¯t hold any of you responsible for everything today!¡±


    The man hesitated and asked¡­. Really?¡±


    ¡°Really!¡± Larissa nodded hard. ¡°If you¡¯re worried, I can have it all in writing.¡±


    The man thought about it and said. ¡°Okay! I will go and discuss it with my broster, But ¡ª


    Seeing his hesitation, Larissa¡¯s heart sank, She asked. ¡°But what?¡±


    ¡°But I can¡¯t let you go here,¡± the man said. ¡°Rogers ordered that the people with your friend will only be


    called away after you and him have reached the airport. The people there aren¡¯t with us. They¡¯re


    Rogers¡¯ people. It¡¯s not easy to bribe them.¡±


    ¡°Then I go with you to the airport Larissa was not as scared as she was before now that she had


    sessfully turned Edmund¡¯s guys against him. She could definitely escape now. It was not a problem


    if she was further dyed.


    After nearly ten minutes, Edmund came back. He was finished with his phone call and he looked super


    smug.


    ¡°Kevan said he was willing to trade the whole of Microworks for you! Tsk. Isk, 1sk. How deeply in love


    he is!¡±


    Larissa did not expect Kevan to say such a thing. Her first reaction was to wonder what sort of trap


    Kevan had for Edmund. She tried everything she could to guess so that she would not ruin Kevan¡¯s


    n.


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you talking? Edmund got close to her again. Although he was smiling, his eyes were


    freezing. ¡°What, touched by Kevan¡¯s act?¡±


    ¡°Based on your understanding of Kevan, do you think he¡¯ll be so st upid as to give up Microworks for


    some woman?¡± Larissau


    coldly.


    ¡°Based on what I know, the kidnappers who kidnapped his daughter then still can¡¯t get the ransom


    money from him even till now. Oh! Yeah, and if what I found out isn¡¯t wrong, isn¡¯t Kevan¡¯s daughter still


    lost right now? He doesn¡¯t even want to save his own daughter, why


    ¡°Forget the fact that he doesn¡¯t love me, but even if he did-how can that measure up to his fortune of


    billions? I think you¡¯d better try to


    figure out if Kevan hasid out a trap for you. He might be just wailing for you tol init

 Chapter 862

    Chapter 862


    Chapter 862


    Edmund seemed to be convinced by Larissa. His stunned expression turned dark pretty quickly. The


    sound of knocking sounded at this time. The man in the ck suit entered the room


    He was still stoneced. He did not look at Larissa at all for fear that Edmund might notice something.


    ¡°Mr. Rogers, it¡¯s time. We have to go,¡± he said in a low voice to Edmund.


    Edmund nodded. ¡°Okay.¡± He pulled Larissa up from the bed.


    Because her ankles were tied by the ropes, Larissa nearly mmed against the wall when her feet


    touched the floor. Edmund helped steady her and frowned at the ropes on her ankles.


    Previously, he only wanted to stop Larissa from escaping, so he got the guys to lieyers of ropes


    around her legs. He did not think it would cause trouble now for him. After some hesitation, he called


    the man in a ck suit toe over. ¡°Free her legs.¡± Then, he warned Larissa. ¡°If you dare to try


    something, Wendy-¡±


    ¡°Chill. I won¡¯t escape.¡± Larissa mocked him. Tm more trustworthypared to you.¡±


    Edmund snorted coldly. ¡°You¡¯d better hope so.¡±


    The man asked Edmund, ¡°Mr. Rogers, should we free her hands too? Because what if people see and


    call the police


    Edmund was silent for a bit then he said, ¡°Go ahead. She can¡¯t run anyway.¡±


    The men in ck suits had tied deadened knots when they¡¯d tied Larissa up. So, only a knife could


    help cut Larissa free.


    Larissa nced at the pocket knife the man was using, and an idea struck her. She secretly gave the


    man a look, and the man understood what she wanted. After cutting Larissa free, he secretly slipped


    the pocket knife into Larissa¡¯s down jacket pocket while Edmund was not


    looking.


    ¡°Done.¡± the man in the ck suit reported emotionlessly to Edmund, who wrapped an arm around


    Larissa.


    Edmund pretended to be very affectionate with Larissa. ¡°Do not scream or shout for help after going


    out. Otherwise-¡±


    ¡°Otherwise you¡¯ll kill Wendy and her unborn child that she had with you.¡± Larissa coldly finished his


    sentence. ¡°That¡¯s enough, stop talking. Every time you say it, it just tells everyone what a fucking


    monster you are.¡±


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    Edmund¡¯s expression frame for a moment before he snarled threateningly at her, ¡°Shut up, bitch!¡±


    The motel did not have soundproofing, When walking in the corridor, one could clearly hear the heavy


    metal musicing from a nearby


    door as well as moaning.


    To prevent people from paying attention to them, Edmund and Larissa left first and the ck¨Csulted


    men followed after.


    Some sloppy thugs passed by and whistled at Larissa openly, making all kinds of disgusting gestures.


    They even asked Edmund, ¡°Can we


    do a threesome?¡±


    Edmund¡¯s face was dark. He pressed his lips together and ignored these people.


    His attitude was treated as a provocation by the thugs. They sumounded Edmund and Larissa, and one


    of them purposely knocked into


    Edmund.


    Edmund was knocked back hard, and he let go of Larissa as a result.


    ¡°Who do you think you are, motherfucker? The thugs trapped Edmund in aer. ¡°Do you know


    whosend you¡¯re on? Can¡¯t be fucked with us? Who gave you the guts to be a dick?¡±


    Edmund was not a tall person, and so he looked even shorter and smaller when stuck with these tall


    Aldovians. He did not dare to start things with the thugs as he kept ncing back to see if the ck¨C


    sulled men had followed.


    He smiled at the same time as he begged for mercy. ¡°Sorry, sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to,¡±


    Larissa watched coldly. She was somewhat amused by Edmund¡¯s dumb cowardice. What a typical


    poser he was, and useless too. It were not for the fact that Wendy was in Edmund¡¯s hands, she would


    not even need to bribe the ck¨Csuited people. All she needed to do was let these thugs take care of


    Edmund

 Chapter 863

    Chapter 863


    Chapter 863


    While the thugs were all focused on Edmund, Larissa turned and ran


    When the thugs saw that Larissa was running inside the motel, they did not chase after her, probably


    thinking that she was already their prize anyway. Theyughed harder at Edmund instead. ¡°Lookie


    here! Even your woman let you alone to run off by herself!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a sack of s hit, dude!¡±


    ¡°Hahahaha!¡±


    Larissaran as fast as she could to the room Edmund had locked her in. She smacked her hand


    repeatedly on the door and shouted.¡± Come out quickly! Edmund¡¯s getting beaten up!¡±


    The ck-sulted men ran out from their rooms, and the leader was the one Larissa had made a deal


    with. He must have informed the others at this point, because he asked very inly. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be


    escaping if Rogers is getting beaten up? Why are you still here looking for us?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t tell you that I have to follow him to the airport?¡± Larissa waved her hand. ¡°Enough talk. Hurry


    and go save him! Il he can¡¯t leave, my friend won¡¯t be able to go home!¡±


    She led the ck-suited men and walked out.


    Edmund was still trapped by the thugs. He had some injuries on his face. One thug was about to punch


    him hard when Larissa shouted.¡± Stop!¡±


    The thug stopped, and he was originally going to curse when he saw the group of people behind


    Larissa, Frantically patting the arm of one of his guys, he said. ¡°Let¡¯s go


    The thugs ran away and vanished really quickly.


    The ck-suited men surrounded Edmund quickly.


    ¡°Mr. Rogers, are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Sorry. Mr. Rogers. We werete.¡±


    ¡°Do you need to go to the hospital, Mr. Rogers?¡±


    Each of them spouted words of great concem. If it were not for the fact that Larissa already knew that


    these people had betrayed Edmund she might have been touched by their ¡°true¡± concern.


    Edmund waved the men off in pain. He pretended he was line. ¡°It¡¯s fine. No need for the hospital. We¡¯ll


    go straight to the airport.¡±


    He looked at Larissa, who stood away from the men. His eyes showed some confusion and curiosity.


    With the protection of the ck-suited men, any thugs they ran into did not dare toe provoke them.


    They all stayed well away from the group for fear of getting targeted.


    There was a row of cars parked outside the motel. Edmund dragged Larissa into one of them. There


    were two men in ck suits with them.


    The car drove steadily to the airport.


    After that incident, Edmund seemed to trust Larissa more. He did not mention anything about ¡°not


    escaping even until they got out of the


    Westonia was one of the busiest cities in Aldovia. The airport had the most lights in the country. Even if


    it was midnight, one could still see travelers hurrying around the ce with their suitcases.


    Edmund¡¯s men in ck suits were obviously noticeable. But as they were all cold-faced and had


    ruthless auras, no one dared to look in their direction for too long.


    ¡°Watch her. 111 go make a call¡±N?velDrama.Org is the owner.

 Chapter 864

    Chapter 864


    Chapter 864


    The moment Edmund lett, Larissa asked a ck¨Csuited man for his phone. Her phone had been taken


    and thrown away by Edmund.


    She only remembered three phone numbers¨Cher own, Wendy¡¯s, and Aster¡¯s.


    It was useless to call the first two numbers. Now, she could only put her hope on Aster. Lewis should


    be with him right now.


    Because she was worried that Edmund woulde back quickly, she dialed the number and gave the


    phone back quickly.


    ¡°Look for Lewis Logan, Larissa quietly instructed the man, who did as he was told.


    The airport was really noisy. The flight announcements kepting one after another.


    Larissa listened hard but she could not hear what the other person said on the phone.


    The man looked down and told her. ¡°Lewis answered.¡±


    ¡°Tell him to go get Wendy Simmons.¡± Larissa stared right ahead and did not make any eye contact with


    the man. ¡°You should know where Wendy¡¯s being kept at right?¡±


    Edmund should have called off the men watching Wendy. But it she escapedter, it was hard to say


    that Edmund would not send people back to her. After all as Wendy was now, she could not leave on


    her own.


    So, the best way was to get Lewis to send people over and get Wendy before the enemy could.


    The man shook his head nkly though. ¡°I really don¡¯t know that ce. Rogers never told us.¡±


    Larissa¡¯s eye twitched as her heart sank, Seeing that Larissa did not speak, the man asked, ¡°Do you


    still want people to go get your friend?¡±


    ¡°Wait a minute.¡± Larissa was really distracted right now.


    ¡°He asks if you need people toe get you.¡± The man ryed Lewis¡® words to Larissa


    ¡°Yes,¡± Larissa replied. She had no money at all right now, she could not possibly grab a cab home from


    the airport by herself.


    The man said a few more things to Lewis, likely telling him about Larissa¡¯s current situation. ¡°Do you


    have anything else you want to tell him?¡± The man asked Larissa.


    ¡°No.¡± Larissa nned to tell Lewis at the other things in person after she got home.


    The man hung up the phone.


    Soon, Edmund came back, Larissa asked him, ¡°Have you let Wendy go?¡±


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    ¡°Of course. I¡¯m a man of my word.¡± Edmund stood in front of Larissa and stared at her from above. His


    eyes showed mockery in them. ¡°But even if I didn¡¯t, you can¡¯t do anything to me either, right?¡±


    Larissa stood up slowly, keeping her eyes locked on him. The mockery in her eyes was just as good as


    his. ¡°There are a lot of people in the airport. Say, if I shouted, ¡°Help met here, what do you think would


    happen?¡±


    Edmund¡¯s smile froze on his face. ¡°Would you even dare?¡± he snarled threateningly.


    ¡°Why not?¡± Larissa shot back at him. Tm here for Wendy. Do you think I¡¯m stupid enough to just go with


    you when I don¡¯t get what I want?¡±


    Edmund red at her for a long while before he gave up. The call I was making earlier was to call off


    my guys.¡± He was not as forceful as before, clearly afraid that Larissa would really call for help in the


    airport.


    ¡°No,¡± Larissa said coldly, ¡°Who knows if you¡¯ll send your men back again?¡±


    *Then what do you want?¡± Edmund¡¯s eyes narrowed.


    ¡°Send Wendy to the hotel she works at and give her to her colleague. Send me a picture of that.¡±


    Larissa was not afraid of Edmund relusing. ¡°I will wall with you here. I will not leave unless I see the


    picture.¡±


    Larissa had all the advantages right now. Although Edmund was pissed, he did not dare lo make things


    worse either.


    ¡°Fine.¡± He made a phone call again in front of Larissa. Once the call was answered, he put his phone


    on speakerphone at Larissa¡¯s request.


    instructed.

 Chapter 865

    Chapter 865


    Chapter 865


    Larissa and Edmund waited in the hall Edmund sill. held her, pretending to be in love with her.


    Larissa knew that she could not escape his grip, so she did not bother trying


    After some time had passed, Edmund finally got the picture from his guys. He showed Larissa his


    phone. ¡°Here. Take a damn good look at


    In the picture. Wendy was still unconscious, and she was being held by a male colleague. The


    colleague was staring nkly at the camera, clearly confused by what was happening. Larissa had met


    this male colleague before. His rtionship with Wendy was not bad, and he was trustworthy.


    Larissa sighed in relief.


    Edmund pulled his phone away and asked, ¡°Can we now?¡± To wail for this photo, he had rebooked his


    fight ticket.


    There were not mary fights from Westoria to Bartham. This light¡¯s destination was Covenlord, which


    was incredibly far away from Bartham. Alter Landing, they had to make a connecting light back to


    Bartham


    Larissa¡¯s attitude was better than before. ¡°Yes.¡±


    As they walked to the boarding gate, Larissa suddenly stopped and held her stomach with pain written


    all over herce.


    N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    Edmund eyed her coldly and warned her. ¡°Don¡¯t start anything with me. If you want to go to the toilet


    wait until you¡¯re on the ne!¡±


    ¡°No Larissa frowned hard. ¡°My period is here, I think.¡±


    Edmund spent had a minute to understand what the hell a ¡®period¡± was. He ufortably turned away


    but his voice was still cold and t. ¡°Do you think I believe you? Even if it¡¯s already here, fucking hold it


    in for me!¡±


    Larissa gritted her teeth and tried her best to bear the pain. But the pain was so bad that she turned


    pale. She bent over and ended up crouching down in great pain. This attracted the attention of all the


    other travelers.


    An elderly Aldovian woman came over and asked kindly. ¡°Miss, what¡¯s wrong? Are you okay?¡±


    Larissa nced obviously at Edmund and waved her hand. She forced a smile out and said. ¡°It¡¯s


    alright! It¡¯s just period cramps.¡±


    The elderly woman looked sympathetic. ¡°Oh, my! Period cramps are very painful dear! She held


    Larissa¡¯s arm and asked. ¡°Do you need painkiler?¡±


    Larissa still waved her hand. ¡°It¡¯s alright, I don¡¯t need


    The woman could not let it go. ¡°I don¡¯t think youll be able to walk at all as you are now.¡±


    Hearing this. Edmund quickly ordered Larissa. ¡°Eat t.¡±


    Only then, did Larissa say, ¡°Okay.¡±


    The elderly woman helped Larissa up. ¡°Go sit over there, and get your husband to buy you a bottle of


    water.¡± She stared at Edmund after


    saying that


    Edmund heard thatst hall too. Even if he was unwilling, he still had to go because he was worried


    that people would notice that something was wrong. Before leaving, he said to Larissa, ¡°Don¡¯t run


    around. Walt for me right here.¡±


    The vending machine was not far from their seals.


    The moment Edmund walked a fair distance away, the woman¡¯sce changed at once. She pressed a


    phone into Larissa¡¯s hand and sald quietly. ¡®Go to the closest washroom. Someone¡¯s waiting for you


    there.¡±


    Although Larissa had not figured out what was going on, she did not dare waste time at all. She jumped


    up from her seal and raced to the


    closest washroom..


    Edmund¡¯s roar of rage came from behind her, ¡°Get back here, Larissal Do you think I won¡¯t fucking kill


    Wendy?¡±


    Larissa ignored his words and only slopped until she was in thedies¡® washroom. She leaned against


    her knees in exhaustion as she


    panted hard.


    words, ¡°Come out.¡±

 Chapter 866

    Chapter 866


    Chapter 866


    The number of the sender was a Caldorian one. Larissa had a name, but she was not sure I was really


    him. She shakily texted, ¡°Who are


    you?¡±


    The response was quick, ¡°Kevan Rogers.¡± As she expected.


    Larissa did not have the energy to wonder how he was here, but she only felt a sense of safety now. It


    was like she did not have to be afraid of anything when he was here.


    After she had taken care of her appearance in the mirror, Larissa only carefully walked out of the


    lemale washroom. There was no one outside. She could not see Kevan or Edmund.


    She was confused when someone grabbed her wrist and paled her into a cool hug. The famr smell


    surrounded Larissa, and she teared up almost immediately. All the fear disappeared and she turned to


    hug Kevan tightly around his waist.


    Kevan held her just as tightly, and he kept patting her back with one hand. His low and gentle voice


    sounded above her head. ¡°It¡¯s alright. It¡¯s alright now.¡±


    All the lensier in Larissa¡¯s brain snapped, and she buried her face in Kevan¡¯s chest and let herself sob,


    Having faked being strong for so long, she was really, really tired.


    Kevan leaned down to kiss her forehead. While sadness for her shed across his eyes, there was


    also a hint of dark crurity.


    There were not many people entering or exiting the washroom, but there were people anyway.


    Sometimes people would pass by and stare at this amazingly handsome and pretty couple.


    But most of them would not think much, they just thought it was a couple


    couple taking the chance to let out all their feelings before their Separation.


    Kevan stood there without moving. He waited for Larissa to finish crying before he held her face and


    wiped her tears with a tissue.


    ¡°Do you still fee. sad?¡± he asked her.


    Larissa bit her lip and shook her head. Her eyes were red and swollen. Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    ¡°Good.¡± Kevan int out the first smile today since they met. He led Larissa out while holding her hand.


    ¡°Lewis should be here. Let¡¯s go


    outside.¡±


    The big waiting room was still the same. Travelers were still s cattered across the entire ce. Edmund


    and his ck sut men were g


    though.


    Larissa asked, ¡®Where¡¯s Edmund? Did he get on the ne?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Kevan said coldly. ¡°He¡¯s on the way to the police station.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Larissa was very surprised. ¡°Did you call the police? How did you tell them? And his guys, did


    the police catch them too?


    ¡°Yeah, I told the pouce that my wife had been kidnapped. The police treated this realy seriously. His


    guys they must be on the way back to Caldor right now.¡± Kevan did not tell Lanssa the truth


    He would call the police, but not now. Before handing Edmund over to the police, Kewan nned to


    give Edmund a good lesson to teach him that there were some people that he could not touch.


    As for Edmund¡¯s guys, Kevan got people to take them all away. He could tell that they were not loyal to


    Edmund, otherwise they would not have stood there pretending to be idiots when Larissa escaped and


    let Edmund chase alter her in person.


    Kevan knew all too well where this ¡°disloyally¡¯ came from.

 Chapter 867

    Chapter 867


    Chapter 867


    ¡°Whew.¡± Larissa sighed in rellel. ¡°That¡¯s good, then.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Kevan raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°Actually, before we came to the: airport, I made a deal with Edmund¡¯s guys. As long as they let go of


    me, I would pay them double the money.¡± Larissa exined,


    ¡°So, you nned everything already?¡± Kevan suddenly did not feel so sessful anymore, inct, he


    felt a little discouraged. Even if he did not appear, she seemed to be able to protect herself.


    Larissa ligured out Kevan¡¯s thoughts from his frown and instantly dull eyes, so she immediately smiled


    and hugged his arm.


    ¡°Well not everything!¡± she said. ¡°To be honest I had no confidence at all in whether or not I could


    escape. If it weren¡¯t for the elderlydy you found to help you, I might still be dealing with Edmund.¡±


    Kevan¡¯sce looked a little better, and he even smiled.


    Larissa suddenly found that this weird man was rather easy to understand. Honestly, why did she think


    that he was cold and hard to get


    close to


    ¡°Speaking of which, how did you happen toe over too? Larissa did not think too deeply about it.


    She just thought everything was so very coincideria, and that she w as damn lucky as hell


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t a coincidence,¡± Kevan said. ¡°I knew that Edmund would fly back to Calder today.¡±


    The people he nted with Edmund had never been called back. When Edmund booked the fight


    tickets back to Bartham for himself and Larissa. Kevan lound out immediately.


    Il Edmund went back alone, Kevan might not have thought too much, but to bring Larissa along-


    Based on Kevan¡¯s understanding of Larissa, she would never willingly go with Edmund. So, rither


    Edmund got what he wanted, or he was moving into the next step of his n. No matter what it was.


    Kevan had to fly over in person to deal with him personally.


    ¡°I just got off the airne when I got Edmund¡¯s call and found out that he kidnapped you. So I never let


    the airport and was waiting for you suys here the wheir time.¡±


    Kevan knew everything about Edmund and Larissa¡¯s light. To prevent any idents, Kevan even


    bought a ticket for the same light.


    Thank goodness he managed to wait for them sessfully as well as rescue Larissa. He did not need


    to go all the way back to Calder and let both Cody and Edmund have the chance to unile against him.


    ¡°You¡¯re alone? Larissa asked.


    ¡°No.¡± Kevan naturally brought people along. Otherwise, he could not possibly get so many people


    under his control In such a short amount of time.


    Larissa stopped asking. Other details were not important t


    to her. Now, the most imp


    most impent thing to her was the still-unconscious Wendy.


    Lewis car was parked outside the airport. He was the only one there.


    Larissa apred. ¡°Where¡¯s Asler?


    ¡°I sent him to Uncle Gary¡¯s. Lewis was very cool to Larissa as he was unhappy, Larissa could naturally


    feel it too.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± she apologized honestly,


    Lewis eyed her coldly through the rearview mirror. There was no warmth in his eyes. ¡°What do you


    have to be sorry about? It¡¯s not like you nearly got me kiled anyway.¡±


    Larissa silently epted Lewis weirdness. She did not dare to retort at all.


    Kevan also acted like he was air. He turned to look outside and did not speak up for Larissa at all.


    when I end up in this kind of situation next time.¡±


    She had barely finished speaking when Kevan turned around suddenly to stare at her. He clearly


    enunciated every single word, ¡°There won¡¯t be a next lime.¡±Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

 Chapter 868

    Chapter 868


    It took some time to drive back into the center from the airport. In the middle of It, Lewis met up with a


    subordinate and told him to


    low Larissa¡¯s car away from the motel


    When they reached Maple Hotel, it was already 3 am. There were no hotel guests in the lobby, only


    uniformed hotel stall waiting for guests to show up


    The doorman was about to help guide them kindly when Larissa waved him off and exined their


    reasons foring. I¡¯m looking for your hotel¡¯s Administrative Manager, Wendy.¡±


    The smile on the doorman¡¯sce frone up as he backed away alertly. He anxiously caled for the lobby


    manager toe.


    As ¡°oldies¡± al the hotel Industry, Larissa naturally had met the lobby manager quite a len limes. The


    manager recognized Larissa and asked her. ¡®What brings you here?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m looking for Wendy,¡± Larissa replied.


    The lobby manager was aware of Larissa¡¯s friendship with Wendy, so he helped Larissa get a room


    card from the front desk. ¡°Just head up. I don¡¯t know if Wendy¡¯s awake already or not though.¡±


    Larissa jogged the whole way to Wendy¡¯s room. Her andety was firmly there and did not disappear until


    she was sure that Wendy was okay.


    The room door opened, and the room was dark. The cardholder already had a room card, so Larissa


    turned on the warm orange lights in the entryway that lit up the room.


    The thick and scht carpet silenced Larissa¡¯s footsteps, so her racing heartbeat and heavy breathing


    were rather obvious in the quiet.


    There was a human¨Cshaped bulge under the middle of the big white bed. Larissa llbloed over and


    managed to see Wendy¡¯sce using the weak light from the entryway.


    Larissa stood by the side of the bed, shakily reaching out. Even though she knew she was being


    paranoid. she sell carefully checked Wendy¡¯s breathing.


    Wendy¡¯s breathing was light but drawn out. It clearly showed that she was line now. Larissa held her


    chest and sat at the head of the bed. All the energy that had been supporting her all this time vanished


    at once.


    Kevan was guarding the door, When he heard nothing, he poked his head around the corner of the


    entryway. is Wendy okay?¡±


    ¡°Well Larissa had no idea if Wendy was really okay. ¡°She¡¯s alive. Iquess.¡±


    Kevan was struck silent by her answer. Then he asked, ¡°Want to take Wendy away?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    The hotel was sale enough. To ¡°move¡± Wendy back home was only creating more trouble than reeded.


    ¡°Ill stay here with her.¡±


    Lewis had sent Aster to Gary¡¯s anyway. Larissa had no reason to rush home.


    ¡°Fine.¡± Keven did not object. ¡®Till go downstairs and get another room. It¡¯ll be next door to you. Just call


    me if you need anything.¡±


    Larissa pressed her lips together as she stared slently at Kevan with aplicated expression in her


    eyes.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Kevan asked.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Al of Larissa¡¯s feelings ended up turning into these two words.


    Kevan¡¯s face darkened angrily though. ¡°Ill give you another chance lo speak properly.¡±


    Larissa frowned as she thought about it. Then, she slowly said, ¡°5 Sony?¡±


    Kevan¡¯sce grew even darker. He turned and tell wiroul saying anything.

 Chapter 869

    Chapter 869


    Larissa quickly showered and got back into her clothes. Shey down in a corner of the bed and dared


    not to take up too much space.


    She did not turn off the light. She woke up every half an hour to observe Wendy¡¯s condition. Thankfully,


    other than the fact that Wendy was still uncerscious, she was fine.


    Larissa slept very badly that night. After who knew how long, she suddenly heard a noise beside her. It


    was very light like the person was purposely trying not to wake her up.


    Larissa did not sleep very deeply, so she opened her eyes immediately. Wendy, who had been lying


    down, was now hall sitting up. She had peeled back a part of the sheets and had one og down the bed.


    They stared at each other for a few seconds before Wendy said. ¡°Did I wake you? Her voice was dry


    and hoarse, maybe from theck of water, though it was hard to tell.


    ¡°No.¡± Larissa brushed her hair away from herrehead as she got up too. ¡°How are you feeling? She


    asked with concem, ¡®Do you feel bad? What do you feel right now?¡±


    ¡°Dizzy, thirsty, hungry. That¡¯s all Wendy¡¯s response was simple.


    ¡°Go brush up. 11l get someone to send up lood, Larissa picked up the telephone at the bedside table


    as she spoke.


    While Wendy was brushing up. Larissa had everything arranged. It was only 8 am when she checked


    the time. She immediately


    ly gave u the idea of waking Kevan.


    Wendy washed off her tiredness and came out of the bathroom energetically. Compared to her. Larissa


    seemed to be the one in danger, the one who barely escaped death-though this was kinda urate as


    well,


    ¡°Aster¡¯s okay, right? Wendy asked Larissa, She Icked her lips and continued regretful. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to


    leave him there by himsell yesterday.¡±


    ¡°I know. He¡¯s line.¡± Larissa did not n to tell Wendy about what happened yesterday. She opened a


    bottle of mineral water and passed it over to Wendy. ¡®Do you want to drink some water?¡±


    Wendy epted it and drank a huge mouthlul Her throat felt better. ¡°Still-¡± She looked around like she


    was looking for clues. ¡°How did I get here?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t remember anything? Larissa asked her back.


    Wendy shook her head. ¡°I only remember meeting Edmund outside the toilet yesterday, He said he


    wanted to talk to me about the baby


    I wasn¡¯t going to go with him originally, but he lied to me and said that Aster was in his car. If I didn¡¯t


    cooperate with him, he wouldn¡¯t give Aster back¡­


    Wendy clenched her fists and looked sad and angry.


    Larissa held Wendy¡¯s hand to signal to her to rx a bit. Wendy held Larissa¡¯s hand back and let out a


    big breath.


    ¡°Later, he lock me to a cafe near the mall. I told him I would abort the baby and that he did not have to


    care. But he disagreed then don¡¯t remember what happened next. He must have drugged my drink to


    make me sleep until now.¡±


    Larissa grunted in response. This was considered a confirmation of her own thoughts. ¡°Edmund got


    you here. He was taken away by the police yesterday.¡±


    Wendy was both surprised and not surprised. Larissa delinitely took some action to be able to lind her.


    But ¡°calling the police seemed a little too much, Wendy felt bad. ¡°Actually, you didn¡¯t have to call the


    police, he didn¡¯t really hurt me anyway


    Wendy did not understand the full truth. She thought Edmund just drugged her and brought her to the


    hotel


    Larissa¡¯s eyed twitched as she asked Wendy, ¡°You can¡¯t possibly still have leelings for him can you?¡±


    Wendy looked down sitently for a while before she admitted. ¡°I did like him bre,¡¯ But she could not


    forgive his cheating. So, she would forget him slowly until she felt nothing for him again.


    Larissa did not know what to say. She fell bad for Wendy, so she could only hold it in even if she really


    wanted to expose Edmund¡¯s true


    Lari


    Wendy looked up at her friend and


    and begged. ¡°Can you get the police to let him go?¡±Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

 Chapter 870

    Chapter 870


    Chapter 870


    N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    It was impossible to get the police to let go of Edmund. But in such a situation, Larissa could not


    directly reject Wendy. She could only pretend. ¡°I can¡¯t decide on this. We¡¯ll have to see how the police


    deal with this. He did kidnap you after all¡±


    Wendy¡¯s shoulders slumped with disappointment. After a long while, she asked Larissa, ¡°Then can you


    take me to see him? I have something I want to ask him still.¡±


    Larissa did not want to let Wendy meet Edmund, If the man leaked anything she did not know how to


    continue this nice lie she had going for now. ¡°I¡¯ll ask. I guess.¡± She fudged it over. All she needed to tell


    Wendyter was ¡°no.¡±


    Before they finished breakfast, Kevan came over to knock on the door. He had changed his clothes and


    he looked perfect.


    ¡°Why are you up so early? Larissa was very surprised.


    ¡°Jetg. I couldn¡¯t sleep,¡± Kevan did not enter the room. He only handed over the paper bag he had to


    Larissa. ¡°Clean clothes.¡±


    Larissa held the paper bag in her arms and stepped aside to let Kevan in. ¡°Are


    e you hungry? We¡¯re having breakfast.¡±


    ¡°Carry on.¡± Kevan did not ept the offer as Wendy was in the room. ¡°I just go down and eat


    something. Call me when you want to leave.


    ¡°Eh¨CMr. Rogers? Wendy stuck her head out to look when she heard his voice. ¡°Howe you¡¯re


    here?¡± She was very surprised. ¡°When did youe? Want to join us for breakfast?¡±


    Kevan smiled at her. ¡°Got herest night.¡± He did not say anything else.


    *Then hurry down!¡± Larissa urged him. ¡°Anyter and the restaurant will be closed.¡±


    Kevan was not any better than Larissa as he had been up with her all night too. ¡°Okay.¡± Kevan nodded


    and reminded her again. ¡°Don¡¯t forget to call me.¡±


    Larissa closed the door and went back inside with the paper bag with her.


    Wendy asked her through a muffled voice due to her eating a piece of toast. ¡°Has Mr. Rogers finished


    dealing with his stuff in Caldor? Will he still leave after this?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Larissa took out the clothes from the paper bag. ¡°He didn¡¯t tell me.¡±


    ¡°Then do you know what he¡¯s here for?¡± Wendy asked again.


    ¡°Maybe he misses Aster.¡± Larissa calmly changed her clothes.


    Wendy tsked a few times. ¡°Your man is sure rich and bored!¡±


    Larissa did not respond.


    Kevan got a car from who knew where, and he sent Larissa and Wendy home.


    Wendy said, ¡°Send me back to my apartment.¡±


    Larissa red at Wendy and rejected her request at once. ¡°How am I supposed to be okay with you at


    home alone like this?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not a child anymore!¡± Wendy rolled her eyes. ¡°Besides, I don¡¯t want to be a third wheel, okay?¡±


    Larissa automatically looked at Keyan, who was driving. Her face was a little red, ¡°I don¡¯t care. You will


    live with us.¡± Larissa could not rxpletely.


    Although Edmund had been caught, she could not guarantee that he would not lind other people to


    larget Wendy again.


    ¡°Mr. Rogers¨CWendy turned pleadingly to Kevan. But he said calmly, ¡°I will listen to Larissa.¡±

 Chapter 871

    Chapter 871


    Chapter 871


    In despair. Wendy slumped in the backseat and said through gritted teeth, ¡°Alright! You brought this


    upon yourselves. Don¡¯t me me if I ruin your private timeter!¡±


    Wendy was going to sleep in the guest roo


    troom. Before returning to her room, she reminded Larissa, ¡°Remember to ask on my behall!¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Larissa agreed. As soon as she turned around, her face darkened.


    Kevan had been with her all this time. He noticed that something was oll. He pulled her into the nearest


    study. ¡°What did Wendy ask you


    to inquire aboul?


    Larissa didn¡¯t hide it. ¡°She wants to meet Edmud. She still has feelings for him


    ¡°Do you want to let her meet him? If you do. I¡¯ll arrange for it.¡± Kevan was serious.


    N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    ¡°No! I hope they never meet again for the rest of their Ives Larissa replied.


    *She trailed off with a sigh.


    Kevan smiled and said, ¡°Alright, I need to go outter. I might not be back untilte at night. Don¡¯t make


    dinner for me.¡±


    ¡°Where are you going? The police bureau? Larissa asked.


    ¡°Yes, I need to give a statement¡± Kevan answered.


    ¡°What about me? Don¡¯t I need to go? Larissa was a genuine victim in this case. ording to protocol,


    she should also be present.


    ¡°You stay home and apany Wendy, I¡¯ll go. Both you and Wendy should stay home during this


    period.¡±


    Kevan reached out and stroked her face. The touch from his fingertips filled his heart with warmth. It


    dispelled his lingering fears.


    Larissa knew what he was worried about, so sheplied. ¡°Thene back soon. Be sale on the


    road.¡±


    Kevan did not go to the police bureau but drove out of the city. He drove for a long time bre stopping


    outside a farm


    He had purchased this farm along with several properties within the city. He was attracted to it due to


    itsrge area and good environment. Kevan nned to convert the farmhouse into a vacation home in


    the future after getting a contractor to rebuild it.


    Before the actual construction could begin the entire farm was deserted. Not a single person could be


    seen on the empty and. On the farm, there was a barn that had been unused for many years.


    At this moment, the old wooden door of the bar was half¨Cclosed. Cries of agony could be heard from


    inside the barn through the gap.


    Kevan pushed the door open and entered. Rays of sunlight flooded in, brightening up the entire barn.


    Several people were suspended by ropes and hurg from the central beam of the barn. The cries of


    agony wereing from them.


    Surrounding them were another group of men. They were all dressed differently, but each of them had


    a baseball bat made from metal in


    their hands.


    When Kevan entered, the group of men greeted him respectfully. ¡°Mr. Rogers!¡±


    Kevan did not reply. He walked over to one of the ropes.


    The unconscious man hanging from that particr rope seemed to be most severely injured, His


    blood¨Cstained clothes were in tallers, exposing the numerous wounds and scars on his skin. His face


    was also streaked with ce, masking his original features.


    Someone handed Kevan a baseball bat. With ace devoid of expression, he swung it and struck the


    man¡¯s right leg heavily.


    The man cried out in pain and opened his eyes. It was Edmund


    When he saw Kewan, a look of fear appeared on hisce, Struggling, he pleaded, ¡°Kevan, I know what


    I did wrong! I am at fault! Please, let me go! Considering we¡¯re rtives, spare my lileli will nevery a


    hand on Larissa ever again! I will also tell Cody to stop provoking you! Just let me go, Kevan. I¡¯m


    begging you!¡±

 Chapter 872

    Chapter 872


    Chapter 872


    The force from Kevan¡¯s swing caused Edmund to sway back and forth.


    His right leg seemed to be broken. It hung limply in contrast to his left leg which was straight


    ¡°Kevan!¡±


    He continued crying out with tears rolling down his cheeks. His tears left clean tracks on his blood¨C


    stainedce.


    Kevan frowned in disgust. Thave given you mull pe chances.¡±


    His return to Caldor was the first chance he had given Edmund. The second was when he¡¯d


    orchestrated Edmund¡¯s and Wendy,


    N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    If Edmund had been sensible enough to abandon his ns and face him like a man. Kevan wouldn¡¯t


    have resorted to this.


    ¡°Still you did not appreciate my kindness. As Kevan said those words, he took another swing at


    Edmund¡¯s left leg.


    Edmund screamed in pain and tears fell uncontrosty.


    ¡°Kevan, spare me! Please, it hurts so much! I¡¯m going to die


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t let you die. I¡¯ll make you wish that you were dead instead,¡± Kevan said with a


    sinister smile.


    Edmund widened his eyes in shock.


    He had heard of how Kevan dealt with his enemies. However, due to the graphic cruelty, he had never


    believed those rumors.


    Now it seemed that those stories were true.


    breakup.


    ¡°If you let me go, I will support you in your light against Cody! I have evidence of all the shady things


    he¡¯s done. With my help, he will rot in


    jail for life and never harm you again!¡± Edmund made an offer.


    ¡°Really?¡± Kevan ra sed his eyebrows, seemingly interested in what he said.


    Edmund seized the opportunity, ¡°Kevan, believe me! III deceive you, you can always capture me and


    torture me again.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I believe you. However, I also have all the evidence that you im to have.¡± Kevan smirked,


    but his gaze was stone cold.


    He had ples of evidence stashed away in his office, including evidence that Edmund didn¡¯t have.


    It wasn¡¯t difficult to put Cody in jail. The challenge was to uproot the powers that supported Cody and


    purge the evil forces within Soaring


    Corporation.


    This was Grandfather¡¯s dying wish.


    Edmund was in despair.


    an animal.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need your help in dealing with Cody. I only want to know one thing.¡± Kevan toyed with Edmund


    as if he were an a


    ¡°What is it?¡± Edmund clung to this line.


    Whenever Kevan thought about Old Mr. Rogers, he struggled to control his emal ons.


    With a lump in his throat, Kevan asked, ¡°Was Cody involved in Grandfather¡¯s death?¡±


    Edmund hadn¡¯t expected Kevan to bring this up. His gaze wavered out of guilt.


    Kevan had already draw his conclusions.


    ¡°Are you not going to talk? Kevan grinned and raised his bat.


    Edmund broke down and confessed, ¡°Yes, it was Cody¡¯s doing! Grandfather was poisoned by him! He


    also tampered with Grandfather¡¯s


    will.


    ¡°Grandfather had nned to pass down Soaring Corporation to you I can be a witness for you, so Cody


    will have to return Soaring Corporation to you!t will make sure he retums everything, including the


    Regal Dynasty Holel.¡±

 Chapter 873

    Chapter 873


    Chapter 873


    ¡°Alright.¡± Kevan nodded and took out his phone.


    He pointed the phone camera toward Edmund and said, ¡°Repeat what you said.¡±


    N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    In a hurry, Edmund repeated his confession in case Kevan changed his mind.


    Aber recording the video, Kevan told his men, ¡°Release them and bring them to the police bureau.¡±


    Edmund was stunned, When he got himsell together, he cursed, ¡°Didn¡¯t you agree to let me go? Kevan,


    you r! You will meet a terrible end!¡±


    Kevan remained nonchnt.


    ¡°I have already let you off the hook. If it weren¡¯t for this, you would have lost your life today.¡± He waved


    the phone in his hand.


    With that, he discarded the baseball bat, which was stained with Edmund¡¯s blood.


    Kevan turned around and lett.


    Edmund was ranting behind him, ¡°Kevan, you heartless bastard! It¡¯s all because of you that Lanssa


    suffered so much! You are se shameless!


    ¡°You married Larissa even though you imed to love Ruby! You even had a child with Ruby, but now


    you won¡¯t let Larissa go! You are a greedy and despicable scumbag!


    ¡°Because of you, two innocent women were harmed. No, it¡¯s


    It¡¯s three women! You are the one who brought this upon Wendy too!¡±


    Kevan stopped in his tracks, but only for less than a second. He pursed his lips and continued striding


    away.


    There was not a speck of dirt on him. SIL Kevan¡¯s obsession with cleanliness red up due to close


    contact with Edmund.


    Before returning home, he went to Lewis¡® ce to shower and change into a new set of clothes.


    Lewis didn¡¯t know what Kevan had been doing. Still he guessed that it was rted to Edmund.


    ¡°That person¡°..


    Did you take care of him? Lewis assed.


    Kevan was busy wping his wet hair and didn¡¯t ever lock up. ¡°I sent him to the police.¡±


    ¡°You sent him to the police? That¡¯s too lenient.¡±


    Lewis was dissatisfied with how he handled things.


    ¡°I broke his legs as well¡± Kevan added.


    ¡°That¡¯s not enough. You are being too kind. That¡¯s why those people hurt Lari repeatedly.¡±


    Lewis was displeased and his tone became stein.


    Kevan was silent for a moment before replying, ¡°It¡¯s not that I¡¯m kind.¡±


    He had too many concerns and didn¡¯t want to reveal his trump card so soon.


    Soaring Corporation was weak and bound to topple to the ground, but it was still a bigpany


    nheless.


    The shareholders of the corporation would do everything they could to support Cody in an attempt to


    protect Soaring Corporation and their own wealth, despite despising Cody.


    They were all in the same boat. If Cody were toll the shareholders would lose their status in Soaring


    Corporation ence Kevan took over.


    inparson to Cody, they were more cautious about leaving any trace of their evil deeds beltind.


    Kevan had sound many years gathering evidence. Mas, he didn¡¯t have the confidence to wipe them all


    out in one go.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care about the reason why you¡¯re like this. Since you can¡¯t protect Lark then stay away from


    her.¡±


    Lewis had lost his trust in Kevan after what happened yesterday.


    1/2


    her, but it wouldn¡¯t be for long.


    ¡°She is the heiress of Blue Star Shipping and our princess. Larissa will have a constant stream of men


    pursuing her. She can have her pick. There¡¯s bound to be one or two she might like.¡±

 Chapter 874

    Chapter 874


    Chapter 874


    It was already past 11:00 pm when Kevan came back home.


    As expected, the living room was dark.


    Larissa and Wendy were probably sleeping.


    He moved as quietly as possible to avoid waking Larissa. He decided to sleep in one of the guest


    rooms.


    s, as he walked past the study, a light switched on behind him.


    ¡°Where are you going? Larissa came out from the study, still dressed in her loungewear. Her shoulder¨C


    length hair was tied up into a ponytail which swayed as she moved.


    She was staring at Kevan, puzzled.


    Kevan backtracked when he heard her voice. ¡°I thought you had gone to sleep. I was going to sleep in


    the guest room.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still doing some work. Go and wash up in the bedroom. I will turn off theputer ande along


    later.¡± Larissa said in a tired voice. rubbing her eyes. She was exhausted from staring at documents all


    night.


    Kevan looked past her shoulders and his gazended on therge desk in the study.


    Before he left the desk was empty. Now, it was stacked with documents. Herputer was on


    disying rows of numbers from the reports.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Kevan smiled and turned to leave. Suddenly, Larissa grabbed his hand.


    ¡°Why are your hands so cold?¡± She gasped at the coldness of Kevan¡¯s hands.


    Larissa knew that Kevan had a lower body temperature than normal. His hands always felt cold


    throughout the year. However, his hands were freezing to the touch.


    It was far from normal. It felt as if he had immersed his hands in ice water or exposed his bare hands to


    cold winds.


    Kevan withdrew his hand from her warm grasp.


    ¡°It¡¯s cold outside. That¡¯s why my hands are freezing. It will be okay once I take a shower,¡± he replied.


    Larissa frowned, doubting his exnation.


    She had left the house today. It was not that cold,


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is there something else?¡± Kevan asked.


    Larissa remembered what she was going to ask. ¡°Did you smoke?¡±


    The smell of cigarettes on him wasn¡¯t that strong, but her sense of smell was as keen as a dog. If she


    got close enough, she could smell it


    ¡°Are things not going well?¡± Larissa asked.


    Kevan rarely smoked. From what she could remember, he had only smoked a handful of times.


    Her first thought was that something was bothering him.


    Currently, the only thing that could bother him to such an extent was Edmund.


    ¡°No. It¡¯s just that some problems have cropped up back in Calder.¡± Kevan denied it and came up with


    an excuse so that she would believe


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    him


    Larissa was silent for a few seconds. An expression of guilt appeared on her face


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s because of me that you had to be in two ces at once,¡± she said.


    Kevan patted her head andforted her. ¡°What are you saying? This happened because of me. Both


    of you are involved in this because of me as well. If anyone should apologize, I should apologize to you


    and Wendy.¡±


    1/2


    He chuckled with glee when she rolled her eyes at him.


    ¡°Alright let¡¯s not apologize anymore. I¡¯ll go take a shower and you tidy up,¡± Kevan said.


    Larissa turned off theputer and straightened the documents on her desk. As she turned off the


    lights and left the study, she saw a disheveled figure with long hair.


    ¡°Ah!¡± Larissa was startled and took a step back. When she recognized Wendy¡¯sce, she pressed her


    hand to her chest to calm her racing. heart.


    ¡°What are you doing in the middle of the night? You scared me to death? sheined.


    Wendy hung her head. Usually, she would have retorted or rushed up to Larissa to scare her.


    Wendy replied in a weak voice. ¡°I¡¯m thirsty, so I came out to get some water.¡±


    Larissa asked, ¡°Are you okay?¡±

 Chapter 875

    Chapter 875


    Chapter 875


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Wendy said.


    Ignoring Larissa, she walked toward the kitchen like a ghost.


    Larissa froze for a minute before returning to her room.


    Why was everyone acting so strangely today?


    Larissa changed into her nightgown and got into bed. She turned off the lights in the bedroom, only


    leaving a dim bedsidemp on.


    The sound of running water from the bathroom stopped.


    After a while, a light shone from the bathroom.


    Then the light went out


    The sound of footsteps gradually approached her.


    Larissa couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Why did you take such a quick shower today?¡±


    Kevan was a clean freak. He would usually spend at least hall an hour in the shower every day.


    It had been less than 15 minutes in total from the time he left the study until now.


    Kevan didn¡¯t expect her to observe him so closely, but her question didn¡¯t catch him off guard.


    ¡°I took a shower in the hotel this moming. It¡¯s gettingte and I¡¯m a little tired. I want to get some rest


    early.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see.¡± Larissa epted his answer.


    Kevan got under the covers. The next second, Larissa felt his warm body pressing up against her back.


    Kevan held her within his embrace and draped his arm on her waist.


    He covered the back of her hand with his palm and intertwined his fingers with hers.


    Kevan buried his face in the curve of her neck and took a deep breath. The scent of roses filled his


    nostrils. He missed the intimacy they shared before. He would never let her go again,


    ¡°If your father and Lewis don¡¯t approve of us being together.¡± Kevan¡¯s husky voice echoed in Larissa¡¯s


    ear as his hot breath warmed the delicate skin behind her neck.


    Larissa stiffened in an instant, her mind nk.


    After a long while, Larissa broke the silence by asking. ¡°What did you just say?


    Her voice was as uptight as her rigid body.


    Kevan was well aware that she hadn¡¯t heard what he said.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Now that the moment had passed, he didn¡¯t have the courage to repeat the question.


    Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    ¡°Go to sleep,¡± he said, closing his eyes.


    After Kevan returned, he took on the responsibility of making breakfast once again.


    He got up an hour earlier than Larissa. While he was busy in the kitchen, he noticed Wendy all dressed


    up and preparing to leave.


    Wendy didn¡¯t expect Kevan to be in the kitchen at this time. When she met his gaze, she was stunned


    for a lew seconds.


    Kevan noticed the shock and worry on her face. Discreetly, he asked, ¡°Ms. Simmons, why are you


    leaving so early in the morning?¡±


    He remembered Larissa telling him that Wendy had taken a leave of absence from work. She was


    walling for the doctor¡¯s approval to undergo the abortion.


    Since she didn¡¯t have to go to work, there wasn¡¯t a reason for her to leave so early.


    1/2


    ¡°Is it alright for you to go alone? I¡¯ll wake Larissa so that she can keep youpany.¡±


    Putting down the spat in his hand, Kevan took off his apron and made a move to walk cut of the


    kitchen


    ¡°There¡¯s no need! The doctor¡¯s clinic is not too far from here, I can go by mysell. There¡¯s no need to


    trouble Larissa!¡± Wendy stopped Kevan in a hurry.

 Chapter 876

    Chapter 876


    Chapter 876


    Wendy hurried away before Kevan had the chance to awaken Larissa. She ran all the way to the


    elevator.


    In fact, she did have an appointment with the doctor for a checkup. Still, that was scheduled in the


    afternoon.


    She went out without Larissa¡¯s and Kevan¡¯s knowledge for another important maller.


    Having lived and worked in Westonia for almost ten years, Wendy had built up a smallwork of


    friends.


    Although it wasn¡¯t extensive, it was sufficient for what she needed.


    After inquiring from her friends, she found out that Edmund was receiving treatment at the hospital. He


    was heavily injured after being


    brought to the police station.


    She also had someone speak to an officer in charge of this case. Wendy was granted 15 minutes to


    speak with Edmund as a family


    member of the patient.


    N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    Wendy thought that Edmund fought back during the process of being arrested. So, it wasn¡¯t surprising


    that he sustained some injuries.


    When she saw his body wrapped in bandages from head to toe, it took a while for her to recover from


    the shock.


    Edmund¡¯s current condition did not pose a risk to anyone. The officer gave them some privacy and


    stood guard outside.


    Wendy was unable to ept that Edmund was severely injured. She inched to the side of his bed.


    Her eyes were wide and filled with tears.


    ¡°You¡± She struggled to speak. Although it had been a day, her voice was still somewhat hoa rse.


    Edmund¡¯s legs were both broken, so the doctor gave him an injection for the pain. His eyes remained


    open, but his mind was still


    confused.


    It took a lot of effort for Edmund to recognize Wendy.


    Parting his lips. he called out her name weakly. ¡°Wendy?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s me!¡± Wendy replied. When she got closer, she noticed his paleplexion and the wounds on his


    face.


    His lips were cracked and bl oody in several ces, covered in scabs.


    ¡°How are you?¡± she asked. After all, she had genuinely liked him. Even though he had done some


    things that hurt her, she was still upset.


    Edmund closed his eyes for a moment. As it gathering thest ounce of his strength, he squeezed out


    an apology, ¡°I¡¯m sorry


    Tears fell from Wendy¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright!¡± She took a step forward and held his hand. ¡°I will go to the police stationter and tell them


    that Lari made a mistake!


    ¡°You didn¡¯t do any harm to me! As long as I drop the case, they will let you go! When that happens, go


    back to Caldor and live your life well.


    You don¡¯t have toe back here!¡±


    It took some time for Edmund to process what Wendy said.


    Larissa and Kevan seemed to have kept some of the truth from Wendy. It wasn¡¯t hard to guess why.


    A cunning look appeared in Edmund¡¯s eyes before he put on an expression of grief.


    He lowered his gaze and sighed.


    ¡°Unfortunately, even if you drop the case, those two friends of yours won¡¯t let me off the hook.¡±


    He was obviously referring to Larissa and Kevan, Wendy couldn¡¯t think of anyone else.


    ¡°That¡¯s not true! They are very good peoplet As long as I exin everything to them, they will definitely


    understand!¡± Wendy defended


    them.


    Edmund chuckled. ¡°You¡¯re just too kind and innocent.¡±

 Chapter 877

    Chapter 877


    Chapter 877


    Wendy was taken aback. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Edmund locked up and gazed into Wendy¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°There¡¯s actually something I have never told you.¡±


    Wendy¡¯s heart almost stopped.


    She had a hunch that what Edmund was about to say had something to do with Larissa and Kevan.


    Wendy had overheard their conversation outside the studyst night.


    That was why she had rushed to meet Edmund.


    She was eager to know the truth and not be the only person kept in the dark,


    ¡°Kevan is my cousin. Our fathers are brothers.¡±


    At this moment. Wendy suddenly felt foolish.


    Edmund and Kevan had the same surname.


    They also locked a little simr.


    Still she never once connected the two together.


    ¡°Then?¡± She fidgeted with the hem of her clothes


    Edmund put on a sorrowful expression. ¡°After my grandfather died, he left thepany to my elder


    brother. Since then. Kevan held


    grudge against both of us. He saw us as a target and oppressed us.


    ¡°When he found out that we got together, he had someone drug me and staged a scere in front of you.


    He made you believe that I cheated on you so that you¡¯d break up with me.


    ¡°Wendy, you have to believe me! I care about you, I haven¡¯t done anything to hurt your


    He put on such an emotional performance that he almost choked on his own saliva.


    Edmund coughed, causing his body to shiver.


    The pained expression on his face moved Wency¡¯s heart with pity.


    *Take your time¡± Wendy wanted to pat his back, but she was afraid that she would cause him more


    pain.


    In the end, she didn¡¯t dare touch him and could only stand by helplessly.


    It took a while for Edmund topose himself. He continued, ¡°These injuries were caused by Kevan.


    He warned me to stay away from Larissa and to not harbor any ill intentions toward her. Still ¨C


    He turned to Wendy with a fervent gaze. ¡°The only reason I stayed in Westonia was because of you


    and our child.


    ¡°Wendy, I love you. I wish to live with you and our child. I want to create a happy family with you.¡±


    Edmund¡¯s gaze fell on Wendy¡¯s t stomach.


    Wendy held onto his hand and ced her other hand on her stomach. She had a determined lock in


    her eyes. ¡°I will exin everything to Lan and M. Rogers. Then, I will go to the police station to drop the


    case.


    ¡°Take care of yourself, I wille and apany you along with our child.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Edmund managed to force a smile.


    Fifteen minutes passed. The officer opened the door and reminded Wendy, ¡°Time¡¯s un,¡±


    Wendy left reluctantly. Before she walked up, she assured Edmund, ¡°You¡¯ll be line, I promise.¡±


    Wendy drove to the police station.


    N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    10


    s, the officer rejected her request.


    ¡°Ms. Simmons, you are not the person who led the report. We will only drop charges if the person who


    filed the report came in person.¡±


    ¡°My friend filed the report because she thought that Edmund had kidnapped me! I can prove that I


    wasn¡¯t kidnapped. Can¡¯t the charges be dropped in this case?¡± Wendy said.


    ¡°Something doesn¡¯t add up. Is your friend Kevan Rogers?¡± The officer flipped through the file.


    Although Wendy couldn¡¯t understand why it was Kevan who had reported the case, she nodded. ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°When Mr. Rogers reported the case, he told us that his fianc¨¦e was kidnapped. You aren¡¯t his fianc¨¦e,


    aren¡¯t you?¡±

 Chapter 878

    Chapter 878


    Chapter 878


    Of course. Wendy knew that she wasn¡¯t Kevan¡¯snc¨¦e.


    Still, Kevan¡¯s fianc¨¦e. When had Edmund ever kidnapped Larissa before?


    This unexpected news left Wendy stunned at the spot.


    ¡°Wait a moment, let me call my friend.¡±


    After recovering from the shock, she took out her phone with trembling hands.


    The officer gestured for her to go ahead.


    Wendy stumbled out of the office and found a quiet spot in the corridor,


    Leaning against the wall she dialed Larissa¡¯s number.


    ¡°Wendy? Are you done with your check-up?¡± Larissa¡¯s voice was heard at the other end of the call


    ¡°Not yet.¡± Wendy¡¯s throat tightened up.


    She wanted to demand an exnation from Larissa about the situation.


    Still, Wendy hesitated when she remembered what Edmund had said to her at the hospital.


    It wasn¡¯t that she didn¡¯t believe the years of friendship between her and Larissa. She did not doubt


    Kevan¡¯s character either.


    Still it was public knowledge that the Rogers family were at odds with each other.


    Reports on the media back in Caldor were aligned with what Edmund had said.


    Moreover, she had heard about Kevan¡¯s cruel methods in the business world.


    He was known to eliminate his rivalls without mercy.


    Given the current situation, there was no doubt that Larissa would be on his side.


    Even if she pressed Larissa for an answer, Larissa would only give her the same reply as the police


    officer had.


    Seeing as Wendy remained silent, Larissa grew anxious.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Where are you right now? Ie to find your


    ¡°I¡¯m fine! I¡¯m just a little scared,¡± Wendy assured her before continuing, ¡°Lari What if I said that I don¡¯t


    want to abort this child?¡±


    Larissa¡¯s heart sank.


    rm bells were ringing in her head. ¡°Why?¡±


    She tried to keep her voice calm as she didn¡¯t want to add any pressure on Wendy.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been carrying him for so long.¡± Wendy lowered her head and stared at her feet.


    She was trying toe up with an excuse that Larissa would ept


    ¡°Although Edmund is a sc umbag, I can¡¯t bear to part with my baby, Besides, didn¡¯t you also give birth


    to Aster even when you thought that his father vited you?¡±


    Larissa never thought that Wendy would bring this up.


    Still, Wendy¡¯s reasoning was sound, Larissa couldn¡¯t think of a good rebuttal


    Although Larissa was reluctant, she relented, ¡°If you really want to have the child, then keep it.¡±


    Since Wendy had supported her in the past, she would do the same for Wendy now. She would stand


    by her and support every decision


    she made.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be your child¡¯s godmother and help you raise him.¡±


    Even though Wendy had learned everything, she couldn¡¯t me Larissa, let alone hale her.


    She liked Edmund, but Larissa had been her best frend for over a decade.


    They relied on each other and supported each other through the darkest times of their lives.


    ¡°I want to talk to you. Just the both of us. Come over now and don¡¯t tell Mr. Rogers.¡± Werdy sent her an


    address.


    Kevan had heard Larissa taking the call. To avoid invading her privacy. Kevan kept his distance.


    When he saw her staring nkly at the emply phone screen, he couldn¡¯t contain his curiosity,


    ¡°Was it Werdy? Did she go to the doctor?¡±


    Larissa was startled when he suddenly came close, almost dropping the phone from her hands.


    ¡°Yes, she did.¡± Larissa rested her hand on her chest to calm her racing heart,


    She didn¡¯t want Kevan to see through her lies. So, she tumed her face in another direction. ¡°Wendy


    said that s


    I she was scared and wanted me to apany her.¡±


    As Larissa spoke, she got up and went to the bedroom, Ineed to get changed.¡±


    Kevan followed behind her. ¡°I¡¯lle with you.¡±


    Larissa stepped in her tracks and turned around to re at him.N?velDrama.Org is the owner.

 Chapter 879

    Chapter 879


    Chapter 879


    N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    He was almost a head taller than her.


    Every time they got close, she found it difficult to converse with hi


    ¡°It¡¯s a gynecology clinic! There¡¯s no reason for a man like you to be there!¡±


    Kevan retorted confidently. ¡°Are there no men who apany their wives to that clinic?


    ¡°Are you going there to apany your wife, then?¡± Larissa asked.


    ¡°Yep.¡± Kevan nodded with amusement in his eyes.


    Larissa blushed under his intense gaze. She pushed him away in embarrassment. ¡°In any case, you


    are not allowed to go!¡±


    Kevan tried topromise. ¡°Let me send you to the entrance. I won¡¯t go in, what do you think?¡±


    Seeing as Larissa was going to reject him once more, he added. ¡°You just had an incident. I¡¯m worried


    about you.¡±


    was evident that he was concemed. Moreover, he had already adopted a lower stance.


    If it weren¡¯t for Wendy¡¯s strict instructions to not tell Kevan Larissa would have given in to his


    persuasion.


    ¡°That won¡¯t work either. Walt at home. We will return soon,¡± she said with firm resolve.


    The tense standoff continued for some time.


    In terms of being stubborn, Kevan was on par with Larissa. Still he felt that there was no need to insist


    at this moment.


    ¡°Alright¡± Kevan took a step back and conceded. ¡°Go now so that you can return early. Call me when


    you get there to let me know you are


    safe.¡±


    Wendy chose to meet Larissa at a cale near the clinic.


    She sat by the window with a cup of hot coffee in her hands, staring nkly at the people hurrying past.


    Larissa caught sight of her and walked over.


    She waved her hand in front of Wendy¡¯s face and asked, ¡°What are you staring at?¡±


    Wendy redirected her gaze and squeezed out a forceful smile. ¡°You came quickly.¡±


    Larissa sat down on the s across from Wendy and got straight to the point, ¡°What do you want to


    talk about? You¡¯re being so mysterious by insisting on discussing this face to face.¡±


    Before Larissa arrived, Wendy had prepared herself mentally and came up with several drafts in her


    mind as to how she would breach the


    topic.


    She mustered her courage and spoke to Larissa, ¡°Actually, I didn¡¯t go to the doctor¡¯s this morning. My


    appointment is in the attemoon.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Then why did you go out so early in the morning?¡± Larissa was puzzled.


    She had heard what happened that morning from Kevan.


    Although Kevan mentioned that Wendy seemed a little odd, Larissa hadn¡¯t thought much about it. She


    believed that Wendy just didn¡¯t


    want to wake her up.


    Now maybe Kevan was right.


    Wendy lowered her head and stined her cup of coffee with a leaspoon absent¨Cmindedly.


    ¡°I went to the police station just now,¡± Wendy said in a whisper.


    Straining her ears, Larissa had to listen very closely to catch what she said,


    ¡°Why did you go to the police station? To drop the case? Larissa remembered what Wendy said at the


    hotel yesterday morning.


    Her heart sank and the expression on her face furned grim.


    1/2


    Her silence confirmed Larissa¡¯s assumptions.


    Larissa mmed her hand on the table in frustration. ¡°Wendy, have you lost your mind?¡±

 Chapter 880

    Chapter 880


    Chapter 880


    Wendy anticipated that Larissa would be angry.


    s, she didn¡¯t expect her to be so furious.


    Startled by Larissa¡¯s reaction, Wendy spilled half of the coffee in her cup.


    As the cale was heated, Wendy was only wearing a thin shirt.


    The scalding coffee that sshed on her left an unsightly mark on the beige fabric.


    Wendy look a sharp breath. She set the cup down as tears welled up in her eyes. She dabbed


    vigorously at the stain with a napkin.


    Fortunately, there weren¡¯t many people in the cale. The customers were sittingr apart, so no one paid


    them any attention.


    Only some of the waiters who walked back and forth nced at them with puzzled looks.


    Although she was still angry. Larissa couldn¡¯t help feeling sorry for Wendy when she burst into tears.


    ¡°Why are you crying?¡± Larissa demanded, but her tone had softened.


    Tears continued rolling down Wendy¡¯s cheeks but she didn¡¯t say a word.


    Feeling drained. Larissa leaned back into the s. ¡°You wanted to talk to me, right? If you don¡¯t say


    anything, how are we going to talk? Or


    is this your way of pressuring me to drop the case?¡± she asked.


    Wendy stopped dabbing at her shirt. She clutched the balled-up napkin and said, ¡°I¡¯m not pressuring


    you.¡±


    From start to finish, she never intended to force Larissa¡¯s hand because she believed in Edmund.


    Wendy exined. ¡°Edmund didn¡¯t do anything wrong. If you are a person with principles, you should go


    to the police station and drop the


    case.


    ¡°Edmund didn¡¯t do anything wrong? Fine, it¡¯s my fault anyway.¡± Larissa couldn¡¯t stifle a mockingugh


    when she heard what Wendy said.


    Wendy looked up with tear-filled eyes and defended herself, ¡°I have no intention to me you


    ¡°Stop right there!¡± Larissa interrupted her in frustration. ¡°I meant that it was my fault to be considerate of


    your feelings. I didn¡¯t tell you the


    truth, so you continued believing that Edmund is a good person.¡±


    ¡°The truth?¡± Wendy¡¯s gaze grewplicated.


    There weren¡¯t any signs of surprise or confusion in her eyes.


    It seemed as if she knew that Larissa was keeping something from her.


    ¡°Then tell me, what is the truth?¡±


    Larissa took a deep breath and pondered on what to say. She decided to start with the least shocking


    facts first. ¡°Edmund is Kevan¡¯s


    cousin. He has an older brother, Cody.¡±


    Wendy had heard about this from Edmund, so she appeared unusually calm.


    *I¡¯ve mentioned the grudges between the Rogers family before. In a nutshell, they are involved in a


    dramatic struggle for the family¡¯s wealth and inheritance. Cody and Edmund caused a lot of trouble for


    Kevan previously, A few years ago, Kevan was shot and fell into a


    coma because of Cody.¡±


    *This is just a conflict between Kevan and Cody. What does Edmund have to do with this? Wendy was


    still on Edmund¡¯s side as she


    delended Edmund


    Larissa said, ¡®I¡¯m getting to that. Edmund was in charge of the Regal Dynasty Hotel, I came in contact


    with him when I was working in the


    Bartham branch for some time.¡±


    She paused for a moment before continuing. ¡°At that time, Edmund had aggressively tried to pursue


    me even though he knew that I was


    already married to Kevan.¡±N?velDrama.Org is the owner.

 Chapter 881

    Chapter 881


    Chapter 881


    ¡°What did you say? Edmund pursued you? Wendy couldn¡¯t believe her ears.


