At 8.30 pm, Kevan's two uncles bid farewell and left conscientiously. After seeing off the guests, Anthony said to Kevan, "Come with me to the study." There was a forbidding tone to his voice. Violet took Larissa upstairs. She opened a door and said, "This is Kevan's room." The room's decor and style were completely different from Kevan's house in Covenford. The overall color scheme leaned towards warm, inviting colors, matching the style of this house. It was obviously Kevan's parents' handiwork. "He moved out when he went to university. After that, he rarely came back." A hint of sadness appeared on Violet's face. "You also know how much of a clean freak he is. He wouldn't let anyone touch anything in this room. I'm in charge of cleaning his room after he flew the coop." Looking affectionately at Larissa, she continued, "Living with him must be tough, right?"Larissa smiled. "It's not too bad." They didn't live in the same room, so she rarely touched his personal belong

The resentment and inexplicable jealousy that Larissa felt earlier was quickly forgotten. Larissa refocused her mindset. She was merely a tool hired by Kevan to appease his parents so that they would not continue pressuring him to get married. His past with other women didn't matter because it had nothing to do with her.While feeling relieved, Violet also felt bad for Larissa."Lari, Kevan never speaks his mind, so he often gets misunderstood. Please be more considerate and understanding towards him. If he does anything to upset you, let me apologize on his behalf."Larissa gave a breezy laugh. "No, he didn't upset me at all. I know the kind of person he is; otherwise, I wouldn't have agreed to marry him.""That's a relief." Violet patted her hand and sighed deeply. "Kevan is so fortunate to have such an understanding wife like you!"After a while, Kevan returned from his father's study.As soon as he opened the door, he saw Larissa and Violet in his room. Raising an eyebrow i

When Larissa was suddenly suspended in the air, she screamed in fright. Without giving her time to react, Kevan threw Larissa onto the bed. Pressing his body against hers, Kevan pinned her to the bed. "Kevan, you ..." Larissa was about to reprimand him when his kiss sealed her lips. Almost suffocated by his devouring kiss, Larissa felt repulsed. Turning her head away to avoid his lips, she tried to shove him away by pushing against his shoulders forcefully, but to no avail. Edged on by Larissa's resistance, Kevan grabbed her wrists and pinned her hands above her head while his other hand held her chin in place as he ravished her lips. Larissa's legs were clamped together, and she couldn't even move an inch. She was as helpless as a turtle on its back. Resigned to her fate, Larissa shed tears of despair.Kevan tasted the warm salty tears that ran down her cheeks by accident. He jolted up in surprise and stared at Larissa in disbelief. "Why are you crying?" he asked in a hoa

After some time, someone opened the door. Larissa rolled around to see who it was. It was Kevan, the person she least wanted to see. He was wearing a cashmere sweater similar in color and style to the one he wore yesterday. However, she knew it was a different sweater because Kevan had the habit of changing his clothes every day, even if they were spotless. From the long pants he wore yesterday, he had switched to looser jeans. His hair was combed neatly and lay flat against his scalp, giving him a clean cut and fresh appearance. Kevan came in, carrying a paper bag with a luxury brand logo on it. He approached her slowly and placed it on the bedside table. "Your clothes," he said in an indifferent tone. There was no trace of guilt on his face from forcing himself on her yesterday. "Oh," Larissa replied with a poker face. Inexplicably, Kevan clenched his fists tightly. He continued speaking monotonously, "If you're awake, get up quickly. It's almost time for lunch. Afte

Since both Anthony and Kevan were reserved and Larissa was too shy to start any conversation, only Violet spoke during the meal. "Did Kevan tell you that we're going to Uncle Bernard's house later?" she said. "Yes," Larissa replied. "If you're not feeling well, you should rest at home. Kevan will stay back to take care of you. His father and I can go alone," Violet suggested.Being alone with Kevan now seemed like a terrifying idea to Larissa. Although she wasn't fond of going to Bernard's house either, she insisted on going along, "I'm fine, don't worry." Bernard's house was located in a nearby residential area. It took only a little over ten minutes to drive there.The three families were gathered once again.As most of the topics of conversation were exhausted, the ladies decided to play a round of poker to pass the time. "We're missing one person! Will Lari or Ruby join us?" Nancy spoke up. "Lari, why don't you play with them?" Ruby willingly gave up her seat. "I hav

