Ruby squeezed out a bitter smile. "Earlier, haven't you blocked my phone number and deleted my social media accounts? 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 turn out like this!" "You don't have to blame yourself. It was my own choice, so I should bear the consequences," Ruby said graciously.Kevan continued, "What do you plan to do?" "What else can I do?" Ruby's eyes were filled with sadness. "I have to pretend as if everything is alright and continue living with Cody." "You can file for divorce," Kevan suggested."Divorce?" Ruby laughed 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 I get divorced, what then?" Ruby asked, "As a divorced woman, who would dare to marry me?"As she spoke, her eyes stared directly at
Although Larissa said she would help out in the kitchen, she had actually lied. In fact, she was in the living room, playing on her phone to pass the time."Who knows what those two are doing in the kitchen," she thought to herself. 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 afternoon passed quickly, and evening fell. 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 playing poker with Aunt Nancy and the others?""I asked Edmund to take my place," 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
Three days later, Anthony and Violet had to make a trip to Violet's parents' home. Before leaving early in the morning, Violet knocked on Kevan's bedroom door and reminded him yet again, "Don't forget, today you have to 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 I'll continue staying at the hotel? Is that okay with you?" "No, you can't," Kevan refused without hesitation, "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 accommodation. If you don't want to stay with me, you can rent a house yourself. However, let me kindly remind you that there aren't any rooms for rent, only whole units at the apartment complexes near the Regal Dynasty Hotel. The rental prices start from ten thousand dollars a month at a minimum. You should consider it carefu
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 have come to find him."Why?" Kevan stared at her intently, his eyes shining with anticipation. Larissa couldn't help but think that his reaction seemed unusual. "I need to know about your relationship 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 brilliance 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
Larissa followed the incident on the news sporadically, but she didn't pay much attention to it. Apart from cursing the Cole family for their much-deserved fate, she moved on with her daily life. However, she never expected that Jay would come for her one day. That day, Larissa went downstairs to patrol the hotel rooms 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 clamped over her mouth and nose. Larissa struggled to get away, but she quickly passed out. When she regained consciousness, she was on the hotel rooftop. Her hands and feet were bound with coarse ropes, and a piece of cloth was stuffed into her mouth.Jay stood in front of her.Although he was still well-dressed, he appeared much more haggard than the last time they had met. His eye bags drooped over his sallow cheeks, showing how m
"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 hook. He kicked her repeatedly, leaving bruises and marks on her limbs, abdomen, and face. "You bitch, 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 to come 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 appeare
Larissa's chest tightened, almost suffocating her. Instinctively, the assistant looked at Larissa, his face filled with distress. Such a cruel decision should not be made by him. However … "Tell Larissa that I will definitely avenge her, so she won't have to feel wronged." Kevan's chilling words that sealed her fate 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 place?" 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 snatch the phone away from him.The assistant evaded Jay's attack easily and held the phone fir
Jay's suicide made headlines in the media, and news of him kidnapping Larissa gradually spread. 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 tearfully admonished Larissa with advice on recuperating and left a thermos of hot soup for her. Just as she left, Edmund arrived.He strode into her ward with a large bouquet of champagne roses. "Lari," Edmund called out affectionately, his eyes filled with concern. "Are you seriously injured?" Larissa felt a headache coming on."I'm fine," she replied indifferently, trying to create some distance between them. "What do you mean, fine?" 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