    Larissa nodded, ¡°Not many people knew about this, I haven¡¯t b


    that he sent me. You can choose whether to believe me or not.¡±


    been using that number in a long time, so I can¡¯t show you the messages


    Wendy remained silent. Larissa couldn¡¯t help feeling disappointed.


    Larissa never thought that her years of friendship with Wendy could be outweighed by a sc umbag


    whom she had known for less than two months.


    ¡°Edmund didn¡¯t fall in love with you at firs


    you at first sight. He get close to you with ulterior motives.


    ¡°He wanted to use you to ckmail me and Kevan. This was so that he could gain control of Soaring


    Corporation and secure wealth for his family.¡±


    Although Larissa¡¯s words were true, the truth sourded harsh to Wendy¡¯s ears.


    ¡°How do you know that he couldn¡¯t have fallen in love with me? How can you be sure that he truly


    doesn¡¯t love me? Larissa, stop overestimating yourself!


    ¡°Will you ever stop thinking that the world revolves around you?¡± Wendy blurted out without thinking.


    Larissa was stunned by Wendy¡¯s outburst.


    She stared at her with conflicting emotions.


    Why did Wendy seem like a stranger?


    Wendy continued attacking Larissa. ¡°Because of your ego, you decided to use any mears avable to


    break us up! First, you made Edmund look like a cheater, and now you decided to throw him in jail,


    ¡°What¡¯s next? What else have you schemed? Why don¡¯t you just tell me all at once so that I can be


    prepared!¡±


    The tears that Larissa held back for a long time rolled down her cheeks.


    She felt betrayed.


    At this point Larissa had no need to hide anything anymore.N?velDrama.Org is the owner.


    ¡°I admit that I had orchestrated Edmund¡¯s affair. Apart from that. I haven¡¯t done anything to frame or


    harm him.


    ¡°It is the truth that he kidnapped you, and he kidnapped me as well. If Kevan hadn¡¯t arrived in time the


    night before yesterday. I would have been taken back to Caldor.


    ¡°He wouldn¡¯t be facing legal consequences for his crimes either.¡±


    When Larissa admitted that she had staged Edmund¡¯s air, Wendy had lost all trust in her.


    ¡°Everything you sald is a one-sided ount from your end! You fabricated this lie to deceive me and


    took advantage of the fact that Edmund was in prison and unable to defend himsell!


    ¡°You probably don¡¯t know, but I went to see Edmund Ihis morning. He told me everything!


    *Kevan broke both his legs, and he is still in the hospital! The doctor said that he might never walk


    again! Larissa, you and Kevan make me sick!


    When she finished speaking, Wendy took her jacket and left without waiting for Larissa¡¯s exnation


    Larissa got up to chase after her. s, when she saw Wendy walking away, she fell that there was no


    point in trying to charge her mind.


    Since Wendy had decided to believe Edmund, she wouldn¡¯t Usten to what anyone else had to say.


    Kevan had been waiting in the living room all this while.


    Hearing themotion at the door, he put his phone in his pocket and walked over in his slippers.


    1/2


    her.


    ¡°Why did you retum alone? Where¡¯s Wendy? Kevan asked,


    ¡°She¡¯s noting back,¡± Larissa said.


    Her voice sounded hoa rse.

 Chapter 882

    Chapter 882


    Chapter 882


    Larissa picked up the bottles one by one and held them in her arms.


    ¡°Do you want some?¡± she asked, looking up at Kevan.


    Kevan took all the bottles from her arms and left her only


    arly with


    a case of beer.


    ¡°You can have this,¡± he said.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Larissa was already in a bad mood. Now that Kevan had ruined her ns of getting drunk, she


    felt even more irritated.


    She reached out to snatch the whiskey back from him, Kevan dodged and kept her at arm¡¯s length by


    flicking her forehead.


    ¡°Listen to me, or I¡¯ll take away the beer too.¡± Kevan said stemiy


    Larissa hid the cans of beer behind her and red at Kevan. Staring at the whiskey in his arms, she


    gritted her teeth. ¡°Fine.¡±


    Larissa sat on the ground with her back against the s. She had a can of beer in one hand and a


    freshly grilled drumstick that Kevan had


    made in the other.


    ¡°I feel so miserable.¡±


    She took a bite of the drumstick smearing oil on her lips.


    Frowning, Kevan leaned over and wiped the oil from her mouth.


    ¡°Why is that?


    He waited patiently for her to continue


    ¡°Edmund is a despicable scumbag!¡± Larissa raised her voice.


    ¡°Yes¡± Kevan nodded in agreement.


    ¡°Wendy, she


    Despite her burning anger, Larissa couldn¡¯t bear Ic criticize Wendy out loud.


    ¡°Whatever, she¡¯s just blind and naive!¡±


    She tied her head back and chugged the remaining beer in one go.


    Larissa chucked the empty beer can aside.


    Kevan opened another can of beer and put it in her hand.


    He didn¡¯t know what had happened, but he could guess from her behavior.


    N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    She and Wendy must have had a huge light because of Edmund.


    As a man, Kevan was usually blunt and straightforward.


    He didn¡¯t know how to handle the intricacies of friendship between women.


    Still he knew the most important rule, which was to not interfere.


    The principle of not interfering in conflicts could be applied to couples in rtionships as well.


    Once they made up, you would be seen as an inciter.


    Kevan did not ack about the details nor interfered in their conflict.


    If Larissa wanted to drink, he provided her with alcohol.


    If she was hungry, he made food for her.


    If she was tired. he would go and warm the bed for her.


    Suddenly, Larissa turned to Kevan and red at him.


    Kevan was surprised. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all your fault!¡± After Larissa had drunk three cans al beer, she started feeling a littlepsy.


    She ranted in a drunken tirade. ¡°You already beat Edmund up. Why couldn¡¯t you be more ruthless and


    beat him to death?¡±


    Momentarily stunned, Kevan almost choked when he heard her words. ¡°Ms. Seymour, need I remind


    you that murder is a crime? Even little


    kids know that¡±


    He lowered his head to meet her gaze. Raising an eye brow, he continued. ¡°Or are you nning to take


    this opportunity and threw me in jail?¡±


    Larissa gave him a p on the cheek and pushed him away.


    She didn¡¯t put in much force. It was only a light tap as she wasn¡¯t really trying to hurt him,


    Muttering angrily, Larissa said, ¡°What the hell are you saying? I just thought that Edmund was a


    scumbag. It would be better if he were dead! At least he wouldn¡¯t harm others!¡±


    Kevan wiped away the traces of oil on his cheek. It was from the drumstick that Larissa was holding.


    It took great effort for Kevan to stop himself from arguing with a drunken person.


    ¡°Fine. When he goes into prison, I¡¯ll find someone to deal with him.¡± Kevan tried to appease her in a


    pleasant manner.


    When Larissa wasn¡¯t paying attention, he sublly increased the distance between them.

 Chapter 883

    Chapter 883


    ¡°It¡¯s toote to wait for him to go to jail!¡±


    Larissa mmed the beer can on the ground sshing alcohol all over her clothes


    Kevan felt a headacheing on.


    On the other hand, Larissa seemed oblivious.


    Although she was already drunk, she grabbed the can of beer and took another big gulp.


    ¡°Wendy has been brainwashed by him, don¡¯t you know that?¡±


    She turned to Kevan and grabbed his cor with her olly lingers.


    She left five oily marks on Kevan¡¯s white shirt.


    ¡°Wendy¡¯s been brainwashed by him! She doesn¡¯t believe in me now! She said that I¡¯m a r and that I


    disgust her!¡± Larissa gripped his


    cor and shook him,


    Remembering Wendy¡¯s hurtful words, Larissa¡¯s heartached.


    Kevan finally realized the gravity of the situation.


    pping his hands on her shoulders. he forced Larissa to calm down.


    ¡°What did Edmund tell Wendy?¡± he asked with a frown.


    ¡°Can you believe it? Edmund actually turned the story upside down! He told Wendy that I deliberately


    broke them up! Now Wendy refuses


    to believe me.


    ¡°Not only does she want me to go to the police station and drop the case, but she also ns to have


    Edmund¡¯s baby!¡±


    Larissa became more upset as she spoke.


    She flung the things in her hands and threw herself into Kevan¡¯s embrace.


    She wrapped her arms around him tightly, her dirty hands clutching the hem of his shirt.


    Kevan tried not to think about the sorry state of his clothes at this moment.


    Sighing, he hugged andforted Larissa. ¡°Don¡¯t cry, I will deal with Edmund for your sake.¡±


    ¡°No way


    Larissa identally burped in Kevan¡¯s arms.


    The pungent smell of alcohol watted into Kevan¡¯s nostrils, causing him to close his eyes momentarily.


    Larissa warned him drunkenly, ¡°Murder is a crime, even little kids know that! You¡¯re not allowed to kill,


    otherwise, you will end up in jail


    Kevan smiled helplessly.


    ¡°Alright, I won¡¯t kill anyone.¡±


    He went along with Larissa¡¯s words.


    Her face was smudged with tears, leaving streaks of runny makeup on her cheeks.


    Kevan couldn¡¯t bear it any longer. He bent down and carried her in his arms.


    Finally, he tossed her into arge bathtub, fully clothed and all


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Larissa¡¯s jeans were soaked by the hot water Kevan sprayed into the tub. She


    fell very ufortable as the wet Jeans clung to her body.


    Supporting herself on the edge of the bathtub, she tried to get up and escape, but Kevan pushed her


    back


    Scooping a handful of water, he washed the makeup stains off her face, revealing her smooth and soft


    skin,


    ¡°Take a bath and go to sleep,¡± he said.


    Kevan didn¡¯t know how else tofort her.


    The only thing he could do was to stop her from dwelling on those upsetting memories


    s, Larissa seemed to be in high spirits, fueled by alcohol.


    She provoked Kevan. ¡°I don¡¯t want to! I¡¯m not taking a bath! I¡¯m not going to sleep! I want to drink! Give


    me more alcohol I haven¡¯t had


    enough!¡±


    As she spoke, she sshed around in the tub, soaking her white shirt.


    It became transparent and clung to her skin, entuating the perfect curves of her body.


    Her bra made from ckce was fully exposed in front of Kevan¡¯s eyes.


    Swallowing. Kevan¡¯s eyes smoldered with desire. N?velDrama.Org is the owner.


    He straightened up and unbuttoned his shirt, revealing his s exy corbones and chest.


    Larissa froze when she sensed the change in Kevan


    ¡°What are you going to do?¡±


    She scooted to the far end of the bathtub, Increasing the distance between her and Kevan.


    Kevan threw his ruined shirt onto the ground and unbuckled his belt.


    ¡°What do you think I am going to do?¡±


    He smirked devilishly.

 Chapter 884

    Chapter 884


    Chapter 884


    The hot water in the bathtub gradually conled down.


    The gasps and moans that filled the confined space in the bathroom also quietened.


    Larissa was exhausted. Sheid against Kevar¡¯s chest.


    Her long wet hair clung to her shoulders and neck, concealing the red marks on her skin.


    Kevan held her and stepped out of the bathtub.


    He took a towel from the cab and wrapped Larissa up in it.


    Larissa¡¯s eyelids lluttered open and she muttered in a hoarse voice, Tm tired-


    Kevan left a gente kiss on her forehead. He shilled his position so that she could sleep more


    comfortably in his embrace.


    ¡°Go to sleep.¡±


    Larissa closed her eyes.


    After a while, her breathing became steady as she fell asleep.


    Kevan drew the curtains in the bedroom, leaving only a dim bedsidemp.


    Larissa waspletely out cold. Even in her sleep, her eyebrows were furrowed and her eyelids


    twitched from unease.


    ¡°Wendy.


    Her unconscious murmurs reached Kevan¡¯s ears, making his heart ache at her pain.


    After tucking the nket under her chin, Kevan got up and the expression on his face


    grew stern.


    There were only a few ces that Wendy could be. First, Kevan called Maple Hotel and found out that


    Wendy was still on her holiday. Amer that, he drove to her apartment.


    He had spent a considerable amount of time in that apartment.


    Kevan had made a key to the door, but he hadn¡¯t returned it to Larissa alter moving cut.


    This key finally came in handy.


    Beside the shoe rack at the entrance, a pair of ts were ced on the ground.


    On top of the shoe rack, a bunch of keys with a cartoon keychain were lying on a te.


    It seemed that Wendy had returned home.


    The living room was empty and all the doors in the apartment were shut.


    Since only both of them were alone in an enclosed space, Kevan didn¡¯t want to arouse any suspicions


    about his loyalty to Larissa, Instead


    of rushing into the rooms, he took out his phone and dialed Wendy¡¯s number.


    He heard the sound of a phone ringing in Wendy¡¯s bedroom, but it stopped abruptly.


    At the same time, his call was cut off.


    Kevan sent a message to Wendy. ¡°Come out, I¡¯m in the living room.¡±


    After ten minutes, Wendy emerged from her bedroom.


    She looked urmell, and her gaze Loward Kevan was flied with hostility.


    ¡°How did youe in?¡± Wendy kept her distance,


    Kevan jingled the keys in his hand. ¡°Thad them made before.¡±


    This apartment was jointly owned by Wendy and Larissa.


    1/2


    ¡°Why a


    are you here? Wendy kept her back against the wall as it she needed support to avoid slumping to the


    ground.


    ¡°Larissa¡¯spletely drunk,¡± Kevan said.


    His words were seemingly unrted to the current situation.


    Wendy¡¯s heart was disturbed when she heard this.


    Lowering her gaze, she clenched her fists and spoke in a cold tone. ¡°Il Larissa is drunk, why aren¡¯t you


    taking care of her at home? Why did youe here to lind me?¡±N?velDrama.Org is the owner.

 Chapter 885

    Chapter 885


    Chapter 895


    ¡°I¡¯m here to clear up the misunderstanding between you two.¡± Kevan said.


    Wendy¡¯s heart sank,


    ¡°Misunderstanding? There¡¯s no misunderstanding between me and Larissa¡± she sneered


    Kevan lock two steps fonward and sat down on the s.


    ¡°Do you want toe and sit? Aren¡¯t you pregrar1? Standing for a long time will make your feet ache,¡±


    he asked Wendy amicably.


    ¡°I have no need for your concem!¡±


    Perhaps because of Wendy¡¯s bias, everything Kevar did reeked of an ulterior molive


    ¡°Alright then, you can stand there.¡±


    Kevan didn¡¯t insist. He wasn¡¯t going to force his kindness on someone who didn¡¯t appreciate t


    ¡°I heard that you want Larissa to drop the case. Kevan got straight to the point.


    ¡°Wrong, it¡¯s you who should drop the case.¡± Wendy stared at Kevan pointedly


    Since Kevan was the one who reported to the police, he should be the one to drop the case.


    ¡°Edmund shouldn¡¯t go to jail for something he didn¡¯t do,¡± Wendy continued.


    ¡°Something he didn¡¯t do? Tell me, what did Edmund not do? Did he not tell you the truth, or was he not


    a good person?¡± Kevan raised his


    eyebrows with interest.


    He did not try to hide his disdain.


    Wendy¡¯s temper rose when she heard his words. ¡°The person who did not tell me the truth was you,


    Mr. Rogers. Did you enjoy manipting us like pawns in your hands? Does it give you a sense of


    aplishment?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care if you don¡¯t believe me.¡±


    Compared to Wendy¡¯s hostility, Kevan seemed quite at ease.


    From start to finish, he appeared rxed.


    He did not seem to be affected negatively by Wendy¡¯s harsh remarks.


    ¡°But Larissa has been your best friend for more than a decade, Do you think she would hurt you?¡±


    Kevan¡¯s words pierced Wendy¡¯s heart.


    She had been practic


    She had been grappling with this thought and questioning hersell about this the whole day.


    ¡°She probably feels that doing this won¡¯t harm me,¡± Wendy argued stubbornly.


    Larissa¡¯s intentions were to protect Kevan, herself, and Wendy.


    However, that was based on the premise that Edmund was a sc umbag that cheated on her.


    Wendy questioned Kevan, ¡°Have you ever considered that you and Larissa might be mistaken In your


    judgment of Edmund?


    *After spending considerable time with Edmund, I know his character. He is not as despicable as


    Larissa depicted.¡±


    Kevan chuckled and covered his mouth with his hand.


    ¡°How long have you been with Edmund? Two weeks? Or a month? Is one month enough for you to


    understand a personpletely? You have been best friends with Larissa for ten years, but you still


    don¡¯t fully know her yel.¡±


    Wendy was defeated by Kevan¡¯s logic. Even after wracking her brains, she couldn¡¯t think of a reply.


    Kevin¡¯s expression turned serious again.


    reach a dead end, you will realize your mistakes and tum back.


    ¡°s, Larissa can¡¯t bear to leave you alone, so I had no choice but to intervene. If you have some time,


    I would like to introduce you to some people. Of course, if you are unwilling, just pretend I never said


    anything.¡±


    Wendy thought for a long time.


    ¡°I¡¯ll meet them! I¡¯m not afraid of you!¡± she said, gritting her teeth.


    After all, he wouldn¡¯t dare harm her.


    Nevertheless. Wendy chose to sit in the backseat when she got into the car.


    She kept her eyes fixed on Kevan, and her hand remained on the door handle the entire time.


    If there was the slightest hint of any danger, she would threaten to jump out and force him to stop theN?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    car.


    However, Kevan didn¡¯t say a word or do anything to her.


    He drove quietly without even giving her another nce.


    The car stopped at the entrance of a hotel.


    Wendy knew this hotel it was the one that Kevan used to frequent.


    People wereing and going in the hotel which bolstered Wendy¡¯s courage.


    She straightened her back and followed behind Kevan, her heels clicking confidently as she walked.

 Chapter 886

    Chapter 886


    Chapter 886


    When they exited the elevator, there were few people around.


    Wendy Increased the distance between her and Kevan, slowing her pace gradually.


    Kevan pressed on the doorbell of a room.


    The door opened immediately. The person inside the room sounded surprised to see Kevan. ¡°Mr.


    Rogers?¡±


    Kevan tumed to look at Wendy and patiently waited for her to catch up. ¡°I brought someone with me,¡±


    he said to the person in the room.


    When Wendy finally sauntered to the door, the person in the room eximed when he saw her face.


    Pointing at Wendy, he looked to Kevan for confirmation. ¡°Isn¡¯t this person rted to Edmund-


    When the man mentioned Edmund¡¯s name. Wendy locked up anxiously.


    N?velDrama.Org is the owner.


    That man was tall and burly. He had a bald head and a menacing scar on his face. He definitely didn¡¯t


    look like a good person. Wendy froze


    in tear.


    Kevan nodded and confirmed the man¡¯s suspicions. ¡°Yes, she is. Let¡¯s go inside and talk.¡± Kevan


    gestured to Wendy.


    Wendy did not move and stared at the both of them guardedly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. The hotel is filled with surveince cameras. Il anything were to happen to you none of us


    could escape.¡± Kevan assured her.


    Wendy reluctantly followed the both of them into the room, but she did not gor inside. She stood by


    the door, with one hand on the door handle.


    ¡°You can speak to me from here. I will leave once we finish.¡±


    Kevan pulled over a chair and sat down. The man with a scar on hisce stood beside him and spoke


    nervously, ¡°Mr. Rogers? What do you want me to do?¡±


    ¡°Just introduce yourself and tell her what Edmund had you do,¡± Kevan said and gestured to Wendy.


    ¡°Alright.¡± The man agreed hurriedly and cleared his throat before introducing himsell. ¡°I m Vick


    Malostov, the leader of the Praasus Gang in Westonia¡±


    There were numerous ilegal gangs in Westonia.


    The Pegasus Gang led by Vick was mostly made up of Caldorians who hade t


    hade to Aldovia through illegal means.


    They were famous and well-known within the Caldorianmunity here. They were notorious for the


    wrong reasons,


    Wendy had heard rumors of the Pegasus Gang. However, this was the first time she had seen a


    member up close.


    She shivered and huddled into aer.


    ¡°On February 3rd, Edmund got in touch with me.¡± Vck continued.


    February 3rd was two days before the kidnapping happened.


    ¡°He asked whether I was interested in doing some business with him. III helped him bring someone


    back to Caldor, he¡¯d pay me one million dors.¡±


    Wendy¡¯s body stiffened when she heard this.


    ¡°On the afternoon of February 5th, I met you. You were unconscious at the time and one of my


    underlhas carried you into the room.¡± Vick¡¯s gaze settled on Wendy.

 Chapter 887

    Chapter 887


    Chapter 887


    ¡°Which room was it? Was it at Maple Hotel? Wendy asked anxiously.


    Vick chuckled. ¡°No, it¡¯s not. The room in Maple Hotel was afterward, Initially, you were ced in a


    basement that Edmund rented temporarily.


    ¡°That woman named Larissa, your friend offered herself in exchange for you. She forced Edmund to


    have you sent to the Maple Hotel¡±


    ¡°Larissa in exchange for me?¡±


    Wendy was stunned.


    Edmund had never mentioned this to her, and neither did Larissa.


    However, the way Vick spoke about it didn¡¯t seem like he was making it up.


    ¡°Edmund¡¯s ultimate goal was to capture Larissa and bring her back to Caldor. He employed me and my


    underlings to keep an eye on her and ensure that she couldn¡¯t escape.


    ¡°Since he couldn¡¯t capture Larissa, he took you as leverage instead. He threatened Larissa so that she


    would meet him.¡±


    The fact that Edmund drugged her was true, but Werdy had no idea what happened afterward.


    When she woke up, she and Larissa were lying safely in Maple Hotel


    This led Wendy to believe that Edmund had targeted her from the beginning.


    Wendy¡¯s heart sank, She tightened her grip on the door handle.


    ¡°And then?¡±


    ¡°Then? Then Larissa went to meet Edmund, of course! She¡¯s quite naive. Edmund told her to go alone,


    and she really went alone without


    anyone else.¡±


    Noticing Kevan¡¯s cold gaze. Vick quickly corrected himsell. ¡°I meant to say that she¡¯s a brave and loyal


    woman. She was willing to sacrifice her salely for a friend. She is truly a role model for all of us!¡±


    Kevan still appeared dissatisfied.¡±


    Get to the point¡±


    Vick hurriedly returned to the main topic. ¡°Edmund didn¡¯t send Larissa to the basement where you were


    kept. Instead, he had her go to a


    motel near the airport.


    ¡°After Larissa was captured, she persuaded my men to turn against Edmund. She could have escaped


    under their protection at that time. but she put in off for your sake. This was because Edmund had


    ordered his subordinates to let you go after he and Larissa arrived at the


    airport.


    ¡°When they were there, Larissa was nearly put on a ne by Edmund. Fortunately, Mr. Rogers arrived


    in time to save Larissa Otherwise, she would have suffered a disastrouste,¡±


    Wendy took a while to process this barrage of information.


    She finally spoke, ¡°Where¡¯s the evidence? How do I know if you are not colluding with them to fabricate


    a story to deceive me?


    ¡°I dare not say that I know the full extent of Mr. Rogers power and influence, but I¡¯m aware of what he is


    capable of


    ¡°We have plenty of evidence!¡± Vick remained unzed.


    He took out a stack of papers from a ck suitcase on the bed,


    ¡°This is the contract Edmund signed with me.¡±


    Wendy sneered. ¡°Although you are from a gang, your agreements seem quite formal.¡±


    She took the contract and quickly skimmed through II.


    1/2


    Wendy was familiar with Edmund¡¯s signature. Whenever they went out together. Edmund would sign


    on the receipts to pay the bill.


    His signature on the receipt was exactly the same as the one on this contract


    Wendy¡¯s confidence started to waver, but she maintained a tough attitude.


    ¡°Forging a signature wouldn¡¯t be too difficult for Mr. Rogers to aplish, right?¡±


    ¡°And there¡¯s this! Vick produced another document.


    It was a list of call records from amunicationspany.


    A number that she recognized had appeared several times on it.


    Vick seemed very open and straightforward.


    ¡°I can let you have a look at my phone! There is absolutely no forgery! These are my bank records.


    ¡°Look here, on the night of February 3rd, Edmund gave me a deposit of lilty thousand dors. You can


    check this ount, it belongs to Edmund himself, If you still don¡¯t believe me


    Vick dialed a number and spoke impatiently to the person on the other end. ¡°Have you brought them


    here? Why are you so slow? Did you crawl over here?¡±


    ¡°We are on the way. Mr. Malostov! We will be here in half a minute!¡± The person on the other end


    sounded fearful.


    After a few minutes, a voice rang out from the phone, ¡°We have arrived, Mr. Malostov! We are at the


    door, please open up!¡±


    As the caller hung up, the doorbell to the room rang


    Kevan and Vick turned to Wendy.


    Kevan said. ¡°Open the door, we have more evidence for you.¡±N?velDrama.Org is the owner.

 Chapter 888

    Chapter 888


    Chapter 888


    With trembling hands, Wendy used all her strength to push the door handle down.


    However, she struggled to open the door.


    After some time, the people outside lost their patience.


    They pushed the heavy door which collided with Wendy, who was behind the door.


    She staggered back several paces.


    Feeling the resistance, one of the people outside poked their heads in.


    They were surprised when they saw Wendy standing behind the door. ¡°Miss, are you okay?¡±


    Wendy endured the pain and waved her hands weakly. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±


    She moved further away from the door. To avoid contact with men in the room, she decided to hide in


    the bathroom.


    One by one, arge group of men entered the room.


    The room was initially quite spacious, but suddenly it felt cramped with the number of people inside


    right now.


    Vick had them lined up ording to order.


    Some people who seemed to be Aldorian were not respectful of Vick¡¯s authority.


    Before a confict could arise, a few Caldorians who were Vick¡¯s underlings quickly subdued them.


    *Ms. Simmons, Aren¡¯t you going to look at more evidence?¡± Vick called out to her.


    Wendy didn¡¯t want to go out to face the music. She could already guess the oue. The men would


    bring out more evidence confirming that Edmund had lied to her and proved that she was a foolish


    woman who doubted her best friend of ten years.


    Vick came to the bathroom door and urged Wendy, ¡°Ms. Simmons? You shoulde out now! These


    people are very troublesome. Listen to their testimony so that I can get them to leave sooner!¡±


    N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    Wendy had no choice but toe out.


    Now she could see the men who had just entered the room.


    It was a diverse mix of Caldorians and Aldovians. However, they all had tough looks and menacing


    appearances.


    Most of them were as tall as Vick and stronger than the average man.


    Some of the Aldovian thugs whistled loudly when they saw Wendy.


    ¡°What are you doing? All of you better behave! If not, you won¡¯t leave here alive!¡± Vick spat angrity, his


    hand on the gun at his waist.


    They quietened down after his warning.


    Vick held his phone up in front of them and asked, ¡°Do you remember this man?¡±


    Wendy saw clearly that it was Edmund¡¯s photo on his phone screen,


    ¡°We remember!¡±


    The Aldovian thugsughed.


    ¡°He is a coward! We beat him up so badly that he didn¡¯t dare to resist. He even relied on a woman for


    protection!¡±


    Vick swiped to another photo on his phone. It was Larissa¡¯s photo this time. ¡°Is this the woman who


    had protected him?¡±


    It was rare for a Caldorian woman to appear in this motel, let alone one who dared to confront them.


    The thugs nodded vigorously. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s her! Initially, there were only two of them. After she ran away,


    she returned with a bunch of people


    to save the coward.¡±


    They were not wearing their usual ck suits today, so the thugs didn¡¯t recognize them.


    When they heard Vick¡¯s words, the thugs turned to get a better look. ¡°It seems so


    Once they confirmed that Vick was right, the thugs grew cautious.


    ¡°Why did you bring us here? Are you nning to even the score from that day?¡±


    Vick chuckled. ¡°Revenge is just an added bonus.¡±


    ¨C


    Having said that, he gave each of the thugs a punch in the tender spot of their abdomens.


    Cries of pain rang out and the thugs doubled over in agony, clutching their stomachs.


    Vick turned to Kevan and asked in a ttering manner. ¡°Mr. Rogers, are you satisfed now?¡±


    Kevan¡¯s gaze was cold. ¡°It¡¯s not enough.¡±


    He stood up and drew the gun from Vick¡¯s waist


    Smiling faintly, he said, ¡°Ms. Simmons, you can go back and hide in the bathroom if you¡¯d like.¡±

 Chapter 889

    Chapter 889


    Chapter 889


    Realizing what Kevan was about to do. Wendy screamed in horror.


    ¡°Mr. Rogers, calm down! Larissa won¡¯t agree with you killing people! Do you really want to be stuck in


    prison for the rest of your life, leaving your wile and kid alone?¡±


    ¡°Who said I was going to kill anyone?¡±


    Kevan¡¯s smile became wider.


    With a slight move of his finger. Kevan pulled the trigger.


    A gunshot echoed in the room and a thug let out a howl. ¡°My fool! My foot is shot!¡±


    A bullet was lodged in his foot and blood gushed out from the wound.


    Wendy had never seen anything gory in her life.


    Covering her eyes, she screamed and turned away.


    She quickly ran into the bathroom and locked the door.


    Several more gunshots ensued and various cries of pain rang out.


    Wendy covered her ears with her hands. She tried to stop herself from imagining the gruesome scene


    that was happening outside.


    After a long pause, there was a knock on the bathroom door.


    Kevan¡¯s voice came through the frosted ss door. ¡°Ms. Simmons, shall we take our leave?¡±


    Having witnessed Kevan¡¯s cruel side. Wendy became even more afraid of him.


    However, she was more scared of the thugs that were in the room.


    Trembling, she quickly opened the door and answered, ¡°I¡¯ll go with you.¡±


    When they left the hotel Wendy was about to part ways with Kevan.


    *Ill get a cab to go home by myself. You don¡¯t need to trouble yoursel¡± She didn¡¯t even dare to look at


    Kevan.


    ¡°No way.¡± Kevan walked up to her and reached out a hand.


    Before he could even touch her, Wendy look a step back in fright.


    She was wearing stilettos. It was meant to boost her confidence in her face¨Coff against Kevan.


    However, at this moment, they were just a hindrance to her movement


    Wendy identally twisted her ankle and fell down.


    Kevan rushed forward to grab her, but it was toote.


    Wendy crashed onto the ground and a sharp pain shot from her lower abdomen.


    She looked down at herself and noticed blood pooling under her lower body.


    Wendy cked out and all her strength seemed to drain away in an instant.


    A second before she lost consciousness, she thought, ¡°Maybe, this is myte.¡±


    Due to her hangover from excessive intake of alcohol, Larissa slept soundly the whole day.


    When she woke up, it was already dark. Kevan wasn¡¯t around, only a small nightlight was on in the


    room,


    Larissa massaged her throbbing temples and sat up. Theforter slid off her body and she realized


    that she was stark naked.


    Startled, her drowsiness vanished.


    She picked out a nightgown and dressed hersell,


    The drumsticks that she ate yesterday were fully digested a while ago.


    N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    Larissa¡¯s stomach rumbled with hunger.


    She found it strange. It was already sote, but Kevan hadn¡¯t woken her up for dinner.


    When Larissa walked out of the bedroom, darkness enveloped her. Her confusion and unease grew.


    ¡°Kevan? Kevan?¡± she called out, raising her voice.


    Her voice echoed in the empty house.


    Larissa went through every room to look for Kevan, but she didn¡¯t see him anywhere.

 Chapter 890

    Chapter 890


    2/2


    Chapter 890


    Larissa dialed Kevan¡¯s number.


    The phone rang for what felt like ages. Kevan finally answered it just before it could disconnect.


    ¡°Hey, Lad?¡± Kevar seemed to intentionally lower his voice. ¡°Are you up?¡±


    It was eerily quiet on the other end of the fire, making it impossible for Larissa to pinpoint his current


    location.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± she responded. ¡°Where are you?¡±


    He hesitated for a moment before replying. Me? Well I¡¯m at the hospital¡±


    Larissa immediately sprang up from the couch. ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not me,¡± Kevan paused briefly. His voice became solter as he continued, ¡°It¡¯s Wendy.¡±


    ¡°Wendy?¡¯ Larissa rushed into the room, not realizing her knee had collided with the coffee table,


    causing her to wince in pain. But even


    then, nothing could stop her.


    ¡°Which hospital are you at? I¡¯m on my way!¡± she eximed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t-¡± Kevan interjected. ¡°Wendy is asleep, and she won¡¯t wake up for a while. I¡¯ll head back home


    soon. We can go visit her together


    tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Larisse sighed, hanging the clothes she had taken out back up. ¡°Well just make sure you stay


    sale on your way back.¡±


    an hourter, Kevan returned. He even brought her some takeout from McRonald¡¯s.


    The smell al Iried lood kept watting out of the paper bag. But Larissa lost her appetite despite growling


    with hunger.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on with Wendy?¡± She held onto Kevan¡¯s hand her worried expression was evident.


    ¡°You should eat first.¡± Kevan handed her the bag of food. ¡®Till you inter.¡±


    Larissa took a bite of the burger as if she was merely going through the motions. But before she could


    swallow, impatience got the better


    of her. ¡°Come on, tell me!¡±


    ¡°I went to see her this afternoon and showed her some evidence,¡± he began from the start, trying to


    create some space for the revtion.


    ¡°So? What¡¯s the connection between that and her being in the hospital?¡± She wasn¡¯t interested in


    hearing any nonsense.


    ¡°Later, I nned to take her home, but she identaly slipped and fell when she tried to avoid me. She


    lost the baby.¡± His expression was solemn, and his tone was filled with quill.


    She lost her grip on the burger, causing it to fall to the floor. ¡°Wha-what? Say that again¡­ What


    happened to Wendy?¡±


    She couldn¡¯t believe her ears. Tears welled in her eyes, teetering on the edge of falling.


    He embraced her and apologized. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry.¡±


    His voice was hoa rse, and it trembled ever so slightly. ¡°It¡¯s my fault.¡±


    Larissa clung Lightly to his shirt her face buried in his chest, sobbing with each breath.


    ¡°It¡¯s on me.¡± She sobbed, her cries reaching Kevan¡¯s ears. Tim the one who hurt her, not you. You¡­¡±


    She raised her head, her teary eyes locking onto his. Even in the depths of her own sorrow, she


    continued tofort him, ¡°Don¡¯t me yourself. It¡¯s not yourull.¡±


    Kevan held her even more tightly.


    ¡°Kevan.¡± She rarely used his name so intimately.


    His body shook slightly, and he responded with a solt ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°I want to go to the hospital to be with her, Larissa said.


    1/2


    ¡°She must be devastated-betrayed by someone she loved, deceived by a close friend. Now, even the


    baby¡­¡± Her voice got caught in her throat, and she couldn¡¯t continue.


    ¡°It¡¯s toote. I¡¯ve arranged for a caretaker to take care of her. Don¡¯t worry about her, Get a good night¡¯sT¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    sleep, and I¡¯ll take you there early in the morning. Okay?¡± Kevan tried to persuade her.


    However, she stubbornly shook her head. ¡°I can¡¯t sleep.¡±

 Chapter 891

    Chapter 891


    Chapter 891


    Larissa had slept the entire aftemoon. So, she didn¡¯t feel the slightest bit tired now.


    Moreover, she had something on her mind.


    She preferred to go to the hospital and be by Wendy¡¯s side. She did not want to toss and turn in bed.


    *She might wake up during the night. I want her to open her eyes and see a familiar face beside her.¡±


    She had been hospitalized on numerous asions; she understood all too well the loneliness of lying


    in a hospital bed with no family or riends around.


    She thought of all the recent stress Wendy had been through. She was worried Wendy might gradually


    crumble in the overwhelming solitude.


    Kevan realized he couldn¡¯t sway her, so he didn¡¯t push the issue. ¡°Okay. Finish up your meal first.¡±


    She hadn¡¯t eaten dinner and had only nibbled on some chicken in the afternoon.


    Since she might spend the night at the hospital he was concerned about her well¨Cbeing.


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Larissa exerted considerable effort to force down the food he had brought back.


    Thankfully, the burger had be inedible after falling on the ground.


    Or else she wouldn¡¯t have been able to finish it.


    The hospital Wendy was in happened to be the one Larissa regrly visited.


    It was conveniently close to Larissa¡¯s apartment.


    Wendy upied a private room. There was a fold¨Cout bed set up near Wendy¡¯s bed for the caretaker.


    N?velDrama.Org is the owner.


    At this moment, the caretaker was already asleep.


    As the caretaker heard the sound of the door opening, she woke up all alert.


    However, she immediately put on a wide smile upon seeing Kevan and inquired, ¡°Mr. Rogers, what


    brings you back?¡±


    Kevan replied. ¡°You don¡¯t need to stay here tonight. I¡¯ll ensure you¡¯repensated. Just pack up and


    head home.¡±


    The caretaker asked in a confused tone. ¡°Why? Did I do something to disappoint you? Mr. Rogers, if


    there¡¯s anything I can improve on,


    please let me know,¡±


    He paid her twice as much as other employers, so she understandably didn¡¯t want to lose this


    opportunity.


    ¡°You¡¯ve got the wrong idea,¡± he rified. He gestured toward Larissa, saying, ¡°My wife wants to stay


    here and take care of Ms. Simmons. You cane back tomorrow morning.¡±


    The caretaker, initially on edge, finally settled down.


    She swiftly packed her belongings. ¡°Alright, Mr. Rogers, if you need anything, don¡¯t hesitate to give me


    a call¡±


    After the caretaker departed, Kevan rearranged the fold¨Cout bed. ¡°Do you need fresh sheets and a


    nket?¡± he asked Larissa.


    ¡°No, thanks.¡± Lanssa replied. Her mind was too preupied with Wendy to be concerned about such


    details.


    The room remained unit, with only a faint glimmer seeping in from outside. Larissa had to be extremely


    close to see Wendy¡¯s face in the darkness.


    As Kevan had mentioned, Wendy was indeed fast asleep. Her breathing was almost imperceptibly light


    as though she were scarcely present.


    Larissa had never gone through a miscarriage hersell, so she couldn¡¯t fathom the extent of its physical


    foll


    Nevertheless, she understood the heart¨Cwrenching pain a mother could experience upon losing her


    child.


    She held Wendy¡¯s hand and sensed the chilling coldness. Her tears llowed uncontrobly again.


    Kevan had quietly approached Larissa without her noticing.


    ¡°You¡¯ve cried enough today.¡± He empathized with her but fell powerless at this moment. All he could do


    was yfully Issue a threat, saying, ¡°Keep crying like this, and you¡¯ll go blind.¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t care less,¡± she responded nonchntly.


    In reality, she almost wished she would lose her sight so that she could be spared from witnessing all


    the terrible things that had happened to them.


    She softly sighed. She asked Kevan in an uneasy tone, ¡°Do you think Wendy will hate me for the rest


    of her life?¡±

 Chapter 892

    Chapter 892


    Chapter 892


    Kevan couldn¡¯t read Wendy¡¯s mind; he wasn¡¯t in her shoes,


    Given all the stress and pain Wendy had endured that day, he couldn¡¯t be certain I she would redirect


    her anger toward Larissa. So, he opted for silence.


    ¡°You should head back. It¡¯s been a tough day for you toe.¡± Larissa snillled.


    Kevan stared at her side profile for a moment. He sighed softly in his heart.


    ¡°Alright you get some rest too.¡±


    Larissa moved the fold-out bed closer to Wendy¡¯s and sat cross-legged on It Her gaze was fixed on


    Wendy¡¯s face.


    She remained lost in thought throughout the night.


    She mulled over countless scenarios of how Wendy might react when she woke up.


    Would Wendysh out physically or verbally? Would she sever their friendshippletely, or would


    she entertain even more drastic ideas?


    As these thoughts circted in Larissa¡¯s mind. the sky outside gradually lightened.


    Wendy¡¯s dream went on for quite a while.


    In her dream, she saw a little girl about Aster¡¯s age.


    The girl wore a beautiful floral dress and had short, silky, chestnut-colored hair.


    The girl gazed at her with big eyes and called her ¡°Mommy¡¯ sweetly.


    Wendy was really happy. She hurried over, wanting to hug and kiss the little girl.


    But just before she could touch the girl, the girl varished as if she had never been there before.


    Wendy went mad.


    She spun around to find the girl. The surroundings were vast.


    There was nothing except for a white background.


    Yet voices continued to echo in her ears.


    *Mommy!


    ¡°Mommy N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    ¡°Mommy¡±


    The voices ranged from joyous to somowful to even angry, one after the other.


    ¡°Where are you?¡± Wendy cried out hoa rsely, but there was no response.


    All she could hear were those persistent calls.


    ¡°Mommy!¡±


    It pushed her to the brink of a breakdown. She ran and yelled, ¡°Come out! Hurry!¡±


    Yet all that surrounded her was an expanse of repetitive whiteness.


    The little girl¡¯s voice vanished at that very moment.


    In the white space, sudden rhythmic footfalls filled the air.


    Il was the sound of hard leather shoe soles striking the ground.


    Tap.


    Tap.


    Tap.


    The footsteps drew nearer and nearer. A pair of shiry ck leather shoes came into her view.


    The style of those shoes was all too familiar to her, she had seen them on Edmund¡¯s feet countless


    times.


    ¡°Wendy.¡±


    That person socke. His voice was enchanting.


    Wendy slowly raised her head.

 Chapter 893

    Chapter 893


    Chapter 893


    Edmund was standing right in front of her.


    His head, arms, and legs were encased in thick ster casts.


    His face was also covered in bruises, just like what she had witnessed at the hospital


    ¡°Wendy, are you looking for her?¡± he asked with a seductive smile.


    As he spoke, a little girl appeared by his side.


    She was the same one who had called Wendy ¡°Mommy¡± earlier.


    The girl stood close to Edmund, her tiny hands tightly gripping his.


    She peeked at Wendy with a shy gaze.


    ¡°Mommy,¡± she called out again.


    Wendy couldn¡¯t muster a response.


    Edmund led the little girl closer and said, ¡°Wendy, look at her. She¡¯s our daughter.¡±


    Wendy greedily gazed at the girl her eyes Exed on her without wavering.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t she adorable?¡± Edmund asked.


    Wendy nodded unconsciously.


    He smiled. ¡°I think so too, but unfortunately-


    The little girl vanished again as he smiled.


    This sudden disappearance rmed Wendy. She hastily asked. ¡°Where¡¯s my daughter? Where did she


    go?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s dead!¡± Edmund¡¯s expression turned sinister. ¡°She was killed by Kevan, Wendy! You must


    remember this¨CKevan killed her!¡±


    ¡°Kevan?¡± She tilted her head, contemting carefully.


    Indeed, there seemed to be something like that.


    The moment she fell she saw a panicked look on Kevan¡¯s face as he reached his hand cut to her.


    ¡°It has nothing to do with Kevan. I identally fell. He tried to save me, but it was toote,¡± she


    earnestly told Edmund,


    ¡°No, it¡¯s Kevan! Did you forget, Wendy? The reason we ended up like this is all thanks to Kevan and


    Larissal Look at me!¡± He grew angrier and pointed at himsell. ¡°All these injuries are from Kevan! He


    wanted to send me to jaill He wanted me dead?


    She struggled to push herself off the ground. It took her some time with great effort to do so.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like that. You¡¯re the one to me for the situation we¡¯re in today.¡±


    Her expression changed suddenly, and she grabbed him by his neck with both her hands,


    ¡°It¡¯s you, Edmund! You ruined me! You deceived me! You slept with me! And you tricked me into losing


    my best friend! Youre a motherfucker I¡¯m going to kill you!¡±


    Edmund¡¯s pupils gradually dted. Finally, they reached a limit where there was no biological response


    in his eyes.


    ¡°Bastard Rot in hell!¡±


    Her shout jolted Larissa, who had been in a daze, Lanssa quickly came back to her senses.


    N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    ¡°Wendy?¡± She rushed to Wendy¡¯s side, trying to assess Wendy¡¯s condition.


    Wendy¡¯s eyes remained tightly shut. However, her eye movements were rapid and Intense beneath her


    thin eyelids.


    Larissa held her breath. Alter a few seconds, Wendy slowly opened her eyes.


    1/2


    Larissa did not dare to disturb her. She simply wa ted quielly beside her.


    Finally, Wendy regained consciousness, and the fierceness in her eyes subsided.


    She sensed someone was beside her. She turned and saw Larissa looking at her with a worried


    expression.


    Her lips trembled. After a long while, she finally managed to speak, ¡°Is it really you, Lar?¡±


    She thought she might still be dreaming.


    The mist in front of her eyes condensed into tears, streaming down her cheeks.


    Larissa¡¯s figure became hazy and unclear. Wendy reached out in distress, calling. ¡°Lari?


    Larissa gripped her hand, her voice hoarse as she reassured, ¡°I¡¯m here. Wendy, don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°Lari!¡± Wendy sobbed, her sadness deepening. ¡°I¡¯m sorry! I was wrong! I shouldn¡¯t have said those


    hurtful things to you! I should have believed in you! I¡¯m such a fool!¡±


    Larissa had considered a thousand possible reactions from Wendy when she woke up¨Cshe hadn¡¯t


    dared to hope for this one..


    So, she was a bit overwhelmed at first. However, Werdy¡¯s emotions quickly infected her, and both of


    them ended up crying uncontrobly.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry too! I shouldn¡¯t have kept those things from you! If I had warned you earlier, you wouldn¡¯t


    have been in this state now! Wendy. can you forgive me?¡±


    ¡°You must forgive me first, Lar!¡±

 Chapter 894

    Chapter 894


    Chapter 894


    The caregiver entered the room with breakfast.


    She saw two women crying with their heads buried in their hands.


    She stood at the doonway for a while.


    She realized that this emotional disy might not end anytime soon.


    So, she cleared her throat and let out a couple of awkward coughs.


    Both Larissa and Wendy valued their images very much.


    They didn¡¯t mind crying when they were alone.


    But things charged when there was an outsider,


    Instantly, they ceased crying and turned away.


    They used the backs of their hands to wipe away the tears.


    The caregiver was good at gauging situations and respecting boundaries.


    She understood their concem for appearances.


    She chose to act as if she hadn¡¯t witnessed the scene. She did not nce in their direction after


    entering.


    ¡°I¡¯ve brought breakfast for you.¡±


    She ced the paper bags on the mobile table located at the foot of the bed.


    She asked Wendy. ¡°Do you need me helping with your moming routine?¡±


    Wendy waved her hand. ¡°No need. You can go ahead and leave.¡±


    The caregiver acknowledged her request. She exited the room.


    Wendy threw back the covers. She wanted to get out of bed. Without hesitation, Larissa jumped off the


    folding bed and rushed over to


    assist her.


    T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    Wendy shot her a stern look. ¡°Tm not that weak, you know.¡±


    After the procedure for miscarriages, most women could already be up and walking around the same


    day.


    Wendy¡¯s prolonged stay in the hospital bed was a result of her taking a hard fall on her failbone


    yesterday¨Cnot to ment on the emotional


    toll of losing her baby.


    Regardless, she had still undergone a surgical procedure. So, the pain and difort hadn¡¯t


    dissipated quite so quickly.


    Larissa saw Wendy¡¯s grimace of pain. Despite Wendy¡¯s reluctance, she firmly gripped Wendy¡¯s arm,


    encouraging her to lean on her for


    Support


    ¡°Alright strong woman. No need to tough it out.¡±


    Wendy responded with a cold huff but did not say anything else.


    After their tearful reconciliation and mutual confession, their rtionship appeared to relum to its


    previous harmony.


    However, in Larissa¡¯s heart, there was still a divide between them¨CWendy¡¯s unborn chiki.


    Yet, they both tacitly avoided bringing it up. It was as if the incident had never urred.


    Kevan prepared their lunch at home and delivered it to them.


    Wendy tell extremely uneasy seeing Kevan again.


    1/2


    Rather, every time she looked at his face, she couldn¡¯t help but recall how cold and ruthless he had


    been while holding his gun.


    She was relieved that she realized her mistake¨Cand that she hadn¡¯t given him the opportunity to shoot


    her.


    Kevan discreetly observed Larissa and Wendy¡¯s interactions.


    They appeared to be much more amicable than he had anticipated. He had heard about the morning


    incident from the caretaker. But he hadn¡¯t expected their rtionship to change so quickly.


    Once again, he couldn¡¯t help but be amazed at the intricacies of women¡¯s friendships. He found himself


    unable to fully understand it.


    For their meal, Kevan had prepared a postpartum confinement dish he found online.


    Wendy casuallymented, ¡°It¡¯s a pity you didn¡¯t take care of Lari during her postpartum period.¡±


    His thoughts stirred, but he maintained a facade ofposure. He raised his eyebrow. ¡°Oh?¡±


    Larissa quickly ced arge piece of chicken into Wendy¡¯s bowl. She gestured for Wendy to keep


    quiet. ¡°Eat more, Wendy.¡±

 Chapter 895

    Chapter 895


    Chapter 895


    Wendy seemed to have missed Larissa¡¯s signal.


    She continued talking to Kevan, ¡°Lari had a tough time from pregnancy to childbirth, and even during


    her postpartum period.


    ¡°When she first arrived, she was unfamiliar with the ce. She had to attend school. Every day, she


    was running between school and


    heme. It was really tough.


    ¡°It was onlyter, when her belly got bigger, that she couldn¡¯t move around as much. So, she stayed


    home until childbirth.


    ¡°Both of us had never given birth before, so we had no experience. I collected a lot of recipes, but my


    cooking skills were quite limited. The


    truth is, Lari would rather eat fries and burgers than touch the nutritious meals I made.¡±


    Wendy shot a resentful nce at Larissa.


    ¡°You call those ¡®nutritious meals? If I didn¡¯t know any better, I¡¯d think you were trying to torture me or


    make my life miserable!¡± Larissa also


    expressed her dissatisfaction.


    ¡°Hey, why are you so ungrateful? Even if my cooking wasn¡¯t the best, at least my heart was in the right


    ce. Couldn¡¯t you pretend that I


    did a good job just to cheer me up a bit?¡± Wendy grumbled in frustration.


    ¡°You¡¯ve tasted your own cooking: do you really think I could pretend?¡± Larissa countered. She was


    unwilling to back down.


    Kevan was afraid that their argument might escte further. He quickly intervened, saying. ¡°Alright,


    alright, let¡¯s drop the subject.¡±


    The two women exchanged res and simultaneously let out an annoyed ¡°Hmph.¡±


    They turned their heads away from each other, resembling quarreling elementary school children.


    He forcefully changed the topic. ¡°I go arrange for Wendy¡¯s discharge procedure. Where will you go


    afterward? To your ce or ours?¡±


    ¡°Mine!¡±


    ¡°Ours!¡±


    Both Larissa and Wendy responded simultaneously but withpletely different answers.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to our ce. I¡¯ll drag you there even if you refuse!¡± Larissa¡¯s tone was resolute.


    displeasure.


    ¡°Why are you acting like this? How is what you¡¯re doing any different from Edmund?¡± Wendy expressed


    her displ


    However, the room fell into an awkward silence the moment she made thatparison. The air was


    thick with tension.


    Wendy nervously clutched her spoon. After a while, she quietly apologized, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. That¡¯s not what I


    meant. Please don¡¯t


    misunderstand.¡±


    Larissa quickly responded with a simple ¡°Okay,¡± preferring not to dwell on the topic rted to that


    person any longer.


    In the end, Larissa managed to convince Wendy toe with her.


    Larissa had a valid argument. ¡°You¡¯ve just had surgery. You need someone to look after you. But don¡¯t


    get the idea that I want you to stay


    at my ce. Once you¡¯re back on your feet, you¡¯re the first one I¡¯ll kick out!¡±


    Wendy didn¡¯t even lunch. She responded coldly. ¡°Fine.¡±


    Kevan and Larissa left Wendy at home after repeating the various instructions given by the doctor.


    They were on their way to the supermarket to purchase the items needed for Wendy¡¯s recovery.


    On the journey, Kevan revisited the topic that had been cut short during their hospital visit due to


    escting tensions.


    *So. was it really tough for you when you gave birth back then?¡±


    She hesitated briefly before waving her hand dismissively. ¡°Don¡¯t mind Wendy¡¯s words. You know she


    likes exaggerating.¡±


    1/2


    She felt somewhat resistant. ¡°It¡¯s all in the past. There¡¯s nothing much to say.¡±


    From her perspective, his current behavior seemed like a form of ¡°sell¨Cinflicted pain.¡±


    What could he possibly achieve by knowing that she had a difficult time back then? Alter all, he didn¡¯t


    possess a time machine to alter the


    T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    past.


    ¡°I still want to know,¡± he insisted.


    She sighed softly. She propped up her chin as she gazed out of the window. After a while, she turned


    back to him and said. ¡°Alright, then tell you.¡±

 Chapter 896

    Chapter 896


    Chapter 896


    ¡°Actually, it wasn¡¯t a big deal,¡±


    As Larissa recalled her pregnancy, she didn¡¯t think that she had experienced anything too difficult.


    If she needed to pinpoint one thing, it would probably be Wendy¡¯s subpar cooking skills, at most.


    When Larissa was pregnant, she didn¡¯t take in sufficient nutrients that an expectant mother should


    have.


    That was why Aster was rtively lighter at birth, but his weight was still within the healthy range.


    Unlike Caldor, there weren¡¯t any postpartum confinements or confinement nannies here.


    During that period of time, Larissa could only rely on herself as well as Wendy¡¯s care for her getting off


    work.


    N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    Fortunately, Larissa¡¯s health had always been good. Hence, she did not develop any underlying


    illnesses or have any aftereffects.


    ¡°Compared to what I went through when I was a child, this is nothing.¡± She smiled.


    Although Larissa sounded casual about it, Kevan was perturbed. After all the suffering that she


    experienced back then was all because of


    him,


    The only thing that he could do now was to treat her better. Even so, it still wasn¡¯t enough to make up


    for the bad times that he had


    caused her.


    When Larissa saw Kevan¡¯s expression darken, a wave of helplessness and guilt stirred up deep down.


    ¡°Stop ming yourself. You didn¡¯t know that I had a child in my belly either,¡± she said. ¡°When I get


    pregnant again, I let you take great care of me and make me delicious food every day, okay?¡±


    ¡°Again?¡± Kevan¡¯s eyes lit up as he stared at her intently. ¡°Sure.¡±


    Sensing that she had said something wrong, she immediately added, ¡°Calm down! I didn¡¯t mean it now!


    Aster is still young. We¡¯ll have to walt until he goes to elementary school at least.¡±


    To be honest, she didn¡¯t mind getting pregnant again. At first, she didn¡¯t want her child to experience


    what she had gone through during her childhood¨Cthat was why she didn¡¯t want to have children.


    However, now that she had one, she felt that having more children to keep each otherpany didn¡¯t


    seem to be a bad idea.


    After all, she had the capability to give birth and nurture her children. On top of that, she was confident


    that she could raise them into decent individuals, considering their father¡¯s excellent genes.


    However, having a second child wasn¡¯t something that she could decide on her own. Not only did she


    need to ask her partner about it, but she also had to seek Aster¡¯s thoughts on it.


    She had never mentioned this to Aster. In fact, she had never even nned to look for another partner


    in the first ce. Moreover, Aster was still a kid; he wouldn¡¯t be able to make the right judgment.


    Larissa felt that Aster would have to start elementary school at the very least, for him to truly


    understand his thoughts about having siblings. Besides, once he attended elementary school she


    would have time to do her own things and wouldn¡¯t have to watch over him 24


    ¡°Sure. We can have another child whenever you want,¡± Kevan said.


    It had never urred to him that Larissa was willing to conceive his child again, so he was feeling


    overjoyed. He still had a smile on his face even after they had finished shopping and returned home.


    At night, Aster made a video call to Larissa. Alter staying at Gary¡¯s ce for three days, his cheeks had


    evidently gotten a lot rounder. Pointing at hisce on the screen, Larissa asked, ¡°What did you eat at


    Grandpa¡¯s house? You¡¯ve gotten so much chubbler.¡±

 Chapter 897

    Chapter 897


    Chapter 897


    Aster counted on his fingers. ¡°Cake, chocte, ice cream, fried chicken___¡±


    They were all his favorites, but Larissa didn¡¯t allow him to eat too much of them.


    When Aster saw Larissa¡¯s face darkening, he immediately hid himself in Gary¡¯s embrace and acted like


    a spoiled child, ¡°Grandpa. Mommy is so scary!¡±


    Gary took over the phone and exined in a hurry, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve kept track of his diet. I only bought


    him a little of everything.¡±


    ¡°A little of everything¡­ No wonder Aster had gotten so much chubbier.¡± Larissa thought.


    Larissa suddenly felt d that she hadn¡¯t reunited with Gary too early. Otherwise, judging from how


    Indulgent he was toward children, Aster would probably end up as some sort of spoiled kid from a


    wealthy family, just like Bethany.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go and pick him up tomorrow,¡± she said.


    Gary wasn¡¯t pleased with that. ¡°Let him stay with me lor a few days more. I¡¯ve just gotten close with


    Aster, and we¡¯re getting along well too. I¡¯ll be lonely if he¡¯s gone.¡±


    ¡°If I continue to let you take care of him, I¡¯ll have a hard time trying to discipline him again.¡±


    Aster pouted at the camera. ¡°You won¡¯t! I¡¯m a good child!¡± He didn¡¯t agree with what his mother said.


    ¡°Do you want to continue to eat at Grandpa¡¯s ce and make a pig of yourself? Don¡¯t forget that if you


    eat too much, you might get yourself killed.¡± Larissa scared him on purpose.


    That was a line from the animated movie that Aster loved watching. In the movie, the scene where the


    parents of the main character ended up as pigs while eating was once his biggest nightmare.


    As expected. Aster was terrified. He immediately jumped out of Gary¡¯s arms. ¡°I¡¯ll go back tomorrow!


    Gary shot daggers at Larissa. ¡°Why did you scare him like that?¡±


    Larissa chuckled.


    When it was about time for Aster to go to sleep, Gary asked the nanny to bring the kid to wash up.


    The video call was still going on. It wasn¡¯t until Aster left that Gary asked, ¡°Has your friend gotten


    better?¡±


    Lewis had sent Aster to Gary¡¯s house by using the excuse that Wendy had suffered from heartbreak


    and needed Larissa tofort and take care of her.


    N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    Due to Gary¡¯s illness, Lewis and Larissa tacitly kept him in the dark about a lot of things.


    ¡°Yes, a lot better,¡± she replied.


    ¡°In that case,e back to work tomorrow.¡± He no longer sounded as rxed as when Aster was


    around. ¡°Don¡¯t let your personal things hold you back for too long. Since you have decided to take


    charge of thepany, you¡¯ll have to get used to how things work as soon as possible, not to mention


    meeting clients and managing your connections.


    ¡°I heard from Lewis that you refused to go on a business trip because of your friend. I¡¯m old, and my


    health is also getting weaker, I can¡¯t hold on for too long. I want to let you take over my position quickly


    so that I can rest at home and look after the children. You know it too; something has happened to the


    company recently¡­¡±


    When Larissa heard that, her expression turned solemn. ¡°Okay, Fll go back tomorrow.¡±


    It seemed like the current situation wasn¡¯t favorable for thepany, otherwise, Gary wouldn¡¯t have


    said that to her.


    Gary nodded. ¡°Alright. Rest early. I¡¯m going to sleep loo.¡±


    As soon as Larissa ended the call, she tossed her ne aside and looked up at the sky. A helpless


    sigh escaped her lips.


    Right then, Kevan walked out of the bathroom after taking his shower, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± He was


    exuding a wall of a pleasant minty¨Clemon fragrance.


    ¡°He uses the same shower gel as me, but why do I feel that he smells beller?¡± she mullered inwardly.

 Chapter 898

    Chapter 898


    Chapter 898


    ¡°I¡¯ll return to work tomorrow and get Aster back.¡± Larissa tried her best not to look any further down his


    neck so that she could focus on what she needed to say. ¡°I might need you to check on the hired help.¡±


    She had contacted an agency earlier on the Inte.


    A hired help would be sent over tomorrow to take care of Wendy until Larissa finished work.


    Despite the agency¡¯s assurance, Larissa couldn¡¯t help feeling uneasy as the hired help was still a


    complete stranger.


    T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    Hence, she got Kevan to keep an eye on that person.


    ¡°Okay,¡± Kevan said, taking off the bath towel wrapped around the lower part of his body before Larissa


    could react.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Flustered, Larissa immediately covered her eyes with her hands. ¡°Can you not be like this?¡±


    Kevan didn¡¯t care about it too much. He calmly walked over to the edge of the bed and put on his


    pajamas. ¡°Well this isn¡¯t your first time


    seeing it.¡±


    Larissa was rendered speechless.


    ¡°How is Aster doing at your dad¡¯s ce?¡± he as


    Larissa only allowed him toy on the bed after he had finished putting on his clothes.


    Kevan hadn¡¯t seen Aster for three days.


    He dared not have a video call with his son, fearing that Gary would find out that he was staying with


    Larissa.


    Hence, he could only get thetest updates about Aster from Larissa.


    ¡°He is Sterally having the time of his life!¡± Larissa sneered. ¡°He doesn¡¯t even want to go home now.


    What a brat!¡±


    Wrapping his arm around her shoulders, heforted her. ¡°Aren¡¯t you supposed to be happy that Aster


    is getting along well with your


    dad?¡±


    ¡°What is there to be happy about?¡± Larissa was bent out of shape. ¡°Now that he has my dad backing


    him up, he doesn¡¯t even care about me anymore. It¡¯s just like how he sought your support back then!


    Gosh, why did I give birth to such a son?¡±


    As Kevan listened to her grumbles, his thoughts gradually drifted away.


    ¡°Perhaps I can use Aster to deal with those two men of the Logan family,¡± he mused, stroking his chin.


    Although Larissa had been away from work for two days without any reason, it didn¡¯t cause too much of


    a stir. Well she wasn¡¯t close with her new colleagues, to begin with. Hence, whether or not she was


    around didn¡¯t make any difference to them.


    What troubled Larissa the most was Marilyn.


    After standing Marilyn up at the shopping mall that day. Marilyn had been ignoring Larissa¡¯s calls and


    messages. It seemed like she was genuinely upset. Unless there were some work¨Crted matters that


    required Larissa¡¯s attention, Marilyn wouldn¡¯t reach out to her.


    Larissa apologized to her on the messaging app and even wrote a note to her. However, Marilyn still


    treated her coldly. Although she didn¡¯t mention forgiving Larissa, she didn¡¯t say anything like severing


    ties with thetter either.


    Lewis had gone to Egron on a business trip, so Larissa didn¡¯t look for him at noon. Alter taking her


    lunch, she followed behind Marilyn and headed to the conference room where they often went.


    Marilyn sat down with a long face and ignored Larissa.


    Larissa approached her and apologized to her another time. ¡°I have had some family matters to deal


    with recently. My phone is missing too: that is why I didn¡¯t reply to your messages.¡±


    Her old phone had been taken away by Edmund, and she had no idea where it was at the moment.


    Right now, she was using the phone that Kevan had bought for her at the airport.


    1/2


    Larissa put her new phone on the table. It was the same model as her previous phone, only the color


    was slightly different.

 Chapter 899

    Chapter 899


    Chapter 899


    With a long face, Marilyn spared it a nce and handed over her phone that she had unlocked.


    Seeing that Larissa immediately keyed in her number and saved it in Marilyn¡¯s contacts. Just as she


    was about to return the phone to Marilyn, a message popped up and caught her instant attention.


    N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    ¡°If you refuse to help me, I¡¯ll leak all the things that you did.¡±


    Larissa was stunned for a moment. In the next second, Marilyn swiftly grabbed her phone back and


    ced it face down on the table. Although her expression was slightly unpleasant, she still tried her


    best to conceal it


    Larissa didn¡¯t like prying into other people¡¯s privacy, so she pretended she didn¡¯t notice anything. ¡°Who


    went on the business trip with Mr. Logan Junior?¡±


    ¡°Hayden,¡± Marilyn replied.


    Aside from putting names to faces, Larissa didn¡¯t know anything else about her new colleagues in the


    department. Hence, it was impossible for her to carry on with that topic of conversation.


    Larissa nodded and continued eating in silence.


    ¡°What a pity.¡± Marilyn suddenly said. Her demeanor was back to how she usually was.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Larissa looked at her in confusion.


    ¡°It was supposed to be you to go to Egron with Mr. Logan Junior.¡± Marilyn sighed. ¡°I even made a list


    for you to go shopping on my behalf, The luxury goods over there are way cheaper!¡±


    Larissa felt a little awkward. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll probably go on frequent business trips in the future. I can


    help you buy whatever you war


    want.¡±


    ¡°Frequent business trips?¡± Marilyn bit her lip. ¡°With Mr. Logan Junior?¡± She didn¡¯t sound as casual as


    just now.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Upon realizing that she would be facing various challenges in the times ahead, Larissa became


    slightly solemn.


    ¡°I¡¯m so envious of you!¡± Marilyn chuckled, but the curve at theers of her lips was stiff. ¡°Not only can


    you travel on thepany¡¯s dime, but you also have a handsome man like Mr. Logan Junior


    apanying you!¡±


    ¡°Do you want to go for me? Larissa joked.


