"This is a shitty game!""Its client computing is so huge! What a waste of my computer's memory to download it!""I would have given it half a star if it weren't for the minimum one-star rating!""Microworks Corporation should just stick to buying and operating games from other companies! They shouldn't develop their own! It completely tarnished their reputation!""Well, they probably don't know how to do anything else besides copying!"…Peter reported to Kevan, "These paid posters' accounts have been registered for a while, but many of them have similar registration times, and the initial segment of their IP addresses are the same. So, they're likely from the same company that hires paid posters. The IP addresses indicate that they're from Hilibane, which is quite far from Bartham. We can't pinpoint the exact location, so we can't figure out who's behind all this mischief.""No need to investigate," Kevan replied. He smirked, his eyes gleaming with coldness. He knew exactly who was c

Larissa left work early to honor her promise. Her initial plan was to take Aster somewhere nearby for dinner, but he seemed to have his eye on a specific restaurant and insisted on going to Starhill shopping mall.The shopping mall was always crowded, so she wasn't particularly thrilled about going there. However, her son had made up his mind; she had no choice but to go along with it. The pizza place he chose was quite popular, but luckily they arrived early and didn't have to wait in line. The server seated them by the window and promptly disappeared after handing them the menu. It didn't take long for the waiting area outside to start filling up with people.Aster pointed outside out of the blue and exclaimed, "Mommy! Look! It's Uncle Kevan!"She turned and spotted Kevan in the waiting area. He appeared to be alone, sitting behind a group of young girls. He looked absorbed in his phone. His slender frame and cool, confident aura made him the center of attention, even though he was

However, Larissa couldn't shake off the lingering discomfort in her heart, so she felt a subtle unease. It wasn't that she couldn't see how much Aster yearned for a father figure or grasp how much a father's presence would contribute to Aster's growth. But she couldn't move past what happened before and was paralyzed by the fear of taking that challenging first step.…The restaurant was packed with people, which caused delays in serving food to the table. The pizza was the first to come. It was probably hot out of the oven—the melted cheese was oozing and emitting a tempting aroma. Even Larissa, who was not particularly keen on pizza, couldn't resist her mouth from watering. Of course, Kevan picked up on this detail, as well as her fixed gaze on the pizza. He handed her the first slice.She was taken aback by his action, so she looked up and found him calmly placing the second slice on Aster's plate."Come on, dig in," he encouraged Aster. "You can protect your mom only when you get t

Larissa was stunned. She collected herself a few seconds later and glanced at Kevan subconsciously. He was also looking at her, seemingly waiting for her response. His gaze was intense, causing her to avert her gaze. She was more than willing to take her son to the movie, but she found herself in a predicament when it involved Kevan."It's getting late today, so …" She crouched down, trying to reason with Aster, saying, "How about we wait until I'm free, and we can go together then?"Naturally, Aster disagreed. "But I want to go today!" He resorted to tactics children his age would use—throwing a tantrum. However, it was the first time he did that, so he wasn't very skilled. He looked funny when he was contorting his little body and making faces.She couldn't help but laugh upon seeing that. Kevan chimed in, "We're already here, and it's not that late yet. Aster doesn't have to go to school tomorrow. So, let's just make his wish come true."Aster intensified his effort after seeing Kev

Kevan put the popcorn bucket in front of Aster and asked, "Want some?"Aster promptly pushed it away. "Give it to Mommy! She's crazy about this stuff."So, Kevan turned to Larissa, but she waved her hand and forced a smile. "I'm still stuffed. Can't have another bite.""Oh, okay." Kevan retrieved the popcorn.Aster grew frustrated looking at their interaction, almost thumping his chest in annoyance. "Uncle Kevan, Mommy's just being polite! She's not full at all!" He grinned sweetly, showing no remorse for exposing his mom's little fib. Larissa shot him an angry glare, but he did not fear her as Kevan was on his side.Kevan simply thrust the popcorn into her lap, saying, "Take it. No need to be shy." She had no choice but to accept it, as she grumbled, "Thanks.""You're welcome." Kevan smiled.Well, she indeed liked eating popcorn. To be exact, she loved anything sweet. Perhaps life was too bitter for her that she needed some sweetness to compensate for the bitterness.She was already

Larissa rushed into the restroom. At this point, the movie hadn't ended yet. But regardless, it was still unusual to find the restroom empty since it was usually packed with ladies queuing up. She turned on the tap and splashed a handful of cold water on her face, soothing away most of the heat. She used a napkin to carefully dab off the water stains, gradually calming her racing heartbeat. She then applied a thin layer of foundation as she stood in front of the mirror, concealing the lingering blush on her face.Afterward, she adjusted her expression bit by bit until the previous nervousness and shyness were no longer visible. She then walked to the counter with her head held high and bought Kevan a can of carbonated drink. When she returned to the screening hall, more than half of the movie had already passed.Kevan leaned back, his body half-slouched, and he was propping his chin with one hand. He dimmed the brightness of his phone screen to the maximum and was engrossed in whatever

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