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
If it were at 7 pm, then Larissa would need to ask her assistant to stay a little longer after work to keep an eye on Aster."Sure, I'll be there on time," she replied with a smile.Gary let go of her hand and rotated his wrist, turning his palm upward. "This time, you should have your contact information, I hope?" he asked.Larissa handed him her business card. "If you need anything or have any suggestions or feedback about our hotel, feel free to reach out to me at any time."He carefully tucked her business card into his pocket and said, "Great."…Larissa had already instructed Aster to wait for her in the office at night and not wander around."Ah …" He frowned and appeared reluctant. "But I'm scared to be alone at night."She pinched his chubby face and reassured him, "You won't be. Chad will be around." Chad was her assistant."But Chad doesn't like to talk or play games. It's boring to be with him," Aster complained, his expression filled with worry.She playfully tapped his fo
Larissa made it to the room Gary had booked and found that he was already waiting for her inside. Most of the guests who stayed at the Winston Hotel were wealthy because five thousand dollars was the minimum spending for a room that could only accommodate ten people. Of course, the price per head of eating at the hotel's restaurant was a lot higher than other places, so nobody had to worry about not spending up to five thousand dollars. However … If there were only two people, then it was a different story altogether.Gary handed Larissa the menu and hinted intentionally, "Pick the more expensive dishes." However, Larissa felt embarrassed to do so. "You're an esteemed guest at our hotel, so you're exempt from the minimum spending rule," she lied. Anyway, she had a say in these matters after all. She picked two averagely-priced dishes and pushed the menu back to him. "Here, see if you would like to add anything," she said.Gary ordered one of each of the most expensive dishes the re