    Marilyn waved her hand and said sarcastically. ¡°Mr. Logan Junior won¡¯t want that.¡±


    ¡°Who said so?¡± Larissa retorted. ¡°You¡¯re young, beautiful, and capable. Why won¡¯t he want to go with


    you?¡±


    Marilyn smiled bitterly. ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about this anymore. Hurry up and eat. We still need to work!¡±


    Since Glory Hill was too far from the city center. Gary let Aster stay at home for a few days and didn¡¯t


    send him to kindergarten.


    When Larissa went to pick Aster up, she had to first go home with Gary.


    Gary still hadn¡¯t given up on his idea of keeping Aster with him. He tried to talk Larissa into it using


    various reasons. ¡°I have servants at home, and they can take care of Aster all day long. You don¡¯t have


    to rush to pick him up from school after work every day.¡±


    ¡°Attending kindergarten doesn¡¯t seem beneficial. He just ys with the teachers every day and learns


    nothing. It¡¯d be better to hire someone to teach him at home. Why don¡¯t you move over too? It¡¯s


    inconvenient for you and Aster to stay with your friend. What if the two of you have partners in the


    future?¡±


    Fed up with his persistence, Larissa finally dragged Lewis into this. ¡°If you¡¯re desperate to have your


    grandchild with you all the time, why don¡¯t you find Lewis a wile? I think Marilyn is a good match. She


    knows him well and is decent in every aspect. How about you match them up and see if things work out


    for them?¡±

 Chapter 900

    Chapter 900


    Chapter 9 00


    Marilyn?¡± Gary stroked his chin, seemingly considering it seriously. ¡°She¡¯s not bad, but it still needs to


    depend on Lewis whether he likes


    ter or not. He doesn¡¯t always listen to me.¡±


    Is that why you only meddle in my marriage?¡± Larissa felt somewhat sour.


    What are you talking about?¡± Gary stared at her with displeasure. ¡°All that I have done is Introduce you


    to some men. When have I ever


    nterfered with your rtionships with them?¡±


    That was true.


    ¡®Come to think of it, how are things going between you and Mike? Do you still keep in touch with him?¡±


    Gary suddenly asked.


    ¡®No. We¡¯re not a good match,¡± Larissa replied honestly. She couldn¡¯t help ming herself for bringing


    this topic up,


    ¡°You barely met him a few times, and you¡¯re saying he doesn¡¯t suit you?¡± Gary paused for several


    seconds. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that you¡¯re still


    thinking about Kevan!


    Feeling guilty. Larissa fell into silence. She couldn¡¯t bring herself to lie to him, but she couldn¡¯t tell him


    the truth either.


    ¡°Kevan is the one who doesn¡¯t suit you! His family isplicated. Gelling entangled with them won¡¯t


    lead to anything good,¡± he said.


    ¡°He is already dealing with his family affairs¡­ Larissa tried to put in a good word for Kevan, ¡°Soaring


    Corporation is about to copse. His rtives won¡¯t be able to hold on for much longer.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re wrong.¡± Gary¡¯s expression was solemn. ¡°It¡¯s exactly because thepany is on the brink of


    copse that those people might cause trouble. No matter what listen to me. Stay away from Kevan.¡±


    Larissa parted her lips. However, upon seeing how stubborn her father was, she didn¡¯t say anything


    more in the end. N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    Aster knew that Larissa would being today, so he had been waiting for her downstairs. As soon as


    he heard the car outside, he tossed away the toy in his hands and ran toward the yard.


    The serv ants hurriedly followed behind him and callec. ¡°Mr. Aster, slow down!¡±


    Such a scene was familiar to Larissa. She had seen it happen to Lana before. Now that it was


    happening to Aster, a sense of revulsion stirred up within Larissa. She became even more resolute


    about taking her son away.


    ¡®Mommy!¡± Aster rushed over excitedly,


    Larissa enveloped him in her embrace and showered his chubby checks with kisses. However, the


    tender moment didn¡¯tst long as she began to feel the soreness spreading from her arms.


    Putting Aster Lack down on the ground, she asked with a frown, ¡°How heavy are you now?¡±


    It had only been a few minutes, and she was already unable to continue carrying him in her arms.


    Aster blushed. Instead of responding to that he held Larissa¡¯s hand and led her toward the house.


    ¡°Mommy, Grandpa has taught me how to draw! Come and have a look at my drawings.¡±


    ¡°Aster has great potential. He¡¯ll surely be a renowned artist if you nurture him!¡± Gary sald hapolly.


    ¡°Really? Larissa didn¡¯t quite believe what he said. Alter al, she understood her son¡¯s capabilities more


    than anyone else.


    Born and raised in Westonia, Aster could barely make any decent sketches, as no one at home had the


    time to teach him how to draw or paint


    ¡°You¡¯ll know it once you see it!¡±


    Gary beckoned the ser vant to bring over all the drawings done by Aster from the study. Then, he


    proudly showed them to Lanssa.

 Chapter 901

    Chapter 901


    Chapter 901


    As it turned out, ¡°mothers know best¡± was a truth that would never change.


    Larissa stared at all the scribbles that were drawn as she asked Gary. ¡°This is what you call very


    talented¡°?¡±


    N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    Gary was shockingly still able to praise every little part of Aster¡¯s drawing. ¡°Look at this curve here, how


    perfect! And this little thin line


    here, and this one¡±


    ¡°Sure, then.¡± Larissa crossed her arms as she asked Gary. ¡°Then can you tell me what the hell he just


    drew?¡±


    This definitely made Gary feel lost. He tipped his head to the side as he brought the papers closer and


    further away from him. He was staring holes into the papers, and yet he still could not tell what was


    drawn on them.


    Finally, he tried to guess. ¡°Is that a very tall chicken?¡±


    ¡°Noooo! That¡¯s not it¡± Aster snatched away his ¡°masterpiece¡± from Gary with annoyance. ¡°This is Ke¨C


    van¨CRo¨Cgers! It¡¯s my daddy!¡±


    Gary¡¯s expression changed at once, and he did not speak for a long while.


    Larissa watched her father¡¯s speechless face with amusement, and she added salt to his wounds. ¡°So?


    Is your grandson still talented


    now? Is he still a master artist?¡±


    Gary tumed to re at Larissa.


    Aster carefully folded the two papers with the drawing of Kevan on it like he was holding some precious


    treasure. ¡°I want to bring this back. ¡°He proudly lifted his chin and announced loudly, ¡°I will give it to


    Daddy as his present!¡±


    Gary¡¯sce was darker than ever. Although he did not like Kevan, he never dared to say anything bad


    about Kevan in front of Aster. He was scared that Aster would be unhappy and hate him.


    Feeling bad for herther, Larissa quickly pulled Aster and asked him, ¡°What about Grandpa¡¯s present?


    Grandpa is so good to you. He bought you so much good lood and taught you how to draw, shouldn¡¯t


    you thank Grandpa?


    ¡°Grandpa¡¯s present is right here!¡± Aster took out a paper from the remaining stack. ¡°Here. A drawing of


    Grandpa with his name, Ga¨Cry¨CLo-


    gan.¡±


    Larissa covered her face. If Aster had not said it, no one would have guessed those words were Gary¡¯s


    name.


    But Gary was suddenly happier than before and all the darkness on his face was gone. He kept holding


    that paper and looked at it like he was totally happy with this gift.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to frame this and hang it up in the living room! I will make sure that all guests whoe to


    our house will see it!¡±


    Larissa advised him. ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary-


    It would only errbarrass Gary.


    ¡°Grandpa, Grandpa Aster immediately tugged on Gary¡¯s sleeve and gave him the folded papers with


    the drawing of Kevan. ¡°Can you frame


    this too?¡±


    His big eyes sparkled.


    Gary gritted his teeth as he said kindly, ¡°Of course! When I¡¯ve framed it, I¡¯ll bring it over to your


    mommy.¡±


    ¡°Yay!¡± Aster happily hugged Gary¡¯s neck and kissed hirm on the cheek. ¡°Grandpa¡¯s the best! I love


    Grandpa the most!¡±


    Gary asked him quickly, ¡°Do you love Grandpa or do you love Daddy?¡±


    Aster did not hesitate. ¡°Of course, I love Grandpa!¡±


    This made Gary smile happily. ¡°Good! Good!¡± He rubbed Aster¡¯s head. ¡°I will give you whatever you


    want next time!¡±

 Chapter 902

    Chapter 902


    Chapter 902


    Gary kept Larissa for dinner before letting her and Aster go home. Aster was already tired when he got


    into the car, so he slept for the rest of the journey home.


    When Larissa got to their apartment building, she called Kevan and said, ¡°Your son¡¯s fallen asleep,


    come get him upstairs.¡±


    Kevan simply picked Aster up without any problems. Although Larissa already knew about the


    difference in strength between men and women, she was still shocked at Kevan¡¯s disy of strength.


    ¡°This brat has gottent at my dad¡¯s ce. I get super tired after holding him for a while. If you weren¡¯t


    here today, I¡¯d have no idea how to get him upstairs.¡±


    Kevan¡¯s footsteps were steady and calm. His strong arms did not even tremble. Smiling, Kevan said,


    ¡°Next time, just let me do this kind of hard work.¡±


    ¡°Sure!¡± Larissa agreed happily. After they entered the elevator, she asked. ¡°Has Wendy gone to sleep?¡±


    ¡°No idea. She ate dinner and went back to her room. She never came out after that.¡±


    ¡°Oh. How is she today? Okay?¡±


    ¡°Her mental state is not bad, and it¡¯s better than yesterday.¡±


    ¡°And the hired help? Did shee today? Can she be trusted?¡±


    ¡°She came. But you¡¯d have to ask Wendy if the help can be trusted. I didn¡¯t interact with her.¡±


    T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Larissa nodded.


    Kevan waited for a long while but never got anything else. He raised an eyebrow and said. ¡°That¡¯s it?¡±


    Larissa was confused. ¡°Huh? What do you mean?¡±


    Kevan¡¯s face went dark at once as heined. ¡°You asked about Wendy and the hired help. What


    about me? You don¡¯t want to know


    what I did at home? Or if I¡¯m doing okay?¡±


    Larissa truly did not think about him. She never really cared about her loved ones¡® days.


    It was just that Wendy had gone through a lot recently. But since Kevan already brought it up, she


    naturally would not disappoint him.


    ¡°So, what did you do at home today?¡±


    ¡°I went to the supermarket to buy groceries and made three meals for Wendy. I also dealt with some of


    my work, and Kevan purposely paused, his eyes bright like stars. ¡°I missed you.¡±


    Larissa¡¯s heart stuttered, and she blushed heavily.


    The elevator arrived at their destination at this moment and the doors opened.


    The cool air rushed in and calmed Larissa down. But it also ruined the lovey¨Cdovey atmosphere that


    was originally there.


    ¡°We¡¯re here.¡± Larissa¡¯s voice was dry. She coughed twice lightly and then walked out, leaving Kevan


    with Aster behind her.


    Kevan naturally could tell that she was shy. He let out a snort ofughter as he quickly followed after


    her.


    The brightness of the apartment was very eye¨Cpiercing. Aster fell ufortable and opened his eyes


    unhappily.


    His fat face was all crumpled up as he was about to startining to Larissa. Then, he saw Kevan¡¯s


    face.


    The moment Aster saw Kevan¡¯s face, he sat up immediately and hugged Kevan¡¯s neck. He happily


    called, ¡°Daddy! You¡¯re back!¡±

 Chapter 903

    Chapter 903


    Chapter 903


    Aster looked like he was happier to see Kevan than he was to see Larissa.


    Larissa sneered coldly with jealousy. ¡°Oh, so now you¡¯re happy, huh? I don¡¯t even know who it was who


    said he ¡®loved Grandpa the most


    at Grandpa¡¯s ce and thatpared to Daddy, he still loved Grandpa the most.¡±


    Larissa had intended to put a wedge between Kevan and Aster. s, they did not fall into her trap.


    Aster defended himself ¡°Grandpa is older! Of course, I need to make him happy!¡±


    Kevan patted Aster¡¯s head proudly as he praised the kid. ¡°Well done, you did the right thing.¡±


    Aster was smugger than ever.


    Larissa was unhappy as she asked. ¡°Then if I asked you


    you to choose right now, do you love me or love your daddy?¡±


    ¡°I love Mommy!¡± Aster did not have any trouble answering at all as his response was immediate.


    ¡°Mommy, you¡¯ve asked this so many times!¡±


    He eyed Larissa with great . He did not bother hiding it.


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Larissa carefully thought about it. She seemed to have asked him this question before. But


    Larissa was still upset since her own son hurt her like this.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with asking you a few more times? Can¡¯t I ask? I just love asking you this question. I will


    still ask you a hundred, thousand. million times!


    Larissa pinched Aster¡¯s ear hard as she pretended to be threatening.


    Aster pouted as he whispered to Kevan. ¡°Mommy is so troublesome, Daddy. You¡¯ve spoiled her.¡±


    Kevan smiled a little. ¡°Yup, so you must listen to Mommy more next time so I can spoil her less.¡±


    ¡°Yoo, who came back?¡± Wendy¡¯s weak voice was heard.


    ¡°Godma!¡± Aster leaped out of Kevan¡¯s arms and red at Wendy, which was a surprising change from


    the way he usually treated his godma.


    Wendy¡¯s body was still weak. Although she could walk around, she could only do it slowly. She barely


    made it to Aster¡¯s side. She pinched his fat little face and asked with amusement, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Aster gave her a look that screamed. ¡°You really have to ask?¡± before retorting. ¡°Do you still remember


    that horrible thing you did on Sunday afternoon?¡±


    Wendy immediately remembered how she had left him behind at the restaurant-even though she had


    not really wanted to.


    Wendyughed sheepishly as she struggled to crouch down and look at Aster at the same height


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, my darling boy.¡± She apologized sincerely. ¡°Godma didn¡¯t mean to do it. Something


    happened that day, so. But I¡¯m definitely in the wrong. So, what do you want Godma to do to make it up


    to you?¡±


    ¡°I will tell you after I¡¯ve figured it out.¡± Aster was still stoneced as he talked about how upset he was.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you know that I was almost scared to death that day! A bad guy nearly came to take me away!


    Thankfully, I¡¯m such a smart boy and knew to call Mommy! Thankfully, Mommy and Uncle Lewis came


    quickly! Hmph!¡±


    ¡°Sorry, sorry, sorry!¡± Wendy hugged him tofort him. ¡°Godma was wrong. Next time, Godma will


    never leave you alone no matter what happens!


    Wendy was still scared whenever she thought of what happened that day. But as Aster said, it was


    good that Larissa hade on time- no matter if it came to saving Aster or saving Wendy.


    ¡°Alright then!¡± Aster decided to make himself ept Wendy¡¯s apology. ¡°I¡¯ve forgiven you!¡± He hugged


    her back and patted her back like she always did.


    ¡°Don¡¯t feel sad. I still like you.¡± Aster said seriously.


    1/2


    It quickly developed into Wendy wailing very loudly, Larissa quickly helped Wendy to lie down on the


    couch.


    Wendy sobbed hard as she kept cursing herself. ¡°I¡¯m st upid! I nned to abandon you guys because


    of that sh it man! I¡¯m not worthy of your kindness! Lari Aster Wendy sobbed hard. ¡°I you I¡¯m not worth


    it!¡±N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.

 Chapter 904

    Chapter 904


    Chapter 904


    Larissa and Asler book tumsforting Wendy until she stopped crying.


    Aster even suggested sleeping with Wendy that night to show that he still liked her. This nearly set


    Wendy off for the second time.


    After finally dealing with both Wendy and Aster, Larissa returned to her room.


    Kevan rubbed her shoulders and asked. ¡°They¡¯re both asleep?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll send Aster to school tomorrow. You take Wendy to the hospital Larissa said.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Kevan frowned. ¡°Is there something wrong with Wendy¡¯s health?¡±


    ¡°No-¡± Larissa¡¯s voice was filled with helplessness a


    and exhaustion. ¡°To the hospital that Edmund¡¯s in, Wendy wants to meet him one more time and firish


    things with him.¡±


    ¡°You should stop her. Kevan disagreed of one¡¯s time.


    reed with Wendy¡¯s


    actions. To continue tangling oneself with someone like Edmund was just a waste


    ¡°I did. It was useless.¡± Larissa was very tired too. ¡°She felt that she had been lied to by Edmund too


    badly. If she doesn¡¯t go meet him, she won¡¯t get over this. Just let her be! I figure that she just wants to


    vent it all out.


    ¡°She would probably yell at Edmund or beat him up. Out she¡¯s still not in a stable te, so you have to


    watch her and make sure she doesn¡¯t overdo it and make herselfaint


    Kevan pressed his lips together. Tilty.¡±


    Larissa and Aster left really early. Kevan sat alone in the living room as he waited for Wendy to wake


    up.


    T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    Larissa had already informed Wendy beforehand, so Wendy specially put on thick makeup and prettied


    herself up. No one could tell that Wendy was pale and weak at all,


    ¡°Mr. Rogers. ¡°Wendy smiled at Kevan, apletely different change from her angry attitude two days


    before. ¡°Sorry to trouble you.¡±


    Naturally, Kevan had to avoid creating rumors as he was alone with Wendy. He could not help her but


    just walked slowly behind her. He made sure to keep both eyes on Wendy for fear that the horrible


    thing that happened before would happen again.


    His extra caution made Wendyugh. Seeing his anxious and stem expression through the reflection of


    the elevator walls, Wendy finally said, ¡°Mr. Rogers, Tm not that weak.¡±


    Kevan just hummed in response as a way to agree with her, but his attitude and actions did not


    change.


    ¡°Speaking of, I owe you an apology.¡± Wendy sudderly brought this up.


    Kevan¡¯s gare moved to her t stomach as he replied cooly, ¡°We¡¯re even.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Wendy decided to stop chatting with Kevar awkwardly.


    She figured it out. With the way Kevan held grudges, their rtionship could never go back to the way


    it was before.


    Edmund¡¯s injuries were temble. He could not be discharged from the hospital so soon.


    The policeman guarding the room was still the same guy from bre. Alter he recognized Wendy, he


    let her in Immediately. He still gave her fifteen minutes.


    Edmund locked a little better in terms of energy, but his colorful facial bruises did not nge

 Chapter 905

    Chapter 905


    Chapter 905


    Upon seeing Wendy. Edmund¡¯s nk eyes brightened up immediately. He forced a pained but ugly


    smile onto his face. ¡°Wendy! You camel ¡°He was quite happy.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Wendy was just as professional as Larissa when it came to take smiling.


    Edmund did not notice anything amiss. After he asked after her he anxiously moved into the main topic.


    ¡°You said you wanted to drop the case before


    ¡°I went to the police station.¡± Wendy held the hand that Edmund reached out as she forced down the


    feelings of disgust. ¡°Hut the police said that I was not the one who made the case. so I can¡¯t be the one


    to drop it.¡± Wendy acted appropriately sad, helpless, and hurl


    Edmund fraze before he asked, ¡°You didn¡¯t find Larissa?


    ¡°I won¡¯t find Larissa ever again!¡± Wendy gritted her leeth as she said angrily. ¡°She and Kevan made you


    end up like this. Whenever I think of her name, I get disgusted! I have already decided to stop being


    friends with her!¡±


    Edmund was a little panicked. ¡°But If you don¡¯t find her, how are you going to get the case dropped?¡±


    ¡°Edmund, I¡¯ve thought about it.¡± Wendy could not stand for long, so she took a chair and sat near the


    bed. ¡°Instead of going to find Larissa and beg her to drop the case, why don¡¯t we find awyer and


    countersue them instead?


    ¡°The police told me that when Kevan reported the case, he used you kidnapping Larissa as the reason.


    But you didn¡¯t kidnap her at all, right? So, we wil sue them for making a false police report, wasting


    resources, as well as ruining your reputation.¡±


    Edmund thought that Wendy would go back and have a big gfight with Larissa, forcing Larissa to go to


    the police station and drop the case.


    T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    After all from all the information he got Wendy was Larissa¡¯s best friend, and Larissa could knowingly


    throw herself into a trap for Wendy¡®


    To Edmund Larissa would definitely agree to Wendy¡¯s ¡°little¡± request. But he never expected things to


    go wrong on Wendy¡¯s end. He did not think that Wendy would abandon her friendship with Larissa for


    several years because of Fim¨Cto the point that she refused to even go.


    ind Larissa.


    ¡°This fucking stupid idiot of a woman,¡± Edmund sneered to himsell coolly, but he still had to act like he


    was soothing Wendy.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this not too good of a thing? He pretended to think for Wendy¡¯s sake. ¡°You¡¯ve been friends with


    Larissa for so long. Even if there are some unhappy things, you have no need to turn things into such a


    bad state, huh?


    ¡°Truth be told, it¡¯s not Larissa¡¯s fault that I ended up like this¨Cit¡¯s all Kevan¡¯sult. Don¡¯t me Larissa


    for everything.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that Kevan beat you because he wanted to warn you to stay away from Larissa?¡±


    Wendy used Edmund¡¯s own words to shut him up. ¡°So, in other words, this whole thing started because


    of Larissa, if it weren¡¯t for her, Kevan would not have beaten you up.¡±


    ¡°It might not be true.¡± Edmund anxiously retorted. ¡®Kevan hates me anyway. He can lind any reason to


    beat me up. It¡¯s the same even


    without Larissa¡±


    Wendy frowned hard and looked at Edmund in conlusion. ¡°Then what do you mean? Do you want me


    to be good friends with Larissa


    again?


    Edmund was worned that Wendy might hate the idea as well as get suspicious of him. So he looked


    down and pretended to act weak. ¡°No


    I just don¡¯t want you to lose your best friend because of me.¡±


    a


    ¡°You¡¯re wrong.¡± Wendy¡¯s gaze was lim. ¡°Once Larissa allowed Kevan to heal you and make ¨¤lse


    police report on you, Thad already lost her. You don¡¯t need to feel guilty. I¡¯ve already found awyer. I


    believe that this thing will be solved this month. When that happens, I¡¯ll go


    back to Caldor with you, along with our child!


    *This ¡°Edmund had a lot of things he wanted to say but could not say. He just wanted Larissa to drop


    the case for the sake of maintaining her friendship with Wendy and letting ham have a way to live.


    Now that Wendy has made the whole thing worse, forget his lies getting exposed at count. If he pissed


    Kevan off again¨CEdmund might be


    Just as good as dead.


    ¡°How about never mind? Let¡¯s forget it?¡±

 Chapter 906

    Chapter 906


    Chapter 906


    ¡°Edmund, what¡¯s wrong? Wendy locked super confused. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to clear yourself of all


    charges?¡±


    *|¡ª¡± Edmund gritted his teeth and chose the path with fewer consequences. ¡°I won¡¯t be in jail for too


    long. If you¡¯re willing to wait for me


    I¡¯ll be out in a few years, and we can still be together.


    ¡°Wendy, I don¡¯t want you to take that risk. We can¡¯t win against Kevan, If you sue him, you will only give


    him the chance to attack us again.¡±


    Wendy was silent as she ¡°seriously¡± considered Edmund¡¯s words. Then, she agreed. ¡°Alright, then,¡±


    She rubbed her own stomach and said lovingly. ¡°Baby, be a good baby, hmm? Let¡¯s wait for Daddy to


    come back together.¡±


    Edmund¡¯s fear was dispelled. ¡°After going back, just make up with Larissa,¡± he advised her. ¡°Once I¡¯m


    in jail she will be the only one who can take care of you. I hope you and the baby can be sale and


    healthy, I will have something to hope for while I¡¯m in jail.¡±


    ¡°But Larissa and Kevan treated you so badly.¡± Wendy was still pretending to be angry. ¡°They made sure


    that my baby¡¯s daddy can¡¯t be by their side¡­


    ¡°You cane see me often,¡± Edmund said. ¡°You can bring our baby to co revenge n was already


    completed in his mind.


    ¡°¡­Fine.¡± Wendy ¡°forced¡± herself to agree. ¡°But I need time before I can be friends with Larissa again,


    I¡¯m scared that I¡¯ll want to p her the moment I see her.¡±


    Edmund squeezed Wendy¡¯s hand. ¡°It¡¯s okay to take time, but don¡¯t take too long. You¡¯re pregnant, and


    I¡¯m worried when you¡¯re living alone. It¡¯s best if you can move in with Larissa. She can still take care of


    you if anything happens.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Wendy nodded and smiled sweetly. ¡°Your ns are more thorough than mine.¡±


    The moment fifteen minutes was up, the police came in to get Wendy to leave.


    Compared to the reluctance fromst time, Wendy left decisively this time. Afraid that Edmund would


    notice. Kevan waited at a staircase that had no people using it


    Wendy went over and knocked twice on the door, and Kevan came in immediately.


    ¡°Ready to go?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Yup.¡± Wendy¡¯s expression was calm. It was hard to tell what was the oue of her talk with Edmund.


    Kevan was not curious about their talk though. When they were walking to the elevator, he warned her


    in a low voice. ¡°I don¡¯t care if you¡¯ve broken things off with Edmund. As long as you don¡¯t hurt Larissa, I


    will tolerate you.¡±


    Wendyughed suddenly. ¡°Chill Mr. Rogers. I won¡¯t give you the chance to kick me out of your house!¡±


    Kevan was still on guard. ¡°I sure hope so.¡±


    ¡°Hey, Mr. Rogers.¡± After they had gotten into the car and were separated from the public, Wendy


    leaned over from the back of the car and asked mysteriously. ¡°I¡¯ve often seen Aldovian dramas where


    criminals will get bullied by other criminals when they¡¯ve gone into jail. The prettier ones might even get


    Do you think Edmund would also¡­¡±


    She blinked. She did not say the rest of her sentence, but Kevan figured out what she meant


    immediately,


    ¡°Possibly,¡± he replied expressionlessly.


    Objectively speaking, Edmund was quite handsome, and his aura was softer than that of the average


    man. In a ce like the prison which was filled with manly men, he would totally stand out.


    Wendyughed gleefully. ¡°That would be for the best Fucking plece of shill He¡¯s already at the end of


    the road, and he¡¯s trying to fucking manipte me¨Cusing me to raise his kid and take revenge on his


    behall He really thinks I¡¯m stupid or some shit?


    N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    Kevan nced at her through the rearview mirror silently. When he saw how happy she was, he


    suddenly felt that Wendy and Larissa were quite simr to each other on a certain level. When it came


    to men they did not love anymore, they were both equally cruel and ruthless.

 Chapter 907

    Chapter 907


    Chapter 907


    Larissa had just arrived at her workce when she got Lewis¡± phone call,


    ¡°I¡¯m back in Westonia. Tell all department heads that there¡¯s a meeting one hourter.¡±


    ¡°Why are you back so early?¡± Larissa found it odd. Lewis went to Egron on Monday morning and had


    only been there for less than two


    days.


    ¡°There¡¯s been changes. Lewis did not sound good. ¡°I talk about it in detail when I¡¯m back¡±


    ¡°Oh, okay!¡± Larissa immediately tensed up and ended the call. She sent the meeting email to every


    single presidential office employee¡¯s


    email


    Lewis arrived at thepany exactly an hourter. He probably came over right after getting off the


    ne. He did not have time to change out of his casual coat, and thus he looked no longer as boring as


    he usually did. He actually looked pretty good.


    His long legs allowed him to cover more ground. Hayden was jogging behind him, and she looked a


    little all over the ce.


    Such a contrast only highlighted Lewis¡® godly aura.


    All the female employees in the presidential office¨Cincluding those who only cared about work, stared.


    But a ¡°god¡± would not care about all this stuff. Before anyone had recovered. Lewis rapped Larissa¡¯s


    table coldly and said. ¡°To the meeting room.¡±


    Larissa quickly grabbed all the stuff she had prepared and went to the meeting room nervously


    Just as she expected, Lewis¡® trip to Egron was really bad. The major client who agreed to meet with


    him went back on their word and refused to meet him. They also ordered their secretary to find all kinds


    of excuses to refuse Lewis phone call requests.


    Finally, Lewis found out from other friends in the industry that Moorewell Shipping had lowered their


    prices and stolen that client away from Blue Star. They had also promised the client all kinds of benefits


    for working together, So, Lewis could onlye back.


    After the presidential office employees quit together, thepany had entered a crisis. Before, it was


    only a minor issue. But these days. there were more major clients who got pillered away by those


    quitters. Lewis finally could not be calm anymore.


    He requested all department heads to quickly find new clients and do their best to maintain the clients


    that they already had.


    N?velDrama.Org is the owner.


    Then, he spoke to the legal department. ¡°When will we get a result for thewsuit on the ex¨C


    presidential office employees?¡±


    For thepany to have lost so many clients, it was definitely those quitters who leaked a great deal of


    company inside information.


    This was clearly an illegal act. But it was just that there were many people who quit, so it was hard to


    say who was responsible for this.


    The head of the legal department replied, ¡°The documents have already been submitted to court. We¡¯re


    waiting for the court session to be


    scheduled.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± Lewis¡± face was still dark. He said coldly, ¡°Those responsible will not be spared.¡±


    When the meeting ended, Lewis called Larissa. ¡°Follow me to my office.¡±


    Larissa got nervous. She thought that he had something important to tell her to do.


    But when they entered his office and the door closed, Lewis stopped being the stern Mr. Logan Junior


    and was back to being her nice


    cousin. ¡°I brought you a present,¡± he said.

 Chapter 908

    Chapter 908


    Chapter 988


    There was a massive suitcase in Lewis¡® office. Lewis knocked on it proudly. ¡°Wanna see?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s our working hours. Larissa remembered the lessons taught to her by her cold superior at all times.


    ¡°We cannot do anything unrted to work.¡±


    ¡°I get to say whether or not something is rted to work,¡± Lewis couldn¡¯t care less about the fact that


    he was eating his own words. He simply put the suitcase down and got down on one knee.


    Larissa could not resist the temptation as she went closer to look.


    Lewis had brought back a hell of a lot of presents. So much that a whole suitcase got stuffed full with it.


    Clothes, bags, jewelry, cosmetics -there was everything, and they were all expensive luxury items.


    ¡°Is ourpany


    N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    really in a crisis?¡± Larissa stared at Lewis with suspicion. With the money he had spent ¡ª he did not


    lock like he was going through a fucking crisis at all.


    ¡°It¡¯s cheaper to buy things from there. It¡¯s rare for me to go too,¡± Lewis exined. He moved aside so


    that Larissa could see everything clearly. ¡°The adult stuff is all yours, the kids¡® stuff is Aster¡¯s. See if you


    like them.¡±


    Larissa was just a regr woman, How could she not like all the things that drive women crazy?


    ¡°It¡¯s good if you live them.¡± Lewis was happy ico.


    ¡°Remember to take this suitcase with you after work¡± Lewis instructed her.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Larissa had opened up all the gifts and then put them all back in their original packaging.


    ¡°Lewis-¡± She looked up and batted her eyshes at Lewis. She partially begged and ttered her


    cousin as she asked. ¡°Can I pick some and gift them to my friend?¡±


    Lewis was generous. ¡°Of course. They¡¯re all yours. You can do whatever you want with them.¡±


    If it were not for the fact that her age did not allow her to co such a thing, Larissa would have done the


    same thing Aster did¨Cjump up with joy and hug Lewis bre kissing him, Larissa tock out two bags


    from the suitcase and went cut of the door.


    Marilyn noticed the obvious logos on the bag packaging and she covered her mouth and eximed in a


    low voice. ¡°Oh my god. Larissa! Mr. Logan Junior even bought bags for you?¡±


    ¡°Not just for me.¡± Larissa smiled as she put one of the bags on Marilyn¡¯s table. ¡°It¡¯s for us. You have


    one too.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Marilyn¡¯s eyes were wide with surprise. She excitedly took the bag out of the packaging.


    ¡°Wow! It¡¯s this season¡¯s limited edition! Mr. Logan Junior is so nice!¡±


    Marilyn kept touching the bag before she carefully put it back inside the packaging. ¡°This is the first


    present I¡¯ve gotten from Mr. Logan Junior since I joined Olue Star Shipping. I¡¯ve got to keep it


    carefully!¡± she said seriously.


    Her overreaction amused Larissa. ¡°Is Mr. Logan Junior usually such a cheapskate?¡±


    Marilyn quickly denied iL ¡°No! Not at all He¡¯s the best superior in the world!¡±


    When they had lunch in the altemoon, Marilyn chatted with Larissa. ¡°Should we treat Mr. Logan Junior


    to a meal since he gave us such an


    expensive gift?¡±


    Marilyn¡¯s expression, tone, and everything else was super normal Larissa pretended not to know what


    Marilyn was really thinking about so she nodded seriously and said, ¡°Sure. But we¡¯d better treat him


    separately, otherwise, we will be the ones who look like cheapskates.¡±


    Marilyn agreed with Larissa. ¡°Then we¡¯ll treat him separately, but Marilyn asked Larissa. ¡°Can you


    come along when I treat Mr. Logan Junior? I¡¯m scared that he won¡¯t agree if I¡¯m just by myself¡±

 Chapter 909

    Chapter 909


    Chapter 909


    ¡°Sure! Larissa agreed, but she was already thinking of how she would sneak away when the time came


    to give Marilyn and Lewis the space they needed by then.


    ¡°Larissa, you¡¯re the best!¡± Marilyn hugged Larissa¡¯s arm and leaned heavily against her affectionately.


    15:48


    After work, Larissa was worried that it would be too obvious if she dragged a huge suitcase with her


    when she left. So, she purposely waited until everyone had left before she went to knock on Lewis¡®


    office door.


    He was stil sitting at his table, staring coldly at hisptop.


    ¡°I came to get the stuff.¡± Larissa pointed at the suitcase Lewis had put in the corner of the


    a room.


    Lewis grunted as he finally looked away from theptop screen and took off the sses he was


    wearing. He rubbed his forehead tiredly. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Larissa turned to him immediately and went


    up to him. ¡°Is it very difficult?¡±


    ¡°A little.¡± Lewis sighed softly. ¡°Moorewell has not only billered our clients, now they¡¯re trying to piller our


    people from the marketing department


    Seeing Larissa¡¯s worried look, Lewis quicklylerled her. ¡°The higher¨Cups in the markeling


    department were promoted by me. They can be considered my most trusted people. They won¡¯t belray


    us so easily.¡±


    Lewis career was not so smooth. Although Gary wanted to train him to take over thepany, he did


    not want to give thepany to Lewis so soon until he was sure of Lewis¡® ability. So when Lewis


    entered Blue Star after graduation, he worked his way up from the bottom of the marketing department.


    Lewis¡® ability was better than the average person¡¯s. Within just two years, he was able to rise up to the


    position of director of the marketing department. He led the others under him to make great


    contributions to thepany.


    Once Lewis had stabilized himself in the marketing department and trained a batch of people loyal to


    him, Gary only promoted him slowly until he was an executive assistant


    ¡°Although a few of our major clients are gone, we still have a good deal of orders on our hands. At


    least, we can still hold for the first half of this year,¡± Lewis said as he gazed at Larissa. ¡°In other words,


    you only have four months leh.¡±


    Larissa lelt the pressure on her shoulders grow heavier.


    ¡°Alright, hurry up and go. Aster¡¯s still waiting for you to go pick him up!¡± Lewis rushed her.


    Larissa pressed her Ips tightly together, but she did not go. Kevan would pick Aster up, so she was not


    in a rush.


    ¡°Are you going to work overtime?¡± She asked Lewis.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Lewis nced at the time on the bottom righter of theptop screen. ¡°I¡¯ve stil got some


    things to do. I can probably only leave at 8 pm.¡±


    N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    ¡°I join you!¡± Larissa put down the suitcase. ¡°You can give me some of your work.¡±


    ¡°No need. You only dy me here.¡± Lewis refused her kindness. ¡°Hurry up and go. don¡¯t let Aster wait!


    And your friend, aren¡¯t you worried that she¡¯s home alone?¡±


    Larissa was silent for a moment, then she left with the suitcase under Lewis¡® scorn.


    The elevator arrived. The doors just opened and Marilyn rushed out of it.


    ¡°Larissa? Why are you only leaving now?¡± Marilyn stopped as she stared at the suitcase behind


    Larissa. She asked in confusion, ¡°Isn¡¯t this Mr. Logan Junior¡¯s suitcase?¡±


    Larissa did not expect Marilyn to run into her like that and see it. After a few secords of panic, Larissa


    led calmly, ¡°I just finished the tasks Mr. Logan Junior gave me. This suitcase is lilled with his dirty


    clothes from his business trip. He told me to send them to be dry cleaned.¡± She was Lewis¡® assistant. It


    was normal for her to help him out with some private mallers.

 Chapter 910

    Chapter 910


    Chapter 910


    Marilyn did not suspect anything, and she actually sighed sadly for Larissa and said, ¡°You¡¯re working


    too hard!¡±


    Larissa smiled and mocked herself. ¡°Thepany¡¯s not doing very well recently, so I¡¯ve got to cling on


    to Mr. Logan Junior and make sure that I don¡¯t get fired by him,¡±


    After a brief pause, she asked Marilyn, ¡°What about you? You¡¯ve left for so long, why did youe


    back?¡±


    ¡ª


    ¡°Oh, I forgot something.¡± Marilyn smiled dryly as she let Larissa enter the elevator. She pointed behind


    her and said, ¡°Well I go get my stuff.¡±


    Larissa asked, ¡°Do you need me to wait for you?


    ¡°No, no, no!¡± Marilyn quickly refused. ¡°You go on ahead. I have no idea where I put my stulf, so I might


    need to look for a while.¡±


    ¡°Okay, then.¡± Although it was already past the peak hours for work dismissal, there were still people in


    the office building. Larissa could not let the elevator stop at the topmost floor for so long, so she


    dragged the suitcase in with her. ¡°I¡¯m leaving. See you tomorrow.¡± 1


    Marilyn stood outside and waved back. Her smile was kind of stiff for some reason. ¡°See you


    tomorrow.¡±


    Larissa¡¯s big suitcase was surrounded by the ¡°gossipy public¡°-which was actually just Wendy herself.


    ¡°Holy shit! This bag has got to be like eight thousand bucks!


    ¡°This ne! It¡¯s all real diamonds! It¡¯s got to be like a million bucks!


    ¡°These earrings! Holy effing fuck! It¡¯s so pretty! How the hell is your cousin¡¯s taste so good?


    ¡°Ahhhhh! The legendary richdy¨Conly moisturizer! I could never bring myself to buy it! Supposedly its


    brightening, anti¨Cwrinkle, and anti- aging effects are super good!¡±


    Wendy carefully looked through everything in the suitcase. She did not stop letting cut exmations of


    amazement.


    Larissa covered her ears, and she regretted a little that she did not join the father and son pair to hide


    in the home theater. After Wendy had finally stopped. Larissa said, ¡°Take whatever you like! My cousin


    bought it all anyway, so it¡¯s not my money.¡±


    She did not feel bad for Lewis at all.


    Wendy was not a greedy cheapskate. She knew herself, and she did not take anything too expensive.


    She only took a few high¨Cend skincare products that she had always wanted.


    ¡°Just this? Lanssa thought she was not taking enough. So, she shoved the ¡°eight thousand bucks¡± bag


    and a pair of heels that Wendy had been eyeing for a very long time.


    *These are too expensive. Wendy did not want to take them.


    ¡°Why are you being all polite with me?!¡± Larissa Insisted on giving them to her. ¡°It¡¯s just money, and it¡¯s


    nothingpared to pur


    friendship.¡±


    ¡°Our friendship¡± were the words that stabbed sharply into Wendy¡¯s weakest spot as well as her guilt


    She still remembered what Vick sald about how Larissa went to the motel alone to save her.


    ¡°Lari.¡± Wendy threw away everything she was holding as she hugged her friend lightly. ¡°You¡¯re so good


    to me! You¡¯re the best gift that Eve ever received from anyone and anywhere!


    Larissa could guess where Wendy¡¯s gratitude came from, but such words from Wendy made Larissa¡¯s


    skin break out in goosebumps.


    Simr to Larissa, Kevan, and Aster, who had been standing at the ce between the Iving room and


    the dining room for who knew how long as they had exited the home theater, had awkward expressions


    on theirces.


    Aster¡¯s face was all crumpled up with disgust too. ¡°Eww! Godma, your words are so grossi¡± He


    pretended to rub his arms like the TV show


    characters.


    Larissa nodded in agreement. ¡°Yep, it¡¯s so gross.¡±


    N?velDrama.Org is the owner.


    things from the suitcase in revenge.

 Chapter 911

    Chapter 911


    Chapter 911


    ¡°I¡¯m fucking blind as usuall¡± Wendy snapped angrily. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have shown you guys any pollen


    Aster stuck out his tongue and made an uglyce at her.


    Larissa pouted and gave up fighting with Wendy.


    During dinner, Kevan get a call Although he hid in the study, Larissa still saw the name on the


    screen-¡°Dad.¡±


    Kevan came back only after more than ten minutes. Wendy and Aster had already linished ealing and


    had gone to the home theater to y games. Larissa was the only one waiting for him at the dining


    table.


    Seeing that Kevan¡¯s expression was darker than before, Larissa asked him with concern. ¡°Did


    something happen at home?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal. Kevan picked up his fork and soon again. ¡°It¡¯s my Aunt Maria¨CEdmurd¡¯s mom. She


    went to my ce to cause trouble today. She said that Edmund hasn¡¯te back from Westonia after


    so long because I¡¯ve locked him up.¡±


    When Kewan said that, a mocking smile appeared on his face. ¡°She understands her son quite well,


    but she just doesn¡¯t get me.¡±


    ¡°What die your parents say?¡± Larissa asked.


    ¡°My dad doesn¡¯t know anything. He just listened to her shout for a while before chasing her out of the


    house.¡± Kevan¡¯s voice was calm. It was like this was not a big issue that he should be worried about.


    ¡°Your dad didn¡¯t ask if you had really locked Edmund up?¡±


    ¡°He did.¡±


    ¡°What did you say?¡±


    ¡°The truth.¡±


    ¡°What? Larissa was shocked. S


    N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    away the next time your Aunt Maria goes to cause trouble at your parents¡°?¡±


    ¡°Ignorance was bliss.¡± With how Kevan¡¯s parents dealt with things, they would definitely put up with


    things if they were realy in the wrong. And from that they would let people push their luck with them.


    ¡°Number one, it¡¯s Edmund¡¯s fault, not mine. Number two, the one who locked him up was the police,


    and not me. So, why shouldn¡¯t my parents take the me? Kevan said righteously. ¡°I already told my


    dad to not let in all those stupid people. It¡¯s bad for the house, and my parents would feel bad too.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you worried that your Aunt Maria would make things worse?¡± Larissa had met the Rogers at Old


    Mr. Rogers funeral, Although she had not interacted with them, Kevan¡¯s aunts and uncles did not look


    like people who were easy to deal with just based on their


    appearance alone.


    Moreover, Kevan¡¯s Aunt Maria had raised sons like Cody and Edmund


    ¡°Let her.¡± Kevan did not care, ¡°It¡¯s not like the one getting shamed would be me if things got worse.¡±


    ¡°But your parents ¨C


    ¡°My parents aren¡¯t as weak as you think. They¡¯re not saints.¡± Kevan knew his parents well. They were


    just kind, but not weak. They would not let those idiots bully them and not light back.


    ¡°My dad told me to stay in Aldovia for now to prevent Aunt Maria from trying anything with me. I¡¯ll call


    Dnter and let himke over the


    more important work.¡±


    Kevan¡¯s trip here was aplete ident anyway, and he had not nned to stay for long. But with


    his aunt causing trouble, it gave him a proper reason to stay in Ald, and he could ¡°force¡± Dn to


    work harder for him too.


    Alter so many years, Kevan was always in charge of everything about Microworks. I was time that


    Dn stepped up and took on some responsibilities too.


    At this moment, far on the other side of the globe, Dn sneezed very loudly.

 Chapter 912

    Chapter 912


    Chapter 912


    Due to the recent pandemic in Caldor, many international trades with Caldor had reduced greatly. Blue


    Star Shipping had naturally


    received many order cancetions too.


    Thepany was in a sad state. Many departments were spreading rumors about a major employee


    layoff. Larissa specifically tried to


    verify this with Lewis.


    Lewis kept working overtime this week, and he looked worse than usual ¡°We do have ns toy off


    some people, but it can¡¯t be


    considered ¡®major.¡± He sounded tired as well as heartbroken and resigned.


    ¡°Lay off the employees based on performance then! Ourpany has always had this system, it was


    just that our performance was good before and we were able to take care of so many employees, that


    was why we never enforced this system properly.


    ¡°Now that thepany is in trouble, those who are not working properly should be kicked out.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t look like that¨CLewis was amused by Larissa¡¯s worried frown. He even teased her. ¡°The sky


    hasn¡¯t even fallen yet!¡±


    ¡°Caldor¡¯s government is controlling the pandemic well, so it probably won¡¯t be long before business


    resumes over there. Think positive.


    ourpany is not the only one affected by this¨CI hear that Moorewell has gotten canceled orders too.¡±


    ¡°Our losses have got to be bigger than Moorewell, right?¡± Larissa was not the least bitforted by


    Lewis¡® words.


    As Gary was a proper born and bred Caldorian, most of Blue Star Shipping¡¯s clients were Kyminian


    companies, and there was a great deal


    of Caldorianpanies among those numbers.


    Moorewell Shipping was the exact opposite of Blue Star¨CTheir cargo ships only traveled between


    Aldovia and Epoth, so losing orders


    from Kymin was not a big deal for them.


    ¡°This is only temporary.¡± Lewis was rather confident though. ¡°It won¡¯t be long before the virus spreads


    all over Epoth and Aldovia. Moorewell will only be worse than we are by then.¡±


    Larissa did not know where Lewis¡® blind confidence came from.


    ¡°If the virus spreads in Epoth and Aldovia aren¡¯t we goners as well?¡±


    ¡°Do you never pay attention to Caldorian news? Lewis gave Larissa a look, ¡°Other than the city that


    had the first viral outbreak, the viral cases in other ces back home are actually going down. Once


    those cities have their lockdowns lifted and resumed business, our


    orders will go back up again.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t look at the single digit numbers reported by Epath and Aldovia now for their confirmed viral


    cases, if the government and people don¡¯t treat this matter seriously, they may only be worse than


    Caldor in the end.¡±


    Larissa¡¯s friends and family were all in Aldovia, so she paid less attention to the news back in Caldor.


    She only knew that Caldor¡¯s economy had practically stopped due to the spread of some new viral


    disease. She did not pay attention to the progress of the epidemic. so she knew even less of the things


    that Lewis talked about.


    ¡°Actually-¡°Lewis spoke slowly. ¡°Uncle Gary and I have been thinking about moving thepany back


    to Caldor. But that¡¯s not something that can be done so easily, especially at a time like this.¡± He sighed


    softly.


    ¡°I¡¯m just letting you know beforehand so you are prepared. As for whether or not the move will happen,


    we will have to see what our ie is like for the second half of the year.¡±


    Larissa lett Lewis¡® office with a bad expression on her face. Marilyn asked her quietly, ¡°Did Mr. Logan


    Junior scold you?¡±


    Larissa forced a smile but did not reply.


    ¡°I n to treat Mr. Logan Junior for a meal today.¡± Manlyn ran over to Larissa¡¯s workce, grabbed a


    chair and sat next to her. She asked, ¡± Is M. Logan Junior still busy now?¡±


    It was already Friday today, and it was long past working hours. There were still many people in the


    presidential office, probably because. the employees were scared by the news of the majorying off or


    they were affected by the frequent working overtime of their two bosses.


    However, the moment Larissa finished speaking. Lewis¡® ollice door opened Lewis stepped out with his


    briefcase and suit jacket. He looked like he was ready to go off work, Walking over to Larissa¡¯s table,


    he asked, ¡°Want to go grab dinner?¡±


    He stared right at Larissa, making her feel panicked. Larissa turned automatically to look at Marilyn,


    whose face was frozen as she stared nkly somewhere with her head down.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± Larissa wailed to herself on the inside.T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 913

    Chapter 913


    Chapter 913


    Lewis¡® timing was too coincidental Larissa had just told Marilyn that Lewis was not free, and now he


    was inviting her to have dinner.


    No matter how it was, it looked like Larissa was the one who had done something on purpose to ¡°break


    up¡± this couple from bing real.


    ¡°Mr. Logan Junior.¡± Larissa tried to distance hersell from it all. ¡°Why are you leaving so early today?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the weekend.¡± Lewis¡® response was simple and to the point. ¡°So, do you want to go grab dinner


    with me?¡± he asked again.


    Worried that Larissa would say no, he added, ¡°My treat.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Larissa hesitated before an idea hit her. ¡°Why don¡¯t we bring Marilyn? Marilyn was going to treat


    you too, right?¡±


    Marilyn was a little panicked at being named by Larissa. She smiled awkwardly and said. ¡°Next time


    maybe. Isn¡¯t Mr. Logan Junior going to treat you today? I won¡¯t interrupt.¡±


    Marilyn hurried back to her workce and grabbed her bag in preparation to leave. That bag-


    Lewiscked at it for a moment.


    Sensing his gaze. Marilyn automatically touched the bag a bit. ¡°Thank you for Mr. Logan Junior¡¯s gift. I


    like it very much! If you¡¯re free. I¡¯d like to treat you to a meal as a way to express my gratitude!¡±


    ¡°No need.¡± Lewis rejected her outright. ¡°It¡¯s enough that you like the gift.¡±


    Marilyn¡¯s expression dulled at once. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll go then.¡± She waved at them and escaped in her heels.


    ¡°You did that on purpose, didn¡¯t you?¡± Larissa asked Lewis. He was not that dumb to invite her out for a


    meal in front of other people.


    Lewis snorted coldly. ¡°You should be d I didn¡¯t fucking deal with you in person.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Larissa cid not understand his meaning. ¡°Why would you need to deal with me?¡±


    ¡°Think about what you¡¯ve said to Uncle Gary about me and Marilyn?¡± Lewis hinted at her.


    Larissa wilted Immediately. ¡°Why does Dad tell you everything!¡± She was really annoyed.


    N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    ¡°He didn¡¯t tell me directly, but he asked tentatively if I had feelings for Marilyn. But this isn¡¯t something


    that Uncle Gary would da, only you. ¡°Lewis did not even need to think to know who was nning all


    this behind the scenes.


    ¡°Larissa-¡± Lewis braced himself on the table and bent down a little as he got closer to Larissa. He


    asked in a low voice. ¡°Didn¡¯t I fucking tell you that you should leave my rtionship status alone? And


    that you better not try to matchmake me with anyone?


    ¡°Er


    Larissa was defeated by his strong aura as she gradually began to back away. ¡°Sorry, I was wrong.¡±


    She always knew when to back oll and apologize quickly.


    ¡°You¡¯re wrong, and?¡¯ Lewis¡® eyes narrowed and his voice grew unhappy. ¡°Would you dare repeat it?¡±


    There was the sound of something dropping to the floor. Larissa and Lewis were both startled as they


    turned to look

 Chapter 914

    Chapter 914


    Chapter 914


    Marilyn, who had left earlier, had somehowe back and she was standing not far from them.


    She was staring at them in shock with wide, blue eyes, and her mouth was open. The bag that Larissa


    gifted her was on the llcor by Marilyn¡¯s leet. The lipstick had rolled out of the bag.


    ¡°S¨CSorry! Marilyn quickly grabbed her things after recovering and turned around. ¡°I didn¡¯t see


    anything!¡± This time, she escaped faster.


    ¡°She misunderstood, I think.¡± Larissa pulled away from Lewis and red at him irritably. Lewis¡®


    previous position was too much.


    If Larissa was Marilyn, she would have overthought it loo.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it good that she misunderstood?¡± Lewis was calm though. ¡°It¡¯s just as well because it should stop


    you from trying to matchmake me and her.¡±


    Larissa did not want to expose her rtionship to Lewis, so it was hard to exin to Marilyn what she


    saw earlier,


    Larissa angrily packed her things and muttered, ¡°I want to see just how long you will remain single!¡±


    Lewis treating Larissa to a meal waske, but forcing Marilyn away was real. As a result, the moment


    they left the building, Lewis sald goodbye to Larissa and went toward his car. Larissa quickly followed


    and entered the passenger¡¯s seat before Lewis locked the car door.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you wanted to treat me to a meal? Let¡¯s go!¡± She put on the safety bell and had a look


    of utter pride on her face.


    Lewis gave her a look and said nothing. He calmly started the car.


    After Lewis¡® car vanished around theer, a small red car parked in a corner drove into the crowded


    streets.


    Having managed to gel Lewis to spend money on her. Larissa picked a high¨Cend restaurant that she


    herself could not usually bear to go to. However, the moment they sat down. Larissa¡¯s phone began to


    vibrate madly in her bag.


    The only people who would find her at this time were those three at home. Larissa felt for her phone,


    and she was going to start boasting when she found out that the person who called her was actually


    Allen, who did not contact her anymore after the parent¨Cch ld activities at Aster¡¯s school.


    Larissa did not want to answer Allen¡¯s call. She simply put the phone face down on the table and


    waited for the call to end. But he did not. seem to want to give up. When the first call ended, the phone


    vibrated two secondster.


    Lewis advised her. ¡°Answer it. What if someone has something urgent?¡±


    Larissa sighed helplessly and answered the call.


    Allen¡¯s frantic voice came over at once. ¡°Larissa, have you seen Freddy?¡±


    N?velDrama.Org is the owner.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Larissa froze. ¡°No? Why?¡±


    ¡°Freddy¡¯s missing! Allen was so worried that he was close to crying. ¡°Our nanny had something happen


    at thest minute and was half an hourte to the kindergarten. And Freddy has gone missing!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t panic.¡± Larissa¡¯s anxiety began to grow too, but she had to be calm tofort Allen. ¡°Do the


    teachers not know where he went?¡±


    ¡°After school was over, Freddy said he wanted to go to the toilet, and the teacher let him go, but he


    never came back to the ssroom


    ¡°What about the kindergarten¡¯s surveince? Have you seen it?¡±


    ¡°Yes. He had followed the other parents out of ine school. The teacher helped me contact one of the


    parents, who said that she did not know Freddy and had not known that Freddy had lollowed her out.¡±

 Chapter 915

    Chapter 915


    Chapter 915


    ¡°Take a moment to think about where Freddy might go¨Clike the ces he usually loves going or his


    close friends¡® houses.¡± Larissa suggested. ¡°By the way, have you called the police? They will take care


    of this, won¡¯t they?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t contacted the police yet,¡± Allen said, ¡°I¡¯ve also just received the news from the nanny a while


    ago. She thought Freddy had sneakily gone out to y. But when she couldn¡¯t find him after looking for


    him around the school she panicked.


    ¡°I¡¯m heading to Freddy¡¯s favorite spots now. Larissa, can you help to keep an eye out too? Freddy


    loves and trusts you the most. If he runs away from home, it¡¯s very likely that he will go to you.


    Moreover¡­¡± He trailed off, seemingly hesitating to continue speaking.


    ¡°What?¡± Larissa asked.


    ¡°Something has been off with him since he received the cold shoulder from you. He has gotten a lot


    quieter than before. I¡¯m worried that he might be suffering from depression.¡±


    That was a bolt out of the blue. Larissa was stunned. She knew that something was wrong with Freddy,


    but little did she expect it to be because of her.


    A wave of guilt stirred up in her, ¡°Tell me the ces he loves to go. I help look for him too.¡±


    ¡°I know you¡¯re worried about Freddy, but it¡¯s okay.¡± Allen refused. ¡°You must be spending time with your


    family at home, so I won¡¯t bother you anymore. If Freddy really looks for youter, please let me know.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m outside now and don¡¯t have anything urgent to deal with,¡± Larissa said. ¡°We can find Freddy faster


    when there is more help.¡±


    Allen pondered for a while before replying. ¡°Alright, then. Thanks, Larissa,¡±


    After that, Larissa took out a pen and paper from her bag to jot down the ces he mentioned.


    When she hung up her phone, Lewis asked, ¡°Who is missing?¡±


    ¡°My ex¨Csuperior¡¯s son, Freddy. He is about Aster¡¯s age and goes to the same kindergarten as him. He


    left on his own after school ended today and hasn¡¯t gone home until now. I need to help look for him.¡±


    Upon packing up her stuff, she stretched out her hand toward Lewis. ¡°Give me your car keys.¡±


    N?velDrama.Org is the owner.


    She had hitched a ride in his car to get here. Hence, her car was still parked downstairs at the


    company at the moment.


    Lewis grabbed his clothes and said, ¡°I¡¯ll go with you. It¡¯ste now. It¡¯s not safe for a woman like you to


    wander around at this hour.¡±


    Larissa went to the ces Allen gave her one after another, starting from the one nearest to her. Parks,


    amusement parks, theaters¨Cshel asked everyone around, but none of them had seen Freddy.


    In the end, she had no choice but to let Lewis drive around the kindergarten aimlessly.


    If Freddy hadn¡¯t encountered any unexpected situations, he wouldn¡¯t have gone too far, considering his


    physical strength.


    Alter driving around the same area for the third time. Lewis said. ¡°Tell your friend to call the police.¡±


    As soon as Larissa dialed Allen¡¯s number, she inadvertently turned her head around and caught sight


    of a small figure in the narrow alley by the roadside.


    ¡°Quick, reverse the car!¡± She ended the call in a hurry and stulled her phone back into her bag.


    Before Lewis could stop his car properly, Larissa had already unbuckled her seatbelt and trolled over to


    the pitch¨Cck alley. In the darkness, she managed to find the trembling little boy curling up next to the


    loud trash bin.


    ¡°Freddy, is that you?¡± she asked loudly, fearing that the other party couldn¡¯t hear her voice clearly.


    There wasn¡¯t any response.


    ¡°Freddy? Larissa walked over and finally crouched before him.


    Lewis caught up with her in time. His phone shlight shone on the child¡¯s face.


    him up, pulling him away from the trash bin.


    Instead of saying anything. Freddy lowered his head, remaining silent.

 Chapter 916

    Chapter 916


    Chapter 916


    Larissa brought Freddy into the car. The lights in the car were t, perfectly highlighting the disheveled


    state the little boy was in.


    Larissa cleaned the dirt on Freddy¡¯s face with wet wipes and ran her fingers through his messy hair to


    make it neat and tidy.


    ¡°Did you get into a fight with your dad?¡± she asked gently.


    Freddy still wasn¡¯t responding to her.


    Recalling what Allen said over the phone¨Cthat Freddy seemed to have signs of depression.


    Larissa felt her heart tighten. ¡°Freddy, talk to me, please? You can tell me whatever you want.¡± She was


    starting to sound anxious.


    Freddy looked at her, his gaze was nk and lifeless.


    After ending the call with Allen, Lewis returned to his car and cast a nce at the two people sitting in


    the backseat. ¡°His dad will be here soon. He told us to wait for him.¡±


    Hearing that, Freddy became restless all of a sudden and frantically tried to open the locked car door.


    When he realized he couldn¡¯t open. it, he fiercely knocked his arm against the window, trying to use this


    method to run away from the car.


    Larissa wrapped her arms around him in an instant to hold him down.


    ¡°Let me go! I want to leave! Freddy screamed.


    The little boy kept struggling to break free. He aimlessly shoved his legs in the air, staining the clean


    seats and doors in the car with his dirty shoe prints.


    Larissa suffered a series of punches from him. Although he was young, he had executed his full


    strength at the moment for the sake of escaping. She gritted her teeth, enduring the pain surging from


    her arms.


    Seeing that, Lewis immediately went to the backseat and helped Larissa keep Freddy stil


    ¡°Ah!¡± Freddy¡¯s scream was so sharp that it almost pierced both Larissa¡¯s and Lewis¡® eardrums.


    Luckily, there was barely anyone around the kindergarten at this hour. Otherwise, such a chaotic scene


    was only going to cause unnecessary misunderstandings.


    N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be scared, Freddy. We won¡¯t hurt you.¡± Larissaforted, gently patting his head.


    However, this method wasn¡¯t working on the little boy.


    Freddy¡¯s agitation showed no less. He even sank his teeth into Larissa¡¯s hand that was caressing him.


    If Lewis hadn¡¯t pried open his mouth in time, he probably would have bitten a piece of Larissa¡¯s flesh


    off.


    When Larissa withdrew her hand, she couldn¡¯t stop tears from coursing down her cheeks. The bite


    marks on the back of her palm were so


    deep that blood was slowly oozing out of them.


    ¡°There are some masks in the storagepartment at the front. Put one on him,¡± Lewis said.


    Larissa reached out and found the masks that Lewis had bought in advance because of the pandemic.


    She immediately wore one on


    Freddy. Since it was an adult mask, it was naturally too big for him. Even though his entirece was


    almost covered by the mask, it could


    stop him from biting anyone again.


    Lewis used a leg and a hand to hold Freddy still. Then, he undid his tle and bound the little boy¡¯s hands


    behind his back.


    Despite that, Freddy was still trying to break free. However, no maller how he struggled, he still wasn¡¯t


    able to harm Lewis and Larissa.


    Lewis tied him to the back of the driver¡¯s seat with his Jacket, restraining him from moving around.


    Larissa waited for Allen outside the car. As soon as she caught sight of Allen¡¯s car, she frantically


    waved her hands to beckon him over.


    Soon, Allen gradually pulled up behind Lewis¡® car.

 Chapter 917

    Chapter 917


    Chapter 917


    Allen couldn¡¯t even be bothered to lock his car. He trotted over and asked. ¡°Where¡¯s Freddy?¡±


    Larissa pointed at the car. ¡°He was trying to escape just now, so Lewis has tied him up.¡±


    Upon opening the car door, Allen called, ¡°Freddy!¡± His voice was choked up,


    Hearing that the little kid finally stopped struggling and quieted down.


    Lewis loosened the jacket and tie holding Freddy down, but he didn¡¯t remove the mask on the boy¡¯s


    face.


    Allen pulled Freddy into his arms and whined, ¡°Where did you go? You have made us look for you


    everywhere!¡± He sounded angry and joyful at the same time.


    Once again, Freddy fell into silence.


    ¡°Thanks, Larissa Lewis. I¡¯m sorry for bothering you at this hour,¡± Allen sald apologetically.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Larissa waved her hand. ¡°Hurry up and bring Freddy back. He must be scared and hungry.¡±


    Allen nodded. ¡°We¡¯ll leave first, then. I¡¯ll treat you to a meal some other day to express my gratitude.¡±


    Larissa watched them go away. It wasn¡¯t until they had disappeared from her sight that she revealed


    her right hand. ¡°I think I need to go to the hospital¡± she said to Lewis.


    Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    Freddy¡¯s bite was fierce. After disinfecting her wound, the doctor applied medicine to it and dressed it


    with a bandage. Larissa clenched her fists tightly, bearing the pain.


    ¡°What bad luck I have. I was just trying to help, but I ended up getting injured.¡±


    ¡°You should learn from this.¡± Lewis didn¡¯t show any sympathy for her at all ¡°Don¡¯t meddle in something


    like this again. He could have just contacted the police when his son went missing. He must have


    harbored ulterior motives for calling you in the middle of the night¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so?¡± To be honest, Larissa wasn¡¯t trying to put in a good word for Allen. ¡°It¡¯s true that


    Freddy is closer to me. Moreover, I also share the me that he became like this.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Lewis didn¡¯t agree with her. ¡°Did you beat or scold him? You are not


    even his mother and have no obligations to take care of him. He¡¯s now suffering from depression just


    because of your cold treatment? That simply shows that his dad doesn¡¯t know how to look after his son.


    It has nothing to do with you.¡±


    Although what Lewis said made sense, Larissa still felt bad about it.


    ¡°If you still want to act like a saint next time, take a look at your hand first.¡± Lewis snorted. ¡°I don¡¯t even


    know why you¡¯re willing to suffer


    like this.¡±


    Larissa lowered her head, having said nothing else.


    By the time Larissa reached home, it was already the dead of night. In the living room was only Kevan,


    who was waiting for her to be back. When he saw Larissa, he immediately muted the television.


    ¡°Why are you sote? Weren¡¯t you out just to have a meal with Lewis?¡± Upon seeing the Injury on her


    hand, he walked up to her at once and carefully put it on his palm. ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°I was bitten by Freddy,¡± Larissa replied honestly.


    The bite mark was deep. Even if the bandage was removed after a few days, the mark would probably


    still be there. Hence, there wasn¡¯t a need to lie since Kevan would know about it sooner orter.


    ¡°Freddy?¡± Kevan was aware of that name. ¡°That annoying kid who keeps pestering you?¡±


    19se but don¡¯t describe him like that. He is not annoying, and he doesn¡¯t always pester me either.¡±

 Chapter 918

    Chapter 918


    Chapter 918


    Larissa gave Kevan a detalled ount of what happened. As she went on his expression gradually


    darkened.


    ¡°Stop meddling in other people¡¯s businesses.¡± His response was the same as that of Lewis. ¡°Since your


    ex¨Csuperior could make his son


    sutter depression, he is not a good person either.¡±


    Larissa had been reproached by Lewis just now, so she dared not retort to Kevan. She rubbed her belly


    and couldn¡¯t help sighing as she thought of thevish meal that she had missed just now.


    ¡°Are you hungry?¡± Kevan arched his brows.


    He knew her so well that he understood every move she made.


