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
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 themself upon her and ripped her clothes apart."What are you doing, Reuben?!" Larissa pushed away and slapped him on r
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 turn around.Staring blankly 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."She didn't blame Reuben. She only blamed herself for naively trusting others easily. Reuben had taught her a profound lesson today, and she decided to be grateful to him.The buttons on 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 hoodie, before going to Xavier's stu
The room fell into silence. Jay was put into a difficult situation. Five million dollars 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 flick 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 five million dollars would go to waste.On the flip side of things, Larissa was a good match for his foolish 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 would last 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 dollars first? You'll get the remainder after you register your marriage?"It wouldn't bother him if the one million dollars pr
"Why ... Why are you here?" Larissa asked when she finally snapped out of her daze."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 explained.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 parents come 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 you