Larissa couldn't think of a reason why they were acting like this. Therefore, she decided to wait and see."Sure, I'll stay," she said. "Tomorrow, I shall accompany you to the hospital for chemotherapy."A panicked expression appeared on Yvette's face. "Chemotherapy treatments need to be scheduled in advance!" Her voice shook as she plastered 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 accompany 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 already late, 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 declared proudly.Larissa
Around 9 am, someone knocked on her door. "Miss Larissa, are you awake?" the staff asked in a very respectful manner. It 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 you come downstairs later to eat?" the staff 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 concerned 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 breakfast before returning to bed, feeling ill at ease. Anyway, since they didn't do anything to her yet, she would stay put.
Larissa was tempted to give Lana a standing ovation for her profound words and heartfelt declaration."Great, I'll go with you." Larissa turned 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 guests.Jay Cole, the boss of Summer Entertainment, was nearly seventy years old.However, he took 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 many middle-aged men in their forties and fifties. This could be seen from his recent marriage to a 23-year-old model, Annabell Willis, as his fourth wife.Working at the Regal Dynasty Hotel, Larissa had the chance to come in contact with several production crew members and staff working within the entertainment industry. Listening to the gossip that was spread among them, she knew a thing or two about Jay. Jay h
As expected, Yvette didn't disappoint her. Larissa sneered inwardly. Yvette made up an explanation 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 poker face. Lana had no choice and continued with a wide smile on her face, "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 relationship as a family!" Jay accepted their explanation without further questions. In contrast, Reuben stared at Larissa with a slightly peculiar 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, Mrs. Col
Dorian smiled and his beady eyes almost disappeared from view. His puffy cheeks trembled as he spoke, making Larissa's stomach churn. 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. "Glad to meet you too," Larissa forced a smile and said insincerely.As she was about to retract her hand, Dorian gripped it forcefully and ran his sweaty palm over the back of her hand, leaving a patch of moisture on her skin. Larissa was so 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 chairs,
"Sure." Larissa agreed pleasantly. "Let's go outside and take a look around."The warm rays of the afternoon sun shone on them brightly, relieving the chill of winter 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, puzzled. Reuben seemed surprised that Larissa's attitude was so much different from when they were indoors. "I'll be honest with you, Mr. Col
Xavier was away for work, attending a New Year's event hosted by a TV station. Since he would only return tomorrow, Yvette invited the Cole family to spend the night at Seymour Mansion. Naturally, they were allocated guest rooms on the third floor. Reuben was deliberately given a room across from Larissa's. Before going to bed, the household staff presented each guest with some hot milk and a fruit salad, 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, she lay 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. Hours later,
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 staff. As Larissa was about to close the door, Reuben emerged from the room across from hers. Glancing at the tray in her hand, he mouthed silently, "Do not eat that." After what happened last 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. S