    ¡°Yes!¡± Larissa¡¯s eyes brightened. ¡°Is there anything to eat at home?¡± Her voice was filled with


    excitement.


    ¡°What do you want to eat? I made beef stew today. Do you want some?¡±


    Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Sure!¡± That Instartly whetted her appetite.


    Ten minutester, Kevan walked out of the kitchen with a bowl of piping¨Chot beef stew. He added more


    ingredients to it, and the


    tantalizing aroma was permeating the air.


    Larissa couldn¡¯t wait to eat it. However, she could only use her left hand as her right hand was injured.


    Seeing that Kevan asked. ¡°Can you eat it on your own?¡±


    Larissa tried to pick up the food, but she couldnt. The meat fell back into the broth, almost sshing on


    her hand.


    ¡°Let me do it.¡± Kevan took over the fork and spoon from her helplessly and sent a piece of the meat to


    her mouth.


    Larissa blushed, but she didn¡¯t reject him feeding her.


    Kevan had always been patient with her. Hence, even though he had to feed her, he didn¡¯t whine about


    it.


    After eating. Larissay on the couchzily with her hands on her stomach. When Kevan was done


    doing the dishes, she said, ¡°You¡¯re my


    Prince Charming from now on.¡±


    ¡°From now on? Kevan wasn¡¯t pleased with what she said. ¡°Was I not your Prince Charming back


    then?¡±


    Well Larissa had a lot of scores to settle with him. However, considering that the atmosphere was


    rtively harmonious at the moment, she didn¡¯t want to argue with him. ¡°You were.¡±


    After all, there wasn¡¯t a need to be too hard on him at times like this.


    Kevan snorted, but his expression slowly became gentle.

 Chapter 919

    Chapter 919


    Chapter 919


    Kevan stood beside Larissa with a hand in his pocket. He lowered his head to look at her and ordered,


    ¡°It¡¯s gettingte, time to sleep now.¡±


    ¡°I ate too much, I need to exercise and burn off some calories,¡± Larissa said as she got up from the


    sofa.


    There was a dedicated gym in the house. Although there wasn¡¯t much equipment, it was sufficient for


    her needs.


    As soon as she took a step forward. Kevan stopped her. There was a meaningful smile on his face.


    ¡°Exercise? I know of a particrly effective form of exercise to burn calories instead.¡±


    It was the weekend, so all four of them were at home.


    After the intense ¡°workout¡±st night, Larissa felt a little groggy in the morning.


    Yawning, shey on the sofa in their home theater and watched a cheesy teen drama with Wendy.


    ¡°Hey, do you know if Microworks Corporation is making a fortune from this recent epidemic happening


    back in Caldor?¡± Wendy blurted cut suddenly.


    ¡°What? Why?¡± Larissa¡¯s mind was still foggy and she did not reply immediately.


    Wendy exined, ¡°With the lockdown in ce, people can¡¯t go out to have fun. They can only stay


    home and watch dramas or y games! The biggest and mostprehensive streaming site online is


    VisualBox. It¡¯s owned by Microworks Corporations. Exclusive content can only be unlocked by paying


    for a membership. As for games, the top three most downloaded games on the leaderboards were


    developed by Microworks Corporation as well. I heard that the gaming department of M croworks


    Corporations made billions in revenue in just the first week of the lockdown!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s your point? Larissa asked nkly.


    Wendy stared at her in frustration. ¡°So, Mr. Rogers is very, really, and extremely rich! Ms. Larissa,


    haven¡¯t you realized that you are on your


    way to bing a super¨Cduper rich woman?¡±


    However. Larissa was unperturbed. That money isn¡¯t mine. What¡¯s more, Kevan and I are not married


    yet. Even if we do get married, that would be his pre¨Cmarital assets which have nothing to do with me.


    So, I¡¯m not going to be a super¨Cduper¨Crich woman. Don¡¯t call me that!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter with you?¡± Wendy red at her. After a minute, she sighed and slumped down on


    the s. ¡°Never mind, you have a dad who¡¯s the president of Blue Star Shipping. You¡¯re a princess


    born with a silver spoon in your mouth. That¡¯s why you have no concept of


    money.


    If it weren¡¯t for Wendy¡¯s health, Larissa would have kicked her right then and there.


    She was no princess, and she wasn¡¯t born with a silver spoon in her mouth. What a ridiculous image


    that Wendy was trying to pin on her!


    ¡°Blue Star Shipping is seriously affected by this epidemic. I don¡¯t know if thepany can make it


    through the second hall of the year.¡± Larissa¡¯s mood Lumed somber when the topic came up,


    ¡°Huh? Blue Star Shipping is such a bigpany, how could ¡°Wendy was taken aback.


    Judging by Larissa¡¯s appearance, it didn¡¯t seem like she was lying.


    Wendy continued, ¡°However, I heard that several bigpanies in Caldor had gone bankrupt during


    this period as well. It seems like even


    Soaring Corporation is struggling.¡±


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t Soaring Corporation already in trouble before this? Larissa was surprised that they managed to


    hold on for this long.


    ¡°Soaring Corporation managed to generate some cashflow by sellingnd at a discounted price, but I


    doubt they can sustain themselves for much longer. Their main business is still real estate, However,


    no one can go to work in Caldor right now and people are struggling to


    afford basic necessities.


    N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    ¡°Who has the extra cash to buy properties? Besides, the construction quality of Soaring Corporallon


    has gone downhill recently. They have not upheld their end of customer service, so there are tons of


    comints online.


    ¡°Now that they have ruined their own reputation, their properties can¡¯t be sold. Most of the newly built


    ones are left vacant. Even with huge discounts, nobody¡¯s interested. Anyway, il Caldor continues to


    y locked down, Soaring Corporation is definitely going to go bankrupt.¡±


    1/2


    Wendy continued as her smile grew wider. ¡°Did you know that the Calder government had appealed to


    hotels to be used as quarantine


    centers for suspected cases? They initially approached the Regal Dynasty Hotel, but some idiot turned


    them down!


    ¡°Now that the Regal Dynasty Hotel has offended the govemment, no one knows whether they will be


    allowed to continue operations after the epidemic is over! With the health and fire safety department


    conducting raids three times a week, it would be easy for the authorities


    to give them a hard time!


    ¡°What a joke! It¡¯s just too funny! When did the Rogers brothers be such failures? Every choice


    they made only led theirpanies to ruin! I truly admire Mr. Rogers. Although he was bom to the


    same family as Cody and Edmund, he is not at all influenced by their stupidity!


    What a rare gem!¡±


    Wendy ended her speech with wholehearted admiration for Kevan.

 Chapter 920

    Chapter 920


    Chapter 920


    While Wendy was singing praises regarding Kevan, he was in the study on the phone with Anthony.


    The situation at Soaring Corporation was as dire as Wendy had mentioned. This was why Maria had


    been going over to Kevan¡¯s parents¡¯ house almost every day.


    ¡°If you have the ability, help Cody out! Your grandfather had built Soaring Corporation up with his blood


    and tears. I can¡¯t bear to watch thepany go down the drain,¡± Anthony urged him.


    ¡°Dad, you know I will never help Cody.¡± Kevan had set up his n many years ago. Al this crucial


    juncture, he couldn¡¯t allow his n toil


    The recent epidemic was a massive disaster. It was also the perfect opportunity to make sure Cody


    could never recover from this situation.


    ¡°You are not helping Cody, but helping the family.¡± Anthony wasn¡¯t fond of Cody either, but he was


    devoted to Soaring Corporation.


    ¡°Soaring Corporation is the root of the Rogers family, Kevan,¡± he said.


    ¡°This root is already rotten. It needs to be uprocted.¡± Kevan had grown up under his grandfather¡¯s


    influence. He knew how important Soaring Corporation was to Rnd and to the Rogersmily.


    Because of this, he didn¡¯t want the current Soaring Corporation to continue existing. It was no longer


    the Soaring Corporation he knew. Its mere existence was an embarrassment to Rnd¡¯s lilelong efforts


    for thepany!


    ¡°Dad, do you trust me? Kevan asked earnestly.


    Anthony thought for a moment before answering. ¡®Go ahead and do what you need to do! Your mom


    says that Aunt Maria has gone mad!¡± He sighed heavily.


    Ever since Bernard went to jail life had been tough for Maria.


    She was a university graduate when she entered Soaring Corporation to work,


    Maria caught the eye of Bernard Rogers with her beauty, which led to her marriage into the family.


    After her marriage. Maria quit her job and became a rich housewife.


    Bernard was not a loyal husband. When Maria was pregnant with Cody, she caught Bernard having an


    affair,


    Although she had protested initially, Bemard threatened her with divorce, so she had to give in.


    Thepromisested for decades.


    In wealthy families, nch housewives often turned a bind eye to their husbands¡¯ affairs for the sake of


    money.


    Due to her connection to Soaring Corporation, Maria received the admiration of other rich housewives.


    I became stronger after Cody took control of Soaring Corporation.


    Soaring Corporation¡¯s stock price plummeted when Bemard got into trouble.


    When his scandals were exposed, the rich housewives who were once in awe of Ma Lumed against


    her one by one.


    This shock had a severe impact on Maria¡¯s mental heath. Her personality became more and more


    twisted.


    She put all her hopes on her eldest son, but Soaring Corporation deteriorated day by day under Cody¡¯s


    leadership,


    On the other hand, the Regal Dynasty Hotel remained stable. They even supported most of Soaring


    Corporation¡¯s expenses during the harsh economic crisis.


    Maria thought that Edmund could lead Soaring Corporation to greater heights.


    Finally, she could return to her glory days where she would turn up her nose on those who had looked


    down on her.


    Unfortunately Edmund had disappeared alter a trip to Aldovia.


    When Maria lost herst lifeline, her mental statepletely copsed.


    +


    cursing them with all sorts of vulgarities.


    Kevan¡¯s parents did not report Maria to the police out of regard for their familial ties. Nheless, no


    one could bear with her constant harassment every day.


    ¡°If she¡¯s gone mad, we should send her to a mental institution.¡± Kevan was different from his parents.


    He did not care about showing understanding to those ¡°rtives¡± of his N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    ¡°If you¡¯re unwilling to handle this problem, then I will be the bad guy.¡± he added.


    Anthony fell silent once more.


    The home theater was dimly lit. There were some colorful lights projected onto the screen.

 Chapter 921

    Chapter 921


    Chapter 921


    The ongoing teen drama series w


    was so boring that it almost put Larissa to sleep. She struggled to stay awake. Her gaze happened to


    catch a glimmer of light seeping through the door cr ack.


    Kevan pushed the door open and walked in. He waved to Larissa. ¡°Can you step out for a moment?¡±


    As she was still holding a grudge from the previous night¡¯s leud,¡¯ she pretended not to hear him. She


    remained nonchnt at him.


    Kevan smiled faintly. He approached her, bent down, and picked her up.


    ¡°Aaaaaaah-she eximed. She was squirming in his arms.


    Wendy was munching on potato chips and watching them with keen interest. She thought that the


    scene was more entertaining than the cheesy teen drama.


    Kevan held Larissa¡¯s iling hands in ce. He apologized to Wendy. ¡°I need to talk to her.¡±


    Wendy nodded confidently. ¡°Yeah, sure! As long as you need to!¡±


    Larissa turned and red at Wendy. Kevan carried Larissa into the study. He locked the door behind


    them. He gestured for her to sit on the desk and positioned himself between her legs. He wrapped his


    arms around her shoulders loosely. But this position¡­


    She ced her hands on the desk, attempting to move backward. But he firmly pulled her back.


    ¡°Don¡¯t move. I have something important to discuss with you.¡± He gripped the nape of her neck.


    Her face and neck flushed instantly. She felt embarrassed and indignant. ¡°Why do you need to talk in a


    position like this?¡±


    ¡°Ch? So, what position do you prefer?¡± Kevan raised his eyebrows. His tone carried a hint of


    flirtatiousness.


    Larissa wisely chose not to engage. She remained silent. Kevan chuckled softly seeing her relent.


    However, he quickly reverted to


    seriousness when he sensed the threat in her eyes.


    ¡°Here¡¯s the thing. Edmund¡¯s case is going to trial soon. You and Wendy may be summoned asN?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    witnesses. You should be fine. But Wendy


    ¡°Must Wendy go?¡± She didn¡¯t want Wendy to testify in court. Recounting the events would add another


    layer of trauma to her.


    ¡°It would be better if she does. How about you go and ask her? If she¡¯s unwilling, we¡¯ll leave it at that,¡±


    he suggested, trying to discuss the


    matter with her.


    ¡°Okay, then.¡± She pursed her lips. Her mood was growing more solemn.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much about her.¡± He cradled her face in his hands, using his thumbs to gently lift the


    corners of her mouth coaxing a


    smile. ¡°You look better like this.¡±


    Larissa gave him a wry look and replied coldly, ¡°You¡¯re childish.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that Wendy ys Microworks¡¯ online game? Why don¡¯t you ask her to give me her


    ount? I can send her some in-game currency. Maybe it will make her happier? Kevan suggested


    hesitantly.


    As it turned out, Wendy was more than just a little happier.


    ¡°Holy cr ap!¡± she eximed in excitement as she stared at the string of zeros behind her in-game


    currency bnce. ¡°Forget about testifying in court; I¡¯d dly kill Edmund myself¡±


    She was more than eager to make Edmund pay for his actions; she wouldn¡¯t have shirked her


    responsibility even without the in-game currency. So, the in-game currency was an added bonus.

 Chapter 922

    Chapter 922


    Chapter 922


    Soon, the day of the trial arrived.


    Thanks to Lewis¡¯ influence, not a single respectablewyer in Weston dared to take on the task of


    defending Edmund, no matter how much he was willing to pay.


    Larissa had rehea rsed her testimony at home in advance.


    Tears welled up in her eyes as she took the witness stand.


    She sobbed uncontrobly as she recounted the scary experiences after being kidnapped.


    Her emotional testimony moved the jury deeply.


    She cried so many times during her testimony that she could barely hold hersell together.


    The key witnesses, including Vick, corroborated her ount.


    The text messages and contracts exchanged between Vick and Edmund were presented as evidence.


    Such proof could potentially send Edmund to jail.


    Everything was proceeding smoothly, except for a minor hup during Wendy¡¯s appearance.


    Kevan was concerned about her m ental state.


    So, he had coordinated with the prosecutor to ce her as thest witness.


    N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    Edmund waspletely taken by surprise when he saw Wendy in the courtroom.


    She had chosen a in appearance for the day.


    She was dressed in all ck.


    She had no makeup at all.


    Her face appeared somewhat pale-a deliberate act to gain sympathy from the jury.


    But from Edmund¡¯s perspective, it seemed like she was sympathizing with him.


    He thought she was bearing a tremendous burden on his behalf.


    After enduring several rounds of usations, Edmund had almost resigned himself to losing the case.


    He expected to spend the next few years behind bars in a foreign country.


    However, Wendy¡¯s unexpected appearance offered a glimmer of hope into his bleak outlook.


    He looked at her with hope, his eyes seemingly fixated on her..


    She raised her head.


    She met his gaze confidently.


    She even offered him a faint smile.


    She provided him with a reassuring expression.


    So, the tension that had tightly held his body immediately dissipated.


    Wendy recounted the day¡¯s events truthfully, without any embellishments.


    ¡°The defendant informed me that he had taken my friend¡¯s son.


    ¡°He requested that I apany him.


    ¡°We went to a coffee shop near the mall, but my friend¡¯s son wasn¡¯t present


    ¡°I consumed it and I lost consciousness.


    ¡°I have no recollection of the events that followed.


    ¡°When I regained consciousness, I found myself in a room at the Maple Hotel¡±


    However, these testimonies clearly favored the prosecution. Edmund¡¯s expression immediately shifted.


    ¡°What the hell are you talking about? It was Kevan and Larissa who framed me! I¡¯m innocer !! Wendy,


    you need to tell these folks! You can¡¯t let them tarnish my name he yelled loudly in Caldorian.


    The sudden twist in the proceedings sent shockwaves through the courtroom.


    Conversations erupted; the once solemn legal setting turned into a chaotic market.


    The judge swiftly took control.


    While summoning bailiffs to restrain Edmund, the judge offered a stem waming to Werdy. ¡°Don¡¯t


    sumb to his threats.¡±


    She nodded solemnly.


    She then addressed Edmund in Aldovian. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯ve taken an oath. I cannot lie in this court.¡±


    Edmund was shaken.


    Until this very day, he had been confidently awaiting Wendy to seek vengeance on his behall.


    However, judging by her current demeanor, it seemed that Larissa and Kevan had sessfully


    persuaded her otherwise.


    ¡°You¡¯ve deceived me! What a liar! Just you wait! I¡¯ll make sure none of you have it easy!¡± He shot up


    from his chair. His face was boiling red with rage as he angrily pointed at her.


    Due to his highly charged emotions, the judge expedited the trial proceedings to prevent any further


    disruptions.


    The jury wasted no time in delivering their verdict-Edmund was found guilty of kidnapping.


    Given hispleteck of remorse, he was sentenced to ten years in prison.


    As he was escorted away by the bailiffs, he turned toward his attomey and shouted, ¡°I don¡¯t ept this!


    I¡¯m going to appeal! Help me file an appeal! I have money! I¡¯ll pay you! Just get me cut of here!¡±


    The attomey wiped away imaginary sweat from his forehead, collected the belongings, and ignored


    Edmund¡¯s pleas

 Chapter 923

    Chapter 923


    Chapter 923


    The reporters that Kevan had arranged were waiting outside the courthouse.


    At least ten cameras pointed at Edmund as soon as


    on as he came out.


    There were continuous shutter clicks. Reporters were bombarding him with questions.


    These finally exacerbated Edmund¡¯s already vtile emotions.


    ¡°Get the hell out of here! All of you! Get the hell out!¡± he yelled.


    His facial expression was so scary that it was almost distorted.


    His outburst was captured on cameras.


    It was spread across the entire Caldor¡¯s inte that day.


    He was somewhat of a public figure in Caldor, just not as famous as his own brother, Cody, or his


    cousin, Kevan.


    This was due to his connections with Soaring Corporation and the Regal Dynasty Hotel


    So. himmitting a crime and serving time in Aldovia became a sensation.


    The story had a significant social impact because of the incident itself and the shame it brought to the


    nation.


    Most media in Caldor was under Kevan¡¯s control. They added their own spin to the story of ¡°Edmund¡¯s


    abduction of a young woman.¡±


    Coupled with the powerful imaginations ofizens, soon, Edmund was pped with thebel of


    ¡°rapist.¡±


    As the keywords ¡°Rogers family¡± and ¡°sexual assault were linked together,izens dug up old stories


    about Bernard and Cody.


    They devalued the entire Rogers family and the plummeting Soaring Corporation.


    There were even calls to boycott Soaring Corporation.


    Netizens refused to buy Soaring Corporation¡¯s properties or stay in their hotels. They pledged not to


    contribute a cent to its coffers.


    Anthony called Kevan again.


    ¡°Kevan, why don¡¯t youe back? Anthony¡¯s tone was filled with helplessness.


    Kevan had already learned about the turmoil in his home country from Dn.


    However, he chose to act oblivious. ¡°Why? What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°Soaring.¡± Anthony choked up. ¡°Soaring Corporation can¡¯t hold on any longer. The employees¡¯ sries


    can¡¯t be paid. Cody is considering filing for bankruptcy liquidation.¡±


    It was very difficult for him to say those words; he was the one within the entire Rogers family who least


    wanted to see Soaring


    Corporation fall.


    It was not for status or money, but because of his emotional attachment to the family¡¯ste.


    ¡°What do you want me to do?¡± Kevan asked calmly.


    ¡°Would you consider buying Soaring Corporation from Cody? Maybe you can merge it with Microworks


    Corporation? This might be the


    best solution,¡± Anthony suggested cautiously.


    Indeed, Microworks Corporation had the capability to ensure Soaring Corporation¡¯s continued


    operation.


    Microworks Corporation might even be able to revive Soaring Corporation¡¯s past glory.


    But Kevan did not want that.


    ¡°I won¡¯t give Cody a single dime.¡±


    +


    1/2


    ¡°Dad, you can save your breath next time if you want me to help Soaring Corporation.¡±


    Kevan still pretended to be an ¡°amnec.¡± So, he could say heartless words without feeling bad.


    Anthony hesitated for a while and changed the subject.


    ¡°So when are you bringing Larissa back? Your mother keeps talking about her at home.¡±


    Kevan¡¯s pursed lips finally rxed.


    His tone softened. ¡°We¡¯ll be back once Soaring Corporation is gone.¡±N?velDrama.Org is the owner.

 Chapter 924

    Chapter 924


    Chapter 924


    With Edmund behind bars, Larissa finally was able to put the matter to rest


    N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    However, what troubled her the most was Blue Star¡¯s crisis.


    One by one, their long¨Ctime clients were being poached by Moorewell Shipping.


    So, their top priority was to acquire new clients to ensure the stability of thepany¡¯s revenue.


    Indeed, they had a dedicated department for attracting small and medium¨Csized clients.


    However, dealing withrger clients usually relied on thepany¡¯s top executives and their


    connections.


    Gary had ns to shift the business locus to Caldor. This meant establishing closer lies and


    coborations with majorpanies there.


    However, he didn¡¯t have the same level of ess in Caldor as he did in Westonia Caldor had


    numerousrge shippingpanies. They had no incentive to work exclusively with him.


    Considering the current situation in Caldor, Lewis didn¡¯t dare to allow Gary to travel there in person.


    After some discussions, a decision was reached.


    Lewis would apany Larissa on a trip to Caldor.


    Lewis could be considered Blue Star¡¯s second¨Cinmand.


    Larissa was Blue Star¡¯s princess.


    Their joint presence would convey respect and credibility to potential clients.


    Larissa returned home.


    She informed Kevan about the uing business trip to Caldor.


    Immediately, he grabbed a suitcase and started packing his bags.


    ¡°My parents also want me to go home,¡± he stated matter¨Cof¨Cfactly.


    ¡°What about Aster if we all leave?¡± she asked with concern.


    If it weren¡¯t for Wendy¡¯s situation, she would have no hesitation about leaving Aster behind.


    But now, Wendy was unable to care for herself; leaving Aster with her would be an absolute disaster.


    She didn¡¯t even need to consider Gary.


    She dreaded the thought ofing back in a few days to find Aster had been turned into a spoiled brat


    by Gary.


    Kevan didn¡¯t give her a direct answer.


    Instead, he called Aster into the room and consulted with him very seriously.


    ¡°Daddy and Mommy need to go to Caldor for a few days. Would you like to stay with Godma or


    Grandpa, or would you like toe with us?


    After careful consideration, Aster replied just as seriously, ¡°I want to go with you guys.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Kevan asked.


    ¡°Godma hasn¡¯t recovered yet. I will be a burden to her. As for Grandpa¡­¡± He nced at Larissa before


    continuing. ¡°Mommy doesn¡¯t like


    me going there.¡±


    Kevan nodded in eptance.


    ¡°Alright, go pack your things now. We¡¯ll leave tomorrow moming.¡±


    1/2


    From a distance, they could still hear Aster excitedly boasting to Wendy.


    ¡°Godma! I¡¯m going to Caldor with Mommy and Daddy tomorrow! You have to take care of yourself at


    home, alright?¡±


    Larissa had refrained from expressing her displeasure when Aster was present.


    Now that Aster had left, she wore a stem expression.


    She questioned Kevan, ¡°Why did you agree to take him with us? The situation back home isn¡¯t clear


    yet. What if he gets infected?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Bartham is quite safe right now. We take necessary precautions while traveling. It¡¯s not as


    scary as you think,¡± he replied confidently.


    ¡°But when we¡¯re back there, I be meeting clients with Lewis. You also have your own matters to attend


    to. Are you nning to leave Aster alone in the hotel? She still fell uneasy.


    ¡°What do you mean ¡®leaving Aster alone in the hotel?¡± He raised his eyebrows. He was puzzled by her


    question. ¡°We can send him to my parents¡® house. I think they¡¯d be thrilled to see him.¡±


    She remembered something after hearing him mention his parents. ¡°By the way, have you told your


    parents about Aster being your son?¡±


    ¡°Not yet.¡± Kevan hesitated for a moment before adding. ¡°They think I have amnesia.¡±


    Naturally, it was impossible for him to remember Aster was his son given his amnesia.


    She smirked coldly. ¡°I¡¯d like to see how you¡¯ll exin it to your parents in the future.¡±

 Chapter 925

    Chapter 925


    Chapter 925


    Kevan wasn¡¯t particrly worried about this: his parents were definitely easier to handle than Larissa.


    But before dealing with his own parents. Kevan had someone else to deal with.


    At the airport, when Lewis saw Aster and Kevan getting out of the car behind Larissa, his expression


    immediately darkened.


    ¡°Why are theying with you? Larissa, we¡¯re here in Caldor for business, not a vacation,¡± he asked


    with an unpleasant tone.


    ¡°It¡¯s not what you think,¡± Larissa replied.


    She felt a twinge of guilt due to Lewis¡® sudden usations.


    She then pointed at Kevan.


    ¡°He just happened to have some matters to attend to in Caldor. And since there¡¯s no one at home to


    take care of Aster, he brought him along. After wend in Caldor, they will go their separate ways. They


    won¡¯t interfere with my work,¡± she assured Lewis.


    Lewis¡¯s mood didn¡¯t improve with her exnation, However, he couldn¡¯t say anything more.


    There was an ongoing pandemic in Caldor.


    So, flights from Westonia to Caldor had seen a significant drop in passengerstely.


    Even so, it was surprising that they were the only passengers in the spacious business¨Css cabin.


    Regardless, this reduction in passenger numbers greatly decreased the risk of infection.


    They didn¡¯t need to wear masks throughout the flight.


    They could freely enjoy their meals and drinks.


    During the flight, Larissa and Lewis were both engrossed in theirptops.


    They were reviewing data from their partnerpanies and discussing the proposals they needed to


    present.


    Kevan, on the other hand, sat with Aster across the aisle.


    He kept Aster entertained by ying movies and teaching him how to y various games.


    He even told Aster bedtime stories to help him fall asleep.


    Finally, when Aster had drifted off to sleep, Kevan found a moment to slip away to the restroom.


    Lewis took his eyes off theputer screen.


    He looked at Kevan¡¯s retreating figure and remarked thoughtfully. ¡°He¡¯s treating Aster quite well¡±


    Larissa softly responded with an ¡°Uh¨Chuh¡± while concealing her other emotions.


    After all, Aster was Kevan¡¯s biological child¨Chow could he not treat Aster well?


    They woke up to find the ne had already touched down at Bartham airport.


    Once through customs, Lewis immediately made a call to the driver provided by the coborating party.


    ¡°Mr. Lewis? You and Ms. Seymour cane right out; I¡¯m waiting for you. I¡¯m holding a sign. It¡¯s very


    easy to spot me! Oh, and Ms. Seymour¡¯s friend is also with me.¡±


    Lewis hung up the phone and turned to Larissa. ¡°Did you arrange for a friend to pick us up?¡±


    Larissa was taken aback by the question. ¡°No, I didn¡¯t. I only have one friend, Wendy. You know her


    too. Besides, I didn¡¯t inform anyone about my return to Caldor.¡±


    1/2


    He hadn¡¯t changed much since theirst meeting.


    He still wore a gentle smile and had an elegant demeanor.


    Dn waved to them and called out, ¡°Larissa! Kevan! Over here!¡±


    Standing beside him was a short and stout middle¨Caged man.


    The man held up a sign with Lewis and Larissa¡¯s names written on it.


    He also joined in with a wave and said, ¡°Mr. Lewis! Ms. Seymour!¡±


    Despite his words, his gaze had remained fixed on Kevan throughout.


    Lewis pushed the luggage cart forward, wearing a stem expression.


    He spoke in a cold tone. ¡°Allow me to introduce myself. I¡¯m Lewis, the one mentioned on that sign,¡± as


    he pointed at the card.N?velDrama.Org is the owner.

 Chapter 926

    Chapter 926


    Chapter 926


    The man realized his mistake and chuckled awkwardly.


    ¡°Hey, my apologies, Mr. Lewis,¡± he said, carefully extending his apology, before swiftly changing the


    topic, saying, ¡°Mr. Lewis, will you all be riding in my car, or how would you like to proceed?¡±


    His use of ¡®you all Included Kevan and Aster, who had been sticking close to Larissa.


    Lewis pulled Larissa aside and stated, ¡°It will just be the two of us.¡±


    ¡°Get it! Sure thing!¡± The man took the initiative to help with the luggage cart


    He smiled as he continued. ¡°My car is parked outside. So, please follow me for a short walk¡±


    Larissa turned to Dn and inquired. ¡°What about you?¡±


    ¡°My car is parked on the basement level We¡¯re headed in different directions.¡± Dn replied, gesturing


    casually behind him.


    Larissa tumed her attention to Aster.


    She embraced I m and nted a kiss on his cheek.


    She ruffled his hair as she advised. ¡°Be a good boy and listen to Daddy, I have to work today, but I¡¯ll


    come see you tomorrow.¡±


    Aster nadded in understanding.


    She then exchanged a nce with Kevan, who was also looking at her.


    In his jet¨Cck eyes, there was a subtle hint of reluctance.


    ¡°Well


    See you tomorrow.¡± Larissa said.


    ¡°Sure. See you tomorrow,¡± Kevan replied. He had a gentle and tender smile on his face.


    ¡°Where are we going?¡± Dn inquired as he drove onto the highway.


    ¡°To my parents¡® ce.¡± Kevan responded.


    He was momentarily distracted as he unwrapped a packet of cookies for Aster.


    Dn nced at the harmoniousther and son duo in the back seat through the rearview mirror.


    ¡°Are you sure about this?¡± Dn asked.


    Kevan raised his gaze, locking eyes with Dn. ¡°Why do you ask?¡±


    Dn¡¯s gave shifted to Aster. ¡°How are you going to exin to them¡­


    Kevan¡¯s expression remainedposed as he rified, ¡°They¡¯ve met Aster before. They know he¡¯s


    Larissa¡¯s son.¡±


    It was just that they didn¡¯t know Aster was also his sor


    Dn had numerous other questions.


    But he refrained from asking them in Aster¡¯s presence, so he simply remained quiet.


    As they neared Kevan¡¯s parents¡® house, Dn gradually slowed down the car.


    ¡°Huh¡­¡± He suddenly hit the brakes and turned to Kevan. ¡°There¡¯s someone at the gate. What¡¯s going


    on?¡±


    Kevan had been engaged in conversation with Aster throughout the journey.


    He did not pay much attention to the road ahead.


    1/2


    As expected, there was avishly dressed but disheveled woman standing at the courtyard gate.


    She was holding a gleaming kitchen knife.


    It could be none other than Maria.


    Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Open the gatel Maria pounded on the heavy iron gate with her knile.


    Her voice was strained as she shouted, ¡°Give me back my Edmund!¡±


    Aster, unfamiliar with such a situation, cowered in Kevan¡¯s arms.


    ¡°Daddy, who is she?¡± he asked in a hushed tone.


    Kevan whispered, ¡°She¡¯s someone who isn¡¯t well.¡±


    He gently shielded Aster¡¯s eyes with his hand and offeredfort, ¡°You don¡¯t need to be scared,


    buddy. I¡¯m here.¡±


    Dn retrieved his phone and asked Kevan, ¡°Should we call the police?¡±


    Kevan nodded in agreement.


    The three of them remained seated in the car.


    They listened to Maria¡¯s relentless stream of curses while patiently waiting for the police to arrive.


    However, Dn¡¯s Land Rover drew too much attention.


    Before long. Maria noticed the suddenly parked car, still running.


    She clutched her kitchen knife as she approached.


    Dn made a swift decision.


    He shifted gears and stepped on the gas pedal.


    His car zoomed past her before she could discem who was inside the vehicle.


    Maria didn¡¯t pursue them.


    Dn parked the car around the corner, ensuring it was out of Maria¡¯s line of sight


    ¡°That disy by Ma was quite unsettling.¡± he admitted,


    His heart was still pounding. It wasn¡¯t that he was afraid of her, but with a child in the car, he had to


    exercise caution.


    The banging on the gate resumed, apanied by Maria¡¯s continued verbal tirade.


    ¡°Come over and hold Aster,¡± Kevan instructed Dn.


    ¡°Huh? What do you intend to do?¡± Dn raised an eyebrow His senses were on high alert.

 Chapter 927

    Chapter 927


    Chapter 927


    Kevan noticed Dn¡¯s hesitation and decided to take matters into his own hands.


    He lifted Aster and ced him firmly in Dn¡¯sp.


    ¡°Lock the doors and keep him safe,¡± he instructed with determination before jumping out of the car


    without further ado.


    ¡°Hey-* Dn tried to intervene but it was toote.


    He watched as Kevan strode purposefully toward themotion,


    ¡°Damn it! Dn muttered in frustration,


    Following Kevan¡¯s instructions, he locked the car doors but remained uneasy.


    ¡°Uncle Dn, where did Daddy go?¡± Aster asked with a worried expression.


    Dn shifted his gaze away from Kevan, mustering a forced smile.


    ¡°Well¡­ he is not feeling well and needs to use the neighbor¡¯s restroom.¡±


    Hr concocted a poor excuse.


    Aster responded with a simple ¡°On¡± and lowered his head, obediently nestling in Dn¡¯s arms.


    It was unclear whether he believed the excuse or not.


    The sound of the knife striking the gate abruptly stopped.


    ¡°You¡¯ve finally decided to show your face! You freeloading ingrate! Give me back my Edmund!¡±


    Dn trembled upon hearing the shout.


    His anxious gaze darted toward the source of themotion behind him.


    But he couldn¡¯t make out any details.


    He covered Aster¡¯s ears with both hands, assuring him. ¡°It¡¯ll be okay soon.¡±


    However, this ¡°soon¡± seemed tost much longer.


    It continued until the shrill sound of police sirens drew closer.


    Dn grew increasingly restless.


    He wanted to step out and investigate. But he restrained himself, he had his own mission to fulfill


    After more than ten minutes. Kevan¡¯s silhouette reappeared in the rearview mirror.


    Dn quickly lowered the car window and asked, ¡°What¡¯s the situation?¡±


    Kevan responded calmly, ¡°Everything¡¯s fine.¡±


    The walling sirens gradually faded into the distance.


    Dn maneuvered the car back to Kevan¡¯s parents¡® house.


    Maria was nowhere to be seenc presumably, the police had taken her away.


    Kevan rang the doorbell A cautious voice from inside inquired, ¡°Who is it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s me, Kevan.¡±


    The massive iron gale slowly opened on its own.


    Through the car window, Kevan instructed Dn, ¡°Go park the car, I head in first.¡±


    ¡°What about Aster?¡±


    1/2


    Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    As expected, there was avishly dressed but disheveled woman standing at the courtyard gale.


    She was holding a gleaming kitchen knife.


    It could be none other than Maria


    ¡°Open the gale!¡± Maria pounded on the heavy iron gate with her knile.


    Her voice was strained as she shouted, ¡°Give me back my Edmund!¡±


    Aster, unfamiliar with such a situation, cowered in Kevan¡¯s arms.


    ¡°Daddy, who is she?¡± he asked in a hushed tone.


    Kevan whispered, ¡°She¡¯s someone who isn¡¯t well.¡±


    He gently shielded Aster¡¯s eyes with his hand and offeredfort, ¡°You don¡¯t need to be scared,


    buddy. I¡¯m here.¡±


    Dn retrieved his phone and asked Kevan. ¡°Should we call the police?¡±


    Kevan nodded in agreement.


    The three of them remained seated in the car.


    They Estened to Maria¡¯s relentless stream of curses while patiently waiting for the police to arrive.


    However, Dn¡¯s Land Rover drew too much attention.


    Before long. Maria noticed the suddenly parked car. still running.


    She clutched her kitchen knife as she approached.


    Dn made a swift decision.


    He shifted gears and stepped on the gas pedal


    His car zoomed past her before she could discern who was inside the vehicle.


    Maria didn¡¯t pursue them.


    Dn parked the car around theer, ensuring it was out


    ¡°That disy by Maria was quite unsettling.¡± he admitted.


    line of sight.


    His heart was stil pounding. It wasn¡¯t that he was afraid of her, but with a child in the car, he had to


    exercise caution.


    The banging on the gate resumed, apanied by Maria¡¯s continued verbal tirade.


    ¡°Come over and hold Aster,¡± Kevan instructed Dn.


    ¡°Huh? What do you intend to do?¡± Dn raised an eyebrow.


    His senses were on high alert

 Chapter 928

    Chapter 928


    Chapter 928


    Both Anthony and Violet were utterly charmed by Aster.


    Anthony couldn¡¯t wait to take Aster from Violet.


    He bounced Aster around happily, saying, ¡°What a good boy!


    The scene of the grandparents and grandson enjoying themselves together was heartwarming.


    But Dn¡¯s focus wasn¡¯t on that He asked, ¡°Violet, where¡¯s Kevan?¡±


    She gestured upstairs and replied. ¡°He said his clothes got dirty, so he went upstairs to take a shower


    and change. You know his cleanliness habits.¡±


    Kevan¡¯s penchant for cleanliness was no secret in the family.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Dn didn¡¯t inquire further.


    ¡°Aster, would you like some snacks? I made cinnamon rolls and cream puffs. Even your mom says


    they¡¯re delicious!¡± She held Aster¡¯s hands, trying to win him over.


    ¡°Alter snacks, how about going for a stroll in the yard with me? IL show you the crickets I¡¯m raising. It¡¯s


    a lot of fun Anthony chimed in, also vying for Aster¡¯s attention


    Dn sat on the couch.


    He felt somewhat out of ce amidst the current atmosphere.


    However, he couldn¡¯t help but feel moved by the fact that Kevan¡¯s parents treated Aster like a


    cherished grandson; they still were unaware of Aster being Kevan¡¯s biological son.


    Anthony never seemed this weing back when facing Bethany.


    ¡°Dn, you just sit here for a while, okay? Violet led Aster toward the dining room.


    Anthonyllowed.


    Dn wasn¡¯t exactly an outsider in the Rogers family. So, he felt more at ease sitting alone than with


    them.


    He browsed his emails on his phone and wailed.


    After nearly hall an hour, Kevan finally came downstairs.


    As mentioned by Violet, Kevan had taken a shower.


    His hair wasn¡¯tpletely dry, and it clung together in strands.


    He had changed out of his crisp shirt and suit into loose¨Cfitting sweatpants and a sweatshirt.


    On his feet were in cotton slippers, giving him a rather rxed and homey appearance.


    With one hand in his pocket, Kevan strolled casualy over to Dn and asked, ¡°Where are my parents


    and Aster?¡±


    ¡°In the dining room.¡± Dn replied, ncing in that direction. ¡°They¡¯re enjoying Violet¡¯s cinnamon rolls


    and cream putts.¡±


    Kevan hade downstairster and missed the initial meeting between his parents and Aster.


    ¡°Are my parents treating Aster well?¡± Kevan asked,


    ¡°Very. You missed out on how your dad reacted just now. It was eye¨Copening.¡± Dn emphasized the


    word ¡°very¡°.


    N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    ¡°My dad?¡±


    Kevan was quite surprised. He had expected his mom to be kind to Aster.


    But he hadn¡¯t anticipated the same from his dad; his dad had always been reserved.


    ¡°Now, you¡¯re just a step away from marrying Larissa Into the family. Has she sollened up? Dn leased


    hall¨Cjokingly.


    situation at Soaring Corporation, we¡¯ll start nning the wedding.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s pretty soon, isn¡¯t it? Dn was well aware of Soaring Corporation¡¯s current predicament.


    ¡°I heard they recentlyid off a significant number of employees.


    ¡°Many major shareholders are looking to sell their shares but can¡¯t find buyers.


    ¡°How about seiring the opportunity, buying in at a low price, and eventually booting Cody out of Soaring


    Corporation once our shareholding surpasses his?


    ¡°Do you have that much money to burn? Kevan coolly nced at him. ¡°If you¡¯ve got that kind of cash,


    why not invest it elsewhere?¡±


    Dn frowned. ¡°Come on, you


    Soaring Corporation is still a part of the Rogers family¡¯s legacy, isn¡¯t it? Don¡¯t you care at all? Aren¡¯t you


    afraid that Old Mr. Rogers might be watching from the great beyond?¡±


    Kevan sneered and said, ¡°Soaring Corporation¡¯s current state is precisely the result of him watching


    from the great beyond.¡±


    So, naturally, he had to add more fuel to the fire and fulfill his grandfather¡¯s wishes.


    ¡°The prosecutor¡¯s investigation into Soaring Corporation¡¯s internal corporate crimes is nearlyplete.


    When the timees, none of those people will escape,¡± Kevan stated confidently.


    ¡°I¡¯ve also handed over evidence of Cody hiring someone to kill me and smuggling drugs from Aldovia to


    the police.


    ¡°When you add up all these charges, he won¡¯t be seeing the outside of a prison for the rest of his life.¡±


    He had let Cody go on for so long.


    Not just to subject him to immense pressure and gradually break him mentally.


    But most importantly, to bring final closure.


    He wanted to prevent any chance of Codying out of prison several yearster and affecting their


    lives.

 Chapter 929

    Chapter 929


    Chapter 929


    ¡°Life imprisonment?¡± Dn narrowed his eyes. ¡°That¡¯s still lenient for him!¡±


    In fact, Edmund confirmed that Cody had poisoned Old Mr. Rogers.


    However, Kevan didn¡¯t intend to submit that video as evidence due to suspicions of coercion during the


    confession.


    ¡°Once he¡¯s behind bars, it won¡¯t be up to him whether he lives or dies,¡± Kevan said.


    N?velDrama.Org is the owner.


    He was smiling, but his dark eyes were chily.


    There were plenty of hardcore criminals in prison.


    Fights and braw¡¯s happened at the drop of a hat


    It wasn¡¯t all that umon for inmates to end up killing each other.


    Handing it wouldn¡¯t be much of a hassle.


    After all, individuals like those inmates wouldn¡¯t mind taking another life.


    Besides, there were already two members of Bernard¡¯s family in prison.


    Since Maria got herself into trouble today, she¡¯d likely join them behind bars.


    With Cody¡¯s rtives no longer around, there would be no one to investigate the cause of his death.


    The matter would probably be swept under the rug.


    ¡°So, find someone to keep a close eye on him during this time. Just to prevent another ident from


    happening.¡±


    Kevan wasn¡¯t worried about idents happening to him.


    Over the years, he survived numerous life¨Cthreatening situations.


    He always managed toe out unscathed with the training he received from his granther.


    His primary concern was Cody getting desperate and targeting Larissa or


    rAster.


    In case Cody really set his sights on them, Kevan leared that he wouldn¡¯t be able to wait until the day


    he could personally send him to


    prison.


    He might take matters into his own hands.


    know.¡± Dn replied.


    He had long ago ced someone close to Cody to keep a constant watch on his every move.


    ¡°By the way, there¡¯s one more thing I need your help with Kevan looked at Dn with an unusual level


    of eamestness.


    ¡°Yeah?¡± Dn sat up straight.


    Dn stayed at the house for a while and then left.


    Kevan got up and headed to the dining room.


    Meanwhile, Violet was busy kneading dough at the kitchen counter.


    There was no sign of Anthony or Aster.


    The rectangr dining table was adored with various types of bread baked by Violet.


    He picked up one that looked appetizing, broke off a plece, and put it in his mouth.


    ¡°Are you hungry? Violet asked as she noticed her son entering the kitchen.


    1/2


    He idly watched her working on the dough.


    ¡°Where are Dad and Aster?¡± he inquired.


    ¡°Well, your dad took Aster to the backyard to look at his precious crickets! Violet rolled her eyes


    irritably, ¡°I don¡¯t understand what¡¯s so fascinating about those bugs! Aren¡¯t they worried about scaring


    the child?¡±


    He leaned against the kitchen counter and answered, ¡°Aster isn¡¯t that easily frightened.¡±


    He took a moment to contemte and then asked, ¡°Mom, what are your thoughts on me and Larissa


    remarrying?¡±

 Chapter 930

    Chapter 930


    Chapter 930


    Violet looked surprised.


    ¡°Wait, you haven¡¯t remarried Lari yet?


    ¡°You¡¯ve been constantly over there, staying for weeks at a time.


    ¡°I thought you¡¯d have it all sorted by now.¡± Her eyes sparkled with leasing, and her lone was yfully


    mocking.


    Kevan cleared his throat, feeling somewhat uneasy. ¡°Well I still need to discuss it with you and Dad.¡±


    ¡°Are you telles


    Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.


    you telling me that you won¡¯t remarry Lari il Anthony and I disagree?¡± she countered.


    Her eyes were filled with understanding.


    He grew even more ufortable and used the act of breaking a piece of bread to avoid her gaze.


    His confidence waned a bit.


    ¡°It¡¯s not quite like that.¡±


    ¡°So, when are you nning to rem


    to remarry her?¡± She paused and locused on their conversation.


    ¡°We¡¯ll wall until the situation in the country improves a bit. I n to have the wedding here, but I haven¡¯t


    discussed it with Larissa yet.¡±


    ¡°You haven¡¯t talked about it yet?¡± She sounded anxious. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re rushing into this without


    careful consideration?¡±


    Kevan felt somewhat indignant that his charm was being questioned by his mom..


    ¡°Mom¡­¡± he said in a pleading tone


    However, she remained steadfast in her cpinion.


    ¡°You better not force anything. I¡¯m warning you now! Il Larissa doesn¡¯t agree to marry you, I won¡¯t give


    you my blessings eitherf


    ¡°She has agreed. It¡¯s just that we haven¡¯t had a chance to discuss the wedding. Kevan exined.


    Only then did Violet rx a bit.


    ¡°Lari is a good girl. I really like her. Honestly, ill were her mom, I definitely wouldn¡¯t let her marry you


    again.¡± She stared intensely at Kevan,


    Her tant attempts to intervene left him momentarily speechless.


    ¡°You might not remember this, but you weren¡¯t exactly kind to Lari before.


    fore. You weren¡¯t much differ


    Kevan couldn¡¯t tolerate such a direct ¡°insult¡± and firmly retorted, ¡°No, I wasn¡¯L¡±


    Violet shut down every word he wanted to say next with a piercing look.


    different from Cody. Her tone soured.


    ¡°Yeah, sure! Of course, you weren¡¯t!


    ¡°All you need to know is that you let her down thest time you married her.


    ¡°She forgave you because she¡¯s a kind¨Chearted person, Or maybe she genuinely likes you.¡±


    The word ¡°like¡± struck a nerve with Kevan. He lowered his gaze with a bitter smile.


    Larissa didn¡¯t actually like him she only agreed to remarry him for Asler¡¯s sake.


    ¡°So, this time, you better treat her well! If you dare to do anything to hurt her again, I¡¯ll be the first to


    crush you! Lari won¡¯t even need to do it hersell.¡±


    If it weren¡¯t for the lour covering her hands, she might have grabbed him by his ears.


    Suddenly, he felt a twinge in his knee.


    He grinned and repled, ¡°I know.¡±


    1/2


    After a while, she said. ¡°Hey¡­


    She hesitated for a moment before continuing. ¡°Are you and Lari nning to have children?¡±


    His heart sank Violet was obviously concerned about that


    ¡°We don¡¯t have ns yet. Larissa is worried that Aster might not take it well¡± he replied that way


    intentionally.


    However, she seemed relieved upon hearing that.


    ¡°Our thoughts are the same. Aster is still young, and you¡¯re not his biological father.


    ¡°If you and Lari decide to have children in the future, Aster would feel bad about it.


    ¡°You two should wait until he¡¯s old enough to understand.¡±


    ¡°What if we don¡¯t n to have kids? Won¡¯t you and Dad feel bad instead?¡±


    He rested his hand on the kitchen counter, enjoying the yful banter with Violet.


    ¡°Well, we already have Aster! Your dad and I have no reason to be upset.


    ¡°Aster is such an adorable and sensible child.


    ¡°Not to mention he looks quite a bit like you when you were his age! She was remarkably open¨C


    minded.


    However, Kevan¡¯s eyes twitched. A momentary feeling of panic washed over him

 Chapter 931

    Chapter 931


    Chapter 931


    Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.


    ¡°Oh, really? I haven¡¯t noticed.¡± He struggled to maintain a calm facade.


    Violet retorted with a touch of annoyance. ¡°Of course, you haven¡¯t!¡±


    ¡°When was thest time you dug out those childhood photos I look of you and looked at them?


    ¡°I bet you don¡¯t even remember what you looked like as a child.¡±


    This was actually true.


    Violet remembered something else and asked, ¡°Oh, by the way, is Lariing overter?¡±


    ¡°She probably won¡¯t. How about you give her a call?¡± He lowered his head in thought before looking up


    with a mischievous glint in his


    eyes.


    Violet knew exactly what her son was thinking, having carried him for nine months.


    Since she had been missing seeing Larissa around, she might as well y along with his n.


    ¡°Let¡¯s wait until tonight. She¡¯s probably working right now,¡± she suggested.


    However, Violet¡¯s guess was incorrect.


    Once the driver had dropped off Larissa and Lewis at the hotel he left them with some parting words,


    ¡°Mr. Ackley mentioned that the two of you should have some rest.


    ¡°Business matters can wait until you¡¯ve both had a chance to recuperate tomorrow.¡±


    Indeed, long¨Chaul flights could be quite exhausting.


    As a result. Lewis didn¡¯t decline their host¡¯s thoughtful suggestion.


    The two of them had lunch at the hotel¡¯s restaurant


    Then, they made their way back to their respective rooms.


    After taking a refreshing shower, Larissa sat on the bed and decided to give Kevan a call..


    ¡°Hey?¡± Kevan¡¯s alluring voice came through the phone. ¡°Finished with work?¡±


    ¡°No client meetings today,¡± she repliedzily as she leaned back.


    She had been about to ask about Aster but suddenly remembered how Kevan had gotten upset thest


    time she neglected him.


    With a slight hesitation, she asked. ¡°Are things going well at home?¡±


    Her question came out a bit awkward.


    But Kevan, ever perceptive, immediately noticed.


    He couldn¡¯t help but chuckle, opting not to call out her clumsy concem.


    ¡°I¡¯m doing just fine,¡± he assured her, then offered an olive branch. ¡°Would you like to talk to Aster?¡±


    She gripped her phone, tom internally.


    Would agreeing too quickly make her seem overly eager?


    On the other hand, it she continued to be standoffish, there wouldn¡¯t be much left to say.


    After a long moment of contemtion, she replied, ¡°No, it¡¯s alright¡±


    He raised an eyebrow but refrained from speaking immediately.


    ¡°How¡¯s Aster getting along with your parents? She sounded somewhat apprehensive.


    ¡°Really?¡± She was concerned that he might be trying tofort her with falsehoods, so she remained


    guarded.


    ¡°Absolutely. My dad even showed Aster his prized pet crickets¨Csomething he¡¯s never even shown me.¡±


    Kevan¡¯s tone carried a hint of amusement


    ¡°Phew.¡± She let out a sigh of relief.


    Thank goodness.


    ¡°So have you told them about Aster being your biological son?¡±


    ¡°Not yet.¡± Kevan¡¯s voice took on a more serious tone. ¡°It¡¯s not the right time. We¡¯ll wait until Cody-¡±


    He abruptly stopped, but she immediately understood his meaning.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± She concurred with his approach.


    ¡°By the way, my parents are totally fine with it.¡± Kevan resumed in a more rxed tone. ¡°Right now, my


    mom¡¯s biggest concem is whether you¡¯ll join us for dinner.¡±

 Chapter 932

    Chapter 932


    Chapter 932


    Kevan handed the phone over to Violet deliberately,


    ¡°Lari are you done with your work?¡± Violet was extremely enthusiastic.


    Startled, Larissa took some time to reply, ¡°Mrs. Rogers, I don¡¯t have work today.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s perfect! Hurry up and bring Larl over for dinner! You will be just in time for a meal at home!


    Violet urged Kevan.


    Kevan¡¯s voice could be heard through the phone as he spoke helplessly, ¡°Mom, Larl hasn¡¯t agreed to


    come yet.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right! Lari, are youing for dinner? Violet asked Larissa¡¯s opinion after she was reminded by


    Kevan.


    In fact, Larissa didn¡¯t really want to travel that far.


    In addition, it was a little awkward to deal with Kevan¡¯s parents. However, since they had already


    spoken, she couldn¡¯t refuse their request directly.


    It would make them feel bad.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go.¡± she said sweetly.


    ¡°Did you hear that? Hurry up! Don¡¯t waste time!¡± Violet punched Kevan triumphantly and handed the


    phone back to him.


    The coborating party had booked rooms in the third¨Cbest hotel in Bartham for Larissa and Lewis.


    The first ranked hotel was the Regal Dynasty Hotel and the second was the Winston Hotel respectively.


    Because of Larissa¡¯s history with both hotels, Lewis had them book the third¨Cbest hotel.


    The hotel wasrge in scale, but its location wasn¡¯t ideal. It was located in a remote but scenic area, so


    there were few visitors on regr days.


    It took some time for Kevan to arrive in his car.


    Larissa applied some light makeup as she was going to meet Kevan¡¯s parents. She informed Lewis


    that she was heading out through WhatsApp. Then, she took her bag and left.


    Kevan¡¯s car was parked at the entrance, attracting the attention of everyone with its ur que license


    te.


    Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    When Larissa got in the car, sheined to Kevan, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you stop your mom? This ce is


    so far from your house ¨C


    Kevan leaned over and fastened her seatbelt. He replied nonchntly, ¡°My mom misses you. If she


    doesn¡¯t get to see you, she will nag me


    all day.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you have work today? Didn¡¯t you go to the office? Larissa was puzzled.


    ¡°No. Today is Aster¡¯s first day at my parents¡® house, I was afraid that he might not be able to adapt.¡±


    That was somewhat true.


    ¡°I¡¯ve given you a lot of trouble,¡± Larissa remarked sincerely.


    Kevan gave her a meaningful look. ¡°Since I¡¯ve worked so hard, how are you going to reward me?¡± he


    asked deliberately, a hint of


    amusement in his voice.


    Larissa¡¯s face turned bright red from embarrassment. It was lucky that she was wearing a mask that hid


    her blushing cheeks, so her


    awkwardness wasn¡¯t so obvious.


    ¡°How about I treat you to a meal?¡± she pretended to not understand what he meant.


    Kevan agreed readily. ¡°Sure, but I will decide on what to eat,¡± he trailed off in a suggestive tone.


    The nights in Bartham were long during the winter season.


    The sun had already set when they arrived at Kevan¡¯s parents home at 6.00 pm. The house was


    brightly lit. Warm light shone through floor -length windows Into the courtyard, illuminating the


    cobblestone path.


    1/7


    ¡°Are you nervous? Kevan turned to her with a raised eyebrow.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Larissa nodded slightly.


    ¡°Then, hold my hand tightly.¡± Kevan¡¯s palm was broad. It easily enveloped her smaller hand.


    His body temperature was usually on the cool side, but Larissa lelt a warm feeling emanating from his


    palm now. His warmth calmed down her frayed nerves.


    Taking a deep breath, she stepped forward with determined steps.


    Kevan¡¯s parents were both walting in the living room. Anthony was watching cartoons with Aster while


    Violet kept peeking in the direction. of the entrance.

 Chapter 933

    Chapter 933


    Chapter 933


    As soon as the door was opened, Violet sprang up from the s and hurried over.


    Larissa entered the house first. When she looked up, the first thing she saw was Violet¡¯s joyful face.


    Taken aback, Larissa greeted Violet


    immediately. ¡°Mrs. Rogers!¡±


    ¡°Hi!¡± Violet took some house slippers from the shoe cab and helped Larissa put them on. After that


    she then looked her up and down.


    ¡°Lari, you¡¯ve lost weight!¡± Violet eximed, her eyes shimmering with tears.


    Larissaughed awkwardly and looked to Kevan for help. Violet¡¯s reaction was too much for her to


    handle. She didn¡¯t know how tofort


    her.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± Kevan interrupted the emotional moment. He grabbed Larissa¡¯s hand from his


    mother¡¯s and held it in his palm. ¡°She would rather lose weight than gain it.¡±


    He wasn¡¯t wrong in saying that, it¡¯s just that he was too blunt. Larissa didn¡¯t dare to agree and forced a


    dryugh..


    Kevan handed some tissues to Violet and said, ¡°Today is a happy asion. You shouldn¡¯t spoil it by


    crying.¡±


    His words had an immediate effect and the tears disappeared from Violet¡¯s eyes. She red at him


    angrily. If Larissa wasn¡¯t present, she would have taught Kevan a lesson.


    ¡°Daddy! Mommy!¡± When he heard Kevan¡¯s voice, Aster abandoned watching cartoons and ran over to


    them with bare feet.


    Anthony followed behind him with Aster¡¯s slippers. ¡°Aster, be a good boy and put on your slippers!¡±


    Larissa was stunned at this scene. In her memory, Anthony was friendly but usually serious and


    reserved. She couldn¡¯t help feeling surprised at seeing him being so down-to-earth.


    Aster rushed into Larissa¡¯s arms and sniffled, ¡°Mommy!¡±


    Anthony stopped in his tracks and smiled at Larissa. ¡°Hello, Lari,¡±


    ¡°Good evening. Mr. Rogers.¡± Larissa greeted Anthony as well. She patted Aster on the head and


    instructed him to put on his slippers.


    Anthony squatted down and arranged the slippers neatly in front of Aster, making it easy for him to put


    on.


    Larissa gripped Kevan¡¯s hand more tightly. She was screaming inwardly at seeing the change in


    Anthony. This had to be an illusion and


    she was still in a dream.


    However, Kevan misunderstood her gesture. ¡°Dad, don¡¯t spoil Aster too much.¡±


    He knew Larissa hated it when elders pampered Aster excessively. She didn¡¯t want to raise Aster to be


    a spoiled rich brat like Lana.


    ¡°How can this be seen as spoiling him? I¡¯m just arranging his slippers neatly.¡± Anthony defended


    himself.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, your father hasn¡¯t done anything wrong!¡± Violet sided with her husband.


    Kevan¡¯s expression turned cold. ¡°If you two keep this up, I will take Aster away. I won¡¯t let you two take


    care of him.¡±


    Violet held Aster in her arms protectively, like a mother hen guarding her chick. She tried to reason with


    Kevan, ¡°We can¡¯t allow that! Both of you need to work, so leaving Aster here with us would be the


    safest.¡±


    Kevan asked, ¡°Are you going to raise another child to be like Bethany?¡±


    This hit a sore spot for Violet. Her face pale, she said reluctantly, ¡°Alright, I understand. I will not spoll


    Aster, nor let your dad spoil him. Are you satisfied?¡±


    Kevan turned to Anthony. He straightened up and coughed awkwardly. ¡°I won¡¯t spall him either.¡±


    With their promises, Kevan squeezed Larissa¡¯s hand, gesturing to her that the maller had been sellled.


    However, Larissa was bewildered. What¡¯s going on? Why were everyone¡¯s faces so serious?N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.

 Chapter 934

    Chapter 934


    Chapter 934


    After a warning from Kevan, Kevan¡¯s parents seemed a little dejected, but they didn¡¯t show it in front of


    Larissa.


    Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    Dinner was already prepared. This was one of the rare times when Violet cooked dinner personally.


    After asking Kevan about Larissa¡¯s


    preferences, Violet had prepared all her favorite dishes.


    During dinner, Viclet kept piling dishes on Larissa¡¯s te. Her te was almost never empty.


    Larissa and Kevan went for a walk in the courtyard after dinner. Aster also wanted to join them, but


    Violet kept him indoors.


    The Rogers¡® vi was located in the suburbs, surrounded by a cluster of other vis.


    There were noll buildings or constant traffic.


    One could smell fresh air in the courtyard. Looking up, there was a clear night sky with twinkling stars


    that were not visible in the bustling


    city.


    ¡°It will be nice to live here when we get old,¡± Larissamented.


    Kevan curled his lips into a smile when Larissa hinted at their future together.


    ¡°Yes, we will live wherever you like.¡± He held her hand and walked slowly with her. As long as she was


    with him, he didn¡¯t mind staying


    anywhere, even if it was as far as the ends of the earth.


    ¡°How about you? Do you like it here?¡± Larissa stopped in her tracks and turned to Kevan.


    Kevan nodded and said sincerely, ¡°I do.¡±


    Larissa felt relieved. It was good that he liked what she liked as well.


    Larissa nced toward the door. After making sure no one was around, she whispered, ¡°I don¡¯t think I


    wille here tomorrow. Il Mrs. Rogers keeps feeding me like this, I might gain ten pounds¡±


    Fortunately, she was wearing loose¨Cfitting clothing that hid her tummy. If she hadn¡¯t her rounded belly


    would have been aplete


    giveaway.


    ¡°Okay, we won¡¯te tomorrow. I need to go back to the office as well so I won¡¯t be here.¡± Kevan¡¯s


    eyes shone with amusement.


    ¡°Be careful. Cody might try to harm you whenever he gets the chance.¡± Larissa warned him.


    ¡°He will note at me directly.¡± Kevan¡¯s expression darkened.


    After being at odds with Cody for many years, he knew Cody better than anyone else. Cody would not


    target him because he wouldn¡¯t gain anything from doing so.


    With Cody¡¯s intelligence, he could only ckmail Kevan by holding the people he loved hostage.


    Kevan had to admit, it would be effective against him.


    Nheless, Cody hadn¡¯t seeded in his ns despite several attempts.


    Kevan tightened his grip on Larissa¡¯s hand and spoke in a hoarse voice, ¡°I will have my men protect


    you in secret. They won¡¯t disrupt your daily activities, just treat them like they don¡¯t exist.¡±


    Larissa looked up into Keyan¡¯s eyes and replied earnestly, ¡°Okay, I will take care of myself.¡±


    ¡°Do you regret it? Kevan asked.


    ¡°What do you mean? Larissa was puzzled.


    ¡°Regret choosing to be with me,¡± Kevan answered. Although he knew that she made this choice not


    because of him, she still had to bear the risk of being in danger.


    I


    Kevan had questioned himself, wondering if he was being too selfish.


    However, he also couldn¡¯t bear seeing Larissaply with Gary¡¯s arrangements and go on blind dates


    with strangers consecutively.


    explode.


    ¡°If I thought I would regret it in the future, I wouldn¡¯t have given you my word from the beginning.¡±


    Larissa replied frankly. Her tone was


    genuine and sincere.

 Chapter 935

    Chapter 935


    Chapter 935


    Kevan¡¯s heart thumped violently in his chest.


    He took a step forward and embraced her. Burying his face in her shoulder, he said in a hoarse and


    muffled voice, ¡°Lari.¡±


    Kevan had so many things he wanted to say to her, but he was afraid that expressing his true emotions


    would scare her away.


    In the end, he half¨Cthreatened her jokingly. ¡°You can never escape from me for the rest of your life.¡±


    Larissa hadn¡¯t even considered running away. She hugged him hack tightly.


    Before Larissa could tease him about it she caught sight of Kevan¡¯s parents and Aster out of theer


    of her eye.


    They were watching them eagerly through the window with expressions of interest on their faces.


    Startled, Larissa a pushed Kevan away. In her haste, she bumped into his arm.


    Kevan look a sharp breath and a look of pain shed across his face.


    Larissa didn¡¯t have time to reprimand the three of them for spying. She rushed to support Kevan.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± she asked, scanning his arm for any signs of injury.


    Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.


    Pulling her aside, Kevan brought her to the other side of the house. A solid wall blocked them from


    prying eyes.


    He raised his left arm and said with an aggrieved expression, ¡°When I came over in the morning, I ran


    into Aunt Maria causing trouble here. I got out of the car to stop her, but she shed me in the arm with


    a knife.¡±


    Her heart racing, Larissa grabbed Kevan¡¯s hand and bombarded him with questions, ¡°Where did she


    hurt you? Is it serious? Have you treated the wound? Do you feel any pain? Did you call the police?¡±


    Kevan¡¯s gray sweatshirt covered the wound on his arm. He pointed vaguely, indicating a rough area on


    his arm.


    ¡°It¡¯s not serious. I took care of it right away, and it doesn¡¯t hurt it I don¡¯t touch it. Aunt Maria should be in


    the detention center by now. Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t let myself get hurt for no reason.¡± Kevan answered.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go inside. I want to take a look at your injury.¡± Larissa was not in a mood for a walk anymore.


    Kevan always downyed serious matters. Larissa couldn¡¯tpletely trust him when he glossed over


    things like that.


    Kevan didn¡¯t object and agreed, ¡°Okay.¡±


    He intentionally let Maria cut him with a knife for two reasons. The first was to have sufficient evidence


    to send Maria to prison. The other reason was so he could use his injury to gain some sympathy from


    Larissa.


    In his original n, Kevan intended for Larissa to discover his injury before going to bed andfort


    him. Despite the timing being


    brought forward, the results would be the same anyway.


    When they entered the house, the spying trio were all seated on the s.


    Anthony was concentrating on drinking his tea, while Violet held a te of fruit and fed Aster. On the


    other hand, Aster seemed to be


    focused on watching cartoons.


    They acted as if nothing had happened just now.


