NovelOnline
Chapter 285
Larissa stared at the money in his hand, and her eyes grew as round as saucers. This was the first
time in her life to receive cash as a gift. As a kid, she envied Lana every New Year because she
received stacks of money. Just the money she got from Xavier and Yvette was already worth
thousands, whereas Larissa had nothing.
Larissa felt like taking the money but suppressed her urge in the end. “I’m already an adult. Why are
you still giving me money?” She smiled slightly and pushed Kevan’s hand away. “Give it back to your
grandpa.”
“Give it to him yourself if you want to.” Kevan stuffed the money into her hand and said, “I don’t run
errands for other people.” With that, he went back into his room. Old Mr. Rogers had given her a very
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtthick roll of money. Just by feeling it, Larissa guessed that there was at least a few thousand dollars.
However, she couldn’t accept it, so she did not unbind it to check. She just left it on the coffee table.
…
Time gradually ticked away until it was almost midnight. On the television, a few TV show hosts were
standing on stage, counting down.” Five four three two one!” Following the strike of the clock, loud
cracks and booms sounded outside. Larissa drew the curtains aside and saw colorful fireworks
exploding in the night sky. The smog in Bartham was very severe, and fireworks were prohibited during
New Year’s. There used to be fireworks shows, but they had been canceled over recent years. Those
fireworks were obviously not a gesture from the government.
Judging by the distance and loudness, it seemed more like an initiative from the hotel. Larissa went out
onto the balcony and leaned against the railing. Watching the dazzling sky, she suddenly felt like
drinking. There was red wine in the booze cabinet, and she opened a bottle. Without using a glass, she
just drank right from the bottle and downed half of it.
There was no one to admire the view with her. “It’s so beautiful.” She raised her hand, trying to touch
the faraway fireworks. “Too bad Sadness slowly overwhelmed her until she was drowning in it. Very
quickly, she reached the bottom of the bottle. She lost her grip, and the bottle fell to the floor, shattering
to pieces. The booming fireworks drowned out the sound of breaking glass, so Kevan heard nothing
from his room.
As Larissa crouched down to cautiously collect the shards of glass, a momentary lapse in
concentration caused her to inadvertently cut her finger on a sharp, jagged edge. The sting of pain felt
magnified on a night when everyone else seemed to be reveling, and the effects of alcohol had
loosened her grip on control. She flung away the broken piece and sank to the floor, hugging her
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmknees, and wept bitterly. Filled with hope and anticipation, Larissa had believed that this year would
bring a change. She had thought she finally had a family to celebrate the New Year with. However,
reality dealt her a crushing blow, shattering her expectations. With a heavy heart, she realized that she
had been naive in believing his words of affection were genuine. Unbeknownst to her, people could be
insincere, and their feelings could change with time.
Perhaps she had eaten too many pies, or maybe it was because she had downed a whole bottle of red
wine; Larissa felt as if her stomach was burning. It also felt like someone was stirring her insides with a
spoon, and it felt terrible, making her feel like vomiting. She stood up unsteadily and stumbled into the
bathroom. She hunched over the toilet bowl and emptied the contents of her stomach.
She sat on the floor in the bathroom for a very long time until she slowly sobered up and her strength
returned. By the time she finished showering and lay down on her bed, it was past 3 am. The gastric
pain made her toss and turn the entire night. Only when the sky brightened did she finally feel a little
sleepy. Just as she was about to fall asleep, Kevan burst into her room. “Why are you still sleeping?”
There was a hint of displeasure in his voice. “Haven’t I told you to wake up earlier?”
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