Sweet Subterfuge

Chapter 35

Larissa opened the curtains, leaned against the windowsill, and looked down.

Even though the building was pretty high up from the ground, she could clearly make out a police car parked downstairs.

Two of them passed by their block and rounded over to the back.

Seeing as their block wasn’t involved in this, Larissa didn’t pay much attention to it. The next day, when she checked the group chat Dylan had added her into along with everyone else who owned properties in Foxtail Garden, she realized that the racket last night had been caused by a woman howling and disrupting the peace under Block 12 in the middle of the night. Her screams had been so loud that the residents of that block were unable to sleep. As such, a few of them had been forced to call the police.

A woman under Block 12–

Amber’s face flashed across Larissa’s mind,

The members of the group chat continued discussing the incident.

“I think she was looking for Mr. Fox on the 25th floor.”

“The 25th floor? Mr. Fox of Soaring Corporation?”

“That’s him.”

“Didn’t he sell his house here and move away a while ago? Why would someone still come looking for him?”

“Oh, I heard about that too. They say he’d been siphoning money from Soaring Corporation for a few years now ever since he started working there. Just from accepting bribes and embezzling company funds, I reckon he took almost a billion dollars. Soaring Corporation had only found out about this recently; not only does he have to pay a significant amount as compensation, but he even has to go to jail for a long time too.”

“That’s a serious offense. He’ll have to spend at least ten years in prison for that, right?”

“That’s for sure. The new president of Soaring Corporation has some tough cards up his sleeves. This time, about seven or eight other high–ranking executives, including Skylar Fox, were brought down by him. Looks like the internal structure of the company is about to undergo a major reshuffle.”

Larissa stopped reading after that.

Later, they’d discussed the implications of the incident in regard to the stock market and the business ecosystem, but she hardly understood any of it and was not remotely interested. So, she simply exited the app.

The news of Mr. Fox’s fate left a significant impact on her.

Someone more powerful than her general manager had fallen, just like that.

And yet, thinking about what he once did to her, she supposed she wasn’t at all surprised about where he eventually ended up.

If she was being entirely honest, she was even somewhat triumphant about his downfall. © 2024 Nôv/el/Dram/a.Org.

Her satisfaction did not last long, however.

Her ex–mother–in–law came to the hotel to find her again.

Having learned her lesson from the last time, Mrs. Hardy did not barge in forcefully. Instead, she squatted in a corner at the hotel’s entrance and waited. As soon as she spotted Larissa walking out of the hotel, she pounced immediately.‘

Larissa was defenseless and she staggered backward on instinct, almost knocking over the decorative plant by the entrance.

Mrs. Hardy was afraid that Larissa would try to escape, so she grabbed Larissa’s arm roughly. Her weathered face was full of tears as she spoke.

“Lari! Oh, Lari, I beg of you! Please save my Travis!” Her voice was loud and hoarse.

Larissa winced in pain. “Let me go first!” She struggled with all her might.

Mrs. Hardy had grown up working on a farm and her strength was not something Larissa could rival.

She dragged Larissa toward the street. “Just come with me to save my Travis! You’re the only one who can save him now!”

At that moment, Larissa’s mind was a mess.

Fear, disgust, and resistance, as well as a series of other emotions, tumbled through her mind, making her lose her senses.

She could only shout instinctively, “Help! I’m being kidnapped!”

The security guards from the hotel heard her screams and ran out of the foyer.

They recognized Larissa immediately and approached Mrs. Hardy while waving their

batons threateningly. “Let her go now!”

Realizing that the situation was not working in her favor, Mrs. Hardy released her grip on Larissa and knelt down in front of her with a heavy thud.