    Kevan couldn¡¯t be bothered to expose them. He spoke nonchntly, ¡°Larissa and I will be going to


    work early tomorrow morning. We will


    be going upstairs to bed now.¡±


    Aster turned to him and asked, ¡°What about me?¡±


    Violet hugged him in her arms andughed merrily. ¡°Aster, you can stay up tonight and keep us


    company! I will tuck you into bedter. alright?¡±


    Aster hesitated for a few seconds and nodded. ¡°Okay.¡±


    Larissa stayed the night at Rogers¡® vi. Naturally, she and Keyan shared a room.


    1/2


    belongings. It looked no different from a regr room for guests.


    Larissa locked the door. Turning around, she told Kevan immediately. ¡°Take off your clothes!¡±


    ¡±

 Chapter 936

    Chapter 936


    Chapter 936


    Kevan¡¯s left arm was wrapped in a thin bandage. Due to his loose sweatshirt, no one could tell that he


    was injured.


    Larissa watched as he unwrapped the bandage. There was a wound approximately four inches long on


    his arm.


    Kevan had already treated and disinfected the wound with alcohol. It had scabbed over and stopped


    bleeding, so it didn¡¯t look terrifying.


    Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    Still Larissa¡¯s heart ached as she touched the area around Kevan¡¯s injury. She bit her lower lip to hold


    back the tears welling up in her


    eyes.


    Kevan only meant to evoke her sympathy, not to make her cry.


    ¡°It¡¯s a minor cut. I¡¯ll be fine in a couple of days.¡± Kevan removed his arm from her grasp and rewrapped


    the bandage.


    Larissa looked into his eyes and advised earnestly, ¡°Please don¡¯t do this again in the future. If things


    can be resolved by calling the police. you don¡¯t need to handle it personally.¡±


    It was fortunate that Maria was a weak woman and couldn¡¯t inflict much harm on him.


    What if Kevan were to encounter a strong man like Vick? Confronting him head¨Con would only result in


    both parties getting hurt.


    ¡°Okay,¡± Kevan agreed.


    ¡°Im being serious.¡± Larissa knew that Kevan was only cating her. What she wanted was a promise


    that he would keep.


    Larissa blinked and tears rolled down her cheeks. She choked up, her voice trembling, ¡°I don¡¯t think I


    can bear it if something bad happens to you


    Kevan couldn¡¯t help feeling moved by Larissa¡¯s reaction. He reached out and pulled her into his arms.


    He lowered his head and kissed the top of Larissa¡¯s head as her hot tears fell on his chest.


    ¡°Nothing bad will happen to me. I will stay safe and healthy. I will always be there for you and Aster,¡±


    Kevan promised her.


    Larissa wrapped her arms around his waist and snuggled closer to him. ¡°You promised. You can¡¯t go


    back on your word,¡± she said in a muffled voice.


    ¡°Yes, I won¡¯t go back on my word.¡± Kevan let out a chuckle.


    At 10.00 am the next day, Lewis had an appointment with Brian Ackley, the CEO of Thompson Medical


    Since the Rogers¡® vi was quite far and Kevan wasn¡¯t familiar with the route, Larissa arrived at the


    industrial park exactly on the dot.


    She got out of the car and hurried toward them with her bag in tow.


    Lewis and Richard, who was in charge of receiving them, were waiting for her at the entrance. The


    expressions on their faces were calm. They didn¡¯t show any sign of displeasure at her tardiness.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry for keeping you waiting!¡± Larissa apologized repeatedly.


    Richard smiled kindly and said, ¡°It¡¯s alright. Mr. Ackley doesn¡¯t have any other appointments today, so


    we are not in a rush.¡±


    Thompson Medical was the biggest medicalpany in Bartham and one of the best in the country.


    The size of their industrial park was almost a thousand acres. They had factories, warehouses, and


    oflice areas in a single location. Tens of thousands of employees worked


    there.


    Thompson Medical¡¯s medical equipment was widely used in hospitals all around the country. They


    even exported their equipment overseas.


    Their products gained recognition from the international medicalmunity.


    The reason Blue Star Shipping wanted to coborate with Thompson Medical was because of their


    huge potential for exports. This would be elerated due to the current global pandemic caused by the


    virus.


    ings got worse.


    Although other countries were still not severely affected, medical resources would be depleted in


    various countries once things


    The epidemic was effectively under control in Caldor. Since they had rtively more medical


    resources, there might be a significant

 Chapter 937

    Chapter 937


    Chapter 937


    II Blue Star Shipping could secure Thompson Medical as a client, the annual revenue for the entire


    year would be guaranteed.


    Thompson Medical¡¯s office building was located at the innermost part of the industrial park. It was a


    simple four-story building.


    By its exterior, no one would believe that it was the headquarters of the famous Thompson Medical.


    The interior of the office building was in. There were no luxurious decorations, not even an elevator.


    Richard brought Lewis and Larissa to the fourth floor. It was where Mr. Ackley¡¯s office was located.


    ¡°Mr. Ackley, Mr. Lewis and Ms. Larissa of Blue Star Shipping have arrived.¡± Richard knocked on the


    door of one of the rooms.


    The office was notrge, not even half as big as Lewis¡¯ office. There was a desk and a few cabs for


    files.


    A man in his sixties sat behind the desk.


    There were wrinkles on his face and most of his hair had gone white, but he looked healthy and


    energetic.


    This man was the CEO of Thompson Medical, Brian Ackley.


    After hearing Richard¡¯s words, Brian took off his sses and got up to greet them. He extended his


    hand. ¡°Mr. Lewis, Ms. Larissa. Thank you for making the effort toe all the way here.¡±


    Lewis and Lar ssa shook his hand one alter the other and followed him to the waiting area next door,


    After exchanging pleasantries, they got down to business. Lewis handed over the quotation to Brian.


    As Brian looked through the document, Lew¡¯s introduced the advantages of theirpany.


    ¡°Blue Star¡¯spetitive edge against other domestic shippingpanies is evident. We have


    dedicated shipping routes to the most


    remote countries of the globe.


    ¡°Moreover, ourpany¡¯s reputation speaks for itsell. Our customs clearance process is much faster


    than otherpetitors. This will save Thompson Medical time and money.¡±


    Brian went through the quotations from start to linish.


    ¡°Mr. Lewis, I understand the advantages of working with Blue Star Shipping. Still, that does not justily a


    price twice as much as other shippingpanies!


    ¡°The export of our medical equipment is mainly to a few countries in Kymin and Porshal, Smaller


    countries can¡¯t afford such high fees. Thus, your shipping routes are not particrly useful for us.¡±


    Lewis tried to change his mind. ¡°Our prices can still be negotiated. Mr. Ackley, you will not regret it by


    choosing to work with us.¡±


    Brian chuckled and said dismissively, ¡°Let me discuss it with the others in thepany. I will get back


    to youter!¡±


    From his reaction, Lewis and Larissa knew that this deal might be slipping away.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Lewis nodded, maintaining hisposure.


    ¡°Richard!¡± Bran called out. Richard, who had been waiting outside the meeting room, came in


    immediately.


    ¡°Arrange for a car to bring Mr. Lewis and Ms. Larissa back to the hotel Brian Instructed.


    ¡°Sure.¡± Richard left to make arrangements.


    Brian escorted Lewis and Larissa to the stairs pollicly. ¡°Once wee to a decision, we will inform you


    immediately.¡±


    ¡°Okay. We look forward to the possibility of working with Thompson Medical.¡± Lewis maintained a smile


    on his face.


    When they were only two steps down, a rhythmic sound of lootsteps could be hearding up the


    staircase.


    It was the sharp sound of heels clicking on the cement floor,


    Brian retraced his steps and stood at the top of the stairs with a warm smile on hisce.Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 938

    Chapter 938


    Chapter 938


    ¡°Sharon!¡± Brian called out.


    The person walking up the stairs looked up and shed a smile at him. ¡°Uncle Brian!¡±


    Larissa was stunned. Although there was a significant change in her appearance, it was none other


    than Sharon Davis who was standing


    below them at this moment!


    She stared at Sharon without shifting her gaze.


    Her intense stare quickly caught Sharon¡¯s attention.


    However, she seemedpletely unsurprised by Larissa¡¯s presence here.


    Sharon quickened her steps and wrapped her arm around Larissa affectionately. ¡°Lari! What are you


    doing here?¡±


    Larissa had only met Sharon a few times, so they weren¡¯t very close. Her sudden friendliness took


    Larissa by surprise and her body stiffened inexplicably.


    Sharon winked at Larissa and continued speaking, although Larissa couldn¡¯t understand a word. ¡°I


    heard from Dn that you and Kevan came back to Caldor together. I was actually nning to arrange


    a meeting with you. I never expected to run into you at Thompson Medical What a coincidence!¡±


    Before Larissa could think of a response. Brian asked. ¡°Sharon, are you friends with Ms. Larissa from


    Blue Star Shipping?¡±N?velDrama.Org is the owner.


    ¡°Of course! Lari and I were close before she went abroad. We used to hang out all the time!¡± Sharon


    drew closer to Larissa.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s quite a coincidence.¡± Brian seemed to have warmed up somewhat toward Larissa. His


    gaze was more sincere and less distant. ¡°Since that¡¯s the case, how about we have lunch together?¡±


    ¡°That sounds great!¡± Sharon agreed happily. Turning to Larissa, she gestured to Lewis. ¡°Do both of you


    have time?¡±


    ¡°We are avable.¡± Lewis nodded. Larissa chimed in as well ¡°Yes, let¡¯s go.¡±


    Thompson Medical was located in a remote area, so there were no decent restaurants nearby.


    Fortunately, they were not too picky with food. In the end, Brian decided on a restaurant


    a restaurant with private rooms.


    The restaurant¡¯s ambiance was not great. The floor was greasy, the walls were covered with mold, and


    the furniture was bare.


    ¡°Mr. Lewis, Ms. Larissa, sorry for the poor environment. Next time when I have some time off, I treat


    you to a better meal in the city!¡± Brian said as he unwrapped the packaging for the disposable utensils.


    ¡°Mr. Ackley, you¡¯re too kind. It¡¯ll be our turn to treat you next time.¡± Lewis got up and filled his cup with


    tea.


    The both of them exchanged pleasantries while Larissa listened quietly. She asionally took a sip of


    tea from her cup.


    Sharon was uninterested in their conversation. She leaned over to Larissa and asked in a low voice.


    ¡°When did you return to Caldor?¡±


    Her tone was not as exaggerated as when they first met at Thompson Medical. Besides, her question


    seemed sincere.


    ¡°We just arrived yesterday,¡± Larissa replied with a smile. She tried to put on a front that she and Sharon


    were close friends.


    ¡°This time you came back to Caldor to discuss business with Thomspon Medical?¡± Sharon asked.


    ¡°Yes, Larissa replied.


    After heating Larissa¡¯s confirmation, Sharon suddenly frowned.


    ¡°So, will you be returning to Aldovia after this? She didn¡¯t seem thrilled about news.


    ¡°Yes. Our current n is to stay in Caldor for three to live days. It depends on whether the business


    deal is sessful Larissa exined.

 Chapter 939

    Chapter 939


    Chapter 939


    ¡°Will Kevan be going back with you?¡± Sharon asked again.


    Larissa hadn¡¯t discussed this with Kevan, and he hadn¡¯t mentioned it to her either. Tm not sure. He


    came back because there were some matters in thepany to handle. He might have to wait until


    those are taken care of.¡±


    Sharon couldn¡¯t help but curse. ¡°What is he harding? He¡¯s already handed over all thepany affairs


    to Dn! Now Dn sleeps at thepany every day. I hardly get to see him once a werk!


    Larissa linally understood why Sharon was so resentful of Kevan. However, she remembered that


    Dn and Sharon had a poor rtionship thest time she returned to Caldor.


    Larissa wondered how their rtionship had improved so dramatically in such a short time.


    ¡°Well Larissa felt a little awkward. Whether yed or lelt wasn¡¯t something she could decide.


    ¡°How about I talk to Kevanter and ask him to stay in Cador for a little longer? she suggested to


    Sharon. Nheless, it might not have much effect.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you two stay in Caldor for good? Isn¡¯t Blue Star Shipping nning to relocate its headquarters to


    Caldor? When will that happen?¡± Sharon had a troubled expression on her face.


    Larissa turned to Lewis. She didn¡¯t know the answer to that question.


    ¡°We do have that n, but due to the global pandemic, we haven¡¯t implemented it yet¡± Lewis replied.


    Brian chimed in, ¡°I¡± you are nning to relocate, this is the perfect time. The economy of Caldor has


    been affected due to the lockdown in the past two months.


    ¡°Many people have lost their jobs. If Blue Star Shipping relocates its headquarters to Caldor, il can


    generate revenue lor the country and provide job opportunities for thousands of people. The


    government might even offer you some incentives.¡±


    Lewis thought for a moment andughed bitterly, Mr. Logan and I had the same considerations. Mr.


    Ackley, I will be honest with you. Ourpany has been facing a crisis recently. Many of our long¨Cterm


    clients have beer poached by ourpetitors. Regarding our financial situation, we might not be able


    to resume normal operations soon after relocating to Caldor.¡±


    ¡°Uncle Brian, hurry up and sign the contract with them. Please introduce any hiends you have that


    might want to work with Blue Star Shipping! My luture happiness depends on you!¡± Sharan urged Brian


    impatiently.


    Brian gave her a re, but he wasn¡¯t really angry. ¡°This deal is rted to Thompson Medical¡¯s


    development in theing year. I can¡¯t let


    you mess this up¡±


    Sharon said seriously, ¡°I¡¯m not messing around! Blue Star Shipping has an excellent reputation


    internationally, so its credibility is


    guaranteed.


    ¡°Now that they are facing difficulties, they will remember your kindness if you extend a helping hand.


    Perhaps they will even offer you more discounts!


    After saying that she winked at Lewis.


    Lewis understood immediately. ¡°Regarding the pricing, we will do our best to meet your satisfaction.¡±


    Brian furrowed his brows and thought over it for a long time. Finally, he said, ¡°Alright. For Sharon¡¯s


    sake, I will sign the contract with you.¡±


    Sharon added. ¡°And introduce more clients to them.¡±


    Brian gave her another stem look. ¡°You keep trang to exploit mel


    Sharon leased him with a smile. ¡°Well, that¡¯s because I¡¯m your favorite niece


    Larissa and Lewis breathed a sigh of relief when Brian agreed to sign the contract tomorrow afternoon.


    ¡°Are you going back to the city? Do you need a ride?¡® Sharon asked Larissa.


    N?velDrama.Org is the owner.


    ¡°That¡¯s alright. We will go to the hotel. It¡¯s not on the way.¡± Larissa declined the offer.


    E


    Before Sharon left, Larissa stopped her and handed over her phone. ¡°Hey, can I have your number?¡±

 Chapter 940

    Chapter 940


    Chapter 940


    When they arrived at the hotel, Lewis finally asked the question on his mind all day. ¡°Is Sharon Davis


    really your friend?¡±


    Since Brian wasn¡¯t familiar with Larissa, he could be locled by their pretense. However, Lewis knew


    that Larissa¡¯s reaction wasn¡¯t right. It wasn¡¯t what one would expect from meeting an old friend.


    Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Not really. Sharan is the wile of Kevan¡¯s friend. I¡¯ve met her a few times. I never expected to meet her


    at Thompson Medical. I certainly didn¡¯t expect her to help me.¡± Larissa didn¡¯t see the need to hide


    anything.


    Pursing his ips, Lewis furrowed his brows as he seemed lost in thought.


    Larissa was afraid that their act would be exposed with Brian present, so she hadn¡¯t expressed her


    gratitude properly to Sharon.


    She sent a WhatsApp message to Sharon, ¡°Ms. Davis, thank you so much for your help today. I was


    wondering if you are free tomorrow for dinner. My colleague and I would like to thank you over a meal¡±


    Sharon replied quickly. ¡°There¡¯s no need to thank me. However, if you are treating me to dinner as a


    friend, I¡¯m more than willing.¡±


    Larissa had just typed in her response in the reply box when another message from Sharon came in, ¡°It


    would be better il you could invite Mr. Rogers and Dn as well.¡±


    Larissa couldn¡¯t help but smile. Sharon¡¯s intentions were quite transparent, albeit a little awkward.


    She sent a reply to Sharon, ¡°Okay!¡±


    After that, she called Kevan, ¡°Are you free tomorrow night? Sharon did me a big favor ay, so I want


    to invite her to dinner. I¡¯m worried that she might decine, I want to invite her along with Cn under the


    pretext of having dinner together.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m free. Do you need me to make a reservat on?¡± Kevan asked.


    ¡°Alright! Don¡¯t choose a cheap restaurant. There¡¯s no need to save money for my sake,¡± Larissa


    replied.


    Since she was treating them to a meal as friends, it wasn¡¯t appropriate to im reimbursement from the


    company. However, even avish meal wouldn¡¯t cost much.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Kevan agreed. The n was set


    Early the next morning, Larissa and Lewis went to Thompson Medical¡¯s Industrial park to get the


    contract signed.


    Larissa clutched the freshly signed contract to her chest, her heart pounding with excitement. At the


    very least, Blue Star Shipping would


    be safe for another year.


    Brian put the pen back in his pocket alter signing and remarked, ¡°It was fortunate for you that Sharon


    came yesterday. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t have signed this contract with you today¡±


    Lewis replied, ¡°When Ms. Davis has some free time, I will personally visit her to express my gratitude.¡±


    Brian waved it off. ¡°That¡¯s not the point. Alter you left yesterday afternoon, I received a call from an old


    friend. He¡¯s helping another. Aldovian shippingpany build connections. You might have heard of it.


    ¡°It¡¯s called Moorewell Shipping. Their offer was sightly lower than the one you initially proposed, but the


    other conditions were more conditions were more


    ¡°To be honest, I was tempted. However, I¡¯d promised you and Sharon, so I wouldn¡¯t break my promise.¡±


    ¡°We won¡¯t let you down. Mr. Ackley.¡± Lewis expressed his gratitude once again.


    As soon as they left Thompson Medical¡¯s office, Lewis¡¯expression darkened, as it a storm was brewing


    overhead.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? We¡¯ve signed the contract Why aren¡¯t you happy? Larissa asked.


    ¡°Thompson Medical did not have a public bid,¡± Leals said out of the blue.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Larissa didn¡¯t understand what he meant.


    Lewis answered. ¡°The contract between Thompson Medical and their previous shippingpany is


    expiring this month. This is insider


    ¡°No one apart from rted employees in Thomason Medical and that shippingpany knew about


    this. Gary has a friend working in Thompson Medical which is how we got the opportunity to cut a deal.


    That friend told Gary that we were the onlypany who contacted Thompson Medical.¡±

 Chapter 941

    Chapter 941


    Chapter 941


    With a little nudge from Lewis, Larissa realized the issue. ¡°How did Moorewell Shipping get this


    information?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the issue. Besides, you heard from Mr. Ackley. Moorewell Shipping¡¯s offer was slightly lower


    than ours.¡± Lewis spoke in a cold tone as his pace quickened


    A thought formed in Larissa¡¯s mind. ¡°You mean, we have a mole in ourpany?¡±


    Corporate espionage wasmonce in the business world. Still Larissa had never encountered it


    before, so she was shocked.


    Lewis nodded. ¡°He or she should be easy to find.¡±


    After all not many people in the presidential office knew about the purpose of their trip. By questioning


    them one by one after they returned, they could find out the source of the leak.


    Seeing Larissa¡¯s solemn expression, Lewis stopped in his tracks and gave her a reassuring smile.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much about this. We


    already signed the contract, and we haven¡¯t suffered any losses. We can investigate thister. Aren¡¯t


    you meeting Sharon for dinner? When


    are you leaving?¡± He forcefully changed the subject.


    ¡°I¡¯ve called a car headed to the city now. You can go back to the hotel yourself. See you tomorrow.¡±


    Larissa¡¯s mood eased slightly.


    There were still several hours left before the appointed time for dinner.


    Before this. Kevan had advised her to wait at Microworks Corporation if she arrived early from


    Thompson Medical.


    It wasn¡¯t Larissa¡¯s first time at Microworks. However, it had been six years since herst visit.


    Everything here still felt unfamiliar to her.


    She had already called Kevan before her arrival. Someone came to greet her as soon as she entered


    the building.


    The person who came to meet her was one of Kevan¡¯s assistants. He led Larissa into Kevan¡¯s office


    and asked her, ¡°Mr. Rogers is still in a meeting. Mrs. Rogers, have you had lunch? Would you like me


    to order lunch for you?¡±


    When he addressed Larissa as ¡°Mrs. Rogers¡°, Larissa shuddered inexplicably.


    ¡°Just call me Larissa. if it is no trouble, please order something for me. Thank you,¡± she replied.


    ¡°Of course, Ms. Larissa. If you have any other requests, you can call me anytime, I will be outside.¡± The


    assistant smiled.


    He exited the office and closed the door as he left.


    Larissa sat on the sofa for a while. She found it boring and decided to wander around the office.


    Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    Kevan¡¯s office was meticulously organized as he was, probably because of his obsession with


    cleanliness. Everything on his desk and cabs was neatly arranged in strict order.


    The books in his cab were arranged alphabetically from A to Z. There was not a book out of ce,


    except


    Larissa suddenly noticed something unusual. There was a book shoved into a corner of his bookshelf


    that was nearest to his office chair.


    It was a high school physics textbook, seemingly out of ce in Kevan¡¯s office.


    Through the ss, Larissa could see that the physics textbook was very old. Some parts of its spine


    were worn and the pages were yellowish


    Larissa guessed that this might be the textbook Kevan used when he was in high school.


    She couldn¡¯t figure out why this particr book was the one lelt among other textbooks


    She gently took the textbook out of the shell.


    However, Larissa trove in ce as soon as she flipped the cover.

 Chapter 942

    Chapter 942


    Chapter 942


    The writing or the pages had faded considerably due to time. Regardless. Larissa could still recognize


    her own handwriting urately.


    Larissa Seymour, ss A


    This physics textbook belonged to her!


    A blurry memory rushed back to her mind,


    In her senior year of high school, she had indeed lost her physics textbook.


    She had looked everywhere for it, in her home, her ssroom, even in the garden where she studied in


    the mornings.


    However, she couldn¡¯t find any trace of it.


    In the end, she had to save up her hard¨Cearned money to get a new one from her homeroom teacher.


    She also had to stay up all night to rewrite the ss notes in her new textbook.


    After nearly twenty years, she never expected to find her lost textbook here.


    The assistant entered the room again and asked, ¡°Ms. Larissa would you like something to drink?¡±


    Lanssa shook her head and waved the physics textbook in her hand. ¡°Does this book belong to Mr.


    Rogers?¡±


    The assistant stared at the book for a while and replied hesitantly. ¡°I¡¯m not too sure, but everything in


    this office belongs to Mr. Rogers. Apart from him, no one would ce their personal belongings here.¡±


    Larissa understood. She asked again. ¡°Then, do you know which high school Mr. Rogers graduated


    from?¡±


    The assistantughed awkwardly. ¡°I¡¯m not privy to Mr. Ragers¡® personal life.¡±


    Kevan¡¯s personal lile was mysterious and hidden from the public. There was hardly any information


    about him online.


    Before the rumors about him and Ruby surfaced online, the public couldn¡¯t even match his face to his


    name.


    Larissa didn¡¯t press the assistant further. ¡°Wright, there¡¯s nothing else. You can leave.¡±


    She sat on Kevan¡¯s chair and tried to recall if they hade across each other during their high school


    years.


    In addition, that picture Kevan set as hisputer¡¯s home screen¡ªwas probably taken up close by


    him personally and rot obtained from somewhere else.


    However, Larissa had no recollection of him wt alsoever. With Kevan¡¯s handsome looks, she would


    never have forgotten him if she had met him before,


    The office door opened once more. Larissa looked up and saw Kevan, who had a frosty look on his


    face.


    His face was tense as he was still preupied with thoughts about the meeting just now.


    Larissa was startled by his sudden appearance, instinctively, she tried to hide the physics textbook that


    she ced on his desk, but it was toote.


    Kevan¡¯s gaze fell on the textbook and he furrowed his brows. He said in a displeased tone, ¡°Did you go


    through my bookshelf?


    Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.


    It was true that Larissa was in the wrong for going through his things without permission. However,


    Kevan was the one who kept her Textbook.


    She had to go through all that trouble to get a new one and rewile her notes.


    When she remembered what Kevan had done, her boldness returned in an instant.


    Larissa straightened her back and demanded an answer. ¡°This is my textbook! How did you get your


    hands on it?¡±


    Kevan¡¯s eyes wavered and he replied nonchntly. ¡°I picked it up somewhere.¡±


    ¡°Where did you pick it up.¡± Larissa pressed further.


    1/2


    Larissa walked up to Kevan and stood in front of him.


    She reached cut and grabbed his chin, forcing him to meet her gaze. ¡°Look into my eyes and repeat


    what you said.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t remember. It¡¯s been so long since your high school days.¡± Kevan lowered his gaze and avoided


    meeting Larissa¡¯s eyes.


    He was acting so suspiciously that Larissa didn¡¯t buy his excuse.

 Chapter 943

    Chapter 943


    Chapter 943


    Larissa suddenly grinned mischievously.


    She stood on tiptoe and whispered into his ear in a leasing manner. ¡°Kevan, have you had a secret


    crush on me since high school?¡±


    The expression on his face froze and his pupils contracted, Kevan¡¯s body stiffened and his cheeks


    were flushed crimson.


    Initially, Larissa meant to pull his leg. However, Kevan¡¯s silence and dyed response made her feel


    anxious


    ¡°Did you really have a crush on me?¡± She took a step back, her heart racing.


    Kevan regaired hisposure and stared at her with an aggrieved expression.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s impossible. I didn¡¯t even know you back ther Larissa refuted loudly


    ly as she took another step back.


    ¡°You really don¡¯t remember at all. In your senior year of high school, you saved someone and brought


    him to the hospita.¡± Kevan sighed and the anticipation in his eyes dimmed.


    Larissa finally recalled once Kevan reminded her. ¡°That was you?¡± She covered her mouth in disbelief.


    ¡°It was me.¡± Kevan went up to Larissa. Grabbing her hard, he ced her hand on the back of his head.


    Under his salt hair, Larissa felt a peculiar bump. Kevan said. ¡°That was the scar from back then.¡±


    Larissa widened her eyes.


    It was another normal day for Larissa. As usual Larissa walked from the Seymour v to the bus stop to


    catch the bus.


    The vi residential area was popted by wealthy residents. Apart from the household stall, no one


    came to take the bus here.


    That morning, she was the only one at the bus stop. Buses that passed through this stop were


    infrequent with long intervas in between.


    Larissa sat on the bench at the bus stop. She was memorizing vocabry from her vocabry


    textbook, Suddenly, she heard a faint cry for help, ¡°Help me!¡® Larissa thought she must have misheard


    it. After a few seconds. the voice called out again. Please help me!¡±


    Larissa put her vocabry book in her backpack. She looked around cautiously with Lana¡¯s old mobile


    phone in her hand.


    There was a construction site next to the bus stop.


    The construction work would startte to avoid receivingints about disturbing the residents


    nearby.


    The gate to the construction site was not locked.


    Larissa carefully pushed it open and poked her head inside.


    She saw a person lying on the muddy ground, not too far from the gate.


    That person was covered in bloodstains and hisce was so dirty that his features were indiscemible.


    His eyes were open and his lips moved slightly, ¡°Help me


    Larissa ran over to him. ¡°Can you hold on? This was the first time she had encountered such a


    situation, Larissa was almost in tears due


    to the anxiety.


    Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.


    The person¡¯s breathing was irregr, ¡°I can¡¯t hold on any longer. He seemed to have used up all his


    strength to uller those lew words.


    Larissa immediately called an ambnce. She even followed him to the hospital out of concern. She


    took out her savings to pay for his medical expenses. After ss, she took a detour to visit him at the


    hospital.


    All his clothes had been changed. His head was wrapped tightly with bandages, making him look like a


    mummy.


    The doctor told Larissa that he had suffered a severe head injury. His head was cracked and he had


    symptoms of a concussion.


    Larissa tried to contact his family, but kept giving excuses such as his head hurt or he couldn¡¯t


    remember.


    As a result, Larissa had to go to the hospital every day alter ss and took care of him like a caretaker.


    In addition, she had to cover his medical expenses with her own pocket money.

 Chapter 944

    Chapter 944


    Chapter 944


    When she thought of this, Larissa couldn¡¯t help but say angrily. ¡°When are you going to return the


    money you owe me?¡±


    Yvette had never given her much pocket money. From elementary to high school, she had only saved


    10 thousand dors. However, she had put it all in to save him when he was in the hospital


    Back then, Kevan had suddenly disappeared.


    She went to the hospital as usual after school, but the ward was empty. There was not even a farewell


    note left behind.


    The doctors and nurses had no idea about Kevan¡¯s departure. He hadn¡¯t evenpleted his discharge


    procedures, so no one knew where


    he had gone.


    Larissa suspected that he had fled to avoid paying back the money he owed her.


    She even considered reporting him to the police.


    In the end, she chose to give up.


    Cooperating with the investigation would only waste her time.


    ¡°How much do I owe you? Kevan asked.


    Larissa extended one finger. ¡°10 thousand dors!¡±


    Kevan took out his phone and tapped the screen a few times. Larissa received a notification showing


    that a million dors was credited to


    her ount.


    She counted the number of zeros in her ount and said awkwardly. ¡°This is too much.¡±


    However, Kevan didn¡¯t think so. ¡°Not at all¡±


    He shoved the phone back in his pocket and said seriously. ¡°If it weren¡¯t for you, I might have died on


    that construction site twenty years ago. Even if you asked for everything I have, I¡¯d give it to you.¡±


    ¡°Does that include Microworks Corporation? Larissa inquired deliberately.


    Kevan¡¯s expression was nonchnt as he agreed without any hesitation. ¡°Yes, including Microworks


    Corporation,¡±


    Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.


    Larissa¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She lowered her head to conceal her bashfulness. With a light chuckle,


    she asked. ¡°Then, why did you disappear without a word?¡±


    Although she hadpletely forgotten about Kevan, this incident was still fresh in her mind. She hadn¡¯t


    spent much time with him, and Kevan liked to tease her by ying pranks on her.


    Nevertheless, he was the closest thing to a friend she had in the first seventeen years of her life.


    In his presence, she didn¡¯t need to pretend to be someone else. She could say what she wanted to say


    and do what she wanted to do. She could shed the identity of a member of the Seymour family and be


    the most authentic version of herself.


    ¡°Grandpa found me and took me away by force,¡± Kevan exined. He regretted not being able to say


    goodbye to Larissa in person. After he had recovered, he had tried to lind her at school


    However, Rnd had warned him to stay away from Larissa, so he could not meet her. Thus, he had


    taken that photograph as a keepsake. It was also a reminder to himself not to forget her.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Alter knowing that it wasn¡¯t intentional, Larissa felt a little relieved.


    ¡°Lari.¡± Kevan held her hand and put her arms around his neck. Drawing closer to her, he trapped her


    between himself and the office desk. She had nowhere to escape. She tilted her head back and met his


    intense gaze.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never said these words to anyone before. Listen carefully, I won¡¯t repeat a second time,¡± Kevan


    said in a steady voice, but there was a hint of uncertainty in his eyes.


    Larissa held her breath and waited for him to continue.


    Keven¡¯s lips trembled and a bitter smile appeared on his face. ¡°I still love you.¡±

 Chapter 945

    Chapter 945


    Chapter 945


    Larissa¡¯s body st Hened. She hadn¡¯t expected to receive such a passionate and direct confession from


    Kevan.


    Conflicting emotions surged within her. Larissa couldn¡¯t think of how to respond at that moment.


    She opened her mouth, but the next thing that came out of her mouth was an embarrassing question,


    ¡°But what about you and Ruby?¡±


    It was rumored that Kevan loved Ruby, regardless of his marriage to herter for whatever reasons.


    ¡°It¡¯s a long story. In short, I pretended to like her to make Cody believe he had a hold on me.¡± Kevan


    didn¡¯t avoid the question.


    Cody was too naive. His simple mind couldn¡¯t match up to his grand ambitions.


    He thought that he finally had a hold on Kevan by taking advantage of his weakness for Ruby.


    From the beginning to the end, he was focused on taking Kevan down by using Ruby against him.


    Cody had never considered anything else.


    ¡°That time when we were at Starville Hotel you called out for her when you had a high fever


    Larissa couldn¡¯t let go of that memory.


    ¡°I was calling out for you.¡± Kevan replied helplessly. In his dreams, there was no other woman but her,


    ¡°How about Bethany? Larissa insisted.


    ¡°I never slept with Ruby, Bethany is Ruby¡¯s and Cody¡¯s daughter. If you don¡¯t believe me, I have a


    paternity test report at home that I can show you.¡± Kevan said confidently.


    Larissa knew him well enough to know that what he said was the truth.


    ¡°Alright.¡± On the surface, she made it seem as if she believed him reluctantly. Deep down, she felt a


    sense of relief and even a hint of joy. He had given her perfect exnations for everything she was


    worried about. The barriers between them were also gradually broken down


    by his tender words.


    Larissa thought that she should also be honest in return for his vulnerability. Taking a deep breath, she


    said. ¡°I have something I want to


    tell you too.¡±


    Her heart was racing in her chest, thumping loudly like a drum.


    Kevan felt slightly anxious when he saw her serious expression. His mind was filled with numerous


    guesses about what she might say next. None of them were what he wanted to hear.


    ¡°1¡± He wanted to interrupt her, but it was toote.


    Larissa mustered up her courage and blurted out everything. ¡°It¡¯s not true that I don¡¯t like you. Actually,


    I¡¯ve liked you for a long time, even before I went to Aldovia, I was just too proud to admit it.


    ¡°I was afraid that you would mock me, that¡¯s why I kept it to mysell. Besides, there were the rumors


    between you and Ruby. I thought the person you liked was her, so


    Her voice became softer and trailed off into the air.


    This time, it was Kewan¡¯s turn to be stunned.Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    He had a look of sheer disbelief on his face and his eyes widened in shock. It was somehow quite


    comical to watch,


    After a minute, his eyes turned red and welled up with tears.


    Larissa confessed that she liked him. This was a scene he had dreamed of countless times, but he


    never dared to imagine happening in


    real life.


    The shock he was experiencing at this moment was on the level of a nuclear bombs dropping on Earth.


    ¡°Lari ¡ª¡± he whispered her name, his low voice trembling inexplicably. He sounded like he was close to


    tears, making Larissa¡¯s heart ache Lembly.


    1/2


    Kevan blinked, and the tears in his eyes spilled out


    Larissa could clearly see the glistening tears that rolled down his cheeks and dripped on her neck. It


    was simultaneously icy cold and scorching hot.

 Chapter 946

    Chapter 946


    Chapter 946


    They made reservations for dinner at a private dining restaurant.


    It was said that this restaurant only epted reservations from regr customers. There was a daily


    limit of ten tables.


    Before entering the restaurant, Larissa checked her wallet sheepishly.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Kevan asked when he saw the uneasy expression on her face.


    Larissa put on a nonchnt smile and shook her head.


    Dn and Sharon had arrived ahead of them.


    They were already seated in the private room.


    Kevan held Larissa¡¯s hand and they en


    entered the private room together.


    Dn seemed to be intrigued when he saw their hands intertwined with each other.


    ¡°You two.¡± He scrutinized Kevan¡¯s and Larissa¡¯s faces back and forth, trying to find out why they


    seemed so close.


    Kevan¡¯s expression remained calm. He maintained a reserved demeanor throughout.


    On the other hand, Larissa felt embarrassed under his intense scrutiny.


    She lowered her head to avoid his gaze.


    Sharon tugged on Dn¡¯s sleeve and gestured for him to stop. ¡°Let¡¯s order quickly, I¡¯m starving!¡± She


    pushed the menu toward them.


    There was a round table in the private room. It wasrge enough for five or six people.


    Kevan pulled out the chair opposite Dn and Sharon, He gestured for Larissa to sit and he took the


    chair next to her. He handed the menu to Larissa and spoke tenderly, ¡°Take a look at what you would


    like to eat.¡±


    Surprised by Kevan¡¯s actions, Dn spat out the water he had drunk.


    Kevan rolled his eyes at him disapprovingly.


    Dn quickly took some tissue and wiped the table clean. With a smile, he exined, Tm sorry. I¡¯m just


    not used to this.¡±


    Hearing that Kevan shot him a re. The warning in his eyes was evident.


    Larissa was still caught up in her own embarrassment and didn¡¯t notice the pointed looks between the


    two.


    She pushed the menu back to Sharon and said, ¡°Ms. Davis, why don¡¯t you pick the dishes? This meal


    is meant to treat you.¡±


    ¡°Calling me Ms. Davis sounds too formal. You can just call me Sharon, or even Shay.¡± Sharon said with


    a frown.


    Larissa readily agreed. ¡°Shaton.¡±


    Dn spoke up suddenly, ¡°You let her call you Shay? Howe you never asked me to call you that?¡±


    Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    Sharon retorted. ¡°I never stopped you from doing sol


    Dn said in a hull, ¡°Well, I¡¯m not going to call you that.¡±


    Sharon snorted, ¡°Suit yourself.¡±


    Their childish interactions left Larissa bewildered


    Both of them were not inherently childish people, but they seemned to bring out the childish sides of


    each other whenever they were


    together.


    Larissa thought that the electrifying chemistry between them could only be because of love.


    Sharon wasn¡¯t too picky and ced an order quickly. She even considered everyone¡¯s food


    preferences.


    Larissa was about to praise her when Dn snatched the menu from Sharon¡¯s hands, mullering. ¡°You


    didn¡¯t even order what I like!¡±


    However, she assumed that Sharon already knew about it perfectly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you have hands and a mouth? Can¡¯t you order it yourself?¡± Sharon red at him and


    comined. ¡°You¡¯re leeching off my meal, and you are still being a nuisance!


    Since Larissa knew the inside story, she quietly poured herself a cup of tea and sipped it.


    Throughout the meal, the round table was divided into two sides.


    On one side, it was warm and harmonious. The other side was full of heated arguments.

 Chapter 947

    Chapter 947


    Chapter 947


    Throughout the meal, Kevan piled food on Larissa¡¯s te¡­


    Each time, Larissa ented his help and thanked him sweetly.


    Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    Conversely, Dn and Sharon were quite the opposite.


    They didn¡¯t care about each other and served their own food.


    They almost got into an argument a few times as they lought over the food on the table.


    The meal ended under contrastingly different atmospheres.


    Kevan asked Larissa, ¡°Where should we go now?¡±


    Blue Star Shipping and Thompson Medical had already signed the contract. Since Larissa¡¯s and Lewis¡®


    return date had not been set, there was no need to rush back to the hotel.


    Larissa replied, ¡°Let¡¯s go home.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± With a smile, Kevan took Larissa¡¯s bag and held her hand. He turned to Dn and instructed,


    ¡°Go home with Ms. Davis. Don¡¯t stay back and do overtime.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d rather work overtime at the office than go home with her!¡± Dn said irritably.


    He couldn¡¯t help spouting unkind words due to his anger.


    Sharon didn¡¯t back down. ¡°Do you think I want you to go home with me? I¡¯d hoped that you would sleep


    at the office every day! I¡¯d rather have the bed to myself and roll around as I please!¡±


    Dn retorted. ¡°Well, I¡¯m going home to sleep tonight!¡±


    Larissa rubbed her ears which were hurt by their bickering. She pulled Kevan and quickened their


    steps. ¡°Let¡¯s go home quickly. I¡¯m getting tired.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Kevan ignored the two people behind them and left in the car with Larissa.


    Kevan brought Larissa back to the home where they had lived while being married. He had been living


    here all along.


    Everything inside remained the same as when Larissa had left, except for the addition of many newly


    released luxury items in the walk¨Cin closet.


    Kevan exined. ¡°The luxury brands would send me catalogs every season. When I saw anything that


    suited you, I had them delivered here.¡±


    He always held hope that she would wear those clothes in a few years.


    Today was the day that his wish came true.


    Larissa didn¡¯t know what to say.


    Since she learned about his feelings toward her, she became more shy and feminine.


    She felt less collected whenever he was around her.


    Larissa also found that she was easily moved by some of his subtle gestures as well.


    She silently wrapped her arms around Keyan¡¯s waist and hurled her face in his chest.


    She could hear his steady heartbeat.


    ¡°What should I do? I don¡¯t want to leave you,¡± Larissa mullered under her breath.


    Sharon mentioned that Dn had to do overtime every day at Microworks Corporation in Kevan¡¯s


    absence


    Although Larissa hoped that Kevan would return with her to Westonia, she couldn¡¯t bear to break up


    another couple out of her own selfishness.


    1/2


    Kevan embraced Larissa. He felt like his heart was ful to the brim.


    Naturally, he didn¡¯t want her to leave either. However, he didn¡¯t dare to keep her here.


    The other two men in her family already disapproved of him.


    If he were to take her away without their permission, he might never gain their approval in this fetime.


    ¡°I wille over soon, Be patient and wait for me.¡± Kevan stroked her long silky hair.


    Once he was done dealing with Cody, he would lly over to Aldovia to meet her.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Larissa nodded and snuggled against his chest. Kevan¡¯s heart was stirred with desire.


    ¡°Lan,¡± His


    gaze carkened and his voice became hoarser than before.


    Larissa could sense the change in his voice.


    Startled, she was about to move away when Kevan pushed her against the wardrobe door that was


    behind her.


    ¡°It seems Ike we haven¡¯t done it here, right?¡± Kevan said with a devilish smirk.

 Chapter 948

    Chapter 948


    ns to return to Westonia were quickly arranged


    Larissa yed two nights at Kevan¡¯s home.


    She had arranged to meet with Lewis directly at the airport on the day of their departure.


    Lewis didn¡¯t ask where she had been for the past two days. He already knew the answer. However, he


    expressed his confusion when he saw her alone. ¡°Isn¡¯t Aster returning with us?¡±


    In Larissa¡¯s original ns. Aster was to return to Westonia with her. However, Kevan¡¯s parents insisted


    on keeping him with them due to the risk of contracting the virus


    Kevan had also mentioned that Cody might act erratically when forced into a corner. In the end. Larissa


    decided to leave Aster at the Rogers¡¯ v which would be sater.


    swered. ¡°He wants to stay back and y for a few more days. Kevan will bring him back to Westonia.¡±


    Lewis went slent and didn¡¯t ask further.


    The ne touched down in Westonia at noon.


    Due to Gary¡¯s urging. Lewis had no time to get over seg and went straight to the office


    Larissa apanied him


    Gary locked his office door and drew the curtains, He said with a cold expression. I had the technical


    department check theputers of everyone working in the presidential office. However, we didn¡¯t find


    any evidence of contact with Moorewell Shipping. We have no way of finding out whether they


    contacted Moorewell privately.¡±


    Lewis deduced based on Brian¡¯s Information, ¡°The cle must have seen the quotation we gave to


    Thompson Medical I¡¯ve personaly handled the Thompson project. I have only sent the quotations to


    you to keep things confidential¡¯


    Gary replied. ¡°I never showed it to anyone as well, However, I didn¡¯t delete the email you sent me.¡±


    Thinking for a moment, he continued, ¡°Could it be that someone hacked into my Inbox?¡±


    With this thought in mind. Gary made another call to the technical department again.


    The technical department gave their feedback.


    Gary¡¯s email ount had never been logged into from any other device. In other words, his ount


    was not hacked.


    The only possiblity lett was someone had essed his email through his personalputer or phone.


    Gary was a caut cus man and he never saved passwords on his devices.


    When he left the office, he would always shut down hisputer.


    ¡°That person would need to cr ack the password to myputer. After that they had to guess the


    password to my email. Apart from the technical department, no one else could do it.¡±


    The more Gary thought about it, the more it seemed impossible.


    However, the technical department was not on the same floor as the presidential office. They didn¡¯t


    have permission to ess his office either.


    Lewis sale, ¡°Let¡¯s check the surveince footage.¡±


    Since they were out of leads, they had to resort to the most cumbersome method. They had to go


    through everything one step at a time.


    Lewis had sent the quotation to Gary about a week ago. Three of them took aputer each and


    spent the whole afternoon going Through surveince lootage.


    They reviewed the videos from a week ago until the day they signed the contract with Thompson


    Medical


    In addition, managers from various departments were there as well


    Gary mused, ¡°I was present when the department managers came, it couldn¡¯t be them.¡±


    As for people from the presidential office, Gary couldn¡¯t remember whether he was present. It was too


    much for him to recal.


    Fortunately, the list of suspects had been narrowed down.


    Lewis noted down their names. ¡°I will keep a close eye on these lew prople.¡±


    Gary patted Larissa¡¯s shoulder and changed the toolc. ¡°I heard that you yed a crucia, mie in


    securing this contract with Thompson


    Medical?¡±


    There was a smile on Gary¡¯s face, and his eyes were filled with pride.Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.

 Chapter 949

    Chapter 949


    Chapter 949


    ¡°I don¡¯t have much to do with it. It was just a coincidence that I met a friend at Thompson Medical,


    Turns out that she was Mr. Ackley¡¯s niece. She helped us secure the deal¡± Larissa didn¡¯t dare to take


    credit for hersel


    Lewis shut down hisputer and muttered, ¡°Such coincidences don¡¯t just happen to anyone.¡±


    Larissa agreed. ¡°That¡¯s true.¡±


    Gary sensed the underlying meaning behind Lews¡¯ werds. ¡°Are you saying that all of this wasn¡¯t just a


    coincidence?¡±


    Lewis didn¡¯t conlirm nor deny it. He said vaguely, ¡°Maybe there is another person he cing us behind the


    scenes.¡±


    Gary nced at Lanssa, who looked puzzled. He kept his thoughts to himsel


    ¡°Alright, you both should go and rest now. Come home tomorrow night. The three of us will have a nice


    meal to celebrate. Gary stood up and waved them oft


    Larissa was not in a rush to go home.


    She had brought souvenirs from Bartham. She distributed them to her colleagues in the presidential


    office.


    Although they were not familiar with Larissa, they epted her gifts with gratitude.


    Marilyn asked Larissa. ¡°Larissa, is Bartham tun?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not bad.¡± Larissa brought her some snacks from Bartham, as well as the coffee powder Marilyn


    had been craving for a long time.


    ¡°Coffee made from powder is nowhere near as good as coffee brewed in the coffee shop. When we


    have the chance, I¡¯ll take you to Bartham for a real taste of their coffee!¡±


    ¡°Sure! Marlyn held the snacks in her hand. She was eager to make a cup of coffee and taste it right


    away.


    ¡°Since you even had the mood to buy us gifts, it seems like your trip to Bartham must have been


    sessful she teased Larissa, poking her with her e bow


    ¡°This has nothing to do with that, right? Larissa hesitated to tell the truth.


    The coboration between Blue Star Shipping and Thompson Medical was not announced officially.


    Besides, there was a mole in thepany.


    For now, she had to follow Gary¡¯s and Lewis lead to keep this a secret.


    I had already nned to buy these gifts for you all anyway! No one knew that it was Kevan¡¯s assistant


    who had actually purchased the gills.


    At that moment, Lewis came out of his office and heard their conversation. ¡°So, you spent the past two


    days not at the hotel but buying these souvenirs?¡±


    Larissa was puzzled by Lewis question. She thought that he knew where she had been.


    From his expressionlessce. Larissa couldn¡¯t let whether he was joking or serious. She remained


    silent and did not respond.


    I¡¯ve never seen you being so proactive about work. We have been rejected by Thompson Medical. You


    did not spend time thinking about ways to resolve the situation, but you went at the way to the city


    center to buy souvenirs? Lewis gave Larissa a disapproving nce.


    He picked up some snacks from Marilyn¡¯s table and looked at it with a dark expression or his face.


    Throwing it back on the table, he snerred and walked away.


    An awkward tension hung in the air.


    It seems like Mr. Logan Junior is angry.¡± Marilynmented cautiously.


    Larissa stared at his retreating ligure for a long time before thally understanding what Lewis wanted to


    do.


    Larissa lowered her head and said in frustration. ¡°It¡¯s all my fault I am so useless. I lolowed Mr. Logan


    Junior on a business trip, but


    ??


    ¡°Larissa, don¡¯t say that. You have only joined thepany recently. Mr. Logan Junior¡¯s expectations


    were too high.


    ¡°You are just an assistant. There¡¯s nothing much you could do to influence the coboration between


    two bigpanies.¡± Marilyn held Larissa¡¯s hand andforted her gently.


    Larissa sighed deeply and said goodbye to Marilyn. I¡¯m going home now, See you tomorrow.¡±


    Marilyn walked her to the elevator and reminded her, ¡°Don¡¯t overthink things. Mr. Logan Junior¡¯s anger


    will probably subside tomorrow.¡±N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.

 Chapter 950

    Chapter 950


    Chapter 950


    Lewis was waiting downstairs for Larissa. She didn¡¯t bring her car, so he had to drive her home.


    Larissa asked Lewis. ¡°Are we going to keep the coboration with Thompson Medical a secret from


    everyone in thepany?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s keep it a secret for now. Thompson Medical¡¯s contract with their previous shippingpany


    hasn¡¯t expired yet. We have two weeks to find out the mole¡¯s identity.¡± Lewis replied.


    ¡°Do we have to keep it a secret from Marilyn? She has been with thepany for several years.


    Besides, she didn¡¯t need to do this sort of thing Larissa was perplexed.


    After all, Marilyn was the first person in the presidential office to be kind to her. She had also helped her


    deal with Judy and her gang.


    Although Marilyn was on the list of suspects. Larissa had never doubted her.


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget, Marilyn is the most frequent visitor among the employees of the presidential office who


    entered Gary¡¯s office. Given the


    current situation, no one can be trusted,¡± Lewis reminded her.


    Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.


    ¡°Alright¡± Larissa agreed.


    That night Larissa received an unexpected phone call. The caller was Judy. Larissa had not heard from


    her in a long time.


    Judy was crying regretfully as she spoke. ¡°Larissa, I¡¯m sorry! I shouldn¡¯t have said those lies about you.


    I beg you, please talk to Mr. Logan


    I Junior on my behalf. Please ask him to spare me!¡±


    Larissa waspletely confused by her words.


    She had heard that Judy joined Moorewell immediately after resigning from Blue Star Shipping.


    Lewis had threatened to sue for viting the nonpeting use in her contract. Larissa hadn¡¯t paid


    much attention since then.


    In theory, viting the nonpeting use wasn¡¯t a serious matter. As long as Judy paid up and


    settled thepensation, there was


    no risk of awsuit.


    Since Moorewell knew about the nonpeting use before poaching Judy and her colleagues, they


    should have been prepared to paypensation.


    Larissa assumed that they would not take Lewis threats seriously.


    Based on Judy¡¯s behavior, things were not as she imagined.


    ¡®Moorewell is just using us! Once we transferred our clients to them, we lost all value in their eyes!


    Moorewell now ns to fire all of us! Larissa take pily on us! We really have no money to pay


    compensation to Blue Star Shipping!¡± Judy pleaded with Larissa.


    Although it was gratifying for them to have a taste of their own medicine. Larissa didn¡¯t feel happy at all.


    While Judy and her colleagues deserved what was happening to them, they were truly in a bleak


    situation


    Larissa sighed and said, ¡°What I say doesn¡¯t matter. You should go to Mr. Logan Junior. There might be


    a glimmer of hope.¡±


    Although she felt sorry for Judy, she understood her limits. As Lewis¡® assistant she shouldn¡¯t interfere


    with his decisions


    Judy assumed that Larissa didn¡¯t want to help them. Immediately, her tone grew sharp, ¡°I could reach


    Mr. Logan Junior, why would I call you? You heartless woman! You will end up miserably loo!¡±


    After cursing Larissa, Judy hung up the cal.


    Larissa stared at her nk phone screen. The sympathy She felt for Judy earlier left a bitter taste in her


    mouth.

 Chapter 951

    Chapter 951


    Chapter 951


    An ungrateful person like Judy should just experience more of society¡¯s harsh realities!


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong again? Wendy strolled out of her room. She had a white mud mask applied on her face


    while wearing a white cotton nightgown. She scared the living death out of Larissa.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you have other nightgowns to wear? And your face- Larissa leaned against the armrest of the


    couch as she put a hand against her pounding heart. She did not want to look at Wendy any more than


    she should.


    ¡°This nightgown isfortable and cool.¡± Wendy sat next to Larissa as sheined while painting


    her nails. ¡°The thermostat here is too warm! It¡¯s still fucking hot even if I wasn¡¯t wearing anything while


    lying down.¡±


    ¡°Your body is still weak, so you must take care not to catch a cold.¡± Larissa told Wendy of


    ¡°I know my body.¡± Wendy was not worried. ¡°Hey-¡°She turned to look at Larissa as she asked randomly,


    ¡°What are your thoughts on the future?


    ¡°What future? What thoughts? Larissa did not get it.


    ¡°Well your future with Mr. Rogers. Are you staying in Westonia or going back to Bartham? Wendy


    looked more serious than before.¡°1 know you said that you wanted to stay in Westonia long¨Cterm


    because your dad is here, but I feel like Mr. Rogers¡® parents might not agree.


    ¡°I mean, look at Aster¡¯s retum this time. They can¡¯t even let him go I¡¯m just trying to say, if you are all


    going back to Bartham, I will quit my job and go with you guys, I was used to living alone abroad, but


    now that you¡¯ve apanied me for so many years¨C1 feel horrible when staying alone.¡±


    ¡°We might go back to Bartham.¡± Larissa did not hesitate in her reply. ¡°My dad and my cousin were


    recently thinking about moving the heart of Blue Star Shipping¡¯s business back to Caldor, if it¡¯s


    sessful we¡¯ll all go back.¡±


    ¡°Cool¡± Wendy was very direct too. ¡°Once my annual leaves are over, I tell my boss that I¡¯m quitting.¡±


    Larissa could understand Wendy¡¯s feelings, so she did not advise her against it. She only said, ¡°As


    long as you don¡¯t regret it.¡±


    The next day at work, Larissa reported to Lewis about the call from Judyst night. ¡°She said


    Moorewell¡¯s burning bridges as they are firing all the people who jumped ship over to theirpany¡±


    Lewis frowned. ¡°I did not receive any news about this.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Larissa thought of Judy¡¯s tears yesterday and could not help but question Lewis¡® words. ¡°Could


    it be that your information is not up to date? Could it be that Judy and the others got their dismissal


    letters, but Moorewell had not made an official announcement yet?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Lewis was very sure though. ¡°They were still clocking in for work as normal yesterday.¡±


    ¡°There must be time for the handover even if they¡¯re fired, right? Maybe they won¡¯t be there anymore in


    a few days,¡± Larissa was stil certain that the matter of Judy getting lined was not fake.


    Lewis was finally convinced by her. He said after a moment¡¯s silence, ¡°I¡¯ll call and check.¡± He called in


    front of Larissa and put his phone on speaker,


    Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.


    Larissa was not sure about who it was on the other end of the call she only heard him say. ¡°There


    seems to be something about that. But there weren¡¯t a lot of them who got fired. The only one I¡¯ve


    heard of was the one who jumped ship at the very beginning, Judy Turner,


    ¡°She¡¯s pretty arrogant at Moorewell too, and has offended a lot of people. She¡¯s probably getting


    abandoned because she has nothing else to offer.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I understand.¡± Lewis ended the call


    ¡°Since Judy getting fired is real, then there¡¯s nothing to worry about¡± Lewis originally thought there was


    some scheme behind this, but it seemed that he had overthought this matter.


    ¡°Judy has leaked a lot of Blue Star secrets to Moorewell, so we will definitely not ept a settlement


    with her. If she looks for you again. just ignore her.¡±


    ¡°Maybe she just wanted to make it sound worse so you would pity her? Lewis suggested.


    ¡°Maybe.¡± Larissa did not have a better exnation.

 Chapter 952

    Chapter 952


    Chapter 952


    However, Larissa was called back into Lewis¡® office once again. What surprised her was that Gary was


    there too, and he looked just as grim as Leals. This weird atmosphere made Larissa nervous. She


    carefully closed the door but she did not move her hand away from the


    door handle.


    wrong with you two?¡±


    She looked at both men very nervously¨Cthe moment there was something, she would tly run away


    without looking back..


    ¡°Rx we¡¯re not getting you to go on blind dates,¡± Lewis spoke.


    Larissa sighed in relief. She went over to sit next to Gary and asked. ¡°So. something¡¯s up with the


    company again?¡±


    Tjust got a call¨CLewis nced at Larissa. ¡°It¡¯s that friend from Moorewell who called in the moming. He


    said that Judy got fred because she hadpleted the mission that Moorewell had given her.¡±


    Mission? What mission? Larissa did not understand. ¡°Her mission was alreadypleted, so why e


    still fred by Moorewel?¡±


    ¡°Reportedly, she has a spy in thepany. They can know first hand about thetest developments


    from us¨Clike our joint venture project


    with Thompson Medical.¡±


    Larissa came le a realization. ¡°Judy is part of the information leak?¡±


    ¡°You could say that.¡± Lewis nodded. ¡°Moorewellred her to put some distance between them and her.


    Judy received a huge amount of hush monry so that she wouldn¡¯t speak of this randomly in public. But


    what I really care about is her motive in calling you.¡±


    Judy was always an enemy of Larissa, and Judy gelting fired by Blue Star was rted to Larissa too.


    Even if she was really out of options she would not ask Larissa for help¨CJudy had a better rtionship


    with Marilyn. Besides, it was not like Judy was really out of options.


    Since Moorewell was willing to pay Judy hush money they would definitely pay for herpensation as


    well. Otherwise, il Judy betrayed them. rewell¡¯s loss would only be greater,


    ¡°She would not call you without reason.¡± Lewis¡® eyes narrowed. ¡°You must be careful, I keep having this


    feeling that something¡¯s going to


    happen.¡±


    Gary continued where Lewis left off. ¡°From today on, Lewis will always be with you. If you don¡¯t want to


    go to his ce. He will go to your


    ce instead.¡±


    There was no problem II Lewis went to Larissa¡¯s ce. Kevan and Aster were not there, so there


    wasn¡¯t much of an impact on her life.


    However


    ¡°Wendy¡¯s there too.¡± Larissa looked at Lewis. Please keep that in mind. Don¡¯t get toofortable.¡±


    Lewis red at her. ¡°Since when was leverfortable?¡±


    Well, that was true. This matter was decided.


    After work, Marilyn wanted to go window shopping with Larissa,


    ¡°Sorry.¡± Larissa pointed at herptop and smiled panfully, Thaven¡¯t finished working.¡±


    Howe you and both Mr. Logans are so busy now? Marilyn asked curiously. Suddenly, herce


    changed as she whispered. ¡°Could it be ourpany¡¯s doing realy bad right now?¡±


    Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.


    Blue Star¡¯s recent situation was not a secret in thepany. The prolits had to be made public every


    month, and theying off of employees was in progress tuu.


    ¡°Yeah, pretty much.¡± Larissa closed the chat she had open with Sharon to conceal the fact that Sharon


    had introduced several more major


    clients to her.


    ¡°Ah


    Marilyn did not seem surprised. ¡°Why don¡¯t I go back and work overtime loo?¡® She asked Larissa with


    uncertainty. ¡°Il let both Mr. Logans see how hardworking I am, perhaps they won¡¯t tre me, right?¡±

 Chapter 953

    Chapter 953


    Chapter 953


    ¡°What else can you do other than pour coffee for Mr. Logan Senior? Larissa asked her.


    Marilyn¡¯s work was rted to Gary only¨Cshe was in charge of some of his personal matters during


    working hours and arranging his


    schedule for the day.


    Before Blue Star Shipping had all these issues, Gary¡¯s routine was regr. He would get off work on


    time every day.


    Thepany¡¯s partners knew about this, so they would not make any calls after working hours,


    Therefore, to Larissa, Marilyn had no reason to work overtime.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Marilyn red as she grumbled, ¡°I can do more than that, you know! Don¡¯t look down on me! I


    can totally just¨CShe grinned styly.¡± Pour more coffee for Mr. Logan Senior.¡±


    They worked overtime until 9:00 pm. Larissa concentrated on her own work and did not pay attention to


    what Marilyn was doing. She vaguely remembered Marilyn getting up a few times to bring coffee to


    Gary¡¯s office.


    Finally, Gary was off work. He stopped in front of Marilyn and said to her. ¡°You don¡¯t need to work


    overtime anymore in the future. I want


    Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    coffee, I will get it mysel


    Marilyn looked awkward as she quickly said, ¡°Okay.¡±


    After Gary left Marilyn went over to Larissa again and asked. ¡°Mr. Logan Senior¡¯s already gone. You¡¯re


    still not going to get off work?¡±


    Larissa nced at Lewis¡® office, which was still bright ¡°Look, my boss isn¡¯t gone yet! I gotta perform


    well too and make sure he fires me


    Marilyn went back to her seat again, ¡°Il apany you then!¡±


    ¡°No need.¡± Larissa rejected her good intentions. ¡°It¡¯ste; you¡¯re a girl. It¡¯s not safe for you to go home.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you a girl as well? Marilyn retorted.


    ¡°But I¡¯ve got someone picking me up!¡± Larissa could not say that Lewis was sending her home.


    Thinking that Marilyn had seen Kevane pick her up a few times, Larissa just randomly made up an


    excuse like this.


    Marilyn thought about it. ¡°Alright then.¡± She had just stood up when Lewis office lights turned off. Less


    than two minutester, Lewis


    came out


    ¡°Why are you both here?¡± He was surprised.


    Tm waiting to leave with Larissa.¡± Marilyn reached up to throw her hair back. She looked embarrassed.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to wait next time,¡± Lewis walked past her to stand in front of Larissa ¡°I will send her


    home.¡±


    Marilyn looked like she had heard some incredibly shocking news. She looked up in shock and looked


    at Lewis and Larissa who were now


    together due to Lewis¡® position.


    Having her lie exposed just like that, Larissa angrily pinched Lewis from behind, which only made him


    look at her in confusion.


    ¡°Thank you for your concern and care, Mr. Logan Junior,¡± Larissa forced out a smile of gratitude. ¡°But


    that won¡¯t be necessary. My driver


    wille pick me up.¡±


    To prevent Lewis from saying anything that would make her look bad, Larissa pinched Lewis harder as


    she used her eyes to tell Lewis to


    shut up.


    Lewis cooperated with her and nodded. He did his best to maintain a calm expression on his face.


    ¡°Alright then.¡±


    Only then did Larissa let go.


    ¡°Oh, yeah,¡± Lewis seemed to have just remembered, ¡°There¡¯s a document that I can¡¯t find anymore. Try


    searching for it on yourptop and send it to me now.¡± After that, he turned to Marilyn again. ¡°You can


    leave first. We might be a little slow.¡±


    12


    ¡°What document are you trying to find?¡± Larissa sat down again as she put her hand on her mouse.


    ¡°I lied to her.¡± Lewis gave her a lock of pure scorn and disdain. It was very obvious that he was


    sneering at her for not being able to tell that he had just told a shitty lie.


    ¡°Turn off yourptop. I¡¯ll send you home.¡±


    +

 Chapter 954

    Chapter 954


    Chapter 954


    Lewis had a suitcase he specifically used for business trips. There were a lew sets of clothes inside


    and some daily necessities. He always put this suitcase in his car, so he could leave at any time for any


    last¨Cminute business trips.


    Now, this suitcase was serving its purpose.


    Larissa arranged for Lewis to stay in another quest room, It was just next door to Wendy¡¯s. Wendy had


    met Lewis a few times. Although they were not ¡°amiliar with each other, they were notplete


    strangers either.


    Wendy had nothing against Lewising. She also did not think that her life would be impacted as


    well. After all, Lewis and Larissa usually left early and came homete. They spent very little time with


    her at home.


    ¡°Have you guys had dinner? Wendy asked Lewis and Larissa before Lewis entered the guest room to


    clear it up for himself.


    Lewis and Larissa had worked overtime and had just gotten home now. They had no lime to eat at all.


    ¡°Is there anything else left to eat here? Larissa had not felt hungry until Wendy asted her that.


    She did leel a little hungry.


    ¡°Nothing ready¨Cmade. If you want to eat, fll cock some pasta orsagna for you both?¡±


    The caretaker Larisa hired was only in charge of Wendy¡¯s daily meals.


    She usually not make extra food.


    Thankfully, the apartment had plenty of convenient foods that Larissa stockpiled on, so they would not


    go hungry.


    ¡°No need for me.¡± Lews politely refused. He took his suitcase and entered the room. The door closed in


    Larissa and Wendy¡¯sce.


    Wendy stuck out her tongue. After they had walked far away, she onlyined quietly to Larissa.


    ¡°Your cousin is so cold! Previously when he came to have our steak dinner, he seemed rather Iriendly.


