Chapter 6
Sweet Subterfuge
Larissaâs office was situated on the side of the hotel facing the street.
Not long after she went upstairs, the sounds of police sirens could be heard below. She pushed open the window and looked down. There was a police car parked in front of the hotelâs main entrance. A few minutes later, two policemen led the Hardy couple out.
What really surprised her was that they were not resisting. They did not even pull away from the police and followed them obediently into the car. Larissa only found out the reason later from Livie, who said, âMr. Rogers said he was going to pay two million dollars for their lives. It scared them well. When they saw the police, it was like theyâd found their saviors and insisted on going with them so that they would be protected.â
Livie continued to narrate with rapture, âYou didnât even see how they looked afterward, Ms. Seymour.
They were just two total losers. It was hilarious.â
Larissa could not bring herself to laugh about it, however. Now that those two had made fools of themselves, they had embarrassed her too. After all, to strangers, they were still her in-laws.
â¦
Unsurprisingly, Larissa was summoned by the general manager before noon.
She stood ramrod straight, her hands clasped neatly in front of her. Her head was also bowed as she waited for the storm that was sure to come.
However, it did not.
On the contrary, the general manager asked kindly, âDo you need a few days off?â
Larissaâs head snapped up in surprise. She wondered if the guy was possessedâwhen she made mistakes previously, all that usually awaited her was a scolding. As if he had read her mind, the general managerâs face darkened and reverted to his usual stern appearance, which actually reassured Larissa.
âAlthough what happened today was not something you could control, it did start because of you.â
Larissaâs head went down again.
âYou have three days. Sort out your private affairs, and donât let it affect your work again. If thereâs ever another incident like this, your year-end bonus will be entirely forfeited.â
Larissaâs heart skipped a beat, and she immediately promised, âI will definitely do everything I can to solve my issues.â
After she left the general managerâs office, Kevan emerged from the partitioned waiting area he had been hiding in.
The general manager smiled quickly and greeted him, âMr. Rogers.â
Kevan dipped his head slightly and sat across from him.
âAs you instructed, I have given Ms. Seymour a few days off,â Mr. Compton said.
âI heard you.â Kevanâs face was impassive, and his tone was mild too. âOne more thing.â His gaze became frosty, causing the general manager to recoil.
âYes, sir?â
âHave Karin Gallagher check out from the hotel. Inform the other Regal Dynasty branches that she is blacklisted henceforth and is not allowed to stay.â
âButâ¦â Mr. Compton was a little hesitant. âMs. Gallagherâs room was reserved by her production crew.
Their crew has several big-shot celebrities who are staying in our hotel this time. Iâm afraid that if we force Ms. Gallagher to check out, the others would tooâ¦â
âThen let them.â Kevan did not waver. In fact, his face got colder too. âItâs not like the Regal Dynasty canât handle a minor loss like this.â
The general manager was intimidated by his imposing aura, and he nodded quickly. âYes, sir. It will be arranged.â
â¦
Despite suddenly getting three days off, Larissa was not happy at all. She called Travis and said, âAre you free today? Letâs meet up.â
He said, âFine. Iâve been looking for you anyway.â His tone was not friendly. It sounded like he was trying to suppress his anger.
Now that a few hours had passed, it was more than enough time for his parents to tattle to him.
â3:30 pm, at the Elegant Indulgence Cafe next to the Victory General Hospital.â Travis made the decision without bothering to consult her, then hung up without waiting for a reply.
Larissa had already been boiling with anger. If it was not for the fact that she wanted to deal with this dumb thing as soon as possible, she would not have bothered to show up due to Travisâ attitude.
She reached the Elegant Indulgence Cafe at the appointed time. The place was not big and only had about ten tables. But it was already considered a location with an âexcellent environmentâ compared to the other diners around the hospital.
There were not many people inside at this time. The moment Larissa said she was looking for someone, the waiter immediately led her to Travisâ table. Just as she imagined, Travis did not look amiable. He did not even greet her upon seeing her arrival. His eyes were filled with wrathful resentment.
Larissa acted as if she had seen nothing and sat down gracefully. She then proceeded to accept the menu handed over by the waiter.
âA cup of lemon tea, thanks.â
She smiled at the waiter, who froze before saying, âOf course.â
Then, he left with a blush on his face.
Travis looked even more pissed than ever.
âThe divorce isnât even finalized yet, and youâre already trying to seduce other men?â He glared at Larissa as if she was a criminal that deserved to be condemned.
Finding it funny, Larissa chortled out loud.
âNever mind whether I was seducing someone or not, even if I didââ Her smile faded, and her eyes became cold. âWhat right do you have to accuse me anyway, Travis Hardy?â
Travis stiffened for a few seconds before changing the subject. âDidnât you want a divorce? Sign this divorce agreement and Iâll go to the City Hall with you tomorrow.â
Seeing the file in front of him, Larissaâs heart sank.
It was less than two days from the time she found out about him and Amber until now. Even if he got a lawyer right after sending Amber to the hospital, an official divorce agreement would not have been drafted so quickly.
That could only mean one thingâ
This was something he had prepared long ago.
âHow long have you been waiting?â Larissa smiled coldly.
Travis was stunned. âWhat?â
âTo divorce me.â Larissa kept her eyes fixed on him.
Travis looked away nervously before huffing with irritation. âWhatâs the point of asking me this now?â
Larissa sneered and took the file from him. She opened it and began to read the document carefully.
As they had no children, the main point of the agreement was naturally on asset division. Travis requested for this to follow the law strictly and to have both their marital assets divided equally.
To that, Larissa had no objections.
Their income levels were comparable, so splitting it equally just meant that they would keep their own assets to themselves. Neither would be taking advantage of the other. The only thing she really cared about wasâ
âThe house?â
She had read through the whole agreement, and there was nothing mentioned about the house.
âWhoâs getting the house?â
The house was bought after their marriage. Because Travis had used his money to buy stocks, he did not have any savings. Larissa sold the one-bedroom apartment that she had lived in for years and barely managed to pay for the down payment.
Travis, on the other hand, used the condition of âhelping to pay back the mortgageâ to get his name on the deed. But heâd never paid a single cent during these years.
Based on Larissaâs thought process, she was the one paying for the house, so it was natural for her to have itâat most, she would just give Travis some money to go through the arduous procedure of removing his name from the deed.
âWhat do you mean, whoâs âgettingâ the house?â Travis retorted, a smug gleam in his eyes. âYou had better get this straight, Larissa. The house has nothing to do with you!â