Sweet Subterfuge

Chapter 16

Larissa knew that Travis would not give up that easily. But after that call, he and his family did not cross paths with her even until she had signed the contract with Dylan and moved into Foxtail Garden.

She dared not let her guard down, however. Even if she was close to her workplace, she chose to drive back and forth from work to minimize the chances of being caught alone.

Two days later, she was called into the general manager’s office. His expression was quite solemn.

Larissa recalled her work for the past two days—she was sure she had made no mistakes.

Mr. Compton asked her, “Do you know Mr. Skylar Fox of Soaring Corporation?”

“Soaring Corporation?” Shocked, Larissa tensed up at once.

This was not a nationally unfamiliar name—it was a conglomerate that had made its fortune in real estate since the 70s. As time passed, the company got bigger, and its business expanded into various sectors. They could be considered one of the main pillars of the economy.

Larissa had left Bartham without looking back and came to Covenford because of Soaring Corporation —or at least, because of the person in charge.

Even now, she still held onto the memory of that unpleasant experience. Getting involved with Soaring Corporation again made her really nervous—anxious even. As for Skylar Fox, she had never heard of him. But the last name Fox bothered her a bit.

“No, I don’t know him,” she replied. “What’s going on?” Her guard went up in an instant.

“You really don’t?” Mr. Compton frowned, trying to figure out if she was lying. “Then why did he call me last night to get me to fire you using any reason I can find?”

Mr. Compton had been promoted to his current position from Larissa’s current post. He was the one who hired her after she graduated from university, and she worked diligently under his command for three years. After gaining his recognition and support, she got promoted at the same time he did.

To the general manager, Larissa was someone he had mentored personally, so their bond was deeper than that of regular colleagues. Because of that, his first instinct was not to blindly obey Skylar’s instruction but to understand the situation from Larissa’s perspective and see if he could find an alternative solution.

“I really don’t know him,” Larissa said. But she had a suspicion that was somewhat confirmed—this Mr. Fox was likely related to Amber. “But I know why he wants you to fire me.”

“Why?” the general manager asked.

“It’s too complicated to explain.” Larissa had no intention of announcing her mess with Travis to the world. She gazed calmly at the general manager and asked solemnly, “Will you fire me?”

Mr. Compton sighed.

“I’ve always valued you, so I won’t. But—” He paused, a conflicted expression appearing on his face. “The Regal Dynasty is under Soaring Corporation. Even if Mr. Fox isn’t involved in the hotel side of things, his position is quite high in the company, I can’t afford to offend him either…”

This was the first time that Larissa heard that the Regal Dynasty was under Soaring Corporation after working here for five years. If she had known this earlier, she would not have chosen this job.

“Mr. Compton.” She made her decision at once. “You don’t have to fire me, I will quit.”

The general manager thought she was acting in the best interests of the hotel and felt both touched and a little sorry for her.

“Is there no possibility of salvaging the situation? Maybe you could apologize to Mr. Fox?”

“No, thank you.” Larissa rejected his suggestion. “Just go through the termination process for me.”

Mr. Compton did not agree to it immediately. He just said, “Just go back and wait, alright?”

The moment she left, he called Kevan. “Mr. Rogers, are you available at the moment? I would like you to do me a favor.”

…

Under normal circumstances, one had to give a one-month notice to resign, then go through a process to begin the handover process.

But Larissa’s situation was different. She did not know how long she could stay in the Regal Dynasty. So, the moment she got back to her office, she summoned her assistants, intending to hand over her duties to them.

Her assistants were confused, and one of them asked, “Ms. Seymour, are you going to go on a business trip?”

Larissa shook her head. “I’m going to leave the Regal Dynasty.”

“What?” they exclaimed at the same time. “So suddenly?”

“Yeah.” Larissa smiled wryly. “But this isn’t public knowledge yet. You must keep this secret for me.”

…

Larissa had just gotten home when the doorbell rang.

Only two people could enter this building in Foxtail Garden without letting her know in advance—her upstairs and downstairs neighbors respectively.

She opened the door, and sure enough, Dylan was standing there. He had already changed into loungewear, which clearly meant that he had returned from work for quite a while.

“I hope I haven’t disturbed you.” Dylan smiled.

“No, you didn’t.” Larissa quickly invited him in and got him a glass of water after settling him in the living room. She noticed the sealed paper bag in his arms and asked, “What is this?”

“The results of the penmanship verification,” Dylan said as he tore open the bag and handed a few sheets of paper over to Larissa.

The fine print increased Larissa’s anxiety, so she just flipped to the last page for the result. Property of Nô)(velDr(a)ma.Org.

The signature was consistent with her penmanship.

In other words, she really did sign those papers herself.

Although she had braced herself for this and anticipated this result, she still could not stop herself from collapsing onto the sofa.

Dylan had been observing her reactions, and he spoke up at the right time. “This is considered bad news, but I have a piece of good news for you.”

Her energy surged once more. Larissa asked, “What is it?”

“I found the guy who did the property transfer procedure for your former husband, and he has admitted to accepting a bribe. Because the transfer process was illegal, it will be ruled as void in court.” Dylan’s explanation was simple.

This news was like a shot of adrenaline, finally bringing a glimmer of joy to Larissa, who had been hit hard with consecutive blows lately.

“Oh, I also looked into where your former husband’s savings have gone,” Dylan said. “He bought a new house in his hometown for his parents. It was paid in full, and he also seems to have accrued several foreign debts.”

“He bought a house?” Larissa’s hand clenched and crumpled a corner of the papers.

He could not even pay for half of the down payment needed for their house, but he could make a full payment for his parents’ house.

“Yup.” Dylan nodded. “Did he mention this to you?”

“No.”

Travis still had some wits about him. If he did mention it, Larissa would not have approved, and she would have made him help pay the monthly mortgage for their own house too.

“Which means, he did not confer with you when he took the liberty to use your marriage assets.” Dylan’s smile got bigger, and the gleam in his eyes brighter too. “Don’t worry, I’ll help you get the money back.”