    Why did he change so much alter only a short time?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not too bad.¡± Larissa did not sense anything wrong as she was likely used to Lewis¡® style of doing


    things. ¡°It¡¯s just that thepany¡¯s having issues recently, so he¡¯s probably in a bad mood.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Wendy expressed her understanding. ¡°Wat¨Cthat¡¯s not right!¡± She suddenly stopped walking. ¡°If


    your familypany¡¯s got issues. why are you still walking around like nothing¡¯s happening? Why


    aren¡¯t you worried?¡±


    ¡°What do I have to be worried about? When Larissa thought of the huge orders she would be


    negotiating for soon, she was so happy that she could barely wait for it to happen. ¡°It¡¯s just a smal


    issue, I¡¯ll be solved soon.¡± Larissa believed in Lewis¡® efficiency.


    Although Lewis had said he did not need to eat, Wendy still made somesagna for him. ¡®Take it to


    your cousin.¡± Wendy passed the tray to Larissa.


    Larissa huffed and teased her enviously. ¡°Why are you normally never this nice to me?¡±


    Wendy pointed at the other bowl ofsagna and threatened Larissa. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to eat it, I throw


    it away.¡±


    ¡°Sorry! Sorry!¡± Larissa apologized quickly due to Wendy¡¯s ¡°abuse. She also ttered Wendy. ¡°You are


    the best to met You¡¯re a pretty, kind, little fairy!¡±


    Wendy roled her eyes with annoyance and just threw a ¡°Fuck off at Larissa. Therefore, Larissa ¡°fucked


    off into Lewis¡® room. Lewis was sitting at the desk, staring at theptop staring at who knew what


    ¡°Are you still working?¡± Larissa felt bad for him, and she fell quilty too¨CHe was already having it so


    hard, but she could not help him at all


    ¡°No.¡± Lewis cucked his mouse. Im looking at the surveince camera footage outside Uncle Gary¡¯s


    office.¡±


    N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content.


    ¡°Haven¡¯t you already seen it? Larissa mowed closer as she put the tray down. ¡°Or have you found


    some clues?¡±


    ¡°Not yet, so I need to go through it many more times. Lewis looked at the freshly conkedsagna on


    the tray. He raised an eyebrow and asked curiously. ¡°This issues because at work.¡±

 Chapter 955

    Chapter 955


    Chapter 955


    *Aright.¡± Lewis picked up the spoon and ate somesagna. ¡°Wendy¡¯s cooking is not bad.¡± He praised


    her sincerely. ¡°Everything is well cooked but not mushy. It¡¯s better than the one you madest time.¡±


    Last time during the steak dinner. Larissa had made somesagna too. But she did not do it well and


    the dish turned mushy. A light poke with a fork destroyed it very easily.


    Lewis took another mouthful ofsagna before he remembered. ¡°Help me thank her.¡±


    Larissa was not happy due to Lewis¡® praise of her friend and criticism of her. She rted angrily. ¡°Go


    tell her yourself! I¡¯m not a fucking messenger you can just order around!¡±


    Wendy wokete. so the caretaker camete every day too, Larissa could not wait for the caretaker to


    come and make breakfast, and The house had no lood, so she could only go out and eat with Lewis.


    She went to the McRonald¡¯s nearby thepany and ordered two takeaway set meals. After she went


    upstairs, she sent one to Lewis¡® office. When she came out, Marilyn was already at her workce,


    ¡°Morning, Marlyn¡± Larissa smiled as she greeted her friend.


    Marlyn smiled back, but it did not look natural ¡°Merring, Larissa.¡±


    Larissa was a little confused, but she did not ask. She went back to her workce and ata her


    breakfast while she browsed through the client information that Sharon had sent her yesterday.


    Marilyn spoke to her though. ¡°Why did youe so early today? Didn¡¯t you eat breakfast at home?¡±


    Larissa froze for a bit before giving Marilyn a smile. ¡°Yeah. I didn¡¯t have anything to eat at home, so I


    left early.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Logar Junior did not have breakfast too? I saw you give him a McRonald¡¯s bag,¡± Marlyn asked


    again.


    ¡°Yean.¡± Larssa nodded.


    ¡°How coincidental!¡± Marilyn smiled, but her words seemed to have another meaning. ¡°You and Mr.


    Logan Junior both did not have breakfasi.¡±


    ¡°Well no, actualy. Larissa quickly put some distance between her and Lewis. ¡°Mr. Logan Junior


    normally doesn¡¯t eat breast. And it¡¯s not just today, just bought extra for him when was buying my


    own breakfast. I¡¯m his assistant after all I can¡¯t really just eat alone, can I?¡±


    Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.


    ¡°Is that so.¡± Manly did not seem to ept Larissa¡¯s words. Tve been working in Blue Star for so many


    years, and I¡¯ve never noticed that Mr. Logan Jun or had a habit of not eating breakfast.¡±


    ¡°Because I asked him¡± Larissa said righteously. Struck speechless by Larissa, Marilyn pressed her lips


    together and stopped talking.


    ¡°Judy¡¯swyer wants to meet with me today, do you want toe with me? Lewis asked Larissa using


    thepany¡¯s messaging app.


    ¡°The penally case? Why do I need to go? Larissa was confused.


    ¡°They said they want to settle things between us, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s that simple.¡±


    This office, Lewis was howning. This case was handed by Blue Star¡¯s Legal Department. If Judy really


    wanted to sette things, she should have let hernger contact the Legal Gepartment directly. There


    was no need to meet up with him.


    He felt that something would happen when he met up will Judyter.


    ¡°When are you guys meeting? If I¡¯ve finished my work by then, I¡¯ll go with you.¡± Larissa honestly did not


    keep Judy in her mind. A pawn abandoned by Moorewell could no longer cause any bly issues.


    3:00 pm in thepany¡¯s meeting room. They wille then. You¡¯d bettere with me. It shouldn¡¯t


    take too long.¡±


    Since Lewis had already said so, Larissa could only agree. ¡°Okay, Tell me when they are.¡±

 Chapter 956

    Chapter 956


    Chapter 956


    Judy and herwyer arrived at the presidential chice at 2:50 pm.


    They came rather ostentatiously, and they cid not avoid anyone when they passed by the public office.


    Judy even clicked her high heels very, very, loudly.


    Compared to when she left Blue Star, Judy¡¯splexion looked better,


    Her clothes were more expensive than before, and she did not look like someone who was reling


    anxious and worried about therge amount ofpensation money that she needed to pay for.


    When she passed by Larissa¡¯s workce, Judy stooped and took off her sunsses.


    She asked. ¡®Is Mr. Logan Junior here?¡± Her voice was amazingly friendly,


    However, when Larissa looked up, she saw Judy roling her eyes at her. No one else could see it except


    for Larissa hersell,


    Larissa had not yet figured out what the hell was going on, but she replied calmly, ¡°Yes, he¡¯s here.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Judy put on her sunsses again and led herwyer with her into Lewis office.


    ¡°Mr. Logar Junior.¡± As Judy had liked Lewis before. She was a little bashful after seeing him again for


    such a long time.


    Lewis locked at his watch. ¡°You¡¯re quite early.¡± He closed his documents and got up, els go to the


    meeting room. I bring Larissa along.


    ¡°Wait Mr. Logan Junior- Judy quickly blocked the door. ¡°You can¡¯t bring Larissa along.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Lewis was confused.


    ¡°Because.¡± Judy bit her lip as she struggled with hersell. Then, she spoke with difficully. ¡°What I¡¯m


    going to tell you is rted to Larissa.¡±


    ¡°On? Lewis was interested immediately. He sat down again and watched them expectantly. ¡°Let¡¯s talk


    here, then,¡± He pointed at the two empty chars before his table and said, ¡°Please,st¡±


    Judy and herwyer sat down.


    ¡°I came today Judy built up her courage and lonked Lewis straight in the eye. ¡°Because I want to make


    a deal with you.¡±


    ¡°What deal? Lewis asked cooperatively.


    ¡°I use the information that you desperately want to know right now to trade for Blue Star not holding me


    ountable for viting my contract Judy straightened up as she spoke with Iata confidence. It was


    like she was sure that Lewis would agree.


    Lewis could guess what Judy¡¯s so¨Ccalled ¡°information¡± was. ¡°I agree only if your information is of any


    true value.¡±


    Judy and herwyer looked at each other. Thewyer nodded at Judy.


    Judy sucked in a deep breath as she asked. ¡°You went on a business trip to Caldor with Larissa a few


    days ago tok business with a medicalpany named Thompson Medical, right?


    If she knew about this, that meant that she was indeed the person from Moorewell responsible for


    making contact with the mole in Blue Star.


    Lewis was a little excited to hear Judy¡¯s next words.


    ¡°Yes¡± Lewis¡®ce remained unchanged.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you curious about how I know? Judy asked purposely.


    Lewis followed her words and asked, ¡°How do you know? He even looked surprised.


    ¡°Because someone leaked this information to Moorewell through me.¡± Judy seriously cleared up his


    ¡°confusion¡°,


    ¡°You mean ¡°Lewis leaned forward as his tone suddenly got higher. ¡°There are spies nted by


    Moorewell in Blue Star?


    N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content.


    Lewis froze. He forced down the urge to kick Judy out of his office as he widened his eyes in ¡°shock¡±


    and ¡°disbelie¡°. ¡°What did you say? Larissa is a spy?¡±

 Chapter 957

    Chapter 957


    Chapter 957


    Lewis was curious about how Judy nned to make up her story.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Judy stared straight at him. She did not avoid his gaze. ¡°Larissa is a spy nted by your side by


    Moorewell. Her purpose is to steal Blue Star¡¯s highly ssified information. She came to me less than


    two dayster, using my dark past from my youth to threaten me to work with her.¡±


    Lewis frowned deeply at that. ¡°But if I recall correctly, you were not friendly with Larissa before-


    ¡°That¡¯s an act Judy hurriedly exined. ¡°This way, when something happened to either me or her, no


    one would suspect the


    ¡°Well that makes sense then.¡± Lewis pretended to be convinced.


    e other!¡±


    ¡°But we never expected that i would get fired so soon.¡± Whenever Judy thought of this, she was


    enraged. ¡°I don¡¯t even know who took a video of me and uploaded that video to the Inte?


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this something nned by you guys? Lewis asked.


    Judy¡¯s eye twitched as she had a moment of panic. ¡°N¨Cno!¡± She furiously denied it. ¡°How could this be


    nned? I didn¡¯t think that Larissa would go to that restaurant for dinner too!¡±


    Her reaction made Lewis feel suspicious. Clearly, everything that Judy had said before were lies that


    she had scripted early on. That was why she was able to be so calm. But his sudden question was not


    anticipated by her and her aplices, so she panicked.


    In this situation creating a lie on the spot would cause emotional instability


    Thus, Lewis came to his conclusion immediately. Judy getting into a conflict with the waitress, getting


    caught on video, and proceeding to get fired was part of their n.


    Following this clue, the person who videoed that incident and posted it online-


    Lewis¡® eyes narrowed. ¡°Aright I got it¡± he said. ¡°Do you have anything else you want to tell me?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Judy shook her head. ¡°Then She tested the waters with Lewis. ¡°Mypensation¡±


    ¡°I need to confirm it.¡± Lewisced his fingers together as he leaned his chin on them. ¡°You could be


    lying to me after all right?¡±


    Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    His gaze was sharp, and Judy looked down quillity. ¡°I swear that I¡¯m not lying to you.¡± She was clearly


    not as confident as before.¡± However, it¡¯s right for you to be careful I can understand.¡±


    Judy gave herwyer a look, and thewyer took out a document and gave it to Lewis,


    *This is the settlement agreement¡± thewyer said. ¡°If you are certain that my client is not lying, please


    sign it and send it to myw firm.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Lewis epted the document.


    ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else, we¡¯ll take our leave.¡± Thewyer and Judy got up together and left Lewis¡± office.


    Larissa was wondering why they had not left the office for so long when she saw Judy and thewyer


    coming over to her. Lewis was not


    behind them.


    Judy still stopped before Larissa¡¯s workce. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Larissa.¡± She left that confusing bit with


    Larissa before hurrying away.


    Marilyn had seen Judy and Larissa¡¯s two interactions. She asked Larissa, ¡°What¡¯s up with Judy?¡±


    Larissa replied. ¡°No idea.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re suddenly friends?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Larissa did not know how the hell Marilyn managed to see that. Their attitude toward each other


    had not changed from belore. It was just that Judy had said some pretty weird things that confused


    people.


    Another message popped out on the screen, but it was not from Marilyn.


    Lewis had summoned her.


    ¡°Come to my office.¡±

 Chapter 958

    Chapter 958


    Chapter 958


    ¡°Judy¡¯s gone just like that?¡± Larissa asked Lewis. ¡°I thought you said that you were going to bring me


    along for the meeting?¡±


    ¡°They didn¡¯t want you there.¡± Lewis said.


    ¡°Why? What did they say? Larissa was curious about what Lewis, Judy, and herwyer had talked


    about.


    ¡°Judy wants to use the identity of Moorewell¡¯s say in exchange for us not holding her ountable for


    viting her contract.¡± Lewis pushed the settlement agreement from Judy¡¯swyer to Larissa.


    ¡°Spy? Who?¡± Larissa got excited. However, Lewis only stared at her with a mysterious smile.


    ¡°What¡¯s with that smile? Larissa was confused. Lewis still said nothing but his smile grew deeper.


    N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content.


    ¡°It can¡¯t be ¡°Larissa had a feeling, and when she thought about Judy¡¯s weird actions today¡°She told you


    I was the spy?¡±


    Lewis pped his hands together.


    ¡°Congrattions! You got it right


    ¡°You believed her?¡± Larissa asked anxiously.


    Lewis gave her a deadpan expression. ¡°So, in your heart, I¡¯m an idiot?¡±


    ¡°Well no.¡± Larissa sighed in relief before asking again, ¡°What did she say?¡±


    ¡°She said that your employment was a ploy. When you came, you used her dark past to threaten her,


    and you forced her to work with you. Even her dismissal was your n. Lewis used the shortest way


    possible to summarize what Judy had said. ¡°There were many holes in


    her story, but I pretended to believe her.¡±


    ¡°So, you n to tire me next? Larissa could guess what Lewis might do next.


    Judy¡¯s motive in taking such great pains to set Larissa up was clearly meant to protect the true mole as


    well as take revenge for the


    previous incident.


    The mole would only rx after Larissa was fired, and therefore give themselves away.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Lewis nodded. ¡°Try practicing your act. Later, when you go out, you must show how angry and


    sad you are, or other simr


    reactions.


    I


    ¡°As today¡¯s situation is special, I will allow you to curse at me¨Cbut they can¡¯t be too bad, otherwise I¡¯ll


    deal with youter.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Larissa nodded. ¡°Acting is easy.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah¨Cdon¡¯t tell Marilyn anything.¡± Lewis reminded her. ¡°The lewer who know about this, the


    better.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± Larissa understood just how serious this matter was, so she naturally would not just randomly


    tell others anything about this.


    ¡°Also-¡°Lewis became serious again. ¡°Me Tiring you doesn¡¯t mean that you get to rest at home. You stil


    need to maintain those Caldorian clients you have on hand. When the time is right, you will take some


    of thepany people and go back to Caldor to establish branchpany. Then, we¡¯ll slowly move


    our business back into Caldor.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Larissa replied.


    When Larissa went out, she mmed Lewis office door loudly, which drew the attention of everyone


    outside.


    ¡°Psycho! Fucking shitpany, and a fucking shit supervisort Completely brainless fucks!¡± Larissa


    angrily shouted while ignoring all the weird stares she got from the others.


    As they were not familiar with Larissa, most people just stared and did note over. Only Marilyn


    called out to her worriedly. ¡°What¡¯s wrong. Larissa?


    Larissa replied with a dark expression on her face. ¡°I¡¯m getting fired.¡±

 Chapter 959

    Chapter 959


    Chapter 959


    ¡°What?¡± Marilyn covered her mouth in shock before asking ¡°Why? Did you make a mistake at work?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t fucking know.¡± Larissaughed coldly. ¡°Mr. Logan Junior only said that I had to go. He didn¡¯t


    give me any d


    damned reason.¡±


    ¡°No way. You and Mr. Logan Junior are so close in private. How could he just make you leave without


    reason? Marilyn bugardon Larissa¡¯s hand. ¡°Why don¡¯t you go and talk to Mr. Lagan Junior properly and


    ask why he fired you, then ask him to give you another


    chance?¡±


    ¡°No need!¡± Larissa¡¯s attitude was firm. ¡°I¡¯m fired, and that¡¯s that! I don¡¯t fucking care for this shitty


    company anyway!¡± She jerked free of


    All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    Marilyn¡¯s grasp and went back to her workce to start packing.


    Marilyn followed and asked, ¡°Do you want to leave now? You don¡¯t have any handover procedures?


    ¡°Mr. Logan Junior wants me gone from thepany by today.¡± Larissa put all the little trinkets she had


    in her drawer into her backpack. As for the big stull on the table, Larissa put the valuable ones together


    while the invaluable ones were thrown into the trash bin.


    ¡°Can you find a box for me? Larissa asked Marlyn,


    ¡°Sure,¡± Marlyn said before she paused. She then confirmed with Larissa again. ¡°You really want to


    leave?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Larissa ripped her name card off her neck and mmed it down on the table. ¡°There¡¯s so many


    job opportunities. Why should just string myself up on this rotten free?


    ¡°If it¡¯s really impossible, I can still go back to Caldor and teach Aldovian or something. Less fuss, more


    money, and I don¡¯t need to deal with a psycho boss!¡±


    ¡°Larissa


    Marilyn suddenly sobbed. There were tears in her eyes. She hugged Larissa and said emotionally, ¡°I


    don¡¯t want you to go just barely managed to make a friend in thepany ¡¤


    ¡°I¡¯m just getting tired, it¡¯s not like I¡¯m gone.¡± Larissa returned her hug and patted her backfortingly.


    11 you miss me. Just call me out for window shopping, I might take a break for a while before I go


    looking for a new job.¡±


    ¡°Okay then.¡± Marilyn¡¯s agreement was a little forced. ¡°If you want any work opportunities, I can ask


    around for you¨CI¡¯ve been Mr. Logan Senior¡¯s secretary for many years, so I¡¯ve got some resources


    ¡°Sure.¡± Larissa did not reject her directly.


    Larissa went through the resignation procedures before everyone got off work. She only said goodbye


    to Marilyn before she left Blue Star


    with her box of belongings.


    Gary arranged for a car to take Larissa home. Because it was sill early, she actually managed to eat


    dinner with Wendy.


    Wendy did not expect Larissa toe home so early. Seeing therge box Larissa was carrying.


    Wendy joked, ¡°Oho! Has Ms. Seymour


    been fired?¡±


    Larissa nodded and just hummed slowly in response


    Wendy nearly choked on the pasta she had been munching on. She drank hall a ss of water before


    she managed to swalow it all down,


    *Really?¡± Wendy put down her spoon and fork and ran over to Larissa. She searched through the box¨C


    it was indeed stuff that would be


    ced in an office,


    ¡°You can¡¯t have lost your power struggle with your cousin and gotten kicked out of thepany by him,


    right?¡± Within a short few seconds, Wendy had already created a crazy exnation.


    Larissa just went along with Wendy¡¯s words. ¡°Yup. So. I n to go back to Caldor to take refuge with


    Kevan. Wannae along?¡±


    Wendy studied Larissa¡¯s facial expressions for a very long time, but Larissa kept up the act and did not


    allow her facade to crack


    Finally, Wendy asked, ¡°When do you want to go back?


    ¡°Once I¡¯ve cleared up everything here. Within the next few days, I guess,¡± Larissa led smoothly.

 Chapter 960

    Chapter 960


    Chapter 960


    When Larissa video called Kevan at night she mentioned how she was ¡°red¡°.


    Kevan asked her, ¡°Do you want toe back? I¡¯m already wrapping things up here. If you have


    nothing else, you can check next week¡¯s


    fights.¡±


    Seeing her hesitation, Kevan added, ¡°I heard that Sharon introduced more clients to you. If it¡¯s to talk


    business, it¡¯s much better to do it in


    person.¡± His temptation was obvious.


    ¡°Tll discuss it with my cousin and see if I can go back to Caldor next week. He wanted me to go back


    and establish a Caldorian Blue Star branchpany anyway. It¡¯s just that thepany¡¯s having some


    internal issues right now, so he can¡¯t send people with me.¡± Larissa knew that she could not do


    anything by herself, but she could go back and analyze things, like pinning down the office address and


    taking care of the necessary hardware first


    ¡°Alright.¡± Kevan smiled softly at her. ¡°I wait for you toe back¡±


    Larissa¡¯s face tumed red immediately. ¡°Is Aster okay?¡± She changed the subject.


    Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    When Aster left he brought his own phone. Larissa had missed him and video¨Ccalled him, But Anthony


    and Violet were always with Aster. so Larissa could not really ask things like if Aster was okay and if he


    missed Mommy. This was to prevent Kevan¡¯s parents from overthinking.


    ¡°He¡¯s alright.¡± Kevan had been busy these few days, so he had not really contacted Aster either. He


    could only take out half an hour¡¯s time to call Aster every two days.


    His mother would frequently send pictures or videos of Aster through WhatsApp though, to ¡°report¡±


    about Aster¡¯s situation. From his


    mother¡¯s words, it was not hard to see that Aster was getting used to fe at the Rogers¡® vi, and he was


    getting along better and better


    with the elderly couple


    His parents were always praising Aster too. They treated him like he was their own biological


    grandchild¨Ceven though Aster was their


    biological grandchild from the start


    ¡°My mom asked me two days ago if Aster should have a tutor.¡±


    At Aster¡¯s age. Kevan had already been forced by his grandfather to attend quite a good deal of


    sses. His level of education could be said to be that of a sixth¨Cgrader in elementary school. But


    precisely because Kevan had gone through such things, he did not want Aster to go through the same


    thing.


    Like Larissa. Kevan only wanted Aster to grow up happily and healthily.


    Larissa frowned when she heard that. ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s necessary.¡±


    Aster did not really learn much in Westonia¡¯s kindergarten either. The teachers were mostly ying


    with the kids. His life at the Rogers¡±


    vi was simr, except he did not have so many ssmates forpany.


    *Then I¡¯ll refuse my momter.¡± Kevan decided to stand with Larissa firmly¨Ceven though he knew how


    his mother would ¡°earnestly¡± advise and try to persuade himter.


    Larissa knew that Kevan was busy, so she did not dare to waste too much of his time. ¡°Well, I¡¯m


    hanging up. Take care.¡± She felt terrible when she saw the bags under his eyes that were growing


    darker and darker,


    ¡°Sure.¡± Kevan waved at the camera. ¡°See you next week.¡±


    At 11:00 pm. Larissa could not sleep. Shey on the bed and yed with her phone. Suddenly, she


    heard the door opening outside. She was so scared that she jumped up from the bed at once and


    nearly called the emergency number.


    But she was not the only one in the house. So Larissa immediately informed Wendy to prevent


    anything from happening to her.


    Larissa tiptoed over to the door and locked it before video¨Ccalling Wendy in the guest room.


    Wendy snapped at her without reason. ¡°Larissa, are you crazy or what? Would walking over here kill


    you or something?¡± entered the house.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Wendy was uncertain, but she still carefully locked her bedroom door.

 Chapter 961

    Chapter 961


    Chapter 961


    ¡°What do we do now? Wait for him to leave or call the police?¡±


    Wendy sat on the floor like Larissa, her back against the wall where the door was.


    She paid attention to all and any sounds from the outside.


    ¡°Let¡¯s wait first. Larissa had some considerations.


    Their apartment building¡¯s security was ster.


    Normally, non¨Cresidents could never get in.


    Larissa was afraid that Kevan might havee back¨Che had done this sort of thing before anyway,


    secrellying to Westonia without telling her.


    But she did not dare to just go out as well.


    After all, there were so many dangers hidden around her, so she could not let down her guard.


    The heavy footsteps grew closer and closer, and Larissa¡¯s heart began to race faster,


    When the footsteps sounded outside her room door, Larissa¡¯s heart was almost going to burst out of


    her chest.


    She held her breath and typed to Wendy to tell her not to talk. ¡°That guy¡¯s right outside my door, I


    think,¡±


    Wendy¡¯s expression on her phone screen was equally just as terrilled, Larissa sent another message.


    ¡°If something happens to me, call the police at once.¡±


    Wendy nadded furiously while covering her mouth.


    However, the next second, Larissa heard Lewis ask, ¡°Lari, are you in there?¡±


    ¡°Fuck!¡± While she was sighing in reliel, Larissa nearly smashed her phone in anger. ¡°No need to call the


    police, it¡¯s my cousin.¡±


    Larissa ended the video call and got up from the floor to open the door.


    ¡°I thought you weren¡¯ting anymore.¡± Larissa red at Lewis with annoyance. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell


    me that you wereing?¡±


    ¡°You just don¡¯t need to work at thepany anymore. But you¡¯re still in danger since the mole hasn¡¯t


    been caught,¡± Lewis said.


    Larissa soon epted her fate of always needing to be ¡°protected¡± by Lewis and she asked. ¡°Did you


    need something since you came to


    me sote?¡±


    ¡°I saw that your room light was still on, so I came over to remind you to sleep early.¡± Lewis rubbed her


    head and said seriously. ¡°Don¡¯t forget that you still need to work from home. You can¡¯t stay up toote.¡±


    All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    Larissa angrily mmed the door shut. ¡°Good. Byer


    On the first day after being fired¡°, Larissa slept until she woke up naturally. She dragged Wendy to


    shop at the supermarket before going


    to their previous apartment to help Wendy pack her things.


    Wendy had not gone back to Caldor for several years. This time, having decided that she would go


    back, Wendy¡¯s emotions did not


    change.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I have anything I want to bring.¡± She stood in her bedroom and stared at her clothes.


    Her brain was empty.


    ¡°Then don¡¯t bring anything. Buy new ones when we get back to Caldor.¡± Larissa was also scared of


    trouble.


    Dragging a whole load of luggage with them to catch a flight was definitely troublesome.


    In the end, Wendy only packed a few sets of clothes that she wore frequently, brought herptop, and


    left everything else behind in the


    ¡°Do you want to rent out this apartment? Larissa asked her, ¡°If you want to we can lind a moving


    company to move all your stuff to my ce.¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡± Wendy shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t need that money. This apartment has our memories of several


    years here. I don¡¯t want strangersing over to ruin it,¡±


    Larissa gave Wendy a look, ¡°Ah, that¡¯s a very nice thing to say, but you¡¯re just toozy to clean up,


    right?¡± Wendy red at her and snapped, ¡°You just know how to bitch at me all the fucking time! Just


    shut up!¡±

 Chapter 962

    Chapter 962


    Chapter 962


    Larissa was thinking about going home to work so she did not dare stay o


    outside fornrg.


    She was not busy as she was only doing promotions and customer service for the time being.


    She was in charge ofmunicating contract details with the other party¡¯s representative as well as


    epting their inquiries.


    Wendy came over with a bowl of chicken noodle soup, and she slurped it up next to Larissa ¡°I suddenly


    remembered something.¡± Herce was dark and her eyes screamed danger.


    Lanssa stopped tyning on herptop for a couple of seconds as she looked up in confusier and asked,


    ¡°What?¡±


    N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you tell me that you lost the power struggle with your cousin and got kicked out of thepany


    by him?¡± Wendy put down her bowl and narrowed her eyes.


    Larissa forced herself to be calm, ¡°Yeah, why?¡±


    ¡°Then why did hee overst night? Wendy leaned over slowly. ¡°How can it be possible that you


    two are still friendly with each other even if you¡¯re fight na?


    ¡°Uh ¡ª¡± This question was hard to answer, Larissa could not be any longer. ¡°Actually I didn¡¯t fight with


    my cousin. I wasn¡¯l kicked out by


    him either.¡±


    Wendy sneered coldly as she reached out to squish Larissa¡¯s face. ¡°Larissa Seymour, you absolute


    piece of shit!¡± she snapped angrily.


    She was so loud that Larissa¡¯s ears nearly went deal. ¡°Do you know how badly you¡¯ve lucked me up?¡±


    Wendy


    squished harder so that Larissa¡¯s face waspletely squashed.


    ¡°Last night, I thought your cousin came here looking for trouble! I shouted at him and even hit him!


    Ahhhhhhh! Do you know how embarrassing it was for me when your cousin finally cleared things up


    with me? Fuck you all the damned way to hell!¡±


    Although herce hurt so much, Larissa could not help butugh hard,


    ¡°How dare youugh? Wendy¡¯s face was so red. The moment she thought of the things she didst


    night, she was so embarrassed that she wanted to stick her head into the ground.


    ¡°Sorry!¡± Larissa used her fingertips to wipe away her tears as she apologized sincerely. ¡°I didn¡¯t think


    that you¡¯d stand up for me to my cousin¡± If she knew¨Cshe would definitely have spun a crazier lie..


    Wendy angrily let go of Larissa¡¯s face as she red at her. ¡°You will help me exin to your cousin


    property! Tell him that I¡¯m not a harpy


    who randomly beats people up!¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Larissa nodded sincerely. ¡°I¡¯ll call him now.¡± As she spoke, she picked up the phone she had


    left on the table.


    ¡°Hang on-¡± Wendy stopped her quickly. ¡°I go out first!¡±


    To listen to Larissa and Lewis talk about this was like experiencing being publicly executed.


    Wendy did not want to do something so stupid and shameful


    Grabbing her bowl, Wendy ran away from the room. She did not forget to close the door when she left.


    Larissa did not call Lewis. She did not know if he was busy at this time. She sent a WhatsApp message


    over and asked, ¡°You got your ass


    kicked by Wendyst night?¡±


    Her words were clearly filed with glee.


    ¡°Lewis only sent her a short reply. ¡°We¡¯ll talk about it once i gel home.¡± Although it was simple, the


    threat in it was obvious.


    Larissa had a bad feeling about it. She was going to pay lor this¡ª

 Chapter 963

    Chapter 963


    Chapter 963


    During lunch, Marilyn called her and asked, ¡°Larissa, what are you doing right now?¡±


    Larissa swallowed her food and replied. ¡°I¡¯m having lunch. What about you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m having lunch too.¡± Marilyn sounded sad. ¡°I miss you so much, Larissa, I¡¯m so lonely without you at


    thepany. No one¡¯s eating with me or chatting with me during lunch anymore, and there¡¯s no one to


    ck off with me at work by surfing the forums. Ahh


    Larissa felt a little regretful too as there were fewer chances to meet up with Marilyn. But she did not


    want to dampen the mood, so she gave Marilyn a pep talk. ¡°You can eat with other people.¡±


    Although the presidential office had new people now, it was not hard for Marilyn to make friends with


    these people based on her personality.


    Moreover, there were a few people who were close to Marilyn in age in the new batch. They would


    definitely find simr interests to talk


    about


    N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content.


    ¡°But they¡¯re not you.¡± Marilyn sounded unhappy. She sounded like she was close to crying.


    Larissa did not expect Marilyn to have such deep feelings for her. She suddenly felt a little quilty.


    Ever since leaving thepany, she had not thought of Marilyn at all.


    ¡°Maybe ¡ª we can go out for a meal this Saturday? Larissa asked Marilyn,


    She was going to go back to Caldor soon, and she might not evere back to Westonia.


    Having a meal with Marilyn could be considered a proper goodbye.


    ¡°Sure!¡± Marilyn agreed. ¡°You decide on the ce then! I can eat anything¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Larissa ended the call after sheforted Marilyn a little bit more.


    Lewis came home earlier today.


    Larissa and Wendy were sitting on the couch ying on their phones.


    When they heard the sound of the door opening, they jumped up from the couch with wide eyes as


    they stared at the door fearfully.


    Lewis came back with a huge shopping bag in his hands. It was bulging with groceries. When he saw


    them in the living room, Lewis found it hrious, but his expression remained unchanged.


    ¡°Larissa,¡± he called out in a deep voice.


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Larissa immediately responded. Her voice was rather stiff.


    Lewis put the shopping bag on the floor and changed his shoes. ¡°Bring this into the kitchen,¡± he


    instructed.


    ¡°Yes, siri¡± Larissa hurriedly ran over to bring the shopping bag into the kitchen.


    Lewis finished changing his shoes, but Wendy was still standing there.


    Her head was down, and her long hair hid her face so that no one could tell what expression she had


    on.


    Her arms were hanging by her side, and her hands were clenched into fists.


    One could tell that she was very nervous right now.


    Lewis knew, of course, what Wendy was nervous about.


    What happenedst night was very sudden. He had only passed by her room when he was pulled


    Inside by her.


    He was not familiar with her.


    They had only met a few times but had barely talked to each other.


    down, but he still could not help but stutter when he spoke.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    She did not answer him though. She stabbed a linger at him and shouted angrily, ¡°Why are you like


    this? Where the heirs your fucking conscience?! You¡¯re just Uncle Gary¡¯s nephew, how dare you fight


    Larissa for the family fortune?


    ¡°Old Uncle Gary raise you for so many years just to let you bully his daughter? You fucking ungrateful


    son of a bitch! How dare youe here? What are you nning right now? I¡¯m telling you Lewis


    Logan, since I¡¯m here, I won¡¯t let you do anything to hurt Larissa! ¡°If you still have some self¨C


    awareness, get the fuck out of here! Don¡¯t let me see you appear in front of Larissa again!¡±

 Chapter 964

    Chapter 964


    Lewis was so confused by Wendy¡¯s shouting then.


    In his memory, no one but his uncle had ever shouted at him like that.


    He stared at Wendy nkly before he finally came back to his senses. ¡°Ms. Simmcrs, do you have


    some kind of misunderstanding about me?¡±


    Wendy was so angry that she was shaking. Misunderstanding? What misunderstanding can there be?


    Could the misunderstanding be that you stole the right of session of Blue Star away like the


    ungrateful son of a bitch that you are? Or is it the fact that you kicked


    Larissa out of thepany without giving a damn?¡±


    Although Lewis had no idea where Wendy had heard such rumors, he felt that he had the need to clear


    things up.


    ¡°These are all misunderstandings. I have not stolen the right of session of Blue Star, and I have not


    kicked Larissa out of thepany.


    Blue Star¡¯s president is still my uncle, and the future president will only be Larissa.¡±


    ¡°Stop lying to me.¡± Wendy snorted at his exnation. ¡°Larissa told me everything! Do you think I¡¯d


    believe an ungrateful son of a bitch like you over my best friend?¡±


    Lewis finaly cured out where the problem was


    wr now.¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me, let¡¯s go find Larissa and confront her


    He had nothing to hide after all


    He just did not know if that little liar would be able to handle the rage of two people.


    The moment he said that, Wendy hesitated. ¡°You really didn¡¯t steal Larissa¡¯spany?


    Her heart was beginning to waver,


    ¡°I swear it.¡± Lewis raised a hand. ¡°I lie. I will be struck by lightning, and suffer ate ¡­*


    ¡°Okay, okay¡± Wendy quickly stopped him. ¡°I believe you alright? She was a bit annoyed. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean


    to shout at you earder. I just thought


    I¡¯m so sorry. Mr. Logan.¡±


    Lewis did not argue with her over this. This was truly not her fault anyway.


    If he really wanted to hold anyone responsible, it should be that damned culprit who yed them both.


    ¡°t¡¯s alright¡± Lewis smiled at Wendy and asked, ¡°Do you still have anything else to say, Ms. Simmons?¡±


    ¡°No, no!¡± Wendy waved her hand quickly.


    Lewis pointed out the door. ¡°Then ll be going?¡±


    Wendy quickly walked around him and opened the door for him. ¡°Good night, Mr. Logan.¡±


    Her head was down as she did not dare


    She looked like an ostrich.


    r to look at him.


    Lewis did not want to continue the awkwardness here either, and he quickly exited the room.


    ¡°Good night, Ms. Simmons¡±


    Back in the present, Lewis called out to Wendy as a form of greeting. ¡®Ms. Simmons.¡±


    Wendy jolted because of that.


    She lifted her head with great difficulty and forced out the most painful smile possible.


    Then, she said, ¡°You¡¯re back, Mr. Logan.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Lewis nodded. Because he nned to cockter, he asked again. ¡®Do you like lich Ms.


    Simmons?¡±


    1/2


    ¡°Great.¡± Lewis smiled. ¡°I be making Fisherman¡¯s Stewter, I¡¯d be honored ill you¡¯d give it a try.¡±


    Wendy continued to smile fakely. ¡°Of course, of course.¡±


    Lewis did not stay in the living for long. He could sense Wendy¡¯s difort and he could tell that she


    desperately wanted him to leave.


    Once he went back to his room and changed intofortable clothes, he went to the kitchen.


    Larissa was not there anymore. The things he bought back were still in the bag, and she had left them


    on the counter. It was easy to see that she had not done anything and was just hiding from him on


    purpose.


    Lewis had been houding his anger for the whole day. Of course, he was not going to let her all the hook


    so easily.


    He raised his voice and shouted, ¡°Larissa¡±


    Larissa replied from a very far away ce. ¡°What?¡±Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.

 Chapter 965

    Chapter 965


    Chapter 965


    ¡°Come here¡± Lewis ordered.


    Grumpily, Larissa trudged over.


    ¡°Are you giving me an altitude? Lewis raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°No.¡± Larissa immediately smiled, wiping the frown off her face at lightning speed. ¡°What may I do for


    you, dear cousin?¡±


    Lewis took a live, struggling salmon out from an ice box and brought it to her face. ¡°Gel Inis salmon


    fileted.¡±


    ¡°Aght Larissa was terrified of live animals like these. She hid behind him immediately, clutching at his


    shirt


    ¡°I was wrong. Lewis,¡± she cried. ¡°Don¡¯t do this to me. I¡¯ll be traumatized!


    Lewis dragged her out coldly and forced a knife into her hands.


    ¡°Take your pick. Will the salmon die, or will you? He threatened her expressionlessly, a cold pint


    shing in his eyes.


    Seeing that Lewis was hellbent on revenge, Larissa bit her lip and began whacking at the salmon on


    the cutting board.


    With a smack, the fish stopped struggling.


    ¡°What¡¯s next?¡± she asked in a daze.


    He instructed calmly. ¡°Remove the scales and sit open the stomach so that you can take out its


    innards. You¡¯ll be able to make filets after


    that.¡±


    At the thought of the massacre that was about to follow, Larissa found herself close to tears.


    ¡°My dearest cousin,¡± she said, reaching out to tug at his sleeve. However, he moved away in disdain,


    ¡°Don¡¯t touch me with your dirty hands.¡± he said coldy. ¡°Get to work!¡±


    Under his supervision, Larissa prepared the salmor


    Besides verbal instructions, Lewis had not offered the slightest help.


    ¡°Are you going to joke around in the future?¡± he asked.


    Larissa was washing her blood¨Cstained hands vigorously. She shook her head wildly. ¡°Never! Naver


    again!¡±


    She did not want this nightmare to ever happen again.


    Larissa lell the kitchen dejectedly.


    Her head was filled with thoughts of that poor dead list.


    She took her phone out and texted Kevan. ¡°Lewis was picking on me!¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Kevan asked.


    Larissa told him about what had happened in detail.


    The chat box showed that Kevan had been lying for a long time, but in the end, all he sent was a hug


    emoll.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think he went too far? Larissa wanted someone to bash Lewis with her.


    Kevanplied. ¡°Yes.¡±


    In reality, on the other side of the world, Kevan was sprawled over his table inughter.


    He knew that Lewis would go hard, but he did not think he would go this hard.


    Punishing Larissa by making her kill a fish was basically hitting her right where Il hurt.


    1/2


    However, only Lewis could do this to her. If Kevan were to do that, he would be the one on the


    chopping board.


    ¡°What are youughing about?¡± Dn walked in, catching Kevan like this.


    Kevan immediately stood up straight andposed himsel


    ¡°Nothing much.¡± He shoved his phone into his drawer and asked, ¡°Where is Cody?¡±


    Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    Dn looked unhappy. ¡°He ran away.¡±

 Chapter 966

    Chapter 966


    Chapter 966


    It was a Saturday. Larissa had invited Marilyn to dinner.


    Larissa had picked out a three Michelin¨Cstarred restaurant probably because this could be thest time


    they ever saw each other. She¡¯d gotten a reservation through Gary¡¯s connections.


    They met at the entrance of the restaurant.


    The moment Marilyn saw Larissa, she embraced her warmly.


    ¡°Larissal¡± Marion examined her face and eximed. You look so much better when you¡¯re not working


    overtime!¡±


    Larissa smiled. It¡¯s the makeup.¡±


    This restaurant was rather particr about dress codes.


    Wendy had picked out a long silver dress for her. Her makeup had to match.


    It had taken her an hour to put it on. It was vastly dillerentpared to her daily routine which look 10


    minutes.


    They walked in while holding hands.


    Because they were both attractive and had shapely figures, they attracted the attention of many


    patrons.


    ¡°Larissa?¡± someone eximed.


    Larissa locked over, It was Allen sitting about ten leel away.


    He was probably here to keep his clientspany.


    There was a man and a woman seated with him.


    Judging by their outfits and their temperaments, they were probably important figures.


    Larissa smiled politely. She nodded in acknowledgment, not engaging too much with Allen.


    Marilyn whispered. ¡°Is that your friend?¡±


    ¡°An ex¨Ccolleague.¡± Larissa replied.


    Marissa smiled coyly and said. ¡°But he¡¯s not just that, is he? He looks at you ¡ª differenty.¡±


    Ever since that incident. Allen no longer hid his feelings for Larissa in public.


    Even a bystander like Marilyn could see the desire in his eyes.


    Larissa was merely embarrassed. ¡°We¡¯re just ex¨Ccoleagues,¡± she said.


    Marilyn pursed her lips disbelievingly.


    The waiter brought them to their seats and left them their menu.


    While Lanssa browsed through it, a shadow loomed over them.


    She looked up on instinct and met Allen¡¯s gaze.


    ¡°Allen?¡± Larissa was perplexed, ¡°Don¡¯t you need to be with your clients?¡±


    ¡°They can understand meing over to say hi.¡± Allen put a hand on her shoulder


    The coldness of his palm made her ufortable.


    Goosebumps trailed on her skin.


    She instinctively leaned away from him and put the menu on the table. With a light smile, she asked,


    ¡°This is my first time restaurant. What would you rmend?¡±


    this


    Allen altered his stance. With one hand on the back of Larissa¡¯s chair and the other on the table, it was


    like she was enveloped in his arms.


    12


    ¡°Alright. Thanks.¡± Larissa nodded and closed the menu, asking Marilyn. ¡°Are you done?¡±


    Since Allen¡¯s appearance, Marilyn had been observing their interactions in excitement. Now that her


    name was called, it took a while for


    her to snap back to reality.


    ¡°Yes,¡± she said. Then, she raised her chin and pointed at Allen, her eyes shining. ¡°Larissa, aren¡¯t you


    going to introduce him to me?¡±Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

 Chapter 967

    Chapter 967


    Chapter 967


    If Marlyn hadn¡¯t brought it up, Larissa would not have nned on introducing them to each other. They


    wouldn¡¯t have anything to do with each other in the future, anyway.


    *This is Aler. He was my superior from when I worked in Winston. And this is Marilyn, my colleague and


    good friend.¡±


    To be polite, Allen extended his hand toward Marilyn. ¡°Nice to meet you, Marilyn.¡±


    ¡°Hello Allen,¡± Marilyn leaned forward, cing a hand over her chest for modesty, and shook his hand.


    ¡°Comection, I¡¯m not her colleague. I¡¯m her ex¨Ccolleague.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Allen was surprised. He looked at Larissa. ¡°Are you switching jobs again?


    ¡°Not yet.¡± Larissa was trying her hardest to ster a smile on her face. ¡°I¡¯m currently unemployed.¡±


    ¡°What does that mean?¡± Allen¡¯s eyes were full of bewilderment.


    Before leaving Winston, Larissa had told him that she was going to work in her family¡¯spany.


    Thus, she couldn¡¯t say that she was fired.


    Otherwise, he would instantly call out her bluff, Marilyn might even know of her true identity.


    She sipped her water and looked at Marilyn, saying, ¡°I just don¡¯t think it¡¯s for me.¡±


    She was sure that as her friend. Marilyn would protect her dignity and y along with her instead of


    telling Allen the truth


    As expected. Marilyn pursed her lips knowingly.


    ¡°Yeah. The boss didn¡¯t want her to go, but she did. We¡¯re all going to miss her.¡±


    Allen did not doubt them. He knew of Larissa¡¯s capabilities far more than anyone else.


    He would never dream that she was fired.


    ¡°Since you¡¯re jobless, why don¡¯t youe back to Winston?¡± he asked eagerly.


    ¡°I want to take a break¡± Larissa said, rejecting him softly.


    ¡°Alright¡± Allen did not push it. ¡°Once you¡¯re done taking a break, we will wee you back any time.¡±


    Because his clients were still waiting, he did not stay for long.


    Once he left, the oppressing feeling on Larissa vanished instantly. She sighed.


    ¡°Alleh is really good to you,¡± Marilyn teased. ¡°He has already given you the offer. Aren¡¯t you going to


    consider it?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to look back, Since I¡¯ve left Winster, I won¡¯t be heading back there again.¡± Larissa did not


    want to keep taking about this. She got the waiter to take their order.


    ¡°Oh, and by the way, this is for you.¡± When the waller ett Larissa dug out a little red box and gave it to


    Marilyn.


    ¡°What is this?¡± Marilyn looked at it curiously.


    ¡°You¡¯ll know when you open it. Larissa was excited


    Marilyn opened it.


    ¡°On! How prelly!¡± she eximed, her hands around her lips.


    There was a golden bracelet in the box. It was priceless.


    Larissa had spent a week agonizing over the perfect gl.


    It had to be prelty, practical, and unique,


    One day, she saw this bracelet online and bought it at once, even asking for a speedy delivery.


    N?velDrama.Org exclusive content.


    1/2


    Otherwise, it wouldn¡¯t have arrived in time for this little farewell


    ¡°Try it Larissa urged.


    ured Marilyn¡¯s wrist. She¡¯d only relied on her memory and figured that they were probably around the


    same size.


    She had never measured


    Marilyn put the bracelet around her wrist.


    ¡°It fits perfectly.¡± She shook her wrist, looking at it aderingly. Larissa was happy that she wasn¡¯t leaving


    behind any regrets.

 Chapter 968

    Chapter 968


    Chapter 968


    ¡°Why did you want to give me a present so suddenly? Marilyn asked curiously. She held her bracelet


    with her other hand.


    Larissa said honestly, ¡°I¡¯m going back to Caldor next week.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Marilyn was shocked. ¡°Are you really going to teach Aldovian?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯ll think about it when I get back.¡± Larissa smiled and made up an excuse. ¡°I just miss


    home. I¡¯m all alone here, and without


    work, it¡¯s a struggle.¡±


    ¡°That is true.¡± Marilyn pursed her lips, sobering up. ¡°Will you stille back to Westonia?¡± she asked.


    ¡°We¡¯ll see. If I find a suitable job in Caldor, I might not evene back,¡± Larissa said.


    ¡°Well, what about him?¡± Marilyn nced at Allen. There was mischief in her eyes. ¡°What if he¡¯s just


    waiting for you to turn back?¡±


    Larissa exined in exasperation, ¡°There¡¯s nothing between us.¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright! I get it. Nothing between you,¡± Marilyn said, all smiles. It was obvious that she didn¡¯t


    think so.


    Because of Allen, Larissa was not looking as forward to this dinner as she had been.


    She¡¯d nned to talk with Marilyn more. But Allen would sometimes nce over, and that would make


    her anxious. After their meal she


    called the waiter over to pay the bill.


    The moment they stepped out of the restaurant, Allen came running over.


    ¡°Larissa¡± he called out as if afraid that she wouldn¡¯t hear him.


    Larissa had to stop. She turned and asked, ¡°Is there anything else you need me for?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Sunday tomorrow. Do you have anything going on?¡± Allen asked. ¡°I¡¯m nning to take Freddy out.


    Do you and Noah want toe


    together?¡±


    ¡°Im not avable tomorrow. Sorry about that,¡± Larissa refused. ¡°Have a st you two!¡±


    ¡°But Freddy really wants you to go.¡± Allen held Larissa¡¯s hand, not wanting her to leave unless she


    agreed.


    Larissa didn¡¯t want to argue with him. She shook his hand off sullenly.


    ¡°I told you. Allen, I¡¯m not avable.¡±


    A dark cloud obscured Allen¡¯s eyes for a moment, but he remained calm.


    ¡°Alright¡± he said a little regrettably. ¡°Apologies for disturbing you.¡±


    N?velDrama.Org exclusive content.


    Larissa did not care about him anymore. After saying goodbye to Marilyn, she crossed the road to her


    car.


    She couldn¡¯t turn in the middle of the road. so she had to make a U¨Cturn at the junction up front.


    While at a distance away, she could see Marilyn and Allen standing together at the restaurant¡¯s


    entrance.


    They were talking to each other. Larissa couldn¡¯t hear what was being said, and she couldn¡¯t see the


    expressions on theirces.


    Several questions popped up in her head.


    Had they met before?


    Or was Allen harassing Manlyn?


    What if there was another possibility?


    The car drew nearer. The restaurant lights were incredibly bright.


    Larissa could clearly see Marilyn saying something to Allen with a smile, to which he responded with a


    simr smile.


    She didn¡¯t want them to notice her, so she stepped on the pedal and soon disappeared.

 Chapter 969

    Chapter 969


    Chapter 969


    Larissa was unable to sleep the entire night because of what she¡¯d seen at the restaurant.


    She couldn¡¯t get Marilyn and Allen¡¯s smiles out of her head.


    All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    She didn¡¯t know what they meant, but she felt like it had something to do with her.


    Early the next day, Larissa received a call from Marilyn.


    ¡°Larissa!¡± Marilyn sounded anxious. ¡°I identally broke the bracelet you gave mest night! Do you


    know if there¡¯s a ce where I could get it repaired?¡±


    Larissa calmly told her the seller¡¯s address. ¡°You can just head over. I¡¯ll let them know online.¡±


    ¡°Could youe with me. Larissa? I¡¯ve never bought these types of bracelets before. I don¡¯t know


    what it¡¯s like to repair them. What if the


    owner cons me? Marilyn was worried.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, either.¡± Larissa wasn¡¯t lying. She had never bought jewelry like this. She just thought that


    this was a trustworthy shop.


    ¡°If you¡¯re worried about it, you can put off the repairs. I¡¯ll ask about it another day and see if there are


    any reliable jewelers in Westonia.¡±


    ¡°But this is your farewell gift to me! I want to get it fixed and put it on quickly.¡± Marilyn didn¡¯t seem


    willing to take her suggestion. ¡°Please.


    Larissa. Come with me.¡±


    Larissa was about to refuse, but when she looked up, she saw Lewis, who had just happened to be


    walking toward the kitchen.


    ¡°Alright,¡± she said instead. ¡°I¡¯ll get myself ready and pick you up at your house.¡±


    When Lewis heard that he was about to ask a question, but then Larissa held a finger to her lips.


    I


    ¡°Oh, there¡¯s no need! I¡¯m the one who¡¯s troubling you. How could I make you pick me up?¡± Marilyn


    refused immediately. ¡°Why don¡¯t I drive


    you?


    Larissa thought about it and said. ¡°That works too.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯m heading out now!¡± Marilyn hung up in satisfaction.


    Larissa put her phone down, her face somber.


    ¡°Who are you going to pick up?¡± Lewis nced at her and bit into the sandwich that she¡¯d just made.


    He scoffed. ¡°And it¡¯s so mysterious.¡±


    ¡°Marilyn,¡± Larissa replied.


    Lewis narrowed his eyes, tensing immediately. ¡°What are you picking her up for?¡±


    ¡°I had dinner with her yesterday, and I gave her a bracelet. She called me to say that she broke it, and


    she wants to fix it but she¡¯s afraid of


    being conned.¡±


    ¡°Nope. I¡¯m not letting you go.¡± Lewis looked serious. ¡°Call her right now and say that you¡¯re not going.¡±


    ¡°I still have to.¡± Larissa wanted to see what tricks Marilyn was hiding up her sleeve. However, she


    wasn¡¯t going to risk her safety for that.


    ¡°But you¡¯reing with me.¡± She looked at Lewis.


    ¡°What?¡± He was stunned.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you wanted to protect me? Now is the time for you tomit to your


    responsibilities.¡± Larissa smiled. ¡°I know that something¡¯s off about Marilyn, but I know that she¡¯s not


    being manipted. She¡¯s conspiring with someone else.¡±


    o tell her.


    Il Marilyn was being manipted by Allen, it would be Larissa¡¯s responsibility to


    ¡°It¡¯s definitely thetter.¡± Lewis was sure about this.


    ¡°Why?¡± Larissa didn¡¯t know why Lewis would say that. ¡°Is there something you¡¯re hiding from me?¡±


    1/2


    He put the sandwich back on the te and reached out to take the ss of orange juice next to


    Larissa. But she look it away and said. ¡°I you don¡¯t tell me the truth, let you choke to death.¡±


    Lewis gagged and choked on the breadcrumbs stuck in his throat.


    Finally, he got slightly better and held his neck as he said, ¡°Marilyn is the traltor in thepany.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Larissa let go of the orange juice, and it spilled all over the floor,

 Chapter 970

    Chapter 970


    Chapter 970


    The ss shattered into pieces. Orange juice sttered everywhere, including her legs and her


    slippers.


    ¡°You¡± Lewis looked at the orange liquid around his feet, despair written all over his face.


    He would have kept his mouth shut if he¡¯d known that this would happen.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? What happened?¡± Wendy ran out of her room. When she saw the scene in the dining


    room, she was stunned. ¡°What


    happened?¡±


    It was like Lewis had seen an angel. Between coughs, he spat out, ¡°Water ¡ª¡±


    Wendy immediately understood him and ran to the kitchen to pour him a ss of water.


    He drank half of it in one gulp. It was only then that Lewis breathed easier.


    Larissa was still in shock.


    ¡°Is it true? That Marilyn is the traitor?


    She couldn¡¯t believe her ears.


    ¡°But hasn¡¯t she worked at Blue Star Shipping for years? Have there been other secrets leaked to


    Moorewell Shipping?¡±


    ¡°Not before.¡± After his violent choking, Lewis¡® voice was hoarse. ¡°But I have proof,¡±


    Larissa¡¯s heart skipped a beat. ¡°What proof?¡±


    ¡°I looked up her background information.¡± Lewis drank another sip of water to wash down the unease.


    ¡°She¡¯s from an average family. She


    grew up with her mother, who¡¯s just a stay¨Cat¨Chome mom. Although they lived in a small town before,


    they had all the best things that life


    had to offer. Marilyn¡¯s ssmates said that in the four years of her university education, her clothes,


    bags, and makeup were all designer.¡±


    ¡°Are you saying that she¡¯s a sugar baby?¡± This was Larissa¡¯s first thought.


    Lewis red at her and said crossly. ¡°What is in that mind of yours?¡±


    ¡°Where did her moneye from, then?¡± Larissa was confused.


    ¡°That¡¯s the thing.¡± Lewis curled his linger and tapped on the table. ¡°I got a hacker to search up Marilyn¡¯s


    bank ount. Beforeing to Blue Star, she lived off whatever pocket money her mother sent her. It


    seemed normal. So, I looked up her mother¡¯s bank ount and


    realized ¡ª¡± Lewis trailed off, creating suspense.


    Larissa urged. ¡°What did you find? Don¡¯t leave me hanging. Say something!¡±


    ¡°I realized that since a long time ago, before Marilyn was even born, someone had been sending her


    mother money. And that person is the


    CFO of Moorewell Shipping.¡±


    This revtion was growing bigger and bigger. For a moment, Larissa couldn¡¯t take it all in.


    ¡°Why does the CFO of Moorewell Shipping want to send money to Marilyn¡¯s mother?¡±


    ¡°I suspect that Marlyn and her mother have something to do with one of the superiors in Moorewell


    Shipping. I don¡¯t know who it is yet but this is enough to prove that Marilyn is the traitor.


    ¡°Our coboration with Thompson Medical was leaked by her. As for Judy, she was probably just a


    decoy sent to confuse us and cast suspicion on your side, all to protect the real traitor, Marilyn.¡±


    Lewis had made the exnation very clear. ¡°So she definitely has something nned for you today.¡±


    Larissa was shaken. ¡°So, should I call her to tell her not toe?¡±


    ¡°You can go.¡± Lewis said after a moment. ¡°Il she does have bad intentions, we could use this chance to


    fire her.¡±


    ¡°Are you using me as bait?¡± Larissa was a little sullen.


    Lewis raised an eyebrow and retorted, ¡°Didn¡¯t you want to go in the first ce?¡±


    1/2


    ¡°Alright, don¡¯t say anything else. Just get changed. We¡¯ll leave after breast.¡±


    Wendy could only understand a small portion of their conversation.


    ¡°Is it safe for you to go?¡± she asked worriedly. ¡°Do you need me to call the cops if you take too long to


    come back?¡±


    N?velDrama.Org exclusive content.


    ¡°Sure.¡± Lewis nodded. ¡°Sorry for the trouble. Wendy.¡±


    Because of what happened before, Wendy and Lewis were still awkward around each other.

 Chapter 971

    Chapter 971


    Chapter 971


    ¡°Ch. it¡¯s no hassle at all!¡± Wendy waved her hands around. ¡°It¡¯s the least I could do.¡±


    Marilyn didn¡¯t know that Larissa had moved. Thus, Larissa had to go to her old apartment to wait for


    her before she came.


    So as to not arouse Marilyn¡¯s suspicions, Lewis drove Wendy¡¯s car. He waited in a corner.


    When Marilyn arrived, she called Larissa.


    Larissa waited around on the first floor. She acted as if she¡¯d just walked out. She ran toward Marilyn


    hurriedly.


    Once Larissa was buckled up, Marilyn handed her a McRonald¡¯s bag. ¡°It¡¯s still so early. You haven¡¯t


    had breast yet, have you? I passed a McRonald¡¯s and got you something.¡±


    Larissa did not take it.


    ¡°Thanks, but I ate at home.¡±


    Larissa didn¡¯t dare to eat something so random.


    ¡°What?¡± Marilyn was stunned. She urged. ¡°Why don¡¯t you eat a little? It¡¯s still warm. What about some


    coffee?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Larissa was determined. ¡°I had a big breakfast. I¡¯m pretty full


    ¡°Fine.¡± Marilyn put the things into the backseat reluctantly.


    She started the car and asked Larissa, ¡°Do you know how to get there?¡±


    Larissa shook her head and took her phone out. ¡°We could use the GPS.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty bad with directions.¡± Marilyn wasying the groundwork ¡°Don¡¯t me me if I go the wrong


    way.


    alright?


    Larissa¡¯s heart thumped on her chest. Something wasn¡¯t night.


    It felt like Marilyn was prepared to go the wrong way.


    As expected, Marilyn soon turned in the opposite direction.


    ¡°Ch! I took the wrong way! Marilyn eximed. She began fumbling around.


    Larissa knew that Lewis was right behind them. So, she wasn¡¯t anxious.


    The navigation app quickly showed them a new route.


    Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    Larissa pointed out the road for Marilyn. ¡°Just make a U¨Cturn up front.¡±


    However, Marilyn missed the turn.


    Larissa grew solemn. She no longer wanted to y this game.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    Now, Marilyn panicked for real


    ¡°Nothing!¡± She forced out a smile. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you I was bad with directions?¡±


    ¡°Then stop the car. Larissa tumed off the app and prepared to dial a number. ¡°Otherwise I¡¯m calling the


    cops.¡±


    The smile on Marilyn¡¯s face vanished.


    ¡°What are you doing, Larissa? An icy light shed across her eyes.


    At once, she dug out a pistol from under her seat and pointed it at Larissa. Coldly, she instructed, ¡°Put


    the phone away.¡±

 Chapter 972

    Chapter 972


    Chapter 972


    Larissa had not even considered the possibility of Marilyn having a gun.


    She had Lewis had considered everything¨Cor so they thought,


    They rarely ever saw a normal person holding a gun. They forgot that they were living in a country


    where guns were everywhere.


    To avoid provoking Marilyn, Larissa turned off her phone.


    However, Marilyn was still not satisfied.


    She rolled down the window and ordered. Throw it out!¡±


    Larissa nced at her phone, which she¡¯d only begun using a month ago. She gritted her teeth and


    threw it out.


    Marilyn rolled the window back up.


    Through the gradually narrowing gap, Larissa could see that the cars behind them had run over her


    phone.


    ¡°Where are you taking me? Larissa asked.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you worry about that.¡± Marilyn was not intending to let her in on the secret. ¡°You¡¯ll know when


    you get there.¡±


    ¡°I thought we were friends.¡± Larissa stared at her calmly.


    ¡°Friends? Marilyn sneered. ¡°Do friends date ther hiends¡® crushes behind their back and pretend to be


    their wingwomen all along? Do friends do gross things like that to each other?¡±


    Her questions bewildered Larissa.


    ¡°Since when have I secretly dated someone you liked?¡±


    If her intuition was to be trusted, Marilyn¡¯s crush was Lewis.


    Larissa had indeed tried to nudge them toward each other, but she and Lewis were not what Marilyn


    thought.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you and Lewis dating?¡± Marilyn asked, hatred filing her eyes.


    ¡°No.¡± Larissa denied at once.


    ¡°I have eyes. I can tell that you are!¡± Marilyn did not bejeve her. ¡°In all the years I¡¯ve worked at Blue


    Star, Ive never seen Lewis be so friendly with another woman besides you! Yet you care say that you¡¯re


    not his girlfriend.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not Lanssa sighed.


    She¡¯d thought of all the possible reasons why Marilyn would hate her, but she hadn¡¯t considered Lewis.


    ¡°I¡¯m his cousin. Gary Logan is my father.¡± Larissa had no choice but to reveal her identity to protect her


    life.


    N?velDrama.Org exclusive content.


    ¡°What a preposterous lie! Marilyn sneered. ¡°I know them well, I¡¯ve done my research, Gary has never


    married. There are no women by his side! On top of that, hisst name is Logan, and yours is


    Seymour. Don¡¯t you dare try to lie to me!¡±


    ¡°The person you hired probably only learned about Gary Logan after he founded Blue Star Shipping.


    Beforeing to Aido, he got married in Calder. It just didn¡¯tst very long.


    ¡°My mother divorced him before I was born, and married again before giving birth to me. That¡¯s why I


    look my stepfather¡¯s name. I thought you¡¯d understand this.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you and your father share different names? Larissa had said that on purpose, However, she


    didn¡¯t know if that was true or not.


    ¡°How how did you know?¡± Marilyn¡¯s eyes grew wide. Her hands trembled. The steering wheel wobbled,


    and they nearly crashed into a nearby car.


    But she regained herposure quickly. ¡°Have you Investigated me before? No. It must have been a


    team ellort.¡± She considered things for a while and pul two and two together. ¡°You, Lewis, and Gary all


    know that I am Mr. Moorewell¡¯s illegitimate daughter.¡±


    Larissa had not known that.


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± She stared right into Marilyn¡¯s eyes. ¡°You are also the one who conspired with Judy and


    leaked our project.¡±


    Marilyn burst intoughter.


    ¡°I thought I could foal Lewis. I¡¯d considered everything. The only thing I hadn¡¯t considered is the fact


    that you¡¯re Gary¡¯s daughter.¡±

 Chapter 973

    Chapter 973


    Chapter 973


    Her smile was ominous.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me earlier?¡± Marilyn turned to look at her darkly. ¡°If I¡¯d known that I wouldn¡¯t have


    done so many irreversible things.


    And you wouldn¡¯t have to


    She trailed off.


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t have to what?¡± Larissa asked.


    But Marilyn refused to answer.


    She was acting really weird. Larissa began growing panicked.


    ¡°Calm down,¡± she tried advising. ¡°There¡¯s nothing you¡¯re doing that you can¡¯t take back. If you¡¯re willing


    to stop now, I can pretend that nothing ever happened today.¡±


    ¡°You can do that, but what about before? Can you pretend that I never told my father Blue Star¡¯s


    confidential information? Even if you can, what about Gary and Lewis?¡±


    Marilyn refused to let her go, ¡°Since I¡¯ll never have Lewis, I¡¯ll destroy you all I will destroy you so that


    you¡¯ll never be able to love anyone again!¡±


    The more she spoke, the crazier she got.


    It was like she¡¯d prepared herself for the end, Larissa knew that she was too far gone to be saved. She


    had no choice but to ce all her hopes on Lewis behind them.


    Marilyn turned left and right and finally stopped at a three¨Cstorey house.


    This was a long distance away from the city. However, it looked to be a suburban area.


    ¡°Don¡¯t move! Marilyn wamed. She got down from the car and went to the passenger¡¯s side to open the


    door, dragging Larissa out.


    She had a gun in her hands, so Larissa did not dare to act rashly. She followed Larissa obediently.


    While dragging Larissa, Marilyn walked quickly toward the door.


    She pressed the doorbell. Soon, the door opened.


    N?velDrama.Org exclusive content.


    A familiar face appeared.


    ¡°Allen?¡± Larissa was shocked.


    But she wasn¡¯t really very surprised after what she¡¯d seenst night.


    ¡°I¡¯ve delivered the goods.¡± With a shove, Marilyn threw Larissa Into Allen¡¯s arms.


    ¡°You can do whatever you want to her. But there¡¯s just one thing. Don¡¯t leave anything behind, and


    don¡¯t let anyone find out that I was Involved.¡±


    Alter saying that, Marilyn left.