"There's no need." Larissa declined Edmund's offer with a reasonable excuse. "It's just a game to pass the time. Regardless of whether I'm good or bad at poker, as the youngest, I should be the one to lose."Her words immediately gained unanimous praise from Maria and Nancy. "What a sensible child!" "Young people nowadays should have such awareness!" Frankly, Violet didn't care whether Larissa lost money or not. Her insistence on having Kevan come upstairs was to prevent him from spending time with Ruby, but she was a step too late. Violet felt a throbbing headache coming on. Even though Kevan assured her that nothing was going on between him and Ruby, she was still worried that problems would arise. More importantly, she was afraid that Larissa would overthink.Meanwhile … "Thanks for agreeing to come out with me," Ruby said to Kevan."It's nothing," Kevan replied with a faint smile as he drove. Silently, Ruby stared at his side profile for a long time. Suddenly, she

Ruby squeezed out a bitter smile. "Earlier, haven't you blocked my phone number and deleted my social media accounts? Besides, you've been avoiding me." Kevan tightened his grip on her shoulder and said in an apologetic tone, "I'm sorry. I didn't expect things would turn out like this!" "You don't have to blame yourself. It was my own choice, so I should bear the consequences," Ruby said graciously.Kevan continued, "What do you plan to do?" "What else can I do?" Ruby's eyes were filled with sadness. "I have to pretend as if everything is alright and continue living with Cody." "You can file for divorce," Kevan suggested."Divorce?" Ruby laughed mockingly. "Don't you know how powerful the Rogers family is? If I ruin your family's reputation by divorcing Cody, they will find other ways to destroy me!" "I will help you," Kevan promised."After I get divorced, what then?" Ruby asked, "As a divorced woman, who would dare to marry me?"As she spoke, her eyes stared directly at

Although Larissa said she would help out in the kitchen, she had actually lied. In fact, she was in the living room, playing on her phone to pass the time."Who knows what those two are doing in the kitchen," she thought to herself. If she barged in without any warning, she might see them doing something unpleasant. Larissa was afraid that it would ruin her appetite for dinner. The afternoon passed quickly, and evening fell. When all the dishes were ready, Ruby went upstairs to call everyone down for dinner. As she passed by the living room, she was surprised to see Larissa sitting alone on the couch."Larissa?" She stopped in her tracks. "Aren't you playing poker with Aunt Nancy and the others?""I asked Edmund to take my place," Larissa said, "I'm not good at poker and lost too much money." "I see." Ruby didn't suspect anything.Everyone took their seats at the dinner table. It was evident from Violet's expression that she was in a bad mood. Even Anthony, who was

Three days later, Anthony and Violet had to make a trip to Violet's parents' home. Before leaving early in the morning, Violet knocked on Kevan's bedroom door and reminded him yet again, "Don't forget, today you have to go back to your own home!"It was afternoon when Kevan finally changed his clothes and called Larissa to leave with him. She attempted to negotiate with him. "Why don't you go back to your own home, and I'll continue staying at the hotel? Is that okay with you?" "No, you can't," Kevan refused without hesitation, "You've already been transferred to Bartham, so it doesn't count as a business trip anymore. The hotel won't provide you with free accommodation. If you don't want to stay with me, you can rent a house yourself. However, let me kindly remind you that there aren't any rooms for rent, only whole units at the apartment complexes near the Regal Dynasty Hotel. The rental prices start from ten thousand dollars a month at a minimum. You should consider it carefu

Kevan's dark eyes suddenly lit up. He had a discreet smile at the corners of his lips. "Do you want to know?" he asked. "Of course," Larissa replied. Otherwise, she wouldn't have come to find him."Why?" Kevan stared at her intently, his eyes shining with anticipation. Larissa couldn't help but think that his reaction seemed unusual. "I need to know about your relationship with her so that I know how to act around her in the future," Larissa confessed, "If you genuinely like her, I advise you to divorce me and pursue her openly. I can tell that she has some interest in you too."Larissa's advice was sincerely for Kevan's own good, but instead of feeling touched, Kevan's expression darkened inexplicably. The brilliance in his eyes gradually faded. "Thank you for your suggestion. I will consider it carefully," Kevan said with a forced smile, putting his headset back on, "I have other matters to attend to. If you don't have any other questions …""You haven't answered me yet