Just now, Officer Sanders seemed visibly displeased. Larissa couldn't help feeling uneasy at his expression. Her perceptiveness was probably a workplace hazard developed from being in the service industry for far too long. However, Dylan 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," Dylan 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 their 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 or family 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 viol
Dylan immediately called Kevan. The call went through, but no one answered the phone. In a state of panic, Dylan 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 Dylan's request, the nurse made an announcement over the loudspeaker, "Mr. Rogers, your friend is waiting 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 surveillance footage?" she asked Dylan."Let's wait a bit," Dylan 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 he comes back, someone is there waiting for him." Larissa followed Dylan
After a moment of silence, Kevan conceded. "Suit yourself." He settled down and lay flat on the bed, pulling the blanket up to his chin and closing his eyes tightly.By the time Kevan was done with his IV drip, it was already dark outside. Dylan 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 seat.Closing his eyes to rest, Kevan remained silent throughout the drive. While driving, Dylan 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," Dylan didn't insist.Larissa got out of the car first, while Dylan and Kevan remained inside."Which acquaintance did you meet?" Dylan 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 outsi
An elegant, middle-aged lady walked in. The instant the door was closed, her face twisted into a ferocious expression of anger and hatred. Long-forgotten memories flooded Larissa's mind like a tidal wave, causing her eyes to widen in fear.A heavy slap landed on Larissa's face, making a loud cracking sound. Although the force of the slap wasn't as strong as she remembered it, Larissa could still feel 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 peace! Can't you learn 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,
After Larissa regained her composure, she demanded angrily, "Who told you to use money to appease them?" Those greedy snakes from the Hardy family were insatiable. After taking the one million dollars, 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?" Yvette said 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 retorted. 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 Yvette herself. In the first place, the Seymour family wasn't too fond of Yvette either. Just thinking of their mockery and judgemental looks was enough to rile Yvette up.
Larissa looked back from the rear window of the car. She couldn't see Yvette or anyone else. Then, she leaned back in her seat. Slowly her pounding heart rate returned to normal. Then, she asked, "Why are you here?""I was passing by," Kevan replied indifferently.Larissa didn't believe him. "You were waiting for me. Why? How did you know I would come out from the back?" Still, Kevan insisted, "I just happened to pass by."Larissa pursed her lips and stared at him as if trying to find 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. It 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 someone was in the car, making Larissa nervous.
He forcefully pressed the button to open the doors, and the panic in his eyes was obvious."Are you crazy? Do you know how dangerous it is to block the elevator door?" he chastised.Larissa had some common 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 felt annoyed. Even though she did something wrong, she was the one who was hurt. She didn’t understand why she felt 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 Kevan, she couldn’t touch it. So, she whispered, "Please help me press the button to floor 18. Thank you."Kevan
The words ‘matching set for couples’ popped into Larissa’s mind, and she quickly rejected the idea. The most reasonable answer to this was that he bought all the slippers in the store for convenience. If she looked in his shoe cabinet, she would find … What? Nothing inside?This discovery was unexpected, and she suddenly found the slippers uncomfortable. Then, Kevan put their shoes back into the cabinet. When he turned back, he saw Larissa staring at the shoe cabinet with a complicated 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 sofa."Sit." Larissa followed his order and sat on the edge of the sofa 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 gotten her an ice pack. "Put it
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.Its golden rays shone 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 glass 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 patted his head and smiled gently. "Thank you."Aster was her flower 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 playing.Gary walked up to her and extended his arm toward her. "Let's go."He looked at her with a smile, his eyes g
Gary and Lewis left Bartham after two days.Blue Star did not give them time off. They couldn't stay for long.Larissa's holidays were coming to an end as well. Half of the time, she was in the Rogers' villa.Because of the pandemic, most of the shops weren't open yet. She slept and ate at home most of the time and accompanied 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' villa and bought a house in Kevan and Larissa's neighborhood.The days passed in the blink of an eye.Blue Star's company in Bartham was quickly built. Lewis sent over a few loyal and trained employees to hold the fort with Larissa and hired people according to the company's needs. The company was soon on the right track, and the headquarters' work was moved over.Larissa grew busier an
Violet had set aside Larissa's breakfast for her.Larissa ate with reddened cheeks. Kevan and Aster, who had been waiting for her, got up at the same time. Violet brought out a boxful of pie from the kitchen."Don't forget this." She put the box in Kevan's hands."Alright. Thanks, Mom." 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-Grandpa. Thus, all of Aster's questions on the way there revolved around him."Why is great-grandpa called 'Great-Grandpa'?""Is he Grandpa's dad?""Is Great-Grandpa fierce?""If he's dead, how is he going to eat the pie?"…Kevan patiently answered all of his questions.Meanwhile, Larissa looked out the window silently.Keva
Since Larissa had gone downstairs alone, it was natural to expect a few questions."Where's Kevan? Why isn't he coming down with you?""Where's Daddy? He said he would launch fireworks with me."Larissa walked over calmly and made up an excuse. "He's tired, so he showered and slept."The older people did not doubt her. Only Lewis stared at her thoughtfully."Oh … Why did Daddy sleep so early?" Aster pouted in disappointment."You can get him to launch fireworks with you tomorrow. It'll be the same." Larissa patted his head, keeping a calm expression on her face.Anthony and Violet 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
"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. "No, I really liked them!""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, "Welcoming 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, Lari."He lowered his head and planted 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 waiting for us downstairs!" she reminded him.Lewis knew she was awake, and the fireworks were already over. If they stayed he
It was a rare occasion to have the entire extended family gathered together like this for the big 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 up."No, I'll at least wait until after midnight."She wasn't someone who adhered to rituals or traditions.In previous years, she wouldn't have stayed up late specifically to welcome the big family reunion dinner day.But this year was different.She had the companionship of her family.She was no longer a drifting, rootless plant in a foreign land.Kevan furrowed his brows slightly and gave her a gentle push."You should get some sleep.
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. Yet, you're already taking his side!"Gary scoffed.His displeasure was quite obvious.Larissa chuckled awkwardly, then decided to come 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 discomfort.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 playfully tap Larissa's forehead.His expression instantly returned to normal. However, the tap was quite forceful, causing Larissa to wince in pain."If yo
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 she lay 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 before coming into the room. He noticed that the lights were still on.He furrowed his brow and asked, "Why haven't you fallen asleep yet?"Larissa lifted the blanket and sat up abruptly. "I'm feeling very anxious right now," she admitted.Her hair was in disarray.There was a troubled expression on her face."Anxious about what?" Kevan inquired."Well, my dad is coming 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 defended Gary.His words brought a smile to Larissa's face. "Are you saying he hasn't been gi
"Alright, then. We shall head out." Larissa gathered her belongings and pulled Kevan toward the exit."I'll come pick you up tomorrow morning. It's almost the big family reunion dinner day. "So, it's hard to find a cab on the road. You might even find yourself waiting for half a day without coming across an empty cab."Gary didn't refuse. Instead, he requested, "Then, you come alone tomorrow."Her steps hesitated a moment, and she sighed inwardly. Gary really hadn't changed."Alright," she agreed.…As soon as they closed the door, Larissa began complaining to Kevan, "I thought my dad had really come around! Turns out, he still has reservations about you!"Kevan tightened 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 y