    Allen shut the door at once and trapped Larissa lightly in his arms.


    ¡°I¡¯ve finally got you, Larissa.¡± He looked at her as if in a trance. A chill went down Larissa¡¯s spine when


    she saw his crazed expression.


    ¡°Let me go, Allen.¡± Larissa tried to break free, but he held her even tighter.


    ¡°No! I will never let you go again! No one can make me!¡± Allen roared in a sudden rage. He kissed her


    fervently.


    Larissa fought with all her might to dodge him, but she was still slobbered by his saliva. She was so


    grossed out that she wanted to puke.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you know that this is illegal?¡± she roared. She was hoping that this would wake him up.


    Allen didn¡¯t care. ¡°So what if it is? No one knows that you¡¯re here. The cops will never catch me


    He went up to the third floor and brought her into a small room.


    It was emply except for a mattress. And on the walls behind the mattress was a long, long steel chain.

 Chapter 974

    Chapter 974


    Chapter 974


    One nce was enough for her to understand what Allen wanted to do.


    She struggled violently and finally broke free of his clutches,nding on the floor with a thud,


    Bearing the pain, she scrambled up. But before she could run out of the house, Allen grabbed her waist


    from behind.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare run!¡± Allen dragged her toward the house inch by inch


    Larissa was on the verge of despair. Suddenly, the sounds of a piano being yed came from


    downstairs.


    She realized quickly that there was someone else in the house. It could only be Freddy.


    All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    As if it was herst shred of hope, she screamed, ¡°Freddy! Help me!¡±


    Allen tried to gag her, but she bit his fingers so hard they bled.


    The sharp taste of iron infiltrated her mouth. She didn¡¯t care. She ced all of her hopes on Freddy.


    ¡°Freddy! I¡¯m in the attic! Freddy, call the cops!¡±


    The piano music stopped.


    Freddy had obviously heard her screams for help.


    But at the same time, Allen had dragged her to the middle of the attic. The steel chain was right next to


    her legs.


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Allen was losing his patience. He pped her hard across her face.


    He was six feet and two inches tall. He was nearly twice her size. Obviously, he was stronger.


    Larissa¡¯s face went numb. The taste of iron in her mouth grew stronger.


    She grew dizzy, Stars floated in her vision, and it took her a long while to recover.


    Seizing this opportunity, Allen cuffed her leg.


    ¡°Finally.¡± He looked at the locks on her leg and smiled deviously. ¡°I finally have you. You don¡¯t know


    how long I¡¯ve been waiting for this.


    Larissa.


    He ced a hand on her shoulder.


    Even through the thick fabric, Larissa could feel his icy¨Ccold fingertips like a venomous snake.


    She shivered, goosebumps appearing on her skin.


    ¡°Fuck off! She shook off his hand and ducked.


    With every step she took, the long chain dragged across the floor, making nging noises.


    ¡°That¡¯s okay.¡± Allen was in no hurry to chase her.


    He stood where he was, admiring his handiwork.


    ¡°Daddy.¡± Suddenly, there was a small voice from downstairs.


    Allen¡¯sce shifted at once. His smile vanished,


    ¡°Who let youe up here?¡± he said harshly, ¡°I told you to practice in your room! Do you want to be


    beaten again?¡±


    ¡°No, Daddy.¡± Freddy¡¯s voice was full of fear. ¡°Someone¡¯s knocking on the door.¡±


    Allen paused, then looked back at Larissa. ¡°I¡¯m off to settle something. Sit here quietly until Ie


    back.¡±


    He went downstairs and shut the door to the attic.


    The weak light soon disappeared from her sight.


    She heard Allen roaring at Freddy. ¡°Go to your fucking room! Don¡¯te out without my permission!¡±


    She heard Freddy sebbing. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Daddy. I was wrong. Don¡¯t punish me.¡±


    But Allen continued rearing. ¡°Sorry? I¡¯ve told you so many times not toe out of your room! If you


    dare to disobey me, you¡¯ll have toce the consequences.¡±


    Freddy sobbed harder. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry, Daddy! No, Daddy, no!¡±


    His wails grew more and more desperate. Larissa¡¯s heart trembled.


    The Allen she¡¯d witnessed today had shattered her entire perception of him.

 Chapter 975

    Chapter 975


    Chapter 975


    She used to think that he was a gentle superior. He was strict at work, but on the inside. he seemed


    caring.


    He was gentle and patient with Freddy. He would never scold him harshly.


    At once. Larssa remembered Freddy¡¯s odd mannerisms, as well as the time he ran away from home.


    She trembled.


    Allen had always been abusing him.


    What a beastl


    Their footsteps gradually faded away. Allen¡¯s roars and Freddy¡¯s sobs soon died down.


    Allen


    Allen opened a door. She heard someone¡¯s voice.


    However, they were too far away for her to hear what they were saying,


    N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content.


    Not long after, the voices grew in volume.


    ¡°Larissa! Larissa!¡±


    Larissa could hear those words clearly.


    It was Lewis! He was here to save her!


    Larissa was overjoyed. She thumped the floor with all her might to draw their attention.


    ¡°I¡¯m here, Lewis! In the attic on the third floor! Save me


    His harried footsteps drew closer. They finally stopped beneath the attic.


    ¡°Who¡¯s in there?¡± a stranger asked in Aldoviar.


    Allen answered in a panic, ¡°My wife.¡±


    Larissa immediately screamed in Aldovian. ¡°I¡¯m not his wife! I¡¯ve been kidnapped! Please, get me out!¡±


    The stranger¡¯s volce grew harsher. ¡°Open the door!¡±


    ¡°She really is my wile. We just had a lover¡¯s spat. That¡¯s why she¡¯s lying to you,¡± Allen lied. ¡°You can


    ask my son if you want.


    ¡°Freddy! Come here!¡± he yelled.


    ¡°Officer, my cousin is locked up in the attic. It doesn¡¯t matter what their rtionship is. This is abuse.¡±


    Compared to Allen¡¯s panic, Lewis was much calmer, ¡®Open the door. Let my cousin go¡±


    The officermanded, ¡°Open the door!¡±


    Allen lied, ¡°I don¡¯t have the keys.¡±


    ¡°Where is it?¡± the officer asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know where they¡¯re gone.¡± Allen dug out all of his pockets to show them. ¡°They were right here


    before.¡±


    Lewis pushed him away. ¡°Tuck oli!¡±


    Then, he started climbing up the stairs. With his own elbows, he began knocking down the fragile


    wooden door.


    ¡°Hang in there, Larissa! I¡¯ming!¡± he said to her through the door.


    Larissa wiped off the tears on her face and choked out. ¡°I¡¯m line, don¡¯t you worry!¡±


    ¡°Do you need this? Freddy appeared below the attic.


    He opened his hand in front of everyone.


    Allen¡¯s pupils constricted, and his expression grew wild.


    ¡°Where did you find this key? He red at Freddy, looking fearsome.


    Freddy instinctively retracted his hand and stepped back.


    The officer caught his wrist just in time and look the key out from his palm.


    ¡°Thanks, kid,¡± The officer gave him a warm smile and put the key into Lewis¡® hands.

 Chapter 976

    Chapter 976


    CChapter 976


    Allen lunged toward them, wanting to grab the keys, but the officer held him back.


    The officer put a hand on the pistol around his waist and threatened him. ¡°Don¡¯t move!¡±


    Allen eyed the pistol and paused.


    With practiced motions, the officer cuffed his hands behind his back.


    At lightning speed. Lewis opened the door to the attic and squirmed in.


    The faint light illuminated a small patch of the floor.


    Lewis¡® eyes weren¡¯t used to the sudden change of light. He called out in the darkness, ¡°Larissa?¡±


    He was standing in a bright spot. Larissa saw him very easily.


    N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content.


    ¡°I¡¯m here. Lewis!¡±


    With his senses, he fumbled around and went to her side.


    When he saw her face, he hugged her at once.


    ¡°Larissa!¡±


    ¡°Lewis!¡± Larissa¡¯s tears flowed down again.


    The officer¡¯s voice rang out. ¡°Have you found her?¡±


    Lewis answered. ¡°Yes, she¡¯s here!¡±


    The police officer looked at Allen grimly. ¡°What do you have to say?¡±


    Allen insisted. ¡°I was just arguing with my wife. What¡¯s that got to do with you?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t control your rtionship, but domestic abuse is illegal¡± the officer said.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t abusing her! I didn¡¯t hit her¡± Allen became agitated. ¡°You¡¯ll know that I¡¯m telling the truth when


    you check her for wounds!¡±


    ¡°He didn¡¯t hit me.¡± Larissa took a deep breath. ¡°However,¡± she said, moving her chained leg a little.


    Lewis heard the metal nging on the floor clearly.


    ¡°He kept me up here like a ve and refused to let me leave. This is an abduction.¡±


    It was then that Lewis noticed the chain on the floor.


    He tugged at it, but he couldn¡¯t pull it off her leg.


    Larissa said, ¡°It¡¯s locked. You need to have the key.¡±


    Lewis got up and went downstairs quickly. He looked down at Allen and said, ¡°Where is the key to the


    chain?¡±


    Allen refused to reply.


    ¡°Where is it?¡± Lewis raised his voice.


    Larissa could tell that he was about to fly into a rage.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you find it yourselt, since you¡¯re so powerful?¡± Allen grinned.


    Lewis rushed toward him and grabbed him by his cor. His lists were up to Allen¡¯sce.


    ¡°Im going to ask you onest time. Where is the key?¡± he said, enunciating each word clearly.


    Allen lifted his chin and looked at him in disdain.


    ¡°There is no key¡±


    ¡°Stop!¡± The officer immediately tried to control the situation.


    Allen retorted. ¡°He hit me, officer! I want to sue him!¡±


    Larissa was worried that Allen would sue Lewis, and she ran out in a panic.


    However, the steel chain prevented her from doing so. Before she could


    or the door, she was pulled back.


    ¡°Don¡¯t hit him, Lewis! Don¡¯t get arrested because of a monster like him!¡± she cried out.


    Lewis took a deep breath, clearing his mind.


    He put down his fists and stepped back, smoothing out his ruffled clothes.

 Chapter 977

    Chapter 977


    Chapter 977


    He did not force any more questions on Allen. He asked the cop. ¡°Officer, can you get someone over to


    cut the chain off my cousin?¡±


    The officer nodded. ¡°Of course.¡±


    He took out a walkie¨Ctalkie and asked the headquarters for backup.


    ¡°I shall take him away,¡± he said.


    ¡°Good.¡± Lewis nodded. ¡°Tll stay here and wait for the other officers to arrive.¡±


    ¡°What right do you have to take me away? This is my home! You can¡¯t take me away!¡± Allen struggled


    violently, but he was subdued by the officer after a while.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to be shot, you¡¯ll have to cooperate.¡± The officer was also about to explode with


    anger.


    ¡°Wait!¡± Larissa yelled.


    The people downstairs looked up.


    All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    ¡°Freddy!¡± Larissa couldn¡¯t go down, so she had to talk to thin air. ¡°That boy! Officer, please take him to


    the station with you! I suspect that he¡¯s been abused by his father all along. On top of that please check


    him for signs of abuse!¡±


    When the officer heard this, his face grew colder.


    ¡°Kid.¡± He waved at Freddy. ¡°Come here.¡±


    Allen said harshly, ¡°Go to your room!¡±


    Freddy looked at the officer, and then at Allen. He felt torn.


    ¡°Be quiet!¡± The officer red at Allen, but when he looked at Freddy, he grew kind. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid. I


    protect you.¡±


    He extended his arm toward Freddy. After a moment¡¯s hesitation. Freddy took it.


    The officer smiled. ¡°Good. You¡¯re very brave, kid.¡±


    Freddy widened his eyes and looked at him in shock,


    ¡°Tell me. Has your father been abusing you? The officer spoke in a gentle tone so as not to scare him.


    Freddy bit his lip. Under Allen¡¯s cold gaze, he dared not speak.


    ¡°Can you look after this kid for me? I need to escort this man to the car,¡± the officer said to Lewis.


    Lewis nodded. ¡°Alright¡±


    The officer took Allen away.


    Lewis had seen Freddy before with Larissa. He bent down and said. ¡°Hey, Freddy. Remember me?


    Larissa and I found you in that alley next to your kindergarten.¡±


    Freddy¡¯s pupils trembled slightly. He looked at him quietly and said, ¡°Yes.¡±


    Lewis patted him on the head.


    Freddy knew that he wouldn¡¯t hurt him, so he did not hide.


    ¡°Does your father hit you a lot?¡± Lewis saw how scrawny he was. His gaze was dull and unfocused


    compared to that of other children. It was obvious that hecked love. Lewis heart ached for him.


    Freddy took a few seconds to nod.


    ¡°But it¡¯s only because I do the wrong things.¡± Even at this stage. Freddy was instinctively protecting his


    father.


    Lewis had no idea what to say. He sighed and suppressed the anger in his chest, waiting calmly for the


    officer toe back.


    A few minutester, the officer came back with backup.


    ??


    The officer stayed downstairs and spoke to Freedy. ¡°Can I see the wounds on your body?¡±


    Freddy nodded and rolled up his sleeves.


    There were unidentible bruises on his skinny arms. Some of them were even bleeding.


    It was so harrowing that Lewis couldn¡¯t bring himsell to see them. He turned away,


    ¡°Are there more?¡± The officer¡¯s voice was light. He was fighting his emotions.


    Freddy pulled down his pajamas.


    His chest and back were covered in bruises. There were even scorch marks from the bults of


    cigarettes. The officer shuddered and took a deep breath.

 Chapter 978

    Chapter 978


    Chapter 978


    The steel chain was thick. The officer took a while to cut it off.


    The moment she was free, Larissa felt immensely relieved.


    She thanked the officer and scrambled downstairs.


    Freddy was already taken away by the first officer. Only Lewis was left.


    He was staring off into space with an unpleasant expression on his face.


    ¡°Lewis? Larissa waved her hand in front of him.


    He snapped back to reality and looked down at her legs.


    ¡°All good?¡± he asked.


    ¡°All good.¡± She jumped around happily.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go to the police station.¡± Lewis began pulling her downstairs. ¡°We need to make a report. And


    Marilyn His gaze tumed cold.¡±


    There¡¯s no escape for her.¡±


    When he mentioned Marilyn, Larissa¡¯s heart sank.


    ¡°It¡¯s all because of you!¡± She elbowed him andined. ¡°If it weren¡¯t for your charisma, I wouldn¡¯t


    have been kidnapped.¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± Lewis raised an eyebrow and retorted. ¡°If you¡¯d revealed your identity in the first ce and let


    everyone know that you were my cousin, none of this would have happened.


    ¡°Also,¡± he pointed at Allen in the police car on the opposite road. ¡°That monster has nothing to do with


    me. It¡¯s all you.¡±


    Larissa looked at where he pointed and met Allen¡¯s gaze.


    He was staring right at her. His dark stare was enough to give anyone the chills.


    Larissa locked away quickly.


    Lewis followed the police car from behind. He was going with Larissa to file the police report.


    ¡°He has an aplice.¡± Larissa mentioned Marilyn¡¯s name sed a gun to threaten me, and took me to


    Allen¡¯s house.¡±


    ¡°She


    But Allen refused to admit that he had conspired with Marilyn. He did not even admit that this was a


    kidnapping incident.


    He insisted that he and Larissa were just quarreling and that Larissa had gone to his house willingly.


    Once the officers brought Marilyn in, she insisted on her innocence just like Allen.


    N?velDrama.Org exclusive content.


    ¡°I did invite Larissa out to fix the bracelet. But she said she wanted to take a detour hallway and wanted


    me to drive her there. She said


    she¡¯d meet me some other day.¡±


    Because only Larissa had been present in the car with her, the officers had no idea who to believe.


    They were both saying different things.


    Once he heard that Marilyn was refusing to admit her part in the crime, Lewis took out his phone.


    ¡°I have evidence.¡± He yed a recording. It was the entire conversation that Larissa and Marilyn had


    had in the car.


    Lewis had been worried about something happening to Larissa. Before she headed out. Lewis gave


    her another phone and got her to hide it in her bag so that no one would notice it.


    This phone was on a call with him the entire time. He¡¯d arranged for it to record everything.


    The officers made a copy of the recording and brought it into the interrogation room for Marilyn to listen


    to.


    Marilyn had not expected that Lewis would do such a thing. After her initial shock, she lunged toward


    the phone, wanting to destroy it.


    ¡°This is fake! They made it up! I never said such things! It¡¯s not me!¡±


    The police naturally did not believe her.


    +


    1/2


    Once they left the station. Lewis said, ¡°Marilyn and Allen nned a kidnapping together. On top of that,


    Allen is charged with child abuse. They¡¯re probably going to be sent to prison for a few years.¡±


    ¡°Are Freddy¡¯s wounds serious?¡± While in the attic, Larissa had heard the conversation between Freddy


    and the police officer. She knew that there were many wounds on him,


    Lewis nodded wordlessly. Then, through gritted teeth, he said, ¡°His dad is a beast. No, he¡¯s even worse


    than a beast.¡±


    Even il beasts were savage, they would never harm their own children.

 Chapter 979

    Chapter 979


    Chapter 979


    But Allen¡­


    Lewis gripped the steering wheel calming himself down,


    Larissa suddenly felt guilty.


    ¡°I actually noticed that something was off with Freddy, but I never even considered child abuse.¡± If only


    she were a little more attentive and alert, then maybe Freddy wouldn¡¯t have suffered so much.


    ¡°It has nothing to do with you.¡± Lewis interrupted her thoughts. ¡°Freddy¡¯s hardships are all because he


    has Allen as a father.¡±


    Larissa pursed her lips and asked, ¡°What do you think is going to happen to Freddy?¡±


    Allen would definitely be behind bars, and Freddy¡¯s mother had passed away.


    ¡°Will he be sent to an orphanage?¡±


    ¡°Probably not.¡± Lewis had asked the officers about this before. ¡°Freddy¡¯s grandparents are


    them.¡±


    Larissa felt a little more relieved.


    around. He¡¯ll probably be sent to stay with


    ¡°I called thepany¡¯s legal department. I got them to prepare to sue Moorewell for stealing Blue


    Star¡¯s confidential information,¡± Lewis said.


    Larissa and Marilyn had talked about this in the car, Marilyn had even admitted that she was the one


    who had leaked the information.


    With this as evidence, it shouldn¡¯t be a problem destroying Moorewell


    ¡°Good.¡± Larissa nodded. Then, she hesitated before telling Lewis, ¡°Lewis. I booked a Tuesday light to


    Bartham.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Larissa hadn¡¯t discussed this with Lewis prior, so he was shocked to hear it. But he went back


    to normal quickly.


    ¡°Is this for thepany or for Kevan?¡± he asked.


    Larissa lowered her head guiltily and replied softly. ¡°Both.¡±


    Lewis pressed on. ¡°Which is the bigger reason?¡±


    Larissa licked her dried lips and closed her eyes, mustering the courage to say, ¡°Kevan.¡±


    Lewis snorted and looked like he saw thising.


    R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only


    ¡°Why are you telling me this? You¡¯ve already made your decision. His tone was cold.


    ¡°¡ª¡°Larissa fiddled with her fingertips, her voice growing solter. ¡°I just wanted to tell you.¡±


    ¡°Fine. I get it,¡± Lewis said expressionlessly.


    ¡°And I¡¯ll be going with Wendy,¡± Larissa added.


    Lewis¡® eyebrows twitched ever so slightly. ¡°What is she doing in Bartham with you?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t ourpany aiming to move to Bartham? We¡¯re probably not going to return to Westonia.


    There¡¯s no point in Wendy staying here alone, so she¡¯s decided to move to Bartham.¡±


    Lewis said nothing.


    Wendy waited for them at home anxiously.


    The moment the door opened, she leaped up from the couch and rushed toward them.


    ¡°You¡¯re back¡± She gave Larissa a big hug and then turned to Lewis.


    He spread out his arms Instinctively, but Wendy paused. She looked up at him stiffly and smiled


    awkwardly.


    1/2


    definitely not taking advantage of you.¡±


    Lewis retracted his arms and nodded. ¡°I know.¡±

 Chapter 980

    Chapter 980


    Chapter 980


    Larissa and Wendy¡¯s flight was on Tuesday morning.


    Grumbling, Lewis helped load their luggage in the car and drove them to the airport.


    an up a little from


    Larissa gave him the keys to her house and Wendy¡¯s apartment so that he could help to look alter the


    ces and clean time to time.


    Angrily, he asked, ¡°Do you guys think I¡¯m a maid?¡±


    ¡°Of course not!¡± Larissa hugged his am and smiled. ¡®You¡¯re my dearest beloved cousin!¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Lewis¡® curiosity was piqued. ¡°Well you can make your decision now. Between me and Kevan,


    you can only pick one.¡±


    Larissa answered at once. ¡°Your¡±


    She was asking him for a favor, after all. She had to butter him up a little.


    It wasn¡¯t anything too serious, anyway. As long as he was happy, it was alright


    Lewis¡® expression didn¡¯t change much.


    He took out his phone calmly and opened up his DMs with Kevan. Then, he started recording and


    asked Larissa, ¡°Alright, you can say that again. Between me and Revan, who are you choosing?¡±


    Larissa yed quiet this time.


    ¡°Hmph!¡± Lewis sneered and put his phone into his pocket. ¡°You can get your own luggage!¡± He let go of


    the cart full of suitcases and pretended not to care about it


    Larissa pouted and grabbed the cart, following him quickly. She said humbly, ¡°You might not be my


    most beloved, but I still love you! Lewis! Lewis! Don¡¯t be mad anymore!¡±


    Lewis face was no longer as tense.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare try that on me.¡± He quickened his footsteps, moving away from her siren¨Clike abilties.


    Wendy followed them watching them enviously.


    ¡°You and Lewis are so good together,¡± she said to Larissa,


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Although she and Lewis argued a lot, he was just like Kevan in her heart. He was an existence


    that she relied heavily upon,


    ¡°What are you doing? Lewis slowed down and turned back,


    When he saw how far away they were, he pretended to be mad and annoyed.


    ¡°You¡¯re as slow as tortoises!¡± he grumbled as he walked toward them. He took the suitcases from


    Larissa.


    ¡°Keep up! You¡¯ll miss your flight otherwise.¡± he urged them in annoyance.


    Larissa and Wendy looked at each other and smiled before following him.


    Before going through the security, Larissa hugged Lewis. She suddenly felt teary¨Ceyed,


    ¡°We¡¯ll meet in Bartha Lewis. Larissa bil her lip and blinked back her tears. ¡°Come back soon.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Lew¡¯s returned her hug and palled her on her back. However, his words were not as lender.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you get love on the brain when you go back to Bartham. Don¡¯t forget that you¡¯re shouldering the


    heavy responsibility of revising Blue Star.


    ¡°You have to send me a report every night teling me what you did every day. Don¡¯t you dare ck offr


    Larissa had held back her tears for a long time, but they ad disappeared now. She pushed him away in


    a huff and sald through gritted teeth, ¡°Got it.¡±


    ¡°Be safe. Text me when you get there.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Larissa agreed.


    ¡°Wendy.¡± Lewis turned toward Wendy and spread his arms. ¡°Do you want to say your farewells? I can


    be a stand¨Cin for your friends and rtives. That way you won¡¯t be so lonely.¡±


    All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    Wendy rolled her eyes. She knew that he was still holding a grudge against her for the time she


    scolded him. He was using this chance to mock her now.


    But since he¡¯d offered it, there was no point in refusing it.

 Chapter 981

    Chapter 981


    Chapter 981


    ¡°Alright.¡± She hugged him hard.


    His cologne filled her nostrils.


    She breathed in deeply, suddenly feeling reluctant to leave.


    It wasn¡¯t because she didn¡¯t want to leave Lewis. It was because she couldn¡¯t bear to part with the


    ce she¡¯d studied and lived in for


    more than ten years. This had be her second home.


    Afraid that Lewis would catch on to her sentiment, she humedly let go and turned away.


    Lewis stared at her back and said calmly. ¡°You can cry if you want to. It¡¯s not embarrassing.¡±


    Wendy denied it. ¡°I don¡¯t want to cry. You do.¡±


    N?velDrama.Org exclusive content.


    It was so obvious she was holding back her tears that even Larissa couldn¡¯t bear it. She wrapped her


    arm around her shoulders.


    ¡°Just let it out. It¡¯s alright,¡¯ she said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to cry!¡± Because of their words, Wendy was actually feeling something now. ¡°Let¡¯s stop


    chatting around and go. People are watching.¡±


    She waved at Lewis and said. ¡°Goodbye, Lewis.¡±


    Lewis pursed his lips slightly and said. ¡°Goodbye.¡±


    Larissa had sent Kevan the flight number after booking her tickets. He said that he would arrange for


    someone to pick her up.


    Since he was so busy, she didn¡¯t want to bother him. They no longer contacted each other after that.


    Once the nended, Larissa texted Kevan, ¡°We¡¯re here. Are your people waiting?¡±


    Kevan sent her a number and said, ¡°You can call him,¡±


    She called the number, and the person who picked up said that he was waiting for them outside. They


    could just walk out to meet him.


    They kept the call going so that they would be able to recognize each other instantly.


    There were more peopleing back to Bartham, presumably because of the pandemic.


    A horde of people was waiting at the entrance. Larissa spent a lot of effort finding the young man in


    ck who was waving at her.


    He introduced himself and said. ¡°I¡¯m Flint Yardley, Mr. Rogers assistant.¡±


    Flint had never seen Larissa before, but he knew of her identity.


    ¡°Allow me to help you with those suitcases.¡± He was warm and enthusiastic, afraid of offending her.


    ¡°Mr. Rogers has instructed me to drive you and your friend to the ce he has arranged for you to stay


    at, and then drive you to his office.¡± Flint told her what was about to follow.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Larissa had no objections.


    However, she was surprised that Kevan hadn¡¯t arranged for her to rest this time.


    Maybe something important was going on.


    The ce that Kevan had arranged for them was a three-bedroom house in the city. It was fully


    furnished and looked like a showroom.


    Flint said, ¡°This is for Ms. Wendy to stay temporarily. Mr. Rogers says that before she finds a better


    house, she can stay here.¡±


    Wendy walked around the living room, Nearly everything matched her tastes exactly.


    ¡°A better house?¡± She waved her hands. ¡°There¡¯s no need for that.¡±


    Flint nodded and looked at his wristwatch.


    +15 BONOS


    ¡°Madam,¡± he said respectfully. He handed her a paper bag, which he¡¯d been holding since they¡¯d


    gotten down the car, to Larissa. ¡°Please change into this set of clothes before we head out.¡±

 Chapter 982

    Chapter 982


    Chapter 982


    Larissa thought that Kevan wanted to take her lo some banquet, which was why he specialy prepared a


    gown for her. But when she opened the paor bag, she found that it was a long, ck velvet dress.


    The dress was so in that it did not appear suitable for something like a banquet.


    It looked more like-


    Shocked, Larissa threw down the things in her hand and ran to ask Flint, ¡°Did someone in the Rogers


    family¨Cpass away?¡±


    Flint let out a soft noise of acknowledgment. His face showed the right amount of sadness. ¡°It¡¯s the little


    miss.¡±


    The Rogersmily¡¯s little miss¡­


    Larissa thought about it for a very long time before she finally figured it out. ¡°Bethany Rogers?¡±


    N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content.


    Flint let out another soft noise of acknowledgment.


    Larissa was so shocked. She opened her mouth, but no sound came out. ¡°S¨CShr


    Thest time Larssa had heard of Bethany, it was when the child had been kidnapped with the


    kidnapper demanding a huge ransom.


    The news never said what happened after that, and Larissa never asked Kevan either. But from the


    way Kevan acted, he should have saved the child. But why


    Although Larissa did not like Bethany¨Cshe quite hated her in fact, Bethany was still a child that was


    about Asler¡¯s age. Moreover, the early passing of a child was always an unfortunate thing.


    Flint seemed to know what Larissa wanted to ask, but he did not respond directly. He said. ¡°Mr. Rogers


    will tell you the details in person.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Larissa forced down all the questions she had. She went


    back to her room and changed into that ck dress.


    The ce that Flint took Larissa to was a funeral name that was near a cemetery in the suburbs.


    The parking space close to the funeral home was full of luxury


    ¡°There are many quests paying their respects to the tile miss today.¡± Flint said as he opened the car


    door for Larissa, ¡°I¡¯ll take you inside.¡±


    The funeral home held multiple services every day. The hall that the Rogers rented was the biggest


    one the funeral home had. The wer wreaths brought by the guests were overllowing out of the door.


    When Larissa arrived, she saw many inly dressed peopleing in and out of the hal


    The thick smell of incense filled the whole hall Everyone looked sad, and the ce was so quiet that


    one could even hear the low murmurs of the guestsforting the family members,


    Larissa easily saw therge portrait of Bethany hanging right in the middle of the wall opposite her. A


    lively child had been changed into a ck¨Cand¨Cwhile portrait, and there was still a bright smile on her


    face. Seeing this, Larissa surprisingly felt like crying.


    Beneath the portrait was Bethany¡¯s coffin. It was surrounded by bunches of little llowers.


    Kevan and Anthony were standing together on one side of the collin to receive the guestsing over


    to pay their respects.


    Sadness could be seen on Anthony¡¯sce, but Kevan was expressionless.


    Larissa did not know if he was just naturally like that, or if Kevan really felt nothing for Bethany¡¯s


    passing.


    ¡°Mr. Rogers, Mrs. Rogers is here. Flint took a few steps lorward to whisper to Kevan.

 Chapter 983

    Chapter 983


    Chapter 983


    Kevan looked up and locked eyes with Larissa. ¡°Come here.¡± He reached out for her and spoke in a


    very soft voice.


    Larissa went over to hold his hand tightly.


    His hand was cold as usual and it was actually colder as the thermostat in the hall was not turned on.


    Larissa said nothing, and she did not ask either.


    She only straightened up and stood next to Kevan.


    Together, they epted the respects paid by the guests.


    Kevan¡¯swork of connections was too big.


    There were so many guests that the funeral service only officially ended by the evening.


    N?velDrama.Org exclusive content.


    Larissa had stood with Kevan for a very long time, and she was wearing heels. Moreover, she had not


    drunk any water at all through the service, but she did not feel temible.


    It was likely because the pain she felt mentally was greater than the pain she felt physically, so her


    whole body was numb.


    ¡°Will you keep vigil tonight?¡± Larissa asked Kevan


    Bethany¡¯s body would be buried tomorrow. It would be ced here tonight.


    Kevan shook his head. ¡°No.¡±


    Bethany was not his real daughter. She was only a child that he was a little bit more familiar with


    compared to a stranger. This funeral


    service was only held because his parents had insisted on it.


    ¡°Are you tired?¡± Kevan asked Larissa with his eyes lilled with concern.


    ¡°Just a little hungry,¡± Larissa finally sensed the pain in her stomach. ¡°Let¡¯s go eat somewhere.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Kevan led her out of the hall.


    Larissa turned back to see Anthony, who remained in the hall. She asked, ¡°Is Mr. Rogers not leaving?¡±


    ¡°My dad wants to keep vigil.¡± Kevan¡¯s voice was calm. ¡°Although Bethany was not his real


    granddaughter, she is still a Rogers. My Uncle Bernard¡¯s family is gone, so he can only put up a front


    for him.¡±


    ¡°What about Cody? He¡¯s Bethany¡¯s real dad. He didn¡¯t even show up at a time like this?


    Larissa knew that Kevan¡¯s Uncle Bernard had been sentenced for exploiting minors. Alter that, Edmund


    had been jailed for causing trouble in Westonia, Aunt Maria went to cause trouble at the Rogers family


    home and ended up getting sent into a psychiatric hospital. The only person left was Bethany¡¯s real


    lather, Cody.


    ¡°Cody¡¯s dead,¡± Kevan said calmly like he was talking about the weather.


    ¡°What?¡± This shocked Larissa. ¡°When? Why didn¡¯t I see this on the news?¡±


    She got criticized by Lewis and Wendy for not caring about Caldorian news. Thus, Larissa developed a


    habit of scrolling through Instagram before bed to see there was anything big happening in Caldor.


    She saw that Soaring Corporation waspletely bankrupt, and saw how Cody lelt the building with


    his tail tucked between his legs. But


    she never saw anything about Cody¡¯s death.


    ¡°It was just two days ago, and it¡¯s not something glorious, so I kept it quiet.¡± Kevan did not want to talk


    more about this, so he changed the subject. ¡°What do you want to eat? After that, we can go to my


    mom¡¯s ce and bring Aster home.¡±


    As expected, Larissa¡¯s attention was distracted the moment Aster was mentioned.


    ¡°Is Aster okay? And Mrs. Rogers.¡±


    Kevan lelt nothing for Bethany, so he could be very calm in the face of her death, But Violet was


    different. She had truly raised Bethany for


    +15 BONOS


    Larissa could not Imagine how badly Violet had suffered because of Bethany¡¯s death.


    ¡°Aster¡¯s fine. We didn¡¯t tell him, and he doesn¡¯t need to know anyway. As for my mom- Kevan was


    silent for a few seconds. ¡°She¡¯s very sad. But she needed to take care of Aster, so she did note to


    the service today. We¡¯ll bring Aster home today, and she can send Bethany off tomorrow morning.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Larissa sighed softly. ¡°I take care of Aster tomorrow. You should send Bethany off too. After all


    she called you ¡®Dacdy for so many years.¡±


    Bethany was the most innocent one in this whole mess. No matter the motives her real parents had


    when they gave birth to her, and no matter how her real parents had lied to her, Kevan was still her real


    father in her heart.


    ¡°Twon¡¯t go.¡± Kevan¡¯s expression remained unchanged, but his hand lightened around Larissa¡¯s. I can¡¯t


    bear to face her.¡±

 Chapter 984

    Chapter 984


    Chapter 984


    Bethany¡¯s death was still tied to Kevan.


    It all started from the day Cody escaped.


    Although Soaring Corporation had not been doing well these past few years and eventually went


    bankrupt. Cody had been in power for some time. He still managed to raise a few supporters.


    As a result, Cody got news beforehand and escaped with his luggage before the police arrived at his


    home.


    The police put out an arrest warrant and Keyan got his people to look for Cody too.


    But before Cody could be found, Kevan got a phone call from Cody first.


    Cody¡¯s voice was harsh and arrogant. ¡°Kevan Rogers! Your daughter is in my hands! If you want her to


    live, prepare 100 million in cash and a car, and park that at number 28 on Peach Lane!


    ¡°Do not fucking call the police! Once I get the money and the car, I will let your daughter gol


    ¡°Don¡¯t touch her.¡± Kevan pretended to be panicked to keep Cody there. ¡°I can do the money and the


    car. I just want Bethany toe back safely.¡±


    N?velDrama.Org exclusive content.


    ¡°You have hall the day! Before midnight I want to see both things!¡± Cody hung up after saying that.


    Kevan, of course, was not going to take the money to get Bethany back.


    He promised Cody just so he could slow Cody down, and the man would not be able to find another


    victim


    Kevan called Bethany¡¯s nanny Erst. I look a long while for someone to answer.


    The person who answered was a nurse from the emergency department.


    She said that the nanny was attacked by robbers who entered the house, and the nanny was currently


    undergoing emergency treatment at the hospital


    The nurse did not mention Bethany, but since the robbers had already broken into the house and hurt


    the nanny, it seemed that Bethany was realy with Cody.


    Kevan called the police at once. The police drove and parked an empty car at number 28 Peach Lane,


    and they also prepared an ambush around the ce. However, they did not catch Cody, but a random


    person who was paid by Cody to drive the car away.


    After that, Cody called Kevan again. This time, he was angrier. ¡°Fuck you Kevan, you backstabbed


    me!¡±


    Kevan said nothing.


    ¡°Fine then, I guess you don¡¯t want your daughter anymore!¡± Cody did something as Bethany¡¯s terrible


    wails could be heard.


    ¡°Daddy! Save mel Daddy! I¡¯m scared!¡±


    Bethany had experienced being kidnapped before this, so she knew what pain was waiting for her. That


    was why her reaction was bigger


    than before.


    ¡°Daddy! I don¡¯t want to get beaten anymore! It hurts, Daddyl


    Even if Kevan was a heartless guy, he could not bear hearing such things at this moment. ¡°Cody


    Rogers, you¡¯re a plece of shit!¡± he snarled


    through gritted teeth.


    ¡°Am I the one who¡¯s the piece of shit or you are?¡± Codyughed coldly. ¡°The one who¡¯s letting his


    daughter be in danger while refusing to pay a single cent to save her is you, Kevan Rogers!¡±


    ¡°Il pay.¡± Kevan said. ¡°Go on, then. How should I give you the money?¡±


    Cody was a wanted man, and his bank ounts were all suspended. He was a suspicious guy, so he


    would never let others help take the money for him.


    ¡°It¡¯s still 100 million in cash and a car. But I want you to send it all in person. If you bring someone else


    ¡°I''ll go alone.¡± Kevan agreed. ¡°The address?¡±


    Cody announced a new address. That was a farm¨Cstyle resort built by Soaring Corporation in the


    suburbs of the city. However, as the funding was not enough, this project was onlypleted hallway


    before slopping. It had been like this even till now.


    That ce was very spacious, and there was nothing there that could block anything ofl. Kevan


    brought people. Cody would be able to see them at once.


    ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll go gather the money, I will give it to you at about 9:00 am tomorrow.¡± Kevan said.


    Cody warned him. ¡°Don¡¯t fucking y games with me, asshole. Otherwise, be prepared to receive your


    daughter¡¯s corpse!¡±


    Kevan really got 100 million in cash.

 Chapter 985

    Chapter 985


    Chapter 985


    In order to carry this insane amount of cash, Kevan drove a huge SUV.


    Of course, he informed the police of everything he did, and the police said that they would support him


    as best as they could.


    At 9:00 am Kevan¡¯s car arrived at the gates of the resort. Although it was said to be the ¡°gates¡°, it was


    really just an arch without any doors.


    Anyone could easily enter and leave.


    N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content.


    There were several vis built in the resort, and they were all empty. Cody was hiding in one of them.


    Cody got Kevan to drive all the way to the vi area, and park the car at the entrance before putting an


    approximate distance of 330 feet away from the car, Kevan did as he was told, and Cody was able to


    see everything that Kevan did from his hiding ce.


    After almost half an hour, Kevan only saw Cody appear from one of the vis with Bethany at knilepoint


    in his arms. Even though they were already 330 feet apart, the reflection of the sun off Cody¡¯s knife


    was really obvious. He had the knife ced on Bethany¡¯s neck while he looked at his surroundings.


    Kevan raised both hands and shouted, ¡°I¡¯m really alone! Can you let Bethany go now?¡±


    Cody ignored him though. But Bethany started screaming the moment she saw Kevan, ¡°Daddy Hurry


    ande save mer


    ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, Bethany!¡± Kevanforted her. ¡°You¡¯ll be safe soon!¡±


    Cody threw Bethany into the car and waved his knife at her. He said threateningly. ¡°Don¡¯t fucking move,


    or kill your


    Bethany immediately curled up in the passenger¡¯s seat. Cody opened the door to the back seat, and he


    saw that the space was led with money. He did not care if there was really 100 million¨Cregardless of


    whether or not there was. It was enough for him to spend.


    Satisfied. Cody got into the driver¡¯s seat. Kevan had left the key in the car, so Cody started the car


    really easily. Seeing that Cody was going to just leave. Kevan hurriedly rushed over to demand. ¡°You


    got the money. why aren¡¯t you letting my daughter go?¡±


    ¡°Chill out, fucker!¡± Cody grinned smugly. ¡°Once I¡¯m sure that I¡¯m safe. I let your daughter out of the car.


    As he spoke, he mmed the gas pedal down and was gone. The only thing left was a disgusting smell


    of gasoline.


    Kevan watched the SUV go as he emotionlessly pulled out his phone. ¡°It¡¯s Cody, Mr. Burton.¡±


    Although the police could not set an ambush near the resort, there was only one way into the city from


    the resort, so they were all waiting there. They had already set up a blockade on the road. The moment


    Cody¡¯s car appeared, they turned on their police sirens.


    ¡°Cody Rogers, get out of the car!¡± Mr. Burton held the loudspeaker in his hand as he shouted at Cody.


    ¡°Motherfucker¡± Cody knew he had fallen into Kevan¡¯s trap again the moment he saw so many police


    officers. He could not be caught now:


    he had so much money already. He was going to continue living his life of luxury and excess soon.


    So. Cody decided to drive through the blockade on the road. He pushed down the gas pedal fully to


    speed through.


    The police were ready for this, and they quickly chased after him with their cars.


    Cody could not drive too fast as his car was filled with money.


    The police caught up to him quickly and they rammed into him from the side.

 Chapter 986

    Chapter 986


    Chapter 986


    The crash was more than enough to step the car. Moreover, as the police had rammed Into Cody¡¯s car


    from the side, the injuries caused to the passengers were minimal.


    The moment Cody¡¯s car had stopped, the police got out of their cars and sumounded him.


    ¡°Get down, Cody Rogers!¡± Mr. Burton shouted again.


    Cody opened the door, but he did not get down. He grabbed Bethany and kept her in his arms while he


    stuck his knife at her neck again. ¡°If youe closer. II. fucking kill her!¡±


    He was so anxious that he did not care about what would happen if he threatened the police.


    He only cared that he could escape as soon as possible.


    Because Cody had a hostage, the police carefully backed away while taking out their guns. They aimed


    their guns at him.


    ¡°Cody Rogers, if you insist on fighting back, we have the right to shoot you dead¡± Mr. Burton shouted.


    Cody was not afraid at all. He dug the knifepoint into Bethany¡¯s flesh. Bethany screamed loudly as her


    tears and snct spilled out of her eyes and rose.


    Mr. Burton nced at his subordinates, and everyone backed away a little again, but their guns were


    still up.


    ¡°Put down your gurs¡± Cody yelled.


    ¡°Let the kid go, and we¡¯ll put down our guns,¡± Mr. Burton said.N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content.


    ¡°Do you think I¡¯m stupid? If I let her go, you¡¯ll take me to jail! Cody tightened his grip around Bethany, ¡°I


    can¡¯t fucking go to jail! I¡¯m rich. Why should I be in jai!¡±


    ¡°Justice may be slow, but it always catches up.¡± Mr. Burton tried to reason with Cody. ¡°Cody Rogers,


    you¡¯ve broken thew. No matter where you run lo, we will do everything we can to catch you! So,


    you¡¯d better throw your life away, let the kid go, ande with us!


    ¡°We may consider asking the court to be more lenient with you and give you two years all your


    sentence if you cooperate!¡±


    Cody was silent. He seemed to be considering this suggestion. After a moment, he threw away his


    knife. ¡°Alright,¡± he said.


    The police all let out breaths of relief. Just as they were about to go arrest Cody, he shoved Bethany


    out of the car and mmed the car door shut. He then started the car while everycre¡¯s guards were


    down. He frantically tumed the steering wheel to try to change the car¡¯s direction, but the wheels of the


    car ran over Bethany¡¯s body.


    The police shot at the tires of the car, and it stopped. But it was toote. When the police got Bethany


    out from under the car, she was no longer breathing. The other team went to catch Cody.


    It was already like this now, and Cody still refused to give in. He even dared to steal a gun from the


    police officers.


    ¡°I won¡¯t let you have what you want! If I die, you will all fucking die with me!¡± Codyughed madly while


    he threw down hisst words. He pointed the gun at the police officer closest to him, and before he


    pulled the trigger. Mr. Burton shot Cody in the head.


    Kevan only heard the process of Cody¡¯s capture from Mr. Burton. When he arrived at the site with a


    police car sent to get him, all that was left was a car filled with cash and two puddles of d¡¯led blood on


    the ground.


    Cody was dead. The biggest danger had been removed. Kevan should have been happy, but he just


    could not find it in him to rejoice.


    he had paid a huge price for today. He had even sacrificed the life of an innocent child.


    It¡¯s better if you go.¡± Larissa persuaded Kewan. ¡°This isn¡¯t yourull anyway. I¡¯m sure she will


    understand you apologize to her properly.¡± If he did not go this matter would haunt him, and he would


    never get closure from it.

 Chapter 987

    Chapter 987


    Chapter 987


    Kevan was silent for a moment, but he was still unable to make a decision. ¡°We¡¯ll talk about it


    tomorrow.¡±


    +15 BONOS


    Larissa missed Aster. She only ordered two burgers at a roadside stall before telling Kevan to quickly


    drive to the Rogers vi.


    All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    When they got there, it was past 9:00 pm. The vi¡¯s lights were still on, and it seemed no one was


    asleep.


    Kevan did not call Violet, so when the nanny opened the door to see him, she was very surprised.


    ¡°Young Mr. Rogers, why are you here at


    this time?


    Kevan asked, ¡°Is Aster asleep?


    The nanny shook her head. ¡°Not yet! Mrs. Roge¡¯s was not in a good mood today, so Mr. Aster stayed


    with her for the whole day. After they finished dinner, they went into the study to draw. They have not


    left the room yet.¡±


    Kevan nodded, ¡°I understand.¡± He led Larissa upstairs to the study.


    Violet and Aster were both lying on the table. Both of them had paintbrushes in their hands. When they


    heard the door opening, they locked up together.


    ¡°Daddy! Mommy When he saw Kevan and Larissa Aster immediately threw the paintbrush away and


    jumped out of the chair to run to them. Kevan picked him un, and his expression became gentle at


    once.


    ¡°Did you listen to Grandma over the past few days? Kevan asked as he poked Aster¡¯s nose.


    Aster had not ever spoken when Violet answered before him. ¡°Aster was very good. He even made


    delicious food for me today tofort


    ¦°¦¥


    Her eyes were rec, and her voice was hoarse. It was clear that she had been crying for a long time. But


    now, she was smiling, and she did not seem to be in a bad mood.


    ¡°Really¡± Larissa¡¯s eyes widened dramatically as she teased Aster. ¡°You¡¯re that amazing?¡±


    Aster blushed shyly as he mumbled, ¡°Mrs. Green helped me make it¡±


    ¡°Well that¡¯s still amazing! Violet walked over to rub Aster¡¯s head as she praised him happily. ¡°Howe


    you¡¯re back, Lari?¡± She turned to look at Larissa with happy surprise.


    ¡°For work reasons. Larissa gave a simple answer. ¡°Also, I¡¯d have more time to apany Aster and


    Kevan,¡±


    ¡°Great!¡± Violet nodded before she noticed Larissa¡¯s cutlit. She asked. ¡°You went to see Bethany too?¡±


    The moment she mentioned the kid. Violet teared up immediately.


    She quickly turned away as she was afraid of losing herposure in front of them.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Larissa reached out to hold Violet¡¯s hands as sheforted her. ¡°Mrs. Rogers, my condolences


    to you.¡±


    Volt wiped her


    her eyes as the sighed. ¡°That child


    Sight


    Larissa pressed her lips tightly together.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be taking Aster home today,¡± Kevan said, ¡°Tll have the driver take you to the cemetery tomorrow


    morning.¡±


    Violet did not refuse. ¡°Okay.¡±


    Because Violet¡¯s mood was not great, they did not stay at the vi for long. Alter saying goodbye to


    Violet, Kevan and Larissa left with


    Aster.


    Aster had no idea what had happened during the past two days. He only asked Kevan timidly after


    getting into the car, ¡°Why did Grandma cry today?¡±


    passed away, so she¡¯s sad.¡±


    Although Aster was young, he had watched a lot of TV shows with Wendy, so he knew what ¡°passed


    away¡± meant.


    ¡°Aww


    His chubbyce crumpled as he looked sad. After a moment, he suggested his offer to Kevan, ¡°Daddy,


    can you send me back to Grandma¡¯s? I want to stay with her a little longer.¡±

 Chapter 988

    Chapter 988


    Chapter 988


    Although Aster¡¯s intentions were good, Kevan still did not send him back to Violet¡¯s to prevent her from


    hesitating when leaving the house tomorrow.


    ¡°Once Grandma hase home tomorrow. I¡¯ll send you over, okay? Kevan told Aster.


    Aster forced himself to nod and say. ¡°Okay, then.¡±


    Because he had been separated too long from Larissa, Aster kept sticking to her that night until he fell


    asleep. Only then did Larissa tiptoe away from him.


    Kevan was waiting for her in the bedroom.


    His upper body was bade and the nket was pulled up to his waist.


    When he saw Larissa enter the room, his nk gaze it up at once.


    ¡°Lari.¡± He smiled gently, and his hoarse voice was seductive.


    Larissa could not help but shudder. She pretended not to hear or see anything as she walked across


    the bedroom to enter the walk¨Cin closel


    Kevan followed her. He wore very loose pajama pants and was notpletely naked like Larissa had


    thought.


    Larissa opened a drawer and took out her underwear. Kevan hugged her from behind and his cold lips


    pressed against the side of her neck. He lightly kissed that ce.


    ¡°It itches.¡± Larissa frowned and pushed his face away. But Kevan stuck his face over again.


    ¡°You¡¯ve separated from me for so long, and you don¡¯t miss me at all?¡± he asked with jealousy. His voice


    showed how unhappy he was.


    Larissa naturally missed him, or she would not have bought a flight ticket home without consulting with


    Lewis. However, she could not say such sappy things in front of him.


    ¡°You still need to wake up early to go to the cemetery tomorrow! Go to sleep!¡± She pushed Kevan


    again.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Kevan¡¯s hand was already underneath her clothes. His eyes were so dark they were literally


    shining. ¡°My strength. you know it best.¡± He turned her around and mmed his lips on hers.


    Larissa was originally refusing him as he had things to do tomorrow, but she easily gave in to his


    ministrations. The arms that were pushing against Kevan¡¯s shoulders to refuse him had changed into


    crawling up to hug his neck.


    ¡°Lari, I miss you so much.¡± As all the chains chaining Kevan were now broken, Kevan was able to say


    his feelings out loud much better than ever. He bit her lip as his breathing grew heavy. ¡°Every fucking


    night I want you.¡±


    He was a normal man. He was a strong, healthy, and normal man. He worked so hard to trick and lie to


    bring his wile back to him, and now he can finally kiss his ¡°single¡± life goodbye and take back his own


    happiness.


    They did not sleep much tonight. Kevan was very passionate, and he refused to spare Larissa even


    though she begged him to.


    It was only when the sun gradually rose up that Kevan stopped reluctantly.


    He carried her into the bathroom for a bath before carrying her back to bed.


    Larissa fell asleep the moment her head hit the pillow.


    Larissa heard a lot of little noises through her haze of sleep.


    Kevan quickly finished changing his clothes and washing up.


    He pressed a kiss to her forehead and said gently. ¡°Wall for me toe back.¡±


    N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content.


    Kevan still went to the cemetery.


    He watched emotionlessly as the workers ced Bethany¡¯s coffin into its final resting ce before


    closing the tomb and putting up the gravestone.


    Violet cried so hard that she copsed onto the ground.


    Anthony crouched next to her, carefully holding her so she did not fall onto the groundpletely.


    There were very few people who came to see Bethany off today.


    Only their closest friends came.


    Uncle Felix¡¯smily did not show up at all.

 Chapter 989

    Chapter 989


    Chapter 989


    At some point, it began to rain lightly. No one brought umbres, so they all hurriedly ran to their cars to


    hide from the rain. Anthony also pulled Violet away with him, Only Kevan stood there without moving.


    ¡°Kevan? Anthony tumed back to call him. ¡°Aren¡¯t you leaving?¡±


    Kevan stared at Bethany¡¯s name on the gravestone as he said softly. ¡°I want


    t to stay for a tile while longer.¡±


    Anthony knew that Kevan was feeling bad, so he did rot try to change his mind. He only said, ¡°Don¡¯t


    stay out for too long. The weather is not good today. The rain will only be heavier scon.¡±


    After everyone had lell Kevan only stepped forward and crouched before Bethany¡¯s grave. He reached


    out to touch Bethany¡¯s beautifully carved name in the stone as he said quitily. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Bethany.


    ¡°I don¡¯t hope that you¡¯ll forgive me, but you must be happy while you¡¯re up there. Il there¡¯s a next life,


    remember to go to a normal family and lind parents who¡¯ll really love you. Goodbye.¡±


    He hoped they would never see each other again.


    When Kevan col back to the car, he was already soaked.


    Anthony asked him with concern, ¡°Do you want to find a hotel close by to shower?¡±


    ¡°No need.¡± Kevan refused his father¡¯s good intentions. ¡°Let¡¯s just go home. I miss Lari and Aster


    already.¡±


    Alright. Although Anthony was worried about Kevan¡¯s body, he was used to letting Kevan make all the


    decisions. ¡°We¡¯l serd you home first


    After leaving the cemetery, Violet¡¯s emotions gradually camed down. Sniffing, she asked Kevan, ¡°Will


    Lari still be leaving this time aftering back?


    Kevan shook his head. ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Then your marriage ¡ª Violet was a little anxious. ¡°You were worried about Cody then, but Co saying


    that word out loud. ¡°When do you n on making Lan and Aster a real part of the family?¡±


    Cody¡¯s


    now


    She paused and avoided


    ¡°Soon,¡± Kevan said. Marrying Larissa was an easy thing. But getting her family¡¯s blessing was going to


    be very difficult. Since he wanted to give Larissa a grand wedding, he could not leave the seats for the


    bride¡¯s family to be empty.


    ¡°I must fly to Westonia in two days.¡±


    ¡°What for?¡± Violet did not understand, ¡°Lari and Aster are both in Bartham. Who else do you need to


    see?


    R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only


    ¡°Lari¡¯s father and her cousin,¡±


    Those two were the most important men in Larissa¡¯s life, and they were the biggest obstacles Kevan


    had faced in his life.


    The moment he thought of the disappointment that he may face, Kevan could not help but sigh to


    himself silently.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t Lan¡¯s father. Xavier Seymour of Cosmic Studios? Isn¡¯t he already in jail? Also, since when did Lari


    have a cousin?¡± Violet was very surprised.


    Kevan had never spoken of Larissa¡¯s parentage to his parents. Now, he only described it simply to let


    them understand Gary and Lewis rtionship with Larissa.


    *Then you do have to fly over.¡± Violet held such traditional eliquelle very seriously. ¡°But since you want


    to propose Wouldn¡¯t it be better il your dad and I followed you over?¡± She really liked Larissa and she


    always thought of Laissa as her own child


    Violet did not wish for Larissa¡¯s family to think that they were not valued by the Rogers family, and she


    delinitely did not want this to be an obstacle that would prevent Kevan and Larissa¡¯s marriage from


    happening.


    ¡°No need.¡± Kevan did not dare to let his parents lollow him. He was scared that Gary would chase him


    and his parents cul together. He Simply made up an excuse and said. ¡°The fight to Westonia from


    Bartham is too long. You two won¡¯t be able to handle it. I go by myself.¡±

 Chapter 990

    Chapter 990


    Chapter 990


    Larissa did not forget her work even after she came back to Caldor.


    Of course, that was mostly because Lewis was keeping an eye on her.


    She contacted those clients every day and had to take time out to oversee the rebuilding of Blue Star


    Shipping¡¯s branchpany in


    Bartham,


    The office address was picked by Kevan for her beforehand,


    It was right next to the Microworks Building, and it was the property of Microworks.


    Kevan had bought this office building previously for the sake of expanding Microwork¡¯s departments.


    Still he could not use up all the floors, so he gave two floors for Blue Star Shipping.


    Larissa did not want to take advantage of him, so she offered to pay him rent ording to the market


    price.


    ¡°Sure.¡± Kevan did not refuse. ¡°My money¡¯s yours anyway.¡±


    As long as Larissa did not find it troublesome to transfer the money between them, it was fine.


    After arranging all his matters. Kevan only informed Larissa the night before his fight. Tm going to


    Westonia tomorrow.¡±


    Larissa was surprised. ¡°What for?¡± He had only ever gone to Westonia because of her and Aster. But


    they were both with him now, so he


    had no reason to fly over there anymore..


    ¡°To see Edmund Kevan did not n on telling Larissa the truth. ¡°To tell him that Cody¡¯s dead.¡±


    Larissa did not suspect him. ¡°When are youing back then?¡±


    She cared more about this.


    ¡°Soon.¡± Kevan hugged her and kissed her. ¡°I leave after seeing him. If there are no issues. I¡¯ll be able


    toe back the day after


    tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Larissa kissed him back and held his face, her eyes were tender. ¡°Don¡¯t make me wait long.¡±


    Kevan¡¯s eyes darkened, and it took only an easy twist for him to pin her beneath him.


    ¡°I won¡¯t¡± he said.


    This was Kevan¡¯s second time visiting Gary¡¯s vi at Glory Hill.


    There were no guests like before.


    There was only him, Lewis, and Gary ¡°confronting¡± each other,


    The atmosphere in the living room was a little tense.


    Gary and Lewis were each sitting and standing. Their faces were equally emotionless. Finally, Kevan


    was the one who broke the silence.


    Forcing down the anxiety he fell, Kevan spoke. ¡°Uncle Gary, I came here this time because¨C¡±R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only


    However, Gary angrily cut him off before he could finish. ¡°Who the fuck are you calling uncle¡®? We¡¯re


    not that closel


    ¡°Uncle Gary.¡± Kevan insisted on saying it regardless. ¡°The truth is, Larissa andte back together


    again. And


    ¡°What?¡± Gary jumped up from the couch in a rage. ¡°You¡¯re back together with Lari? When? Why didn¡¯t I


    know about this?¡±


    Lewis saw how red Gary¡¯sce was, and he quickly helped his uncle sit down again as he patted


    Gary¡¯s back. ¡°Calm down a little, Uncle.¡± Lewis reminded him. ¡°The doctor said that you can¡¯t be too


    emotional.¡±


    ¡°How the fuck am I supposed to calm down Gary yelled, his eyes wide with anger.


    +15 BONOS


    Kevan¡¯s hands were ced on his knees, and his head was hanging very lowly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Uncle Gary,


    I was the one who forced Larissa to get back together with me. If you want to me anyone, please


    me me.¡± His voice was sincere, and his attitude was very humble.


    L

 Chapter 991

    Chapter 991


    Chapter 991


    ¡°Of course I¡¯ll fucking me you! Who else can I me?¡±


    Il Gary had been holding something, he would have thrown it at Kevan a long time ago.


    This fucking son of a bitch!


    T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    Piece of sh !!


    He fucking stole his precious daughter away from him without saying a damned thing!


    Although Gary knew that this was bound to happen sooner orter, they really did not respect him by


    having an affair right under his nose!


    Lewis hurriedly tried to soothe Gary again. ¡°Calm down. Uncle. Be calm.¡±


    Gary took several deep breaths before he managed to calm himself down, ¡°You¡¯ve dealt with all that


    bullshit with your family?¡± he asked.


    The main reason he prevented Larissa from being together with Kevan was because he let that the


    Rogers family was tooplicated.


    He did not want Larissa to get involved with all the stupid power struggles of the wealthy familles.


    Gary had already heard of Soaring Corporation¡¯s bankruptcy and Cody¡¯s arrest resulting in his death


    from various media, but he could not be sure if the remaining fuckers of the Rogers family would cause


    any more trouble.


    ¡°All done,¡± Kevan said. ¡°If I hadn¡¯t dealt with it I would not havee to see you.¡±


    Gary huffed coldly. It could be considered his satisfaction with Kevan¡¯s answer.


    ¡°Lari isn¡¯t holding you ountable for all the terrible things that you did before?¡± Gary asked again.


    He seemed to want to dig into Kevan¡¯s ¡°dark past¡°, which made Kevan feel rather awkward.


    Even to Kevan himself, the things he did before were definitely too much.


    He could not use ¡°there was a reason¡± as a way to exin it all away.


    ¡°I will not make those mistakes again, and I will treat Lari so much better than before to make up for


    everything wrong that I did.¡±


    Gary did not question Kevan¡¯s words.


    Truthfully, Gary had noticed everything that Kevan had done for so long, including the way Larissa


    changed her attitude toward Kevan.


    Gary knew everything.


    Since Larissa did not mind Kevan¡¯s past anymore, Gary had no reason to keep holding on to this as the


    parent.


    He just needed to humble the guy a little.


    He could still trust Kevan¡¯s character.


    ¡°Last question.¡± Gary put away all his dramatics and asked seriously. ¡°Can you promise that you¡¯ll treat


    Aster as your own son? Even though you and Lari will have other children, you must not treat him


    unfairly!¡±


    This question was easy to answer.


    ¡°Of course. The truth is¨CKevan sucked in a deep breath. ¡°Aster is my child.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t throw lies at me!¡± Gary did not get what Kevan was saying.


    ¡°No, I mean-¡± Kevan changed the way he said it. ¡°Aster is my son¨Cmy biological son. I made Lari get


    pregnant with him before she came


    to Aldovia.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Gary was so shocked that he love.


    Lewis also looked disbelievingly at Kevan.


    Larissa had hidden the truth from them, and now this truth shook them both badly to the core.


    ¡°You actually did such a monstrous thing! Lari was pregnant with your chlid, and you still divorced her!


    You made here to Westonia alone! Do you have any idea how much she suffered then?¡±


    Kevan did not move and silently bore the weight of Gary¡¯s rage.


    This was the punishment he should have had¨Ceven he wished he could p himsell hard when he


    thought of the pain Larissa had suffered.


    ¡°Uncle, that¡¯s enough.¡± Lewis was scared that if he did not stop Gary, someone might die today. He


    hurriedly pulled Gary away from Kevan. ¡°I believe Mr. Rogers regrets this deeply too.¡±


    Kevan pressed his lips tightly together. He did not say a thing.


    Gary sat back on the couch again. He was still ring at Kevan while his chest heaved, showing that


    he was having trouble calming down.

 Chapter 992

    Chapter 992


    Chapter 992


    ¡°When¡¯s the wedding?¡± Gary suddenly asked.


    Kevan froze for two seconds before he finally realized what Gary was asking. Then, a wave of crazy joy


    rose up in Kevan.


    ¡°It¡¯s not decided yet.¡± Kevan did his best to stop himself from smiling as he replied calmly, ¡°I need to


    see what Larl would say.¡±


    ¡°Since you¡¯re already back together, it¡¯s better if the weddinges fast. My daughter can¡¯t possibly


    just follow you without anything to her name!!


    Gary was still unhappy with Kevan, but the asshole had already stolen Larissa away.


    No one could stop him now.


    Kevan wanted to have the wedding quickly too to prevent himself from having nightmares about L


    But now Larissa was busy establishing a Blue Star branch in Bartham, and she did not care about


    anything else.


    ¡°Uncle Gary, this is a gift.¡± Kevan took out a document from his briefcase and handed it to Gary.


    Gary¡¯s eyes narrowed as he looked at it carefully-


    ¡°A property deed?¡± he eximed in surprise.


    Kevan was giving him the whole building where Bartham¡¯s branch of Blue Star was.


    ¡°Although Blue Star is only using two floors, you will surely expand once you¡¯ve moved your


    headquarters over there.


    ¡°Microworks has a few departments in this building. When you ept this deed, I will transfer the


    monthly rent into your bank ount.¡±


    A whole building in the heart of Bartham was definitely not cheap. Gary was a little conflicted. He did


    not know if he should ept the


    deed or not.


    R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only


    If he epted it it seemed that he was taking advantage of Kevan.


    If he did not ept though ¡ª


    Well he could not just give his daughter away to the Rogers family for ¡°free¡°.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want your gift¡± Gary found a middle ground after thinking about IL ¡°It¡¯s the same il you give it to


    Larl¡±


    What was Kevan¡¯s was Larissa¡¯s anyway.


    Giving the deed to Larissa meant that he could do away with the moreplicated transfer


    procedures.


    Kevan was silent for a moment. ¡°Alright then.¡± He put the deed away. ¡°Once I¡¯m back in Bartham, I will


    transfer the deed to Larl¡¯s name.¡± He stood up and dipped his head respectfully at Gary. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,


    Uncle Gary. And thank you.¡±


    Kevan was sorry for ¡°stealing¡± Gary¡¯s precious daughter, and he was also grateful that Gary was willing


    to let him marry his precious


    daughter.


    Gary waved a hand irritably. ¡°Yes, whatever! Don¡¯t start all this with me! Do you have anything else? If


    not, hurry up and leave!


    ¡°I don¡¯t really want to see you anyway! Once you¡¯ve decided on your wedding dale, tell Lari to call me


    in person!¡±


    Kevan wisely chose to leave. He said goodbye to both Gary and Lewis before leaving the Logan vi.


    After Kevan was gone, Gary slumped into the couch. ¡°He still won,¡± he said with a sigh.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t a war. What¡¯s there to win or lose about?¡± Lewis helped pour him a full cup of tea before he


    advised the man. ¡°As long as Lari Is happy, this is the best ending we can have.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Gary picked up the cup of tea before sipping it. Theste of the tea spread over his


    longue, and his heart felt a little bitter.¡±


    But I still feel terrible.¡±


    He only managed to find his real daughter at such an old age, and he had not yet enjoyed their father¨C


    daughter bond before she was


    stolen from him.


