Kevan put the popcorn bucket in front of Aster and asked, "Want some?"Aster promptly pushed it away. "Give it to Mommy! She's crazy about this stuff."So, Kevan turned to Larissa, but she waved her hand and forced a smile. "I'm still stuffed. Can't have another bite.""Oh, okay." Kevan retrieved the popcorn.Aster grew frustrated looking at their interaction, almost thumping his chest in annoyance. "Uncle Kevan, Mommy's just being polite! She's not full at all!" He grinned sweetly, showing no remorse for exposing his mom's little fib. Larissa shot him an angry glare, but he did not fear her as Kevan was on his side.Kevan simply thrust the popcorn into her lap, saying, "Take it. No need to be shy." She had no choice but to accept it, as she grumbled, "Thanks.""You're welcome." Kevan smiled.Well, she indeed liked eating popcorn. To be exact, she loved anything sweet. Perhaps life was too bitter for her that she needed some sweetness to compensate for the bitterness.She was already
Larissa rushed into the restroom. At this point, the movie hadn't ended yet. But regardless, it was still unusual to find the restroom empty since it was usually packed with ladies queuing up. She turned on the tap and splashed a handful of cold water on her face, soothing away most of the heat. She used a napkin to carefully dab off the water stains, gradually calming her racing heartbeat. She then applied a thin layer of foundation as she stood in front of the mirror, concealing the lingering blush on her face.Afterward, she adjusted her expression bit by bit until the previous nervousness and shyness were no longer visible. She then walked to the counter with her head held high and bought Kevan a can of carbonated drink. When she returned to the screening hall, more than half of the movie had already passed.Kevan leaned back, his body half-slouched, and he was propping his chin with one hand. He dimmed the brightness of his phone screen to the maximum and was engrossed in whatever
The words Kevan said did not show much responsibility on his part. This made Larissa want to argue back, but she felt she had no right to do so. After all, Bethany wasn't her own daughter. So, why should she be concerned? She remained silent after thinking about it.…The car was parked downstairs. As Aster was sleeping soundly, Larissa couldn't bear to wake him up. Instead, she asked Kevan in a hushed voice, "Can you help me open the door?" She was holding Aster and couldn't move her hands easily.Without a second thought, Kevan unbuckled his seatbelt and got out of the car. He opened the door, leaned in halfway, and gently took Aster from her arms."He's quite heavy. Let me carry him," he said.She hurriedly got out of the car. "No, it's fine. I can handle him. You should go back and rest!" She chased after Kevan, wanting to take Aster back. However, Kevan wouldn't let her. "It's nothing." He calmly stepped into the elevator, pressed the floor number for her apartment, and said, "Y
However, many seconds had passed, and Kevan still showed no intention of leaving the kitchen.Larissa looked at him in confusion. "Anything else?""Nah." He smirked, with a hint of amusement in his dark eyes. "It's pretty boring to be sitting alone outside, so I thought I'd hang out and chat with you."Once again, she was annoyed at herself for asking him the question. Being alone with Kevan was undoubtedly more difficult and agonizing than dealing with difficult clients. Worse still, she couldn't decline his offer."Alright, sure." She forced a smile.She ensured she appeared occupied—fetching water, boiling water, finding cups, and preparing tea. She kept her actions smooth without any pause, making it hard for Kevan to find an opportunity to talk to her. However, boiling water took some time.So, she turned and faced him. Before he had a chance to speak, she quickly added, "I'll go check if Aster is awake."Of course, Kevan was aware that she was intentionally avoiding him. He felt
Kevan narrowed his eyes. Bethany was likely to turn out badly with such poor parenting. While he wouldn't harm her, he also wouldn't go out of his way to direct her to the right path either. What she would become in the future was completely up to her.Larissa's heart sank as she listened. She advised, "Bethany is still young, and her flaws can be corrected slowly. You just need more patience. I see you have plenty of patience with Aster, and you seem to know how to interact with children.""That's because I like Aster." Kevan's smile softened as he mentioned Aster. "Aster is a good kid. He's good-looking and well-behaved, unlike Bethany."She naturally felt happy and proud upon hearing him praise Aster. In response, she complimented with a guilty conscience, saying, "Actually, Bethany isn't that ugly. If she were to lose weight, she would definitely look prettier." To be honest, even if they overlooked all other physical imperfections, her small eyes wouldn't become larger even with t
Wendy fell silent for a moment before asking Larissa, "Do you remember Barbara's prediction back then?"Of course, Larissa remembered, even though six years had passed, and they had long moved away from the town without further contact with Barbara.Her feelings toward Barbara had transformed from initial dislike and rejection to gratitude. If it were not for Barbara, she would have never been convinced to keep the child.But she didn't understand the purpose behind Wendy's question. "Why are you bringing this up now?""Well, Barbara said that you will reunite with your ex-lover," Wendy said with a serious tone. She always believed in Barbara's words. "So, perhaps, now is the time."Kevan had lost his memory and had no connection to Larissa's past. His words to Aster couldn't be baseless—either he was interested in Larissa, or he genuinely liked Aster. Regardless, he would make a fitting "father figure" for Aster. More importantly, Aster also liked him a lot.Larissa appreciated Barbar
Larissa would never allow Aster to be in such a dangerous situation. Once again, Wendy fell silent. There was a long pause before she asked, "What if Kevan pursues you?"Larissa replied firmly, "That's impossible!"Wendy became angry. "Fine! I won't give you advice anymore. Do as you wish!" She gritted her teeth and ended the video call abruptly.…Larissa had a restless night, likely influenced by Wendy's words. She had a long dream. In that dream, Kevan embraced Ruby and stood before her. The two of them were still as sweet and affectionate as before, completely ignoring her presence. Larissa watched from a distance with her heart aching. All of a sudden, two cats appeared in Ruby's arms. They were Muffin and Cookie, the ones she had raised. She'd left in a hurry previously and entrusted the cats to a pet shop. She left Violet's contact information with the pet shop, but she wasn't sure if Violet had ever brought them back home."Muffin! Cookie!" she called out with joy.However, th
Larissa had been sticking to a regular routine for some time now in order to take care of Aster. But this time, her sleep quality had dropped, and she unexpectedly got a headache. She wasn't sure if it was a sign of getting older or simply leading an overly comfortable life before.Her temples throbbed persistently, accompanied by nausea and chest tightness. As a result, she couldn't focus during the meeting and couldn't recall what others had said.After she instructed her secretary to make a photocopy of the meeting minutes for her, she headed downstairs alone. Her headache became unbearable, and she urgently needed to visit the pharmacy to purchase a box of painkillers.There were guests going through the check-in process at the front desk, which was a common sight in hotels. She merely glanced at them and continued walking but stopped when she heard the words "presidential suite". The Winston Hotel, being a five-star hotel rivaling Regal Dynasty Hotel, naturally offered presidenti