As if under a petrifying spell, Gary's eyes widened, and he stood frozen in place, completely motionless. He couldn't quite describe his current state of mind—there was embarrassment, anxiety, and a hint of joy and anticipation. Finally, he managed to compose himself, even though his smile still appeared somewhat rigid."You can think of me as your father," he said, his intense gaze fixed on Larissa.She disliked this kind of probing—either he acknowledged her or he didn't. These covert hints made her feel repulsed. As a result, her previous favorable impression of him had also dwindled."No need." She averted her gaze, giving him a casual smile. "But thank you for your advice."He felt a bit disappointed at being rejected so bluntly, but he couldn't show it too obviously, so he simply laughed it off. "I have to leave. I have a conference call later." He intentionally checked his wristwatch.She licked her lips and stood up with him. "I'll walk you out.""It's fine." He stopped her. A
Larissa walked with her back facing the car. So, by the time she heard the sound of the engine and turned to look, it was already too late.A sharp pain struck her lower back, and both her feet left the ground. After a brief half-minute, she fell to the ground in a prone position. The pain was so intense that her limbs became numb, and it felt as if her internal organs had shifted.Screams echoed in her eyes, and she could feel a warm liquid sliding down her cheek. Her vision darkened, and she lost consciousness completely.She didn't know how long she had been unconscious, but when she woke up, everything around her was pitch black without a trace of light. For a moment, she thought she lost her sight.Luckily, her eyes gradually adjusted to the darkness, and she could vaguely make out the outline of the ceiling above her. The strong scent of disinfectant filled her nostrils, reminding her that she was still in the hospital. She tried to move her neck to look at her surroundin
"Then, why …" Larissa felt as if a foreign object was dislodged in her throat, making it difficult for her to even gulp, let alone speak.She had to increase the rate of her breathing to cope with the suffocating feeling in her chest. "I … " Gary dared not meet her gaze as he spoke in a voice that was barely audible, "I'm afraid that you'll hate me."He had a despondent expression on his face and his words carried a trace of uncertainty. Larissa stared at him intently. Gary did not seem to be lying and his emotions felt genuine. The realization of his sincerity made Larissa calm down gradually. Her tears stopped and her breathing slowed down to a steady pace. "I don't hate you." Her voice was gentle and soft, but the words she said lifted up the immense burden that was weighing down heavily on Gary's heart. Gary's hand that was holding on to Larissa shook with emotion, as if his body was jolted by electricity. "Lari …" Tears welled up in his eyes and his lips trem
Otherwise, Gary wouldn't know what he would do. He had no idea how he managed to get through the day; it felt as if he was just walking around like a zombie. "Are you hungry? I'll ask Lewis to bring some food over," Gary said as he reached for his phone. "There's no need! I have no appetite." Larissa stopped him. Perhaps the injuries she sustained were so severe that they affected her digestive system as well. Even after a whole day without eating or drinking, she had no desire to consume anything. "You should at least eat a little." Gary ignored her request and called Lewis's number. After half an hour, Lewis appeared with two bowls of steaming hot soup. With him was Kevan, who looked utterly exhausted. He only wore a thin shirt and his hair was in a mess. Lewis explained, "Mr. Rogers's car was parked downstairs. We met coincidentally on the way here." Gary frowned. "It's already so late. Why are you still here, Mr. Rogers?" However, Kevan did not answer his questi
"I came to send a client to the emergency department. As I was about to leave, I ran into your cousin downstairs. We chatted for a bit, and he mentioned that you were awake, so I came up to visit you." Kevan walked past Lewis and came up to Larissa's bed. After Lewis turned him away yesterday, Kevan had no choice but to leave. Regardless, they were Larissa's relatives and had the right to be by her side. Secondly, Kevan wanted to talk to the doctor and understand more about Larissa's condition. In other words, this was the first time Kevan had met Larissa from the moment of the accident until now. Despite hearing from the doctor that her injuries were severe, Kevan couldn't help feeling shocked when he saw her with his own eyes. The pity he felt for Larissa and the desire to exact revenge on the culprit who did this to her resulted in an inscrutable expression on Kevan's face as he looked at her. However, Larissa's attention was drawn to the word "cousin" that Kevan menti
Probably because she had eaten something and her throat was moistened, her voice sounded less hoarse than before. However, she still felt a little breathless, so she had to take longer pauses between her words. "Your phone was turned off, so he couldn't reach you. He was so worried that he was almost in tears." In fact, Aster had already burst into tears. During their phone call, he was sobbing so hard that he couldn't speak clearly. He kept repeating, "Uncle Kevan, does my mommy not want me anymore?" Larissa had sent him back to Aldovia with such resolution, and now she seemed to be completely cutting off contact with him. It wasn't surprising that a sensitive and vulnerable child like him would have such thoughts. Naturally, Kevan wouldn't tell the truth to Larissa. "He's very worried about you. He kept asking if I knew where you were and what you were doing." Feeling sorry for Aster, Larissa couldn't help the tears that welled up in her eyes, almost spilling over.S
Larissa had no energy to beat around the bush. She asked straightforwardly, "Was it Yvette?" From Gary's reaction, it didn't seem to be the case. Gary hesitated for a moment and shook his head. "No, it's not her." Needless to say, Larissa was a little surprised by his answer. Since she returned to Caldor, she had kept a low profile and tried to avoid any contact with her enemies in the past. It was only for Aster's sake that she revealed the past in an exposé out of anger recently. "It's Lana." Before Larissa could probe further, Gary told her the answer. Lana … Her guess wasn't too far off anyway. Gary carefully observed Larissa's reaction. When he didn't see any signs of sadness or disappointment on her face, only then did he breathe a sigh of relief. "She has already been taken into custody by the police." Gary didn't mention that it was largely thanks to Kevan. His men were in a hurry to send Larissa to the hospital, so they were unable to intercept the culprit. Fortu
If Larissa had known that her transfer to Caldor would result in such setbacks, she would have never returned despite not getting promoted for the rest of her life. As the saying went, "Once bitten, twice shy."Nonetheless, Larissa had been bitten many times, and yet she still hadn't learned to keep her distance from danger. She had to admire herself for her courage. But this time, she was truly afraid for her life. If she were to continue staying in Caldor, it wouldn't be just a matter of losing an arm or a leg, even her life would be at risk. "Great!" Gary smiled with joy, feeling incredibly relieved. In just a few short hours, he had resolved the two biggest challenges he had ever faced in his life. This made him happier than closing a deal worth billions of dollars. Since Larissa was severely injured, she still felt weak and mentally exhausted although she had slept for a long time. While chatting with Gary, she could not keep her heavy eyelids open and fell asleep