Kevan nodded with a straight face and comforted her stiffly, "Please accept my condolences."His indifference made tears well up in Violet's eyes once again. Looking up at Kevan, she opened her mouth to reproach him, but in the end, she pursed her lips without another word. "Oh, is Kevan here as well?" Kevan's uncles appeared with their families in tow. There were no signs of grief on their faces. Instead, they were smiling in satisfaction. Bernard stared at Violet's face and remarked with displeasure, "Violet, I've told you before, this occasion is a celebration of life for Father. He passed away peacefully in his sleep. How could he rest in peace with you crying like this?" Violet lowered her head wordlessly as her grip on Kevan's arm tightened. Narrowing his eyes, Kevan couldn't stop the hostility that arose within him. "It's natural to feel sad when a family member has passed away. On the other hand, what about all of you? Are you happy because Grandpa is at peace, o
Dylan and Kevan had known each other for over a decade, but this was the first time Dylan had seen him in such a sorry state. In Dylan's memory, Kevan was always calm and composed. No matter what challenges he faced, he was unshakable. Naturally, Dylan knew how close Kevan was to his grandfather, allowing him to empathize with Kevan's overwhelming emotions. In the end, Dylan stopped trying to advise Kevan. He could only look on helplessly as Kevan drank himself into a stupor and blacked out on the sofa. As Kevan was tall and well-built, it was impossible for Dylan to carry him out on his own. Furthermore, he was completely unconscious. Dylan asked the staff to bring in some blankets so that they could spend the night in the private room.The shock of Roland's death was too great, causing Kevan to suddenly develop a high fever in the middle of the night. He started speaking incoherently, mumbling his grandfather's and Larissa's names with an anguished expression on his fac
"Even in this sorry state, why are you still unable to overcome that annoying habit of yours?" Dylan rolled his eyes in annoyance. Lowering his head, Kevan grunted in agreement and took the tissues to dry up the water stains on his clothes slowly. He struggled to finish the rest of the water, wetting his dry and cracked lips. Glancing at the IV bag above his hand, he asked Dylan, "How much longer until the IV is over?" There was still half of the liquid left in the IV bag."About half an hour," Dylan replied. "Alex went out for a smoke, but he'll be back soon to remove the IV."Dylan was referring to a doctor friend of his, Alexander Wade. Alex was working as the head of a department at a hospital and hadn't put in an IV drip for many years. "Why did you call Alex here?" Kevan furrowed his brows slightly. "Wasn't he busy with the restructuring of the hospital's management recently?" "What else could I do?" Dylan fixed his glasses. "You can't go to the hospital, and I do
Kevan was aware of the prospective partnership between Blue Star Shipping and Soaring Corporation. He had people keeping an eye on Cody's every move. Each action that Cody took was reported to Kevan in a timely manner. However, he didn't pay much attention to this matter.Over the past few years, Cody had been throwing money at different investments. Thanks to Kevan pulling some strings behind the scenes, most of Cody's ventures ended up failing, resulting in a loss of billions of dollars. Cody himself didn't have that much personal wealth to invest. He invested in those ventures using the name of Soaring Corporation and embezzled funds from the company. Now that all of them incurred huge losses, Cody had no way to repay the money he'd embezzled. The board of directors in Soaring Corporation had started to question Cody about the deficit in their account books. Because of this, Cody was struggling financially and had been desperate for ways to raise more money. Natur
Gary's body jolted as if he were awakened from a dream. Immediately, the sadness and nostalgia in his eyes disappeared in a flash.He smiled helplessly and said, "Alright, I'll listen to your advice." The assistant's jaw dropped open with surprise. When Gary shot him a warning glare, he quickly regained his composure and put on a poker face. Gary got into the ambulance, accompanied by his assistant and Larissa. When they arrived at the hospital, the doctor conducted a brief examination and quickly came to a conclusion. "There's nothing major to be worried about. Just make sure to take your medication on time, avoid excessive fatigue, and don't put too much pressure on yourself."Gary looked at Larissa triumphantly. "See, what did I say?"Larissa pursed her lips, but Gary's assistant interrupted her before she could speak, "Mr. Logan, since you're already at the hospital, why not stay for observation and undergo a few more tests?"Gary frowned as he thought his assistant
After Larissa had arranged for Gary to be admitted to the hospital and ensured that he had completed all the necessary examinations, she left the hospital.Shortly after her departure, Alex went to meet Gary. Since he just suffered from a seizure, Gary wasn't feeling too well. In addition, he had to go to different departments in different buildings of the hospital for his examinations. After getting poked and prodded at, Gary collapsed on the hospital bed out of exhaustion. However, when he heard the sound of the door opening, Gary opened his eyes groggily.Initially, Gary thought that Alex was a doctor coming to check up on him as he was wearing a white coat, so Gary forced himself to sit up. He did not expect to be greeted with an ingratiating smile on Alex's face as he approached the bed. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Logan!" Gary was momentarily taken aback by Alex's effusive greeting, but the expression on his face remained nonchalant as he was used to people trying to c
Gary chuckled awkwardly, and the conversation came to an abrupt end. The two men fell silent, making the atmosphere more awkward. Changing the topic, Kevan said, "I heard that this time you're staying at the Winston Hotel instead of the Regal Dynasty Hotel?" Although Gary was currently relieved that he was staying at Winston Hotel, he wasn't pleased when he was informed that the presidential suite of Regal Dynasty Hotel had been occupied. The smile in his eyes faded and he replied indifferently, "That's right."Kevan immediately noticed the slight change in Gary's emotions as he was skilled at reading the expressions on people's faces. "What an idiot he is!" Kevan couldn't help but utter profanities under his breath at Cody's foolishness, despite having cursed Cody countless times before this. Although Cody was clinging on to the partnership with Blue Star Shipping as his lifeline, he didn't even care to visit the CEO himself. Kevan had reason to believe that even if he
Shortly after Larissa returned to the hotel, she heard the news of Roland's passing. With Roland's status and influence, every move that he made garnered considerable attention, even though he had already taken a backseat from his company's affairs. Understandably, his sudden death dropped a bomb on the whole country. Since last night, many important figures of the business world had rushed to Pine Mansion and caused extensive congestion in that area, drawing complaints from neighbors living nearby. Similarly, various media outlets and government departments received numerous complaints over the phone regarding the slow-moving traffic.Although the Winston Hotel was considered a rival to the Regal Dynasty Hotel, more than half of their management had jumped ship from the Regal Dynasty or other hotels and resorts under the Soaring Corporation. They still felt a sense of gratitude toward their former employer. Even though most of them had never seen Roland in person during the
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