Sweet Subterfuge

Chapter 7

“What the hell do you mean?” Larissa was no longer able to keep calm, and she leaped to her feet, scaring the waiter who had brought her drink over.

“Your—your lemon tea, miss.” The waiter put the cup on the table nervously, his eyes darting between the two before leaving. Even then, he kept turning back to look at them.

Having been interrupted like that, Larissa recognized that she was in a public setting and somewhat restrained her discontent.

“I paid the down payment, and I’ve been paying the monthly mortgage too. If the house has nothing to do with me, then who else could it belong to?” She struggled to keep her voice low enough so that only the two of them could hear.

Hearing this, Travis unhurriedly retrieved yet another document from his ever-present briefcase.

“Take a look at this.”

On the top of the first page, bold letters announced the document to be an agreement for the gifting of property. Larissa’s gaze stopped at the title for two seconds before she began reading quickly—

Gifter: Larissa Seymour (hereinafter referred to as Party A”)

Giftee: Travis Hardy (hereinafter referred to as Party B)

The gift was precisely the house that they lived in after their marriage.

“What are you showing me this for? You want me to sign this?” Larissa tossed the papers back at him with a cold smile. “I’m telling you, Hardy, dream on!”

Travis was not frustrated at all. In fact, there was a triumphant smirk on his face that he could not hide. He turned to the last page of the document and pushed it toward Larissa again. His index finger pointed at the place where the signatures were meant to be and said, “Take a closer look, then tell me if I’m still dreaming.”

Below the words “Party A” was a flamboyant signature that said her name. The penmanship was one that she was most familiar with, and it did not seem like it was forged.

And the signature was shown to be dated three months ago! After a bit of calculating, it must have been shortly after Amber got pregnant.

They… They had been plotting against her since the beginning! And yet she had been kept in the dark until now!

Larissa was so angry that she was trembling. She finally managed to speak through gritted teeth. “I do not remember signing these papers.”

She did not know how Travis had conned her into signing anything, but she could not recall seeing anything remotely like these papers about gifting property.

“Regardless of whether or not you remember, you did sign it. I’ve had this agreement notarized.” Travis refused to give her an explanation and simply emphasized the last few words. “You’ve given me the house, so it’s mine. Based on the law, I don’t have the obligation to give you even a square foot of it!” Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

“Oh, and by the way—” Travis went on his phone for a moment before showing a photo to Larissa. “I’ve completed the property transfer procedure. This is the new property deed—”

There was only Travis’s name on it.

Larissa stared blankly at the image. In an instant, she was unable to think.

Travis rapped his knuckles on the table and brought her back to reality. “Hurry up and sign the agreement. I still need to look after Amber at the hospital. I don’t have time to waste with you here.”

“No. I won’t sign it,” Larissa said. Her voice was light but firm. Before she figured out all the fishy stuff in this deal, she would never let Travis have it his way.

“Are you serious?” Travis scowled irritably. “Even if you don’t sign it, the house is still mine. It’s impossible to give it back to you.”

“I won’t sign it,” Larissa repeated. “I don’t mind wasting time with you. Let’s see who can drag things out the longest.”

“You!” Travis gnashed his teeth.

Larissa ignored him and took out a 20-dollar bill and left it on the table. She then picked up her bag and rose from her seat. Before she could take two steps further, Travis blocked her way.

“Think this through carefully.” He lowered his voice, his expression savage. “You know what my parents are like. Aren’t you afraid they’ll cause a scene at your hotel again?”

Of course Larissa was afraid. But she could not show it, or else Travis would have leverage over her.

“Go back and ask your parents—” A mocking smile appeared on her face. “If they have decided to use their own lives in exchange for two million dollars?”

Travis’ expression shifted a little. “Murder is against the law!” he hissed in a low tone even as a hint of panic flickered through his eyes.

“You can get them to try.” Larissa casually tossed out those words and quickly left the cafe while Travis was still stunned.

…

Larissa obviously could not actually drag things out forever with Travis. Not for any other reason but that she simply did not want to have anything to do with him anymore.

But the signature on the property agreement really bothered her.

She was certain that she never signed anything like that before, even if the penmanship seemed to be hers. And that property deed with the changed name—

She was so surprised. Travis could actually succeed in the property transfer procedure without her presence. All of this was extremely illogical.

Without a moment of hesitation, Larissa drove back to the hotel. The moment she arrived at the lobby, she raced toward reception.

“Livie, could you help me check which room Mr. Shields—you know, the guy who came with Mr. Rogers —is staying in?”

Normally, the guests’ information could not be disclosed to anyone. A seven-star hotel such as the Regal Dynasty took this aspect rather seriously. But Larissa was not just “anyone,” she was also the manager of the housekeeping department.

Thinking Larissa was asking for work purposes, Livie found out Dylan’s room number through the system easily and told her.

When Larissa arrived at the floor where Dylan’s room was located, she heard a shrill voice shrieking abuse once she exited the elevator. “I’ve paid for the room! On what grounds are you kicking me out? Do you know who I am? If you dare touch me, I’ll make sure you’ll be as famous as your hotel!”

Clearly, a guest and the staff were in conflict.

Although she was technically on her day off, Larissa could not just stand by now that she had encountered this.

Quickening her pace, Larissa went toward the direction of the voice. She saw several guards and cleaning staff standing before a door after turning a corner. They were seemingly in a stand-off with someone. Once she got closer, she realized that it was the famous star, Karin Gallagher.

Larissa recalled that Karin and her production crew all had rooms on this floor.

“Ms. Seymour!” The cleaning staff gazed at her with stars in their eyes when they saw her. It was as if their savior had arrived.

Hearing that, Karin emerged from her room, still in an agitated state. Without waiting for Larissa to speak, Karin jabbed a finger at her and shouted, “You’re the manager? Explain to me why I’m forced to check out! Does your hotel not want business anymore?”