The unexpected pairing left Larissa completely bewildered. She couldn't comprehend 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 explanation.Kevan's response was concise but lacked 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 become pregnant with Cody's child?" What else had she missed while she was in recovery?"Not sure," he lied with remarkable composure. "I'm not close with Lana, after all.""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, contemplating the intricacies of the situation.Given Lana's behavior, Larissa was confident that her relationship wit
Time passed quickly, and it was already half a month later. 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. Nonetheless, her plan 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 relationship 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 ar
The doorbell rang, and Kevan, who got annoyed, furrowed his brows and walked to the door. He asked in a cold and displeased tone, "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 typical fare like steak and pasta. He didn't have much of an appetite and only took a few bites before setting down his utensils.She looked slightly worried as she observed him. "Don't you like it?"He smiled and shook his head. "I'm not that hungry." "Well, then ..." She raised the glass next to her. "How about a drink?"Due to past experiences of being drugged, he was particularly wary in such situations. "I'm good," he replied, rubbing his temples. "I've been working all afternoon, and
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 place 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 Internet, capturing the silhouettes of the bride and groom. After about half an hour, her phone suddenly rang. It was Dylan.Dylan rarely called her during work hours, so she was startled, and her heart started beating faster involuntarily. When she answered the call, her hands trembled. But before she could even speak, she heard Dylan urgently say, "Something happened to Kevan!"Her mind went blank in that instant, and she didn't know how long it to
Kevan's ward was surrounded by muscular bodyguards dressed in black 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 Dylan. He looked at Larissa and asked, "Who is this?"Larissa felt a sense of awkwardness, uncertain whether she should leave or stay. Dylan felt 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.Dylan 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 successfully removed from his body, but he hasn't regained consciousness yet."Larissa exclaimed upon hearing this, "Bullet? What e
Larissa couldn't accept this reality. Despite Kevan's numerous flaws, 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 clinging to life with injected nutrients, was unimaginable to her.She reached out and touched his large, bony hand. Despite the perpetual summer on the island, his hand remained as cold as ever, causing her heart to ache.After struggling to hold back her tears for a long time, she finally let them flow and fell onto the snowy white sheets, leaving dark stains behind. However, she bit her lip to stifle any sound, afraid that her crying might disturb him. Dylan, who stood at the door, caught a glimpse of the figure huddled by the edge of the hospital bed, trembling uncontrollably. He silently withdrew his hand from the doorknob....Due to the language barrier, the police couldn't gather much information from the shooter, despite capturing him. The details provided
It felt as if the entire sky had come crashing down. Larissa's head throbbed as if 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 black, and she lost consciousness completely.When she regained consciousness, she found herself lying in a bed. The scent of disinfectant in the air reminded her that she was still in the hospital. She turned her head and saw Kevan lying motionless on the bed next to her, resembling a lifeless, delicate puppet. Her nose tingled, and tears welled up once again.After some time, she managed to calm herself down. She peeked out from under the covers and noticed that Dylan was also present. She hastily used the back of her hand to wipe away the remaining tear stains on her face. She sniffled and asked him, "When did you get here?""About three or four minutes ago," he replied, his eyes filled with sympath
Larissa's sleep quality improved significantly. Nearly every night, around 11 pm, she would begin to feel drowsy, and within a couple of minutes of closing her eyes, she would fall into a deep, dreamless slumber. She would wake up to the warm glow of daylight, feeling refreshed and rejuvenated.Yet, there were moments when she experienced an odd soreness in her body. At first, she suspected that someone might have violated her while she was unconscious. However, with Kevan's bodyguards stationed outside the ward and Kevan himself 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 condition 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 brother and I are genuinely concerned about Kevan. The si
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