After a busy morning of work, Larissa remained in her office while others from the department headed to the cafeteria for lunch. She was organizing the reports that Lotus hadn't had the chance to hand over to her yet.Someone knocked on the office door twice, and she looked up to see Edmund standing at the doorway with a smile on his face."Still busy?" he asked.She immediately set aside the mouse and stood up, exclaiming, "Mr. Rogers!""No need to be so formal," he said while his smile deepened. "I'm about the same age as you. You can call me Edmund."His casualness caught her off guard, and she suddenly remembered what Kevan had said."Well, you're my superior, so I'll stick with 'Mr. Rogers'," she said, trying to maintain her distance, even though that title might confuse him with Kevan. Regardless, she was making an effort to create some space between them.Edmund didn't insist. "As you wish."There was always a hint of indulgence in his tone, which made Larissa uncomfortable. She

Edmund had no clue about being discreet—perhaps due to his inherently carefree nature or simply not caring about external opinions. In the span of a single afternoon, he made two visits to Larissa's office. Although their interactions were work-related, Larissa could easily discern through the transparent glass that several employees from the marketing department had been stealing glances and peeking inside during their breaks.Larissa purposely left the blinds open and even left the door slightly ajar to avoid any misconceptions, showcasing her innocence regarding Edmund. However, he remained completely oblivious to all of this.Their conversation carried on until the end of the workday. Edmund was aware that Larissa resided in the hotel, so he took the opportunity to invite her to have dinner together. Feeling helpless, Larissa had no choice but to decline, citing her desire to lose weight and skip dinner. Edmund didn't suspect anything and merely displayed a hint of disappointment.

To avoid encountering Edmund, Larissa spent most of the following days wandering around the guest rooms downstairs. Whenever she spotted a housekeeping staff member cleaning a room, she would enter to conduct a "surprise inspection." She understood that developing habits took time, and despite the housekeeping staff's efforts, there were still some minor shortcomings. For less serious issues, she corrected them and let them go. But for more severe problems, she made a note and imposed fines. Those who disobeyed her management and were dissatisfied with the penalties were simply fired.In just a week's time, she earned the nickname "Devil" among her colleagues. However, instead of feeling offended, she felt somewhat satisfied—after all, everyone was afraid of her and conscientiously carried out their work.The only burden she felt was during the weekly department meeting when Edmund specifically praised her and made a joke about her being called the "Devil" by her subordinates. Althoug

Edmund hadn't anticipated Larissa's strong reaction. He looked at her with a hint of admiration in his eyes."The applications will get rejected if we submit them frequently," he said."How about this—let's try a different approach. You stay here for now, and I'll submit another application once the housekeeping department is back on track after the big family reunion dinner. To be honest, we need you more here than in Covenford. Departmental reforms can't be accomplished in just two weeks. It's a long process, which is why I hope you can stay in Bartham."Everything about him—his words, tone, and demeanor—all seemed genuine. If it weren't for Kevan's initial warning and her aversion to being in Bartham, she might have been convinced by him already."I disagree," she firmly rejected. "If you can't resolve this, I'll contact headquarters myself."...Due to Edmund's persistence, Larissa had no choice but to seek help from her actual superior to explain the situation to headquarters. She

"Can you help me?" Larissa asked tentatively "It's not impossible." Kevan crossed his legs as he sat on the sofa. Then, he continued, "What will I get for helping you?" It was the same when he helped her with Zero's incident. He always treated mutual assistance between friends as transactions. Larissa wasn't going to ask him to help in vain. Plus, she didn't like to owe others. However, the reward he requested posed a challenge for her. That was why she wouldn't turn to him for help unless she had no other choice left. She pursed her lips and asked, "What do you want in return?""Hmm …" Kevan frowned. After a moment, he said, "My head hurts."Then, he looked at Larissa. "Give me a massage." That was much easier than a kiss, a hug, or anything of that sort. Anyway, Larissa felt it was something she could handle. "Okay." Larissa walked over to him, knelt on one knee on the sofa, and leaned over to massage his forehead. Her movements were gentle, and she happened to apply pr

