Her racing heart immediately fell, and Larissa silently ate throughout the whole meal. Dylan could sense the tension in the atmosphere and tried to bring up a light-hearted topic, asking Larissa, "Do you have any plans for Christmas?"

"I have to work overtime," Larissa replied without hesitation. "I'm busy right now, and I probably won't be able to catch a break until after New Year's."

"Oh ... So, you won't be able to come to my Christmas party?" Dylan sounded a bit disappointed.

Larissa didn't want to dampen his spirits and replied, "I’ll join you guys if I get off work early that day."

"Great! Remember to bring a gift for the gift exchange session. It’s quite fun!" Dylan immediately brightened up.

Larissa was just being polite, but hearing him say that further strengthened her determination not to go. She suspected that his friends were probably all wealthy, and anything she bought would either be too cheap for their liking or too expensive for her to afford.

Perhaps, Dylan