"I was drugged. Originally, I wanted to get you to find a call girl for me, but you didn’t pick up my calls… When you came up, I couldn’t hold myself back anymore," Kevan said as if his actions were justified, and there was no hint of regret on his face.Larissa was not quite able to react at the moment, so she failed to respond to him.Kevan swiftly turned away, avoiding eye contact with some guilt. He pulled open the bedside table drawer and retrieved a billfold. Then he drew out a card."This is my supplementary card. There’s no limit to it. Just swipe it whenever you want." He handed the card to her. "Consider it compensation for last night."While he was saying all that, he stared at the bed, not really daring to look at her. His heart was pounding faster than it usually did, and he held his breath, listening attentively to Larissa’s movements.Larissa had long since figured out that he was acting weird. Getting involved with him was her own choice. However, what he said earl
"Ms. Seymour here is my daughter-in-law. She’s been married to my son for almost a year but hasn’t gotten pregnant yet. We’ve never held it against her and wanted to take her to the hospital for checkups, but she refused no matter what. She even spoke aggressively to me in front of a bunch of relatives to embarrass me!"But even then, my foolish boy didn’t divorce her and kept protecting her! Since she’s incapable of getting pregnant, my son found a way and got a surrogate instead. She even agreed to it, but now that the surrogate is pregnant, she wants to back out of it! Two nights ago, she even pushed the surrogate down onto the floor at a fancy restaurant. The woman was already four months pregnant! Also, she poured hot stew all over the poor girl! The surrogate nearly lost the baby, and she’s still under observation at the hospital!"Tell me, people. How can she be so cruel!"Larissa always knew that Janine’s skills in distorting the truth were impeccable but hearing the ridicul
Larissa's office was situated on the side of the hotel facing the street.Not long after she went upstairs, the sounds of police sirens could be heard below. She pushed open the window and looked down. There was a police car parked in front of the hotel’s main entrance. A few minutes later, two policemen led the Hardy couple out.What really surprised her was that they were not resisting. They did not even pull away from the police and followed them obediently into the car. Larissa only found out the reason later from Livie, who said, "Mr. Rogers said he was going to pay two million dollars for their lives. It scared them well. When they saw the police, it was like they’d found their saviors and insisted on going with them so that they would be protected."Livie continued to narrate with rapture, "You didn’t even see how they looked afterward, Ms. Seymour. They were just two total losers. It was hilarious."Larissa could not bring herself to laugh about it, however. Now that those
"What the hell do you mean?" Larissa was no longer able to keep calm, and she leaped to her feet, scaring the waiter who had brought her drink over."Your—your lemon tea, miss." The waiter put the cup on the table nervously, his eyes darting between the two before leaving. Even then, he kept turning back to look at them.Having been interrupted like that, Larissa recognized that she was in a public setting and somewhat restrained her discontent."I paid the down payment, and I’ve been paying the monthly mortgage too. If the house has nothing to do with me, then who else could it belong to?" She struggled to keep her voice low enough so that only the two of them could hear.Hearing this, Travis unhurriedly retrieved yet another document from his ever-present briefcase."Take a look at this."On the top of the first page, bold letters announced the document to be an agreement for the gifting of property. Larissa’s gaze stopped at the title for two seconds before she began reading q
Larissa was confused by the accusation. But as she was someone who had quite some experience working here, she had met more unreasonable guests.Therefore, she was able to react quickly and gave her an apologetic smile. "My apologies, Ms. Gallagher. There must be a misunderstanding here. I just got back, and I am not quite sure what’s going on. Could you give me some time to look into the situation?"At the same time, her mind was racing. The Regal Dynasty was a proper hotel with an established background. It would not be possible for them to forcibly evict someone without cause. But seeing the guards and cleaning staff present, the eviction did not seem false either.Larissa could think of no one else who had the power to evict guests other than the general manager.She was just about to call him for clarification about the situation when the door to the room at the end of the corridor opened.Dylan emerged in his pajamas. His was stone-faced and exuded a cold aura similar to Kev
Dylan spat out the water he had just drunk.He hurriedly leaned forward to grab tissues from the dispenser and wiped his mouth as well as the wet stains on his clothes."My apologies." He was a tad embarrassed, and yet there was a hint of amusement in his eyes. Once he had straightened up again, he pretended to act serious by rubbing his chin in deep thought. Then he said in a straight-faced manner, "There actually is something wrong with Mr. Rogers. He really does have a problem."Larissa perked up at that."He’s a total germaphobe," Dylan grumbled with disdain, clearly having been a victim of it.This bit of gossip was nothing exciting for Larissa, but as she had not quite experienced it herself, she could not relate to him.She just didn't quite understand. "How does being a germaphobe have anything to do with rejecting Karin Gallagher?""Mr. Rogers’ germaphobia is so extreme that he can’t even have bodily contact with anyone else. When he goes out on business trips, he doesn
"Such as…" Dylan’s smile became sly as his gaze shifted over to Kevan. "Having good relations with Mr. Rogers here and having him help out in dealing with them."Larissa’s ballooning anticipation burst like Dylan had punctured it with a needle."Um…" She glanced furtively at Kevan, who seemed completely indifferent. "It’s better not to bother Mr. Rogers, right?"Kevan spoke up at this time. "What, you don’t think I’m good enough for the task?" He gazed at her with a half-smile on his face.Larissa quickly explained. "Of course not. You’re a busy man, Mr. Rogers. How could I trouble you with something insignificant like that? Besides, I’ve only known you for a few days…"She did not know which part of her words had ruffled Kevan’s feathers."Indeed." Kevan’s smile got a little bigger, but his gaze became cold. "How could you trouble me with something as trivial as this? However—" His words suddenly took a turn. "You did me a big favor yesterday, I should repay you somehow. Why don
When Larissa opened her eyes, she was still rather out of it.Even so, she could recognize that she was in Room 8888, the place where she had been "fortunate" enough to have spent that fateful night with Kevan.Shock and fear chasing away the last bit of tiredness in her bones, Larissa lifted a corner of the sheets—She was not naked like she thought she would be. However, her current state of dress was not that much better either. The clothes she wore yesterday were gone. They were replaced by a high-end silk dressing gown that the hotel had custom-made for high-profile guests.Moreover, the concealer on her neck was gone too, revealing deep red kiss marks.She could not remember what happened last night and dared not try to recall the events.She was alone in the huge king-sized bed, the space beside her empty. The pillows were stacked neatly at the head of the bed, and the sheets were neat apart from the side that she slept in.Larissa did not know if Kevan had already left t
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