Larissa did not expect him to ask that, so she was a little panicked. Avoiding his gaze, she tried to dodge the question. "Well, I'm just asking, that's all."Dylan was really affected by her strange reaction. He suddenly had a ridiculous thought. "You can't possibly not know who Aster's dad is, right?!"Seeing that he had hit the nail on the head, Larissa was so scared that she was at a loss. She quickly dashed up to clap her hand over his mouth. "Don't fucking say shit like that!""Mommy, Uncle Dylan, what are you doing?" Aster's sweet voice sounded from a distance not far away.Jolting hard, Larissa turned to look.Aster and Kevan were standing side by side at the foot of the stairs about six and a half feet away from them. Their similar eyes showed the same amount of confusion.Larissa let go of Dylan at once. Smiling sheepishly, she explained, "Uncle Dylan said a bad word. I'm criticizing him for that."Aster thought it was true—whenever Wendy accidentally said bad words at
His phone number had never changed all these years, so it was not difficult for her if she wanted to find it. Besides, Aster's phone had a copy of his phone number too."Larissa requested to chat with me on WhatsApp!" Dylan's voice unconsciously grew louder, and there was excitement and delight in his tone.Although he had gotten Larissa's phone number from Aster early on, he had not dared to reach out to her due to his fear of his secret communication with Aster getting exposed as well as his fear of Aster getting a scolding from his mother. He did not expect her to reach out voluntarily to him, but he could guess at her motives for doing so.Before he could accept the request, Kevan snatched his phone from him and accepted on his behalf. Larissa must have been waiting on the other side because she sent a text at once. "Aster is my best friend's son! My question to you has nothing to do with Aster, so don't think too much into it! And don't you dare spew any nonsense to anyone, ESP
It was not that Larissa thought that Mrs. Potts was abusing Aster by not letting him eat. Although she was not entirely clear about Mrs. Potts' character, she knew a thing or two after having spent time together for a while. Besides, Mrs. Potts was recommended by Dylan, so there should not be any problems with her character …But precisely because she was recommended by Dylan, Larissa could not help but wonder and suspect if she was in cahoots with Dylan behind her back.Larissa did not directly ask Mrs. Potts about this, but she waited until she was gone before calling Aster to her. She maintained an affable nature when she was with Aster."Have you eaten?" she asked.Aster nodded and said brightly, "Yup! I have."Larissa continued to ask, "What did you eat?"Aster replied without hesitation, "Scrambled eggs, chicken nuggets, mac and cheese, and mushroom soup." These were all his favorites.However, the kitchen did not have a single trace of these foods. The first three could b
Seeing that her face was still one of displeasure, Aster carefully took two steps forward and held her hand. "Mommy, I'm sorry. I was wrong. Please don't be angry anymore, please?" He wiped his tears with the back of his hand, not daring to even let out a sniffle.Coming back to herself, Larissa saw his timid look and pulled him into her arms with some amount of heartache."Okay," she promised him. "But you cannot lie to me again—no matter who tells you to do it. Do you understand?""Yes!" Aster nodded several times.That night, Larissa dismissed Mrs. Potts, who asked nervously, "Was there something I did that you weren't satisfied with?"Larissa smiled and said, "No. It's that Aster is fully recovered, and you no longer need to take care of him anymore. I was happy to have you on board. The remainder of your salary will be transferred to your account tomorrow. If I still need you in the future, I will surely contact you again."She knew very well that Mrs. Potts was working unde
Larissa got a call from Aster's homeroom teacher during work once again. She hurriedly made her way to the kindergarten and found Aster in the teacher's office. He stood next to the homeroom teacher's seat with his head down, his eyes red even as his teeth bit down hard into his lower lip. The look on his face was one of stubbornness.Well, he did not look ill.Larissa released a little sigh of relief.The homeroom teacher stood up immediately upon seeing her."Ma'am—"Aster turned to look at her, and his eyes were a little watery. His stubbornness gradually faded into unhappiness. Her heart aching, Larissa hastened forward to bring him into her arms."Ms. Gilmore." She turned to look at the homeroom teacher. "What happened?"In the phone call, Ella Gilmore had only said that "something had happened," and that Larissa should "come over to the Academy quickly," but she did not say what happened exactly. Looking at Aster, Ella sighed softly. "Aster pushed Bethany, causing her to f
Ella picked up where he left off. "Originally, we had another teacher accompanying the students who were in charge of specific tasks, but that teacher is on sick leave today. I was bringing the other kids to the next room to have their naps, so I could not take care of things here. That is why I did not see what happened exactly in person, and only have their words with regard to the event. To be honest, I'm the one at fault as I did not fulfill my responsibilities properly." She was very critical of herself.Larissa did not blame her though. Honestly, if Bethany had not decided to put up an act and cause trouble, nothing would have happened."How did Bethany's guardians respond to this?" Larissa asked."Well, her grandma didn't say anything and just took her away. But if her mother is aware of this incident … I'm sure she will come to our class and cause some trouble. You must be prepared." Ella looked scared, making it clear that this was not the first time it had happened."Alri
Kevan, too, received a call from Violet at work and found out about the matter between the two kids. Unlike Violet's hesitation, he did not need to think too deeply into things to know that this altercation was caused by Bethany.Although he had not met Bethany all that much during these past few years, he knew her better than Violet, who spent a lot of her time with the kid. At Violet's request and urging, he rushed to the hospital and saw Bethany wailing non-stop on the hospital bed. Her right arm was bound in bandages, likely the "scalded by hot water" wound that Violet was talking about.Violet and the nanny specifically hired to take care of Bethany were in the ward. However, no amount of soothing from them could calm her down. Kevan entered and lightly said, "Enough." and Bethany stopped at once. She stared at him with wide eyes, and she curled up into herself, trembling incessantly.She was afraid of him.Even if Kevan did not know why, he was very satisfied with her reactio
Violet had long since guessed that Kevan would never marry Ruby. He only lost his memory, but his personality had never changed. Without the wonderful memories of the past, the basis of a relationship was lost. He would only treat Ruby the same way he treated female strangers. But she thought that he would at least try to get along with Ruby for Bethany's sake. To be honest though—the current circumstances were just what Violet hoped for.She did not like Ruby. She never did. Otherwise, she would not have prevented Ruby from marrying into the family all these years."Fine," Violet agreed. "But you're still Bethany's father, you should take some time to come and see her."She loved her granddaughter and did not want her to grow up in an environment where she did not have the love of her parents."I know," Kevan replied coldly.After leaving the hospital, he went straight to Larissa's home. He received information from Dylan that Larissa had already picked Aster up from the Academy.
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