Chapter 134
Sweet Subterfuge
âIâve never been to a bar- Lana complained meekly. âYou know how strict Mom and Dad are with me.
As long as they think that somethingâs bad, then they wonât let me do it. Iâm already 24, but they still treat me like a kid, worrying about this and that. I thought they would be less controlling once I had a boyfriend, but they didnât change at all. I only had someone new bossing me around, and thatâs Lucas!
Iâve wanted to go to bars and see more of the world since I came of age, but Iâve never even set foot in one until now.â Lana leaned against Larissa and rubbed her cheek against Larissaâs arm like a kitten.
âLyssa, Iâm begging you. Just take me once please?â
Though Larissa had never approved of Yvette and Xavierâs parenting methods, she found hersell agreeing with them for once. âBars are messy and dangerous. Itâs no place for a girl to visit.â Especially more so for girls like Lana, who looked cute and innocent. They would easily become prey to men with bad intentions. Perhaps, Lana thought Larissa was much more understanding than her parents and Lucas, so she continued pestering her. Til go just this once!â She raised her hand as if laking an oath and implored, âTake me inside to have a look. If you donât feel good about it, weâll leave immediately.
Please?â
Larissa remained resolute and still did not give in. Firstly, bars werenât a suitable place for Lana.
Secondly, if Yvette found out that she had taken Lana to a bar, Yvette would make Larissaâs life hell again. She stepped on the gas, and the car shot past Lido Street Lana leaned against the window staring at the Bar Avenue signboard fading into the distance. A melancholic silence enveloped Lana as she lowered her head and fiddled with her phone expressionlessly..
Larissa stole a glance at Lana and couldnât help but feel a little sorry for her. âIf you truly want to experience a barâlike setting, we could visit the restaurant bar at Regal Dynasty. The environment is good, and the clientele tends to be more refined. Besides, the live band there is famous,â she proposed, trying to find a middle ground with Lana Lana couldnât be persuaded. âRestaurant bars donât have the same exciting atmosphere.â Lana retorted coldly. She seemed like a completely different person than she was earlier.
Larissa dropped the topic since Lana rejected her. âIf you donât want to have dinner. I just drop you back at the hotelâ said Larissa. She turned the steering wheel and drove up the slope to the hotelâs entrance.
Lana was pressing her phone screen at a furious speed, and her phone was vibrating nonâstop. She was probably texting someone. âA friend of mine is also in Covenford, and we agreed to have dinner, Drive me to Parker Mallâ she instructed.
Parker Mall was a massive shopping complex in Covenford near the Regal Dynasty Hotel. It would be convenient for Lana to return to the hotel after dinner. âOkay,â said Larissa and drove Lana there. She only drove off after seeing that Lana had met her friend.
At 2 am, Larissa got woken up by her phone ringing. With her eyes closed, she felt for her phone and immediately answered the call without seeing the caller ID. She put it to her ear and said, âHello?â
Lanaâs voice was choked with sobs over the phone. âLyssaâcome and save me, quick Iâm at Quinn Bar on Lido Street, and a gang of people is blocking my way out of the toilet-
203 not to go Larissa immediately grew wide awake and asked hoarsely, âWhy did you go there? Earlier, she had specifically warned Lana not to anywhere and return to the hotel right after dinner!
âââLana stuttered for a long time, but she couldnât finish her sentence.
âOkay. Itâs okay,â Larissa interrupted while scratching her head in frustration. âIâm calling Lucas right away.â
âDonât!â Lana shouted, âYou canât let him find out about this! Heâll definitely tell Mom and Dad!â
Larissa paused as she was about to hang up. âThen wait for me.â she said. She crawled out of bed helplessly and put on a thick layer of clothing as fast as she could.
Larissa recalled her own experiences of going to a bar twice with her colleagues, which they had visited as a large group each time. There was a mix of male and female companions on both occasions, and nothing overly dramatic occurred. However, she also vividly remembered witnessing a bar fight once. A few drunk men had relentlessly hit each other with beer bottles and didnât stop even when the other person was already bleeding on the floor.