    Hearing this, Gary red at Lewis and shouted. ¡°You better hurry up and lind me a damned nlece¨Cin¨C


    law! How old are you already? And you¡¯re stil fooling around! You¡¯re seriously going to piss me off until


    I die!¡±


    Lewis regretted it very much. He should not have said that!


    Kevan did not stay long in Westonia.


    He booked a fight back to Bartham that would leave at night, and so when he got back, it was already


    midnight in Bartham.


    He did not inform Larissa, and it was Dn who drove to the airport to pick him up.


    Seeing that Kevan looked refreshed, Dn knew that the oue was not bad.


    ¡°All done?¡± he asked.

 Chapter 993

    Chapter 993


    Chapter 993


    +15 BONOS


    ¡°I guess so.¡± Kevan¡¯s voice was calm, but the smile in his eyes was obvious.


    ¡°Can you decide on the wedding now?¡± Dn raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°I¡¯ll see.¡± Kevan did not know what Larissa really wanted, so he did not dare to decide by himsell.


    ¡°You¡¯ll ¡®see¡®?¡± Dn was unhappy with Kevan¡¯s indecision. ¡°If you drag this out anymore, you and


    Larissa will probably already have your


    second child!¡±


    Kevan was helpless. ¡°This isn¡¯t something that I can decide by myself,¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong. Mr. Rogers?¡± Dn eyed him teasingly as he said. ¡°You¡¯re already afraid of your wife


    now? Are you still that egotistical Mr. Rogers that I know?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not ¡°afraid of my wife.¡± Kevan corrected him. ¡°I am respecting my wife¡¯s opinions. A mansiner


    like you will never understand.¡±


    Dn was very indignantly confused. ¡°Fine, fine. It is whatever you say it is.¡± He did not want to bother


    arguing with Kevan.


    When Kevan got home. it was almost 2:00 am. The house was dark, and Larissa and Aster had gone


    to sleep a long time ago.


    Kevan showered in the bathroom outside. Because he did not take a set of pajamas, he only wrapped


    a towel around himself before. moving carefully into the bedroom.


    The dim illumination from the nightlight allowed him to see where he was going a little.


    Kevan peeled the sheets back and wiggled in quickly.


    After making sure that Larissa was asleep, he carefully moved closer to hug her from behind.


    Her warm and soft body sank into his arms, and Kevan felt so much better.


    Gently kissing her cheek, Kevan happily closed his eyes.


    Larissa got upter to go to the bathroom and realized that there was someone else in the bed with


    her.


    She screamed and escaped from his arms, jumping out of the bed.


    Woken by Larissa, Kevan opened his eyes as he asked worriedly, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Hearing his familiar voice, Larissa¡¯s pounding heart gradually calmed down,


    She grabbed a pillow and whacked Kevan with it as she scolded him. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say anything


    about youing home? You scared me to death!¡±


    Kevan rearranged the pillow and exined in an aggrieved manner, ¡°Well, that¡¯s because I saw that


    you were asleep and didn¡¯t want to wake you up.¡±


    Larissa was struck speechless by him, but she was still angry. She stood there with her hands on her


    hips as she red at him, but she could not say anything to scold him. After all, he was the one in the


    right even though she was scared hall to death.


    They stared at each other for a long while before Kewan finally broke the silence. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to


    go to the bathroom?¡±T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    Larissa only remembered this then. She angrily cursed at him before hurrying into the bathroom.


    Kevan could not help Laughing quietly as he watched her escaping figure.


    How could his wife be so cute?


    Larissa purposely stayed in the bathroom for a while to wall for the blush on herce tode.


    Only then did she leave the bathroom expressionlessly.


    Larissa froze. ¡°What did you call me?¡±


    Chapter 993


    +15 BONOS


    ¡°I guess so.¡± Kevan¡¯s voice was calm, but the smile in his eyes was obvious.


    ¡°Can you decide on the wedding now?¡± Dn raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°I¡¯ll see.¡± Kevan did not know what Larissa really wanted, so he did not dare to decide by himsell.


    ¡°You¡¯ll ¡®see¡®?¡± Dn was unhappy with Kevan¡¯s indecision. ¡°If you drag this out anymore, you and


    Larissa will probably already have your


    second child!¡±


    Kevan was helpless. ¡°This isn¡¯t something that I can decide by myself,¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong. Mr. Rogers?¡± Dn eyed him teasingly as he said. ¡°You¡¯re already afraid of your wife


    now? Are you still that egotistical Mr. Rogers that I know?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not ¡°afraid of my wife.¡± Kevan corrected him. ¡°I am respecting my wife¡¯s opinions. A mansiner


    like you will never understand.¡±


    Dn was very indignantly confused. ¡°Fine, fine. It is whatever you say it is.¡± He did not want to bother


    arguing with Kevan.


    When Kevan got home. it was almost 2:00 am. The house was dark, and Larissa and Aster had gone


    to sleep a long time ago.


    Kevan showered in the bathroom outside. Because he did not take a set of pajamas, he only wrapped


    a towel around himself before. moving carefully into the bedroom.


    The dim illumination from the nightlight allowed him to see where he was going a little.


    Kevan peeled the sheets back and wiggled in quickly.


    After making sure that Larissa was asleep, he carefully moved closer to hug her from behind.


    Her warm and soft body sank into his arms, and Kevan felt so much better.


    Gently kissing her cheek, Kevan happily closed his eyes.


    Larissa got upter to go to the bathroom and realized that there was someone else in the bed with


    her.


    She screamed and escaped from his arms, jumping out of the bed.


    Woken by Larissa, Kevan opened his eyes as he asked worriedly, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Hearing his familiar voice, Larissa¡¯s pounding heart gradually calmed down,


    She grabbed a pillow and whacked Kevan with it as she scolded him. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say anything


    about youing home? You scared me to death!¡±


    Kevan rearranged the pillow and exined in an aggrieved manner, ¡°Well, that¡¯s because I saw that


    you were asleep and didn¡¯t want to wake you up.¡±


    Larissa was struck speechless by him, but she was still angry. She stood there with her hands on her


    hips as she red at him, but she could not say anything to scold him. After all, he was the one in the


    right even though she was scared hall to death.


    They stared at each other for a long while before Kewan finally broke the silence. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to


    go to the bathroom?¡±


    Larissa only remembered this then. She angrily cursed at him before hurrying into the bathroom.


    Kevan could not help Laughing quietly as he watched her escaping figure.


    How could his wife be so cute?


    Larissa purposely stayed in the bathroom for a while to wall for the blush on herce tode.


    Only then did she leave the bathroom expressionlessly.


    Larissa froze. ¡°What did you call me?¡±

 Chapter 994

    Chapter 994


    Chapter 994


    ¡°My wife,¡± Kevan said again.


    He stared at her, and his eyes were twinkling.


    Although it was not the first time he had called her wile. Larissa still blushed anyway.


    N?velDrama.Org exclusive content.


    She purposely looked away and put a hand over her racing heart as she retorted weakly. ¡°We¡¯re not


    married yet, don¡¯t randomly call me


    that!


    ¡°There¡¯s something I keep forgetting to tell you.¡±


    Kevan had a smirk on his face while his eyes were slightly narrowed. He looked like a fox.


    Larissa¡¯s heart skipped a beat and she got nervous. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Come here.¡± Kevan called her, and his low voice was like the voice of a siren.


    Larissa could not help but take two steps forward.


    When she reached a range where Kevan could touch her, he reached up at once and pulled her into


    his arms.


    Larissa screamed as she fell onto the soft bed, her back mming against Kevan¡¯s firm chest.


    Kevan hugged her tightly, and his breaths puffed against her cheek.


    Larissa was already used to the way he hugged her, and she did not feel ufortable.


    She only red at him and grumbled, ¡°Can¡¯t you be gentler next time?¡±


    It sounded more coy than anything else.


    ¡°Sure.¡± Kevan was very easy to talk to right now.


    His gentleness also made Larissa think that she was dreaming.


    ¡°Did I hurt you?¡± He looked down at her wist which was red from his grip.


    Larissa¡¯s heart was racing.


    She looked up at him seriously.


    She was able to see the love in his eyes.


    For some odd reason, she said, ¡°My husband.¡±


    Kevan froze. He slowly looked up at her in shock.


    His mouth hung open a little, and he looked funny like that.


    ¡°S¨CSay that again!¡± He was so excited that he could not even speak properly,


    His joy was about to shoot through the rool.


    Larissa blushed harder. She wanted to avoid this subject by pretending to be dumb, but Kevan did not


    give her that chance.


    ¡°Say that again.¡± He held her shoulders and forced her to face him. ¡°Good girl say that again.¡±


    Larissa decided to just throw herself into his arms and hug him tightly. She buried her face into his


    neck.


    ¡°My husband,¡± she mumbled very quietly. But Kevan heard her anyway.


    He smiled like an idol.


    It took Larissa a while to recollect herself before she remembered. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you had something


    to tell me?¡±


    Her head was still against his shoulder, and she only tilted her head a little to look at him,


    ¡°Actually-¡± Kevan gripped her arms to prevent her from ¡°attacking¡± him ¡°violently¡±ter when she get


    angry.¡±


    because we never got divorced in the first ce.¡±


    He said it all in a single breath, and he did not pause in the middle at all.


    ¡°We don¡¯t need to get married


    Larissa froze again. ¡°W¨CWhat?¡± She could understand every single word that he said, but when they


    were together in a sentence, she did not understand a thing.

 Chapter 995

    Chapter 995


    Chapter 995


    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±


    +15 BONOS


    Larissa remembered when Kevan was st


    still alose¡± in the hospital, Dn had given her a divorce agreement to sign.


    She had gotten drunk, and because she was also triggered by Kevan and Ruby, she did not bother


    reading the details of the agreement.


    She simply signed her name on thest page.


    ¡°Dn did not give you a divorce agreement, it¡¯s an agreement for asset transference. Besides, we


    never went to the city hall to get divorced, remember? Krvan whispered into her ear, feeling smug


    about his little trick.


    Larissa was shocked. It was true that she did not get divorced at the city hall before leaving Caldor.


    But they had been living separately for six years, and their rtionship had really been ¡°shaltered¡°.


    She always thought that Dn had helped her sue for divorce in court.


    After all, if Kevan did not divorce her, he would not be able to marry Ruby again.


    Also-


    ¡°What agreement for asset transference?


    Based on Kevan¡¯s character and wealth, he would not be like Travis Hardy, who wanted to divorce her


    and take advantage of her at the same time.


    But as assets were involved, Larissa could not help but be on alert.


    ¡°You might not know


    Kevan¡¯s forehead pressed against hers, his cold tos ghosting over hers. ¡°You¡¯re now the biggest


    shareholder of Microworks Corporation, and you own 51% of Microworks shares. If you¡¯re unhappy one


    day, you can kick me out any time.¡±


    This shocking news shut Larissa¡¯s brain down.


    ¡°Don¡¯t joke around about something so serious,¡± she warned him sternly.


    ¡°I¡¯m not joking around.¡± Kevan carefully let go of one of her hands, but he did not move too far away


    from it because he was scared that she might p him if he was not prepared. ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me,


    I can show you the agreement that you signed.¡±


    ¡°I want to see it,¡± Larissa said.


    ¡°Wait for a moment.¡± Kevan only bravely went to the study after seeing that Larissa had no intentions to


    ¡°take revenge¡± on him.


    All of his important documents were in the study.


    This


    agreement for asset transference was also kept carefully.


    It was locked in the lowest part of the drawer.


    ¡°Here.¡±


    Larissa epted the sealed kraft paper bag from Kevan, and her lingers robotically opened the string


    that kept the bag sealed.


    There were only a few sheets of paper in the bag.


    She did not remember if it would match with the document she signed all those years ago.


    She carefully read through every single page of the document.


    Just as Kevan said, he had transferred all of his Microworks Corporation¡¯s shares, movable assets, and


    immovable assets to her,


    However, she did not remember any of this.


    She only recognized that familiar signature at the end of the document. She had indeed ned this


    document.


    Larissa¡¯s head hurt a little. She did not feel happy for suddenly gaining so many assets, she actually fell


    scared.


    +


    ¡°I don¡¯t want it.¡± She threw the agreement back at Kevan and said anxiously. ¡°Get Dn to draw up


    another agreement. I will return


    1/2


    N?velDrama.Org content rights.


    +15 BONOS


    ¡°There¡¯s no need.¡± Kevan ced the documents into the kraft paper bag again and just put that bag


    into the drawer of the bedside table drawer.


    ¡°We¡¯re married. What¡¯s yours is mine. It¡¯s troublesome to shill things around, and you need to go


    through more procedures to get it done.¡±


    Although that was true. Larissa still could not rx, ¡°What if I ran off?¡± She purposely provoked him.


    ¡°Ran off?¡± Kevan raised an eyebrow as he asked. ¡°Where can you go?¡±


    He slowly moved closer to her.


    Although there was a smile on his face, his eyes screarned danger.


    Larissa moved back a little, scared. ¡°Well, it¡¯s just. What if 1 look your money and ran away


    Kevanughed coldly and pressed her down on the bed. ¡°I would still be able to find you even if you


    ran off to the ends of the Earth.¡±

 Chapter 996

    Chapter 996


    Chapter 996


    Because she had to help Kevan and Larissa take care of Aster, Violet came over frequently.


    Larissa¡¯s schedule was more flexible than Kevan¡¯s.


    Sometimes, she coulde back early and run into Violet.


    Violet would always find ways to ask when Larissa was going to have her wedding.


    Truth be told, Larissa had not thought of having a wedding.


    She was getting married for the second time after all.


    When she married Travisst time, the wedding was not grand, but it was still big. Plus, there was a


    wedding dinner. She didn¡¯t really want a repeat of that.


    To her, a wedding was a waste of time, money, and energy. She did not have any dreams about having


    a grand wedding like young teenage girls.


    So, Larissa always told Violet in a roundabout way that she had no ns for a wedding.


    But she was probably too roundabout with 1. because Violet did not seem to get it and kept asking


    without stopping.


    So, Larissa could only discuss it with Kevan. ¡°Can you tell your mom that we won¡¯t be having a


    wedding?¡±


    Kevan knew she was busy with work, so he had rot officially talked about the wedding with her.


    Now that he heard her say that, he was a little surprised and unhappy.


    ¡°Why not?¡± His face darkened at once. ¡°You don¡¯t want to tell other people about our rtionship?¡± He


    was still mad about the ¡°secret marriage¡± she mentioned before.


    ¡°Of course not!¡± Larissa did not know why he would have such a weird thought. She sighed and told


    him the truth. ¡°I just feel that it¡¯s too troublesome and exhausting.¡±


    ¡°How is it troublesome?¡± Kevan retorted righteously. ¡°I can hire the best wedding nners and let them


    handle everything. You don¡¯t have to worry about anything.¡±


    In other words, Larissa only needed to dress up, show her face at the wedding, and ept the envious


    stares of everyone else. N?velDrama.Org content rights.


    ¡°You really want to have a wedding? Larissa asked Kevan, who pressed his lias lightly together and


    said nothing. He only stared hard at her. Well he did tell Larissa what he really wanted.


    ¡°Then¡­¡± Larissa began to falter.


    She was marrying for the second time, but Kevan was marrying for the first time.


    She could not be sellish, and she had to respect his wishes too.


    ¡°Alright then.¡±


    She finally said okay.


    ¡°But just to be clear-¡± Afraid that they might light over this in the luture, Larissa quickly gave him a


    heads-up. ¡°My l will still be focused on work, so I might not be able to care about the wedding


    preparations. I can only say that I will do my best to not affect your progress.


    ¡°Anyway everything is up to you, and I will cooperate with you.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± Kevan was waiting for just that. Her participation in the wedding preparations was not


    important, because he would make everything perfect and give her the grandest and most


    unforgettable wedding ever.


    Kevan decided to hold the wedding in May.


    It would be spring, and flowers would be blooming everywhere, so the weather would be good. Chapter


    996


    Because she had to help Kevan and Larissa take care of Aster, Violet came over frequently.


    Larissa¡¯s schedule was more flexible than Kevan¡¯s.


    Sometimes, she coulde back early and run into Violet.


    Violet would always find ways to ask when Larissa was going to have her wedding.


    Truth be told, Larissa had not thought of having a wedding.


    She was getting married for the second time after all.


    When she married Travisst time, the wedding was not grand, but it was still big. Plus, there was a


    wedding dinner. She didn¡¯t really want a repeat of that.


    To her, a wedding was a waste of time, money, and energy. She did not have any dreams about having


    a grand wedding like young teenage girls.


    So, Larissa always told Violet in a roundabout way that she had no ns for a wedding.


    But she was probably too roundabout with 1. because Violet did not seem to get it and kept asking


    without stopping.


    So, Larissa could only discuss it with Kevan. ¡°Can you tell your mom that we won¡¯t be having a


    wedding?¡±


    Kevan knew she was busy with work, so he had rot officially talked about the wedding with her.


    Now that he heard her say that, he was a little surprised and unhappy.


    ¡°Why not?¡± His face darkened at once. ¡°You don¡¯t want to tell other people about our rtionship?¡± He


    was still mad about the ¡°secret marriage¡± she mentioned before.


    ¡°Of course not!¡± Larissa did not know why he would have such a weird thought. She sighed and told


    him the truth. ¡°I just feel that it¡¯s too troublesome and exhausting.¡±


    ¡°How is it troublesome?¡± Kevan retorted righteously. ¡°I can hire the best wedding nners and let them


    handle everything. You don¡¯t have to worry about anything.¡±


    In other words, Larissa only needed to dress up, show her face at the wedding, and ept the envious


    stares of everyone else.


    ¡°You really want to have a wedding? Larissa asked Kevan, who pressed his lias lightly together and


    said nothing. He only stared hard at her. Well he did tell Larissa what he really wanted.


    ¡°Then¡­¡± Larissa began to falter.


    She was marrying for the second time, but Kevan was marrying for the first time.


    She could not be sellish, and she had to respect his wishes too.


    ¡°Alright then.¡±


    She finally said okay.


    ¡°But just to be clear-¡± Afraid that they might light over this in the luture, Larissa quickly gave him a


    heads-up. ¡°My l will still be focused on work, so I might not be able to care about the wedding


    preparations. I can only say that I will do my best to not affect your progress.


    ¡°Anyway everything is up to you, and I will cooperate with you.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± Kevan was waiting for just that. Her participation in the wedding preparations was not


    important, because he would make everything perfect and give her the grandest and most


    unforgettable wedding ever.


    Kevan decided to hold the wedding in May.


    It would be spring, and flowers would be blooming everywhere, so the weather would be good.

 Chapter 997

    Chapter 997


    Chapter 997


    There wasn¡¯t much time from mid¨CFebruary to May.


    Kevan hired a highly reputable and well¨Cregarded team in the wedding industry.


    It took him almost a week tomunicate and discuss various ideas with them.


    Although the effect he desired was challenging, the other party assured him they¡¯d do their best to


    deliver a satisfactory resull,


    On the other hand, Kevan asked a friend to help terminate Wendy¡¯s adoption of Aster.


    He also changed Aster¡¯s legal name to ¡°stair Rogers¡°, getting him registered under the Rogers


    family.


    Larissa didn¡¯t like Aster¡¯s new name.


    She fell that ¡°stair and ¡°Rogers¡± didn¡¯t blend well and sounded awkward.


    Before officially registering the new name, she even had a disagreement with Kevan.


    R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only


    They argued about whether to change Aster¡¯s sumame to ¡°Seymour¡± or keep it as ¡°Rogers.¡±


    In the end, they let Aster decide.


    Aster said without hesitation. ¡°I want to have Daddy¡¯s surname!¡±


    This infuriated Larissa to the point where she wanted to sever their rtionship on the spot!


    The big family reunion dinner was undoubtedly the most significant festival for Caldorians.


    When Larissa was in Aldovia, the ce she lived will: Wendy didn¡¯t have many Caldons.


    So, she could hardly feel the festive atmosphere there.


    There were even a few times when shepletely forget about it and just treated that day like any


    other.


    But this year was different.


    Kevan¡¯s parents were extremely traditional Caldorians


    A week before the big family reunion dinner, Viclet look Aster to the supermarket every day.


    They came back each time with the car trunk loaded with lood, dally necessities, toys¨Cprelly much


    everything.


    Schools in Caldor had already closed for the winter break.


    Larissa and Kevan didn¡¯t rush to find a new kindergarten for Aster.


    They allowed him to stay with Violet and experience the strong festive atmosphere that was absent in


    Westonia.


    So, one day, Larissa wasn¡¯t surprised at all to hear Aster unconsciously humming the supermarket¡¯s


    big family reunion dinner anthem.


    As per the requirements, Larissa would email Lewis every day to update him on her work.


    call to discuss ||


    Sometimes. If the emails weren¡¯t clear enough, she would hop on a video call


    their work and catch up on recent happenings.


    As the big family reunion dinner was approaching, her conversations increasingly revolved around


    Lewis and Gary¡¯s ns for the festival


    ¡°Are you and my dad nning to stay in Westonia for the festival, or will you be In Barthan with us?¡±


    In Aldavia, they didn¡¯t have a concept of the ¡°big family reunion dinner¡°,


    As such, there wasn¡¯t an extensive two¨Cweek¨Clong holiday like in Califor


    Lewis¡± response was uncertain. ¡°It hasn¡¯t been confirmed yet. Currently, we don¡¯t have ns to go to


    Caldor.¡±


    1/2


    +15 BONOS


    It was a practice he hadn¡¯t changed for decades.


    However, his way of celebrating wasn¡¯t as borate as in Caldor


    He would invite Lewis, his only family, to have a ¡°reunion dinner¡± at home.


    They would watch the reunion dinner TV celebration online together.


    But this year, Larissa and Aster were in the picture.


    So. Lewis didn¡¯t know how Gary would n things.


    ¡°If we decide to go to Bartham, I let you know right away.¡±


    She tried persuading him, saying. ¡°You should bring my dad along! It¡¯s the big family reunion dinner!


    Families should stay together!¡±


    ¡°Thepany doesn¡¯t have time off for that festival. We¡¯re not as free as you think. We can¡¯t just drop


    everything and go.¡± he retorted as he stared at her.


    She defended herself, Tm not free at all either, okay? Haven¡¯t you seen the emails I send you every


    day? My working hours might even be


    longer than yours!


    However, she would also be on holiday in a few more days.


    Workers were heading back to their hometowns for the festival


    So, she didn¡¯t need to supervise them by going there every day.


    ¡°Alright, bright you¡¯re not free. i talk to Gary and see we can manage to squeeze out a couple of days.¡±


    Lewis replied.

 Chapter 998

    Chapter 998


    Chapter 998


    Microworks Corporation officially began its holiday break on the eve of the big family reunion dinner.


    Larissa settled all the workers wages and handed each of them a generous bonus.


    In the morning, Larissa, Kevan, and Asterpleted a thorough cleaning of their home.


    They also put up the artwork sent over by Viclel a few days earlier.


    They packed their luggage.


    In the alternoon, they drove to the Rogers vi,


    For a week Voet had been insisting that the three of them spend the festival there and y for a few


    days before leaving.


    Naturally, Larissa didn¡¯t refuse.


    Although Kevan wasn¡¯t particrly enthusiastic about it, he had toply with Larissa¡¯s decision.


    The Rogers¡¯ vi was adomed with festive decorations.


    Baubles were hung under the eaves.


    An air of celebration permeated the surroundings.


    As soon as they got out of the car, Aster was bouncing with excitement, absolutely thrilled.


    ¡°I hung this one!¡±


    He pointed at a bauble at the front gate and proudly informed Larissa.


    He then gestured to the art pieces on both sides of the door and said. ¡°And I put these up¡±


    Larissa had heard from Violet that Aster was really into decorating.


    She wasn¡¯t surprised at all.


    Aster had always loved holidays


    In the past, during Christmas, he would go with Wendy to the woods to cut down a Christmas tree and


    bring it home.


    He¡¯d buy all scris of little ornaments to hang on the tree.


    He even handmade Christmas gifts for her and Wendy.


    This was the first time in his lide that he was celebrating the big family reunion dinner properly.


    Larissa thought it was great that he could experience the traditional culture of his homnd.


    Violet and Anthony were busy making pies in the house.


    This was a tradition in their family-they always had pies for the big family reunion dinner.


    Larissa looked at the huge pies on the table.


    She suddenly remembered that year when Kewan look her to Rnd¡¯s ce.


    On the eve of the big family reunion dinner, she had made many pies with pork and shepherd¡¯s ple


    filling, which he liked a lot.


    But unfortunately, he didn¡¯t eat a single one.


    ¡°What¡¯s on your mind?¡± Kevan asked, seeing her lost in thought.


    He reached out and waved his hand in front of her to bring her back.


    Larissa smiled billerly. ¡°I was just thinking about Rnd.¡±


    Kevan paused for a moment, then quickly realized what she was referring to.


    1/2


    +15 BONOS


    ¡°He did eat them.¡± Kevan said as he gripped her hand.


    Though he had a smile on his face, his eyes showed the same sorrow.


    ¡°He intentionally saved a few for himself after we left. He said they tasted just like Jennifer¡¯s. He asked


    me to cherish you and not let you


    50.


    ¡°Really? But I thought he didn¡¯t like me,¡± she said, feeling surprised.


    The first time they met, Rnd was weing.


    But from the second time onward, he became quite distant.


    So, she always believed that Rnd didn¡¯t like her.


    ¡°No, he really liked you. It¡¯s just that at that time, our family situation was veryplicated.


    ¡°He couldn¡¯t show favoritism to anyone, so¡­¡± Kevan exined, rifying on behalf of his grandfather.


    Larissa immediately understood.


    The reason Rnd seemed to ¡°ignore¡± her was probably simr to Kevan¡¯s-Rnd wanted to protectN?velDrama.Org content rights.


    her.


    The knot that had been hidden in her heart for many years was finally untangled.


    She suddenly felt a lot lighter,


    But at the same time, she felt a little sad.


    ¡°Do you miss him?¡± she asked Kewan.


    He nodded, not hiding his feelings from her. ¡°Yes.¡±


    This was the first big family reunion dinner after Rnd had passed away.


    Every year before he was hospitalized, he would ovee all obstacles to rush back to Bartham,


    They would have a reunion meal and eat ples together.


    It had been many years since he had seen Rnd.


    There would be no more opportunities to eat pies with him in the future.


    Kevan suddenly felt a bit emotional

 Chapter 999

    Chapter 999


    Chapter 999


    Larissa gave him aforting hug and whispered, ¡°I¡¯ll go with you to the cemetery on the day after the


    big family reunion dinner. We¡¯ll bring some ple and visit Rnd.¡±


    Kevan closed his eyes and returned the embrace.


    It took him a while, but he finally managed to choke out a heartfell ¡°Okay.¡±


    They spent some time outside the restaurant, wrapped up in their own world.


    Meanwhile, Anthony and Violet, who had noticed them earlier, wisely chose not to interrupt.


    Instead, they exchanged knowing nces and shared a smile.


    Once Kevan had regained hisposure, Larissa confidently led him into the restaurant. t


    ¡°Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Rogers,¡± she greeted them politely.


    However, Kevan had already informed Violet about the true nature of their rtionship.


    So, Violet yfully teased Larissa. ¡°Still calling us ¡®Mr. and Mrs. Rogers, huh?¡±


    Larissa blushed and quicklyected herself, saying, ¡°Sorry! Hello, Mom and Dad!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, sounds about right!¡± Violet responded cheerfully.


    Anthony couldn¡¯t help but smile.


    ¡°You two have been cleaning up all morning. You must be tired. How about you both go upstairs for a


    nap? I¡¯ll wake you up when the pies are ready.¡± Violet suggested thoughtfully.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll help you with the pies!¡± Larissa said as she washed her hands in the kitchen.


    The four of them had clearly defined roles.


    Anthony and Kevan worked on the dough, while Larissa and Violet handled the filling.


    As for Aster. Kevan had prepared a small piece of dough for him to y with. It was almost like


    ydough.


    The atmosphere in the dining room was filled with joy and harmony.


    Midway through, Larissa¡¯s phone rang.


    She wiped the flour off her apron and pulled her phone out of her pants pocket.


    When she saw it was a call from Lewis, she answered it with delight. ¡°Hey, Lewis!¡±


    ¡°Do you have a moment? Lewis asked.


    T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Yeah, sure,¡± she replied.


    She thought he was calling about business matters.


    She quickly excused herself from the others and rushed upstairs.


    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± she asked.


    The background noise on the phone was quite loud, but she could still vaguely hear someone speaking


    fluently in the Baitham dialect.


    Her heart leaped with joy.


    She stopped in her tracks, eximing in excitement, ¡°You guys are in Bartham?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Since you have some free time, could youe pick us up at the airport? Lewis replied with a


    hint of amusement.


    ¡°Of course!¡± Immediately, she turned, look off her apron, and ran downstairs. ¡°Wait for me! I¡¯m leaving


    now!¡±


    Kevan saw her rushing to the door,


    +15 BONOS


    ¡°Where are you going?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Lewis and Dad are here in Bartham! They¡¯re already at the airport. So, I¡¯m going to pick them up.¡± she


    replied.


    She struggled to put on her down jacket with one hand, then grabbed her snow boots from the shoe


    cab and quickly put them on.


    Tll go with you. Just wait for me a second,¡± he said as he grabbed her.


    He quickly freshened up, informed his parents, wrapped himself in a coat, and then left with Larissa.


    The Rogers¡® vi was far from the city center but convenienty close to the airport.


    As Larissa had anticipated, they reached the airport in less than half an hour.


    There, they warmly weed Lewis and Gary, who were waiting outside.


    Kevan was attentive, helping them load their luggage into the car.


    Although Gary still didn¡¯t offer Kevan a warm reception, he refrained from making hurtfulments like


    he used to.


    Larissa asked Lewis, ¡°Have you booked a hete!?¡±


    He replied with a question, ¡°Don¡¯t you want us to stay at your ce?¡±

 Chapter 1000

    Chapter 1000


    Chapter 1000


    Larissa had no intention of allowing Gary and Lewis to stay at her house, or ta


    rather, Kevan¡¯s house.


    The house she was currently sharing with Kevan was spacious enough to amodate both Gary and


    Lewis.


    However, she was worried that the conflicts between Gary and Kevan might escte if they were under


    the same roof.


    So, she took Lewis aside and whispered, ¡°Are you seriously nning to stay with us? What if my dad


    and Kevan get into a fight?¡±


    ¡°You might be overthinking this.¡± Lewis said, gently tapping her forehead with his fingers.


    He then reassured her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Gary hase to terms with reality. He¡¯s not as hot¨Cheaded as


    he used to be.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± She still had some doubts


    ¡°I swear on my life!¡± he dered.


    After some contemtion, she finally agreed.


    ¡°Okay, then. But just so you know, we¡¯ll be staying at Kevan¡¯s parents¡® ce for the next couple of


    days.¡±


    She felt tom when she thought about it.


    On one hand, her biological family had traveled a long way from abroad to be with her.


    On the other hand, she had been looking forward to spending the big family reunion dinner with her in¨C


    laws as aplete family.


    She couldn¡¯t decide whom to be with.


    Lewisbriefed Gary on the current situation,


    Gary asked Kevan, ¡°Will your parents mind it Lewis and Ie over?¡±


    ¡°Not at all,¡± Kevan replied without hesitation.


    ¡°Let¡¯s drop us off at your ce first. Tomorrow. Lewis and I will go to your parent¡¯s house to celebrate


    the big family reunion dinner together. Gary quickly made the arrangements.


    ¡°Okay,¡± Kevan obediently followed Gary¡¯s directives.


    Fortunately, they had already done a thorough cleaning early in the morning and rearranged the house.


    So. Larissa felt more confident as she led Gary and Lewis Into the house.


    ¡°The guest room isn¡¯t used regrly. So, it¡¯s a bit in.¡± Kevan expressed concem that the two might


    find it boring. ¡°If there¡¯s anything you¡¯re not satisfied with, just let me know.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s quite nice.¡±


    Gary¡¯s demeanor remained casual


    Unexpectedly, he did not find any faults with Kevan.


    Larissa was genuinely surprised but chose to keep her questions to hersell,


    Once Gary and Lewis had settled in Kevan respectfully inquired, ¡°Uncle Gary, are you hungry? Would


    you like to go out for dinner?¡±


    He and Larissa had emptied the fridge of all its food the day before because they were nning to stay


    at the Rogers¡® vi for several day


    So, they were unable to prepare a meal at home.


    Kevan had already given his mother a heads¨Cup.


    He let her know that he and Larissa wouldn¡¯t be returning home for dinner.


    Violet understood the abrupt change in ns.


    She emphasized that Kevan should ensure Gary fell well taken care of and appreciated.


    +15 BONOS


    He was thoroughly exhausted.


    He had no desire to move around after enduring a lengthy journey.


    Thus, he said. ¡°Let¡¯s just order some takeout.¡±


    He then waved his hand in the direction of Kevan and Larissa.


    ¡°You two are heading back to Rogers vi, right? Take advantage of the remaining daylight and leave


    promptly.


    ¡°Lewis and I are more than capable of looking after ourselves. Later, send the address to Lewis¡® phone.


    We¡¯ll catch a cab there ourselves


    tomorrow.¡±


    While Gary had set aside his prejudices and epted Kevan, he still felt a tad ufortable


    witnessing Kevan and Larissa¡¯s disys of


    affection in front of him.


    Consequently, he chose to tum a blind eye.


    Kevaniled to grasp the underlying message, fearing that he might have unintentionally offended Gary


    He quickly responded, ¡°No worries, we don¡¯t have to leave today. I spoke to Violet, and she said we


    should follow your lead.¡±


    ¡°No need for that,¡± Gary remarked as he reclined on the couch, clearly exhausted.


    He closed his eyes with ack of energy.


    ¡°Both Lewis and I are quite tired. We¡¯ll grab a bite and then head to bed. You all should make your way


    out promptly and avoid disturbing


    our rest¡±


    Kevan had contemted pressing further.


    But Larissa subtly pulled at his hand, signaling that it was best not to insistR¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only

 Chapter 1001

    Chapter 1001


    Chapter 1001


    ¡°Alright, then. We shall head out.¡±


    Larissa gathered her belongings and pulled Kevan toward the exit.


    ¡°I¡¯lle pick you up tomorrow moming. It¡¯s almost the big family reunion dinner day.


    ¡°So, it¡¯s hard to find a cab on the road. You might even lind yourself waiting for hall a day without


    coming across an empty cab.¡±


    Gary didn¡¯t reluse.


    Instead, he recursted, ¡°Then, youe alone tomorrow.¡±


    Her steps hesitated a moment, and she sighed Inwardly.


    Gary really hadn¡¯t changed.


    ¡°Alright,¡± she agreed.


    T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    As soon as they closed the door, Larissa beganining to Kevan. ¡°I thought my dad had really


    come around! Turns out, he still has reservations about you!¡±


    Kevan lightened his grip on her hand and smiled.


    ¡°Take it slow; there has to be a gradual process.¡±


    He didn¡¯t expect Gary to change his attitude overnight.


    But as long as things were moving in a positive direction, he was content.


    She shrugged upon hearing that.


    ¡°Well it¡¯s not me who¡¯s being wronged here; it¡¯s you. If you¡¯re line with taking it slow, I don¡¯t mind either.¡±


    He chuckled.


    ¡°Okay, what¡¯s your suggestion then if I don¡¯t want to take it slow? Any ns?


    He lowered his head to look at her.


    His eyes held a hint of yfulness.


    She was stumped by his question.


    She couldn¡¯te up with a coherent response for a while.


    ¡°Whatever! Take it slow then!¡±


    She finally gave up thinking of an answer: she couldn¡¯t allord to alienate her biological father, could


    she?


    Violet expressed great surprise at their early return to the Rogers¡® vi.


    She was also dissatisfied.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you both spend quality time with Gary and Lewis?¡± she asked Larissa belere turning to


    Kevan. ¡°They traveled all this way. You


    should have hosted them properly.¡±


    Larissa defended him, saying, ¡°It¡¯s not that Kevan d dn¡¯t want to host them. Rather, my dad and brother


    haven¡¯t slept for a dozen hours. They were loo lired to bother with us. So, they sent us away.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I see¡­ Well alright then.¡±


    11/2


    She offered a smiles


    While Larissa and Kevin were out Violet and Anthony had finished preparing t


    Violet baked a few of them, and each person served themselves a pie.


    As the family gathered around!


    dining table.


    She turned away and wiped the tears at theer of her eyes


    back of her hand.


    Anthony put his hand on her shoulder and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Larissa and Kevin also exchanged concerned nces.


    Aster set down his spoon, hopped out of his chair, and rushed over to Violet¡¯s side.


    He grabbed her arm and asked nervously, ¡°Grandma, what¡¯s wrong


    Violet immediately managed a smile and patted Aster¡¯s head.


    She exined. ¡°I¡¯m just so happy.¡±


    He didn¡¯t quite grasp it and tilted his head with at arted look


    ¡°Why cry when you¡¯re happy?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll understand when you grow up.¡± Violet¡¯s smile deepened.


    She then gazed at each person in the room one by one, sighin ¡°Aher all these years, today, there is


    finally a het

 Chapter 1002

    Chapter 1002


    Chapter 1002


    Larissa had to pick up Gary and Lewis early tomorrow morning.


    So, after having dinner, she returned to her room to freshen up and get ready for bed.


    As shey down on the bed, she found herself tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep no matter what


    she did.


    Kevan had just managed to put Aster to sleep beforeing into the room.


    He noticed that the lights were still on.


    He furrowed his brow and asked. ¡°Why haven¡¯t you fallen asleep yel?¡±


    Larissa led the nket and sat up abruptly.


    ¡°I¡¯m feeling very anxious right now,¡± she admitted.


    Her hair was in disarray.


    There was a troubled expression on herce.


    ¡°Anxious about what?¡± Kevan inquired.


    ¡°Well my dad ising over tomorrow, What if he doesn¡¯t get along with your parents?¡±


    The mere thought of that possibility gave her a headache.


    ¡°Uncle Gary is a reasonable person. He won¡¯t easily give anyone a hard time.¡± Kevan delended Gary.


    His word¡¯s brought a smile to Larissa¡¯s fa


    ¡°Are you saying he hasn¡¯t been giving you a hard time then?¡±


    Kevan cleared his throat awkwardly, attempting to conceal his difort.


    ¡°Well there are reasons for that he replied.


    ¡°AlrighL¡± Larissa understood.


    Kevan had been effectively ¡°tamed by her father.


    Even when Gary wasn¡¯t around, Kevan wouldn¡¯t dare to speak ill of him.


    ¡°I think I¡¯ll give Lewis a call to remind him,¡± she said.


    She unplucard the cable attached to her phone, causing the charging to stop.


    Kevan stopped her.


    ¡°They should already be asleep. Anything you want to say can wait until you pick them up tomorrow


    morning.¡±


    After some thought, she put her phone back. ¡°You¡¯re right,¡±


    Kevan gently pressed her down, pulling the nket up to her chin.


    ¡°Alright, it¡¯s time to sleep.¡±


    He turned off the main light in the room, leaving only a small night light for illumination.


    ¡°We have a lot to do tomorrow, and you didn¡¯t get a chance to rest during the day.¡±


    Larissa stared at him with wide eyes.


    Suddenly, a mischievous smile crossed her face.


    ¡°Do you want to tell me a story or something to hep mes asleep? Maybe that¡¯ll do the trick¡±


    ¡°Help you fall asleep. Well that can be arranged.


    +15 BONOS


    1/2


    His eyes gradually grew darker.


    +15 BONOS


    The next day. Larissa left the house without having breakfast.


    Thanks to Kevan, she had gone to bed early the previous night after a titing day.


    N?velDrama.Org content rights.


    She woke up feeling refreshed and full of energy.


    Gary and Lewis were fully prepared: they were already waiting for her at home.


    As soon as Larissa walked in, they both got up from the couch.


    Gary halted her as she was about to change her shoes, saying, ¡°Don¡¯t bother changing: let¡¯s leave


    now.¡±


    ¡°Huh? So early? She was taken by surprise.


    ¡°I need to get there early to discuss your wedding ns with Kevan¡¯s parents,¡± Gary said calmly.


    However, for Larissa, it felt like he had just dropped a bombshell


    ¡°How did you¡­ know that we¡¯re nning a wedding?¡±


    She began to sweat, as she had never dared to broach the subject with him..


    She had given some hints to Lewis.


    But she had also cautioned him not to leak anything to Gary, fearing it might lead to opposition or even


    trigger a seizure.


    ¡°Did you think you could keep it a secret from me forever?¡± Gary red at her impatiently.


    Feeling guilty, Larissa lowered her head.


    ¡°Well, not exactly¡­¡±


    Her n had been to gradually limate him to the idea over the course of a few months.


    However, she hadn¡¯t expected him to find out so soon.


    ¡°Kevan told me a long time ago. Shortly after you returned to the country, he came to Westonia to meet


    me and asked for my blessing to propose to you.¡± Gary exined.

 Chapter 1003

    Chapter 1003


    Chapter 1003


    Larissa recalled that there was indeed such an incident.


    However, Kevan¡¯s excuse to her was that he needed to go to Westonia to handle matters concerning


    Edmund,


    ¡°Kevan knows how the customs work better than you! You¡¯re not even married. Yel you¡¯re already


    taking his side!¡±


    Gary scoffed.


    His displeasure was quite obvious.


    Larissa chuckled awkwardly, then decided toe clean and reveal the whole truth.


    ¡°Well the truth is, Kevan and I never actually got divorced. I married him over six years ago.¡±


    Gary hadn¡¯t heard this from Kevan.


    So, his emotions seemed conflicted upon first hearing that.


    He clutched his chest. It was as if he were experiencing some difort.


    Larissa and Lewis quickly approached him, asking with concern, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you okay?¡±


    In a sudden change of demeanor, Gary used his other hand to yfully tap Larissa¡¯s forehead.


    His expression instantly returned to normal


    However, the tap was quite forceful, causing Larissa to wince in pain.


    ¡°If you ever dare to hide such important things from me again, it won¡¯t be just a tap on the head.¡± Gary


    warned her sternly.


    Larissa, still holding her forehead, reassured him repeatedly. ¡°I promise I won¡¯t hide anything from you,


    ever!¡±


    +15 BONOS


    Kevan¡¯s parents extended a warm wee to Gary and Lewis.


    As soon as Gary and Lewis entered the house, they were offered tea and snacks,


    The hospitality didn¡¯t wane for a moment.


    Gary, in turn, disyed a surprisingly amiable attitude toward Kevan¡¯s parents.


    It was unclear if this was his usual demeanor, or if Larissa¡¯s constant chatter during the journey had


    softened him.


    Gary had also brought gifts for Anthony and Violet from Westonia.


    Anthony received a box of exquisite cigars and an antique pipe.


    Violet was presented with a priceless set of jewelry acquired from an auction.


    Initially, Anthony and Violet hesitated but eventually epted the gifts after Larissa¡¯s persuasive


    efforts.


    After some casual conversation, Gary got down to the main purpose of his visil.


    ¡°I came here with two objectives to celebrate the big family reunion dinner with the younger generation


    and to discuss wedding arrangements with both of you.¡±


    While they delved into wedding ns, Larissa and Kevan headed to the kitchen to prepare lunch.


    The housekeepers had all returned to their hometowns for the holiday.


    So, they had to handle everything themselves.


    The kitchen was somewhat distant from the living room.


    It was difficult to eavesdrop on the ongoing conversation.


    ¡°Stop peeking. Lewis is there; he¡¯ll keep an eye on Gary,¡± Kevan reassured her, wearing a somewhat


    helpless expression.


    ¡°Oh, by the way, why didn¡¯t you tell me when you went to seek their blessings?¡±


    ¡°I was afraid you wouldn¡¯t let me go,¡± he admitted.


    After all, she had been resisting the idea ofing clean to her family.


    However, they had reached a point where there was no time for hesitation.


    ¡°Plus, if I went alone, your dad could only direct his anger at me.¡±


    He wanted to shield her from any harm.


    In that instant, her anger, which had been simmering inside, dissipated due to his words.


    However, when she thought of the forehead tap she had received earlier today, she still fell quite


    aggrieved.


    She moved closer, brushing aside the strands of hair from her forehead.


    ¡°My dad smacked me¨Cjust because I didn¡¯t tell him about our marriage.¡±


    She pointed at the spot where she had been smacked.


    Her voice was filled with resentment.


    Of course, the faint red mark had long disappeared.


    But Kevan still gently rubbed the area and apologized to her in a low, apologetic tone. ¡°It¡¯s all my fault.¡±


    ¡°Just an apology?¡± She was still not satisfied.


    R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only


    He raised an eyebrow and said in an indulgent tone. ¡°Hmm? Tell me your conditions then. I¡¯ll fulfill


    them,¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a promise then!¡±


    She blinked, a mischievous smile appearing on her face.


    He suddenly had a bad feeling about everything.

 Chapter 1004

    Chapter 1004


    Chapter 1004


    It was a rare asion to have the entire extended family gathered together like this for the  family


    reunion dinner,


    In the evening, everyone was in high spirits, having enjoyed a bit of alcohol,


    Violet took advantage of the festive atmosphere and insisted that Gary and Lewis stay.


    Since Larissa woke up early after a day without proper rest, she was already feeling quite sleepy even


    though the reunion dinner TV celebration had just begun.


    Violet was understanding and told her to go to bed.


    Larissa tried to muster her energy to stay uD.


    ¡°No, I at least wat until after midnight.¡±


    She wasn¡¯t someone who adhered to rituals or traditions.


    In previous years, she wouldn¡¯t have stayed upte specifically to wee the big family reunion


    dinner day.


    But this year was different.


    She had thepanionship of her family.


    She was no longer a drifting, rootless nt in a foreignnd,


    Kevan furrowed his brows slightly and gave her a gente cush


    ¡°You should get some sleep. I wake you up when it¡¯s almost midnight.¡±


    He noticed her tired expression.


    He felt both empathy and a pang of difort.


    He understood what was on her mind and felt even more guilty for not being by her side in the previous


    years.


    As Kevan spoke, several older family members begar to join his side.


    Even Aster joined in, tugging at her hand and insisting on pulling her out of the couch.


    Larissa couldn¡¯t resist their collective efforts.


    So, she exchanged greetings with everyone, and with a yawn, reluctantly headed upstairs.


    ¡°Hey, Larissa! Wake up! it¡¯s almost midnight!¡±


    She was roused from sleep by someone palling herce,


    When she opened her eyes, she was met with Lewis¡¯s mischievous face.


    She swatted his hand away to exact her revenge and then asked. ¡°Why are you waking me up?


    Where¡¯s Kevan?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s downstairs. Aster is keeping him from leaving so I came up,¡± he exined with a wince as he


    rubbed the spot where she¡¯d hit him.


    ¡°Well, you were the one who started it by hitting me first. Don¡¯t try to shift the me.¡± Larissa retorted.


    She pushed aside the nket and sal up.


    She ran her hand through her hair casually and asked. ¡°What time is it now?¡±


    He illuminated his phone to check the time. ¡°It¡¯s 11:59 pm. The countdown is about to start.¡±


    ¡°So soon?¡± Larissa felt like she hadn¡¯t slept for long. ¡°We need to get downstairs quickly, or we¡¯ll miss it


    Lewis grabbed her wrist, holding her back. ¡°Not sost¡±


    E


    +15 BONOS


    Larissa expected that they would be sitting together in front of the TV, watching the celebration, and


    weing the big family reunion dinner with her family.


    ¡°Just give it a little more time,¡± Lewis replied, turning to look out of the dark window.


    She followed his gaze and suddenly noticed something amiss. ¡°Huh..¡±


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    The courtyard lights seemed to have gone off at some point, leaving only a thick darkness outside.


    ¡°Five!¡±


    ¡°Four!¡±


    Larissa heard Aster¡¯s voiceing from the courtyard below.


    Aster¡¯s voice was clear, sweel, and filled with excitement.


    ¡°Three


    *Two!¡±


    Before Larissa could reach the window, the final countdown concluded.


    At the same time, there was a whoosh of rushing air. The next moment, colorful fireworks lit up the


    night sky,


    Bang!


    This fireworks disysted for more than ten minutes.


    She stood by the window, covering her ears, watching as the fireworks rose, exploded, and vanished.


    When it all ended, she could still imagine the remnants of the fireworks.


    She closed her eyes for a moment.


    Then, she turned around and suddenly found herself in a warm, solid embrace.


    ¡°Happy Reunion Day!¡± Kevan¡¯s low and gentle voice sounded above her.


    She was momentarily taken aback, but she quickly reached out and hugged him.

 Chapter 1005

    Chapter 1005


    Chapter 1005


    ¡°Happy Reunion Day!¡±


    For some reason, Larissa¡¯s eyes became a little moist.


    Her voice even sounded a bit choked up.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Kevan nervously held her face, urging her to meet his gaze. ¡°Didn¡¯t you like the


    fireworks just now?¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°Na, I really liked them!¡±


    N?velDrama.Org content rights.


    ¡°Then, why are you crying?¡± Kevan couldn¡¯t stand seeing her cry; it tugged at his heart.


    ¡°I¡¯m just very moved.¡±


    She buried her face in his chest, speaking emotionally, ¡°Weing the big family reunion dinner with


    the person you love is wonderful.¡±


    The corners of Kevan¡¯s mouth gradually curved up as he heard what she said.


    The hand around her waist tightened inch by inch.


    ¡°I love you too. Lar


    He lowered his head and nted a kiss on the top of her head.


    She hurriedly pushed him away as she sensed his body¡¯s response.


    But she couldn¡¯t move him much.


    ¡°They¡¯re still wailing for us downstairs? she reminded him,


    Lewis knew she was awake, and the fireworks were already over.


    Il they stayed here for too long, the others would inevitably start to wonder what was going on.


    As Larissa was a sensitive person, Kevan was worried that there would be consequencester if he


    annoyed her.


    Reluctantly, he released her.


    ¡°You¡¯ll have to make it up to meter,¡± he threatened with a firm tone.


    ¡°How do I make it up to you?¡±


    Larissa suddenly let out augh she was no longer in a hurry to escape.


    She tiptoed and kissed his chin, her lips lingering on his face.


    ¡°Like this?¡±


    She lightly nibbled on his lower lip, squinting her eyes.


    She let out a soll, alluringugh that was irresistibly templing.


    ¡°Or like this?


    Her hands were all over his body, Igniting sparks wherever she louched.


    There was a licker of fire in his dim eyes.


    His blood surged in a specific direction.


    But he held back, patiently waiting for her next move.


    ¡°Want to spice things up a bit?¡± she taunted, raising her chin at him. She locked seductive.


    His Adam¡¯s apple bobbed, and his voice suddenly turned husky, ¡°What do you have in mind?¡®


    ¡°Wait a moment.¡±


    1/2


    +15 BONOS


    He obediently stand in ce.


    But his scorching gaze never left her.


    He watched her walk to the wardrobe, open a drawer, and take out two of his lies.


    She patted the scft mattress,manding him, ¡°Le down.¡±


    His blood was boiling, and a certain image had alreadyrmed in his mind.


    He suppressed his excilement and followed her instructions.


    He took off his shoes andy t on the bed.


    She climbed onto the bed and straddled him.


    ¡°Hands above your head.¡± shemanded.


    So, he raised his hands above his head.


    He was then tied to the bedpost.


    ¡°Done.¡±


    She smiled with joy.


    Her eyes were shining, looking exceptionally beautful.


    He couldn¡¯t take his eyes off her.


    She leaned down, cupped his face in her hands, and gave him a firm kiss on the lips, even making a


    ¡°smack¡± sound.


    He parted his lips, expecting a deeper kiss from her.


    But she quickly pulled away and climbed off the bed.


    ¡°I¡¯m going downstairs to get my big family reunion dinner gifts!¡±


    Sheughed like a triumphant fox; it was smug and yful, but not annoying.


    It was adorable.


    He realized he had been yed by her.


    Heughed in exasperation.


    ¡®Lari, I¡¯ll give you a chance, Untie me now, and I wont hold your actions against you tonight.¡±


    However, she was not intimidated at all


    ¡°Remember you asked me to make a request during lunch in the kitchen? Here¡¯s my request¨Cyou¡¯re


    not allowed to retaliate against me!¡±


    She swiftly disappeared from his sight after finishing speaking, leaving Kevan looking at the mmed


    door.


    He smirked coldly.

 Chapter 1006

    Chapter 1006


    Chapter 1006


    Since Larissa had gone downstairs alone. It was natural to expect a few questions.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Kevan? Why isn¡¯t heing down with you?¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯s Daddy? He said he wouldunch fireworks with me.¡±


    Larissa waked over calmly and made up an excuse. ¡°He¡¯s tired, so he showered and slept.¡±


    The older people did not doubt her. Only Lew¡¯s stared at her thoughtfully.


    ¡°Oh¨CWhy did Daddy sleep so early?¡± Aster pouted in disappointment.


    ¡°You can get him tounch fireworks with you tomorrow. It¡¯ll be the same.¡± Larissa patted his head,


    keeping a calm expression on her face.


    Anthony and Viclet gave the gifts they¡¯d prepared to Larissa and Aster.


    Violet looked at them, tears falling down her cheeks.


    ¡°I have no regrets now,¡± she said.


    ¡°Thank you, Mom. Larissa gave her a big hug.


    Violet was stunned, and she cried harder.


    ¡°Good girl¡± She hugged Larissa back, smiling widely.


    After Anthony and Violet, Gary and Lewis gave them their gifts. However, they were calm. Aster was so


    happy that he jumped for joy.


    Once the little ceremony was over, the parents began showing signs of their exhaustion.


    Anthony said, ¡°It¡¯s gettingte.¡±


    Larissa reached out to Aster. ¡°It¡¯s time for you to sleep, Aster.¡±


    Aster was holding all his gifts. He put them reluctantly in Larissa¡¯s arms and followed her upstairs.


    Once Lanssa put Aster to sleep, she dawdled around before assuming that Kevan¡¯s temper was


    probably gone.


    The entire house was quiet.


    Everyone else had probably slept.


    Larissa opened the bedroom door. It was dark Even the nightlight that she¡¯d left behind has been


    turned off.


    While she was wondering how weird it was an arm in the dark shot out and grabbed her by the wrist,


    pulling her into the room.


    Larissa wanted to scream, but someone mped their hand over her mouth.


    Kevan closed the door with his heel


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    Then, the door was locked with a ¡°click¡°. Larissa was then pushed against the wall.


    In the dark, all she saw was a pair of bright eyes, iluminated green.


    Larissa shuddered.


    She had no idea how Keyan had managed to escape from the ties she¡¯d tied on him. But now was n


    ¡°I was wrong,¡± she apologized immediately, Irying to put him in a good mood.


    ¡°Ill give you one more chance.¡± Kevan was unmoved.


    He pressed her firmly against the wall and began biling her solt lips.


    not a good time to ask.


    Larissa knew that struggling would only anger him. She put her arms around his neck and said softly. ¡°I


    know I was wrong.¡±


    Kevan could resist no longer. He swept her off her feel and threw her onto the bed.


    The next day arrived.


    Without incident, Larissa woke upte.


    The moment she opened her eyes, it was already ten in the moming. Besides her, everyone else had


    already had their breasi. Gary and Lew¡¯s had already left the Rogers¡± vi while she was still


    dreaming. They¡¯d gone back to her house with Kevan in the city center.

 Chapter 1007

    Chapter 1007


    Chapter 1007


    Violet had sel aside Lanssa¡¯s breakfast for her.


    Larissa ate with reddened cheeks, Kevan and Asler, who had been waiting for her, got up at the same


    time. Violet brought out a boxful of Die from the kitchen.


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget it¡¯s.¡± She put the box in Kevan¡¯s hands.


    ¡°Alright. Tharks, Mam.¡± Kevan looked at Larissa and asked. ¡°Can we go now?¡±


    Larissa wanted to Ignore him, but in front of Violet, she couldn¡¯t express her emotions right now.


    ¡°Yes,¡± she replied, pulling Aster toward her. She said goodbye to Violet and strode out the door.


    Kevan smiled in slight annoyance and followed suit.


    Kevan had told Aster beforehand that they were going to see Great¨CGrandpa. Thus, all of Aster¡¯s


    questions on the way there revolved around him.


    ¡°Why is great¨Cgrandpa called ¡®Great¨CGrandpa¡®?¡±


    ¡°Is he Grandpa¡¯s dad?¡±


    ¡°Is Greal¨CGrandpa ferre?¡±


    ¡°If he¡¯s dead, how is he going to eat the pie?¡±


    Kevan pal endly answered all of his questions.


    Meanwhile, Larissa looked out the window silently.


    Kevan sighed Inwardly.


    It seemed that he had gone overboardst night


    He should have stopped when she began begging him to stop.


    But the more she cried, the more it excited the beast within him.


    He pursed his ips and put his legs together.


    At just the mere thought of it, his blood was rushing to his veins.


    They bought a bunch of flowers at the entrance of the graveyard. Kevan held Aster in his arms and


    brought him to the tombstone.


    ¡°We¡¯re here to see you, Grandpa.¡± He got up and used a wet wipe to clean off the dust on the


    tombstone.


    Seeing his grandfather, Larissa wasn¡¯t angry anymore.


    She held Aster and nodded in respect toward the tombstone.


    ¡°Grandpa¡± Larissa looked at the photo of the gentle old man on the tombstone, tears lilling up her eyes.


    ¡°Do you still remember me? I¡¯m Larissa, Kevan¡¯s wife.¡±


    Whilst she spoke, she brought Aster to the front of her and sald. ¡°This is Aster. He¡¯s our son.¡±


    Just like how Kevanught him, Aster said. ¡°Hello, Great¨CGrandpa.¡±


    Kevan never had much to say. He¡¯d said nothing since the wet wipes.


    Larissa began talking on his behall. ¡°Don¡¯t be angry, Grandpa. We actually wanted to bring Aster to you


    a long time ago, but the dust hadn¡¯t settled yet. We were afraid of Cody. the best seals for you.


    ¡°Also, Scaring Corporation has closed down. You must be sad, aren¡¯t you? But Kevan has taken over


    part of its previous projects. Don¡¯t you worry. He¡¯ll do really well


    ¡°Mom and Dad are in good health. Some guests came to visit, so they had to stay and wee them.


    That¡¯s why they couldn¡¯te with us to see you. They wanted me to tell you that they miss you.


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    ¡°But I think you¡¯ll be busy, anyway. You¡¯re with Grandma now. You must have lots of things you want to


    say¨Cnot to mention the things you want to do together. Maybe you think I¡¯m annoying for interrupting


    you.¡±


    Larissa wiped off her tears and smiled.


    ¡°We shall leave now.¡± She palled Aster on the head and said. ¡°Say goodbye to Great¨CGrandpa. Aster.¡±


    Aster waved at the tombstone. ¡°Goodbye, Greal¨CGrandpa!¡±


    Kevan said it, too. ¡°Goodbye. Grandpa.¡±

 Chapter 1008

    Chapter 1008


    Chapter 1008


    Gary and Lewis lelt Bartham after two days.


    Blue Star did not give them time off. They couldn¡¯t stay for long.


    Larissa¡¯s holidays wereing to an end as well, Hall of the time, she was in the Rogers¡® vi.


    Because of the pandemic, most of the shops weren¡¯t open yet. She slept and ate at home most of the


    time and apanied her family. It


    was quite nice.


    After the holidays, Kevan and Larissa went back to work.


    Aster was sent to the kindergarten that he¡¯d been to before. Violet was the one who drove him to and


    fro.


    In fact, in order to better take care of him, the parents moved out of Rogers vi and bought a house in


    Kevan and Larissa¡¯s neighborhood.


    The days passed in the blink of an eye.


    Blue Star¡¯spany in Bartham was quickly buill. Lewis sent over a few loyal and trained employees


    to hold the fort with Larissa and hired people ording to thepany¡¯s needs. Thepany was


    soon on the right track, and the headquarters¡® work was moved over.


    Larissa grew busier and busier.


    But even with how busy she was, she had to take the time to meet many designers, lel them measure


    her, and discuss gown and jewelry


    ideas with them.


    Larissa was on the verge of a breakdown multiple times, and she even thought of canceling the


    wedding. But when she saw the eagerness in Kevan¡¯s eyes, she had to do it.


    She¡¯d pretend it was all for him.


    That was what she told hersell.


    May arrived.


    The pandemic was basically over. It had migrated to other countries as Lewis had expected.


    Thankfully, Blue Star had moved most of their departments back to the country before Westonia was


    hit. Now, they could work for their country and send medical supplies abroad, earning more than they¡¯d


    ever dreamed of.


    As for their rival Moorewell Shipping, after their failure in court, they were devastated,


    The clients who were swayed away by Moorewell Shipping were nowing back and begging to


    work with Blue Star Shipping once


    mor.


    Marilyn, who had yed a big part in all this, was rumored to have been kicked out of the house by her


    own father. She wasn¡¯t even allowed to say that she was his illegitimate daughter.


    Everything was moving in the right direction.


    And amidst this joylul season, came Larissa and Kevan¡¯s wedding.


    Larissa thought that she would be relieved when the day arrived. However, she began leeing excited.


    The wedding was to be held at Starville Hotel.


    After Soaring Corporation closed down, Kevan bought the ce.


    This was where he and Larissa had had their first date.


    This time, Kevan did not make things hard for her and the other guests.


    He hired cable cars for the guests to ascend the mountain.


    +15 BONOS


    Kewan buit a ss hall in


    the b


    best spot on the mountain. The wedding was to be held here.


    Larissa had rushed to Stanville Hotel after finishing off all of her work. She missed the wedding


    rehearsals. Early the next day, the stylist wake her up and she did her hair, and makeup, and pul on her


    dress in a blur.


    After that, she was awakened by the harsh and cold wind outside the hotel.


    She held the down jacket that the stylist prepared for her tighter and asked while shivering, ¡°Where are


    we going?¡±


    Her bridesmaid, Wendy, batted her eyes at her and said mysteriously. ¡°You¡¯ll know wher we get there.¡±


    There was a red carpet ced outside the hotel.


    Larissa followed Wendy and walked on it.


    Not long after, she saw an arch built out of rases of various


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    The arch was as tall as a person. It was beautiful and majestic. Larissa slowed her footsteps and


    widened her eyes in amazement.

 Chapter 1009

    Chapter 1009


    Chapter 1009


    Wendy said. ¡°You have to walk faster than this. Larissa! It¡¯s almost time! Your husband can¡¯t wait!¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± Larissa quickly gathered up her skirts and followed her.


    The sun was out.


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    Its golden rays shene softly on the red carpet through the rose petals.


    Larissa suppressed her desire to stay here for a little while longer and quickly walked toward the end.


    It was the door to the ss hall.


    Gary held Aster¡¯s hand and his cane in the other, waiting for her at the entrance.


    When he saw her. Aster immediately let go of Gary¡¯s hand and rushed toward her. ¡°You¡¯re so pretty


    today, Mommy!¡±


    Larissa palted his head and smiled gently. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Aster was her liewer boy. Like Gary, he was wearing a tuxedo with a little bowtie


    He was holding a basket that was proportionate to his body. In it were rose petals of various colors and


    shapes.


    The music suddenly began ying.


    Gary walked up to her and extended his arm toward her. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    He looked at her with a smile, his eyes glistening with moisture.


    Larissa suddenly felt the urge to cry.


    Wendy said expressionlessly. ¡°They¡¯re recording this! Ruined makeup does not look nice.¡±


    Larissa immediately held back her tears.


    She tookoll the down jackel and handed it to the stylist. Holding Lewis¡® arm, they walked slowly into the


    hall 2


    Aster walked in front, throwing rose petals into the air.


    The guests apuded.


    Larissa saw many familiar faces, Lewis, Dn, Sasha and Anthony and Violet.


    She smiled and waved at them, feeling grateful that they hade today.


    very long.


    The hall was not veryrge, and the red carpet was not very


    Although Gary walked slowly, it only took them two minutes to reach the end of it.


    Kevan stood there, watching her quietly. There was a light in his dark eyes.


    He smiled like an idiot


    Gary coughed softly, making Kevane to his senses. He said respectfully. ¡°Dad.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Gary looked at Larissa and gave him her hand reluctantly. ¡°My daughter. His voice was choked


    up.¡°. Is now under your protection. If you dare to let her down, I will chop oll your legs.¡±


    ¡°Dad.¡± Larissa was both annoyed and amused, but his words made her tear up.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I will not let her down.¡± Kevan promised.


    He held Larissa¡¯s hard and nodded respectfully to Gary. Then, they walked to the altar.


    ¡°Kevan Rogers, do you take Larissa to be yourwfully wedded wife, for richer, lor poorer, in sickness


    and in health, to love and to cherish. until parted by death?¡±


    Kevan held up Larissa¡¯s hand and kissed it gently, saying seriously. ¡°I do.¡±


    remain faithful to him, until parted by death?¡±


    Feeling a slight tremble from Kevan, Larissa smiled.


    Such a dignilied man had rubbed off all of his corners for her and was now so humbled.


    How could she bear to make him feel afraid right now?


    ¡°Of course I do.¡±


    She stepped forward and kissed him on the lips while on tiptoes.


    Falling for him was instant, but loving him was forever.


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    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!