Larissa had never met her biological father before. By the time she was old enough to remember, Yvette was already with Xavier.She could only piece together a vague image of her father's appearance from Yvette's poor descriptions."He's an incompetent piece of trash." Perhaps he was skinny and meek. "He was always tongue-tied and clumsy." Maybe he was a silent and introverted man who always doubted himself. "He's a freeloader who couldn't earn a penny by himself. He depends on women to pay his bills." He probably dressed in the simplest clothes, maybe even a bit sloppy.In short, he was not particularly impressive or good-looking.However, Larissa always had an inkling that Yvette was not telling the truth. Just because they didn't share a close relationship didn't mean she didn't understand her.Yvette was vain and materialistic, and if her biological father was truly as unbearable as she had described, Yvette would never have married him in the first place.Then again, per
Larissa was taken aback, "Huh?"Gary avoided her gaze and asked in a low voice, "What about your father?"Although Larissa was trembling, she put on a smile and said, "My mom said he passed away when I was very young. I've never seen my dad, and I don't even know what he looks like. That's the biggest regret of my life. Because of this, I can't bear to let my son's hopes be shattered."Gary's heart, which had just calmed down, began to ache again. He wanted to tell Larissa that he was her father.But he was worried that she would blame him for not appearing all these years, and might even refuse to acknowledge him. He wouldn't be able to maintain even a simple friendship with her."Do you miss your father?" he tentatively asked."When I was little, I thought about him, especially when I was sad," Larissa recalled the past, as if all the pain had disappeared, leaving behind a faint trace of melancholy, "But as I grew up, I stopped thinking about it because I knew it was pointless.
Larissa froze in her tracks.She thought Kevan had already left, but with so many variables in between, it was highly likely that he was persuaded by Aster to stay.She sighed inwardly and resumed walking.As she approached them, Aster ran up to her in a few steps and held her hand.His little face was flushed, his nose covered in sweat, and his big, bright eyes were filled with a smile."Why are you so late?" His tone carried a hint of reproach. "Daddy and I have been waiting for you for a long time!" He deliberately emphasized the word "daddy," speaking loud enough for everyone around to hear. The gazes they received stunned Larissa—especially when she noticed that most of those gazes were filled with envy.She lowered her head, forcing herself to smile as she silently wished to disappear. They quickly returned to where Kevan was.As soon as Larissa met Kevan's gaze, she noticed the remorse in his eyes."I'm sorry," Kevan said. "I didn't feel at ease leaving Aster alone. I
"Friendship first, competition comes second." She tried to indoctrinate them. "It's fine if you don't get first place."Both males turned to look back at her with disapproving looks."Mommy, don't you dare hold us back!" Aster "warned" her.Larissa was a bit angry. "Fine, I won't." She turned to leave. "Have fun on your own, you two! I'll be going now!""Hey—" Kevan reached out quickly to stop her.Larissa was unable to pull the leg she put out in time, and her body fell back from the momentum right into Kevan's broad chest. Kevan wore a thin sports t-shirt, so his protruding pecs were rather obvious. The moment Larissa's back hit them, she felt them immediately.Her face went beet-red in a second before she hurriedly straightened up and put some distance between herself and Kevan.A few mothers nearby let out cries of amazement. Those who were familiar with Larissa came over to tease her. "That scene earlier was totally from a tv show!"Larissa's blush deepened.…The first
Kevan did not move, however. His hands hovered protectively at Larissa's sides, forming a hug of some sort that kept her encircled. He looked down at her, her silhouette clearly reflected in his eyes."Are you hurt?" Kevan's voice was low and cool, but there was a hint of warmth in there. His concerned gaze made Larissa's heart skip a beat before pounding furiously. She began to feel rather hot under the collar, and the heat of her blush was enough to fry an egg."No," she replied very quietly.They had not had any physical contact nor had they said anything romantic, but there seemed to be an amorous atmosphere surrounding them, which made other people jealous."Daddy! Daddy!" Aster began jumping with anxiety. "We're going to lose!"Kevan finally returned his attention to the competition.Just like that, several people had already turned back. Even if he raced to catch up with them, he could not escape the fate of coming in last. Having figured out the situation, Larissa quickly
Although Kevan really wanted her to, he did not dare push his luck when he saw Larissa's face darkening. He reached over Aster's head and swiped the tissue out of Larissa's hand, hastily rubbing it over his face."All done." He raised his hand and threw the crumpled tissue into a trash can that was a few feet away in a perfect arc.Yet another round of exclamations sounded around them, and even Larissa had to look at him in a whole new light.Aster clung to Kevan even more and asked him with puppy-dog eyes, "Daddy, when will you teach me how to shoot hoops?"Kevan replied without hesitation, "When you're resting this weekend."Aster immediately leaped three feet into the air with delight and stuck out his pinky. "That's a promise!"Larissa watched this while her heart sank slowly.…Having lost some momentum in the first activity, Kevan and Aster got Larissa to join in on every other activity that they could participate in to gain more points, and they gave their all in every a
Larissa crouched in front of Aster and held his hand, calmly reasoning with him, saying, "Mommy can't take such a long holiday, so I can't go to Kailadon with you. Instead of wasting this spot, it's better to give it away to another student instead.""But …" Aster pouted, his face filled with disappointment.It was not that he did not know that his mommy was busy with work, and it was not that he could not understand—he had long known from a young age that Mommy and Godma only wanted to give him a better life by working so hard. But compared to what they saw as a "better life", he desired their companionship more than anything."I want to go with you …" His voice became very small, and it was filled with hurt.Larissa pressed her lips tightly together. She felt bad for him, and she felt guilty too. She knew that she had not spent much time with him over these years. While other kids were vacationing all over the world, having fun at carnivals and amusement parks, he was usually alo
Aster froze before his shoulders slumped—but he stopped complaining.…Kevan did not stay tonight. He knew when to take his leave. If he continued to find excuses to stay, Larissa would definitely resent him. If something happened again in the future, she would not be soft-hearted enough to let him stay anymore.Without Kevan, Larissa was much more relaxed, but she also felt that something seemed to be missing at the same time. On the other hand, Aster made sure his displeasure was written all over his face. He kept talking about Kevan. When it was time for bed, Larissa had to tell him thrice before he reluctantly returned to his room.Having not been in the hotel for the whole day, Larissa went to the study to deal with her work that had piled up. When she finished, it was already almost 3 am.Yawning, she exited the study while stretching, nearly tripping over something that was on the floor. She looked down and realized that it was Cookie lying on the floor near the study's doo