The meeting lasted the whole morning. After Kevan left the meeting room, his assistant handed him his phone. As Kevan glanced at the screen, he saw the chat history between his assistant and the Human Resource Department manager of Regal Dynasty Hotel. He had requested the other party to transfer Larissa back to Covenford as per Kevan's instruction, but the request was denied. The other party replied, "Old Mr. Rogers ordered the transfer. If Mr. Rogers has any objection to this, he should discuss it with Old Mr. Rogers directly. We can't do anything about it." Kevan narrowed his eyes. He had thought this was Edmund's arrangement and that Bernard and his family were involved. He hadn't expected his grandfather's involvement in this. If that was indeed the case, the situation had become even more complicated. "Got it," Kevan said. Then, he returned to his office and called his grandfather. Roland answered the call and asked, "You're calling me because of Lari?" His grandpa was

Kevan got straight to the point, informing Larissa, "You can't be transferred back to Covenford for now.""Why?" Larissa was in disbelief. She wondered if even Kevan couldn't handle this matter. Could it be that Edmund held a higher position than him in the group? "Actually, it was Grandpa who transferred you over." Kevan couldn't think of any other excuse, so he decided to tell her the truth."As you know, Grandpa isn't doing well from our last visit. He felt that his days are numbered. He also felt lonely. Therefore, he hopes we can visit him more often." Larissa liked Roland a lot. It might be due to the lack of love she received as a kid. Therefore, she cherished elders that were kind to her. If it was Roland who wanted her to stay …"Then I won't leave." Kevan was shocked by how quickly Larissa agreed."Didn't you say you dislike Bartham?""Yes, it's because I don't like the Rogers family. However, now that I have people I like here, I'll try to like this city." Larissa

Larissa was taken aback. "Why do you want to ask me out?'Edmund unveiled a shy smile before bowing his head. The effeminate demeanor he displayed didn't seem out of place on his feminine face. "You might not believe me …" Edmund bit his lip. Then as if he had made up his mind, he suddenly raised his head and stared at Larissa. "Actually, on the day you scolded the housekeepers … I fell for you at first sight. It was out of my personal interest to transfer you here." Larissa felt as if she had been struck by lightning, and her mind went blank. It took her a while to regain her composure, and she chuckled, saying, "Mr. Rogers, please don't play such a prank on me." Edmund knew she didn't believe him and seriously said to her, "I'm not joking. I really like you." His serious expression and tone caused Larissa to panic. While she had experienced many love confessions in the past, this was the first time she felt flustered. She didn't know how to reject him. After all, Edmund was

Kevan had arranged Larissa's first encounter with Roland at the last minute, so she didn't prepare any gifts. She felt regretful about it. On the day they were meeting Roland for dinner, she pulled Kevan out of bed early in the morning. She needed him to accompany her to choose something that Roland would like. Not taking it too seriously, Kevan obliged and accompanied her on the search for the perfect gift. "Just buy anything. Grandpa will like it anyways. He has everything, and he only cares about the giver's sincerity," Kevan persuaded her after their fruitless search in all the famous malls."Sincerity?" Larissa pondered for a moment, and then an idea struck her. She eagerly tugged at Kevan's sleeve. "Didn't Grandpa mention how he misses the homemade pies that Grandma used to make for him during the holidays?" Kevan remembered that there was indeed such a thing. Their family loved pies, and they would prepare pies during different holidays. The pies at home were made by th

The kitchen area was separated from the main house and looked ancient. Larissa almost thought they would be using firewood for cooking. However, the moment she entered, it was filled with the latest kitchen equipment. Kevan offered to help, and Larissa agreed. She was responsible for making the pastry while he made the fillings. Just as they started, they heard Ben announcing, "Young masters Cody and Edmund are here."Larissa was taken aback at the mention of Edmund's name, halted what she was doing, and turned her attention to Kevan. Shocked, she inquired, "Edmund Rogers is here?"Still engrossed in chopping the ingredients, Kevan responded nonchalantly, "It seems like they are here.""Why are they here? Didn't Grandpa say he only invited the two of us?" Larissa panicked. Kevan was like a ticking timebomb while Edmund was the catalyst. When Kevan would explode depended on how Edmund stimulated him."Grandpa didn't call them over, but it doesn't mean they won't visit." There was