Previous Chapter
Related Chapters
Sweet Subterfuge Chapter 269
"I'm not like Ms. Lotus. I've never claimed to be a saint. Once I catch any of you violating the rules, either you resign on your own accord, or I'll kick you out, with no room for negotiation," Larissa declared, attempting to establish herself as a cold-hearted "villain" to intimidate the employees who disobeyed her management.She wasn't concerned with gaining their liking or respect; her only expectation was for them to fulfill their duties diligently. After delivering her message, she turned and walked away. As she turned around, she noticed the door of a room across the corridor wide open.A young man in pajamas leaned against the doorframe. His gaze fixed on her with a half-smile. The man was quite handsome, bearing a slight resemblance to Kevan at first glance. However, his overall demeanor leaned more toward a gentle and effeminate nature, lacking Kevan's cold and distant aura.Thinking that her loud voice might have disturbed him, Larissa quickly apologized, "I'm sorry, sir. D
Sweet Subterfuge Chapter 270
As promised by Kevan, the new employees of the housekeeping department were all in place the following day. The news of the new general manager taking office came along with their arrival. Before Larissa could even settle into her chair, she received an email instructing her to attend a meeting in the large conference room. The attendees were all members of the hotel's management team, gathering to introduce the new leadership and discuss the future of the hotel.Being unfamiliar with the employees of Bartham's Regal Dynasty Hotel and mindful of Kevan's instructions from the previous night, Larissa found a corner seat and sat down with her notebook. People around her were engaged in conversations, speculating about the upcoming new leader's gender, age, appearance, and personality, all hoping for someone easy to get along with.As the designated time of 9 am stated in the email approached, the doors of the conference room were promptly pushed open, and one person stood in the doorway a
Sweet Subterfuge Chapter 271
After a busy morning of work, Larissa remained in her office while others from the department headed to the cafeteria for lunch. She was organizing the reports that Lotus hadn't had the chance to hand over to her yet.Someone knocked on the office door twice, and she looked up to see Edmund standing at the doorway with a smile on his face."Still busy?" he asked.She immediately set aside the mouse and stood up, exclaiming, "Mr. Rogers!""No need to be so formal," he said while his smile deepened. "I'm about the same age as you. You can call me Edmund."His casualness caught her off guard, and she suddenly remembered what Kevan had said."Well, you're my superior, so I'll stick with 'Mr. Rogers'," she said, trying to maintain her distance, even though that title might confuse him with Kevan. Regardless, she was making an effort to create some space between them.Edmund didn't insist. "As you wish."There was always a hint of indulgence in his tone, which made Larissa uncomfortable. She
Sweet Subterfuge Chapter 272
Edmund had no clue about being discreet—perhaps due to his inherently carefree nature or simply not caring about external opinions. In the span of a single afternoon, he made two visits to Larissa's office. Although their interactions were work-related, Larissa could easily discern through the transparent glass that several employees from the marketing department had been stealing glances and peeking inside during their breaks.Larissa purposely left the blinds open and even left the door slightly ajar to avoid any misconceptions, showcasing her innocence regarding Edmund. However, he remained completely oblivious to all of this.Their conversation carried on until the end of the workday. Edmund was aware that Larissa resided in the hotel, so he took the opportunity to invite her to have dinner together. Feeling helpless, Larissa had no choice but to decline, citing her desire to lose weight and skip dinner. Edmund didn't suspect anything and merely displayed a hint of disappointment.
Sweet Subterfuge Chapter 273
To avoid encountering Edmund, Larissa spent most of the following days wandering around the guest rooms downstairs. Whenever she spotted a housekeeping staff member cleaning a room, she would enter to conduct a "surprise inspection." She understood that developing habits took time, and despite the housekeeping staff's efforts, there were still some minor shortcomings. For less serious issues, she corrected them and let them go. But for more severe problems, she made a note and imposed fines. Those who disobeyed her management and were dissatisfied with the penalties were simply fired.In just a week's time, she earned the nickname "Devil" among her colleagues. However, instead of feeling offended, she felt somewhat satisfied—after all, everyone was afraid of her and conscientiously carried out their work.The only burden she felt was during the weekly department meeting when Edmund specifically praised her and made a joke about her being called the "Devil" by her subordinates. Althoug
Sweet Subterfuge Chapter 274
Edmund hadn't anticipated Larissa's strong reaction. He looked at her with a hint of admiration in his eyes."The applications will get rejected if we submit them frequently," he said."How about this—let's try a different approach. You stay here for now, and I'll submit another application once the housekeeping department is back on track after the big family reunion dinner. To be honest, we need you more here than in Covenford. Departmental reforms can't be accomplished in just two weeks. It's a long process, which is why I hope you can stay in Bartham."Everything about him—his words, tone, and demeanor—all seemed genuine. If it weren't for Kevan's initial warning and her aversion to being in Bartham, she might have been convinced by him already."I disagree," she firmly rejected. "If you can't resolve this, I'll contact headquarters myself."...Due to Edmund's persistence, Larissa had no choice but to seek help from her actual superior to explain the situation to headquarters. She
Sweet Subterfuge Chapter 275
"Can you help me?" Larissa asked tentatively "It's not impossible." Kevan crossed his legs as he sat on the sofa. Then, he continued, "What will I get for helping you?" It was the same when he helped her with Zero's incident. He always treated mutual assistance between friends as transactions. Larissa wasn't going to ask him to help in vain. Plus, she didn't like to owe others. However, the reward he requested posed a challenge for her. That was why she wouldn't turn to him for help unless she had no other choice left. She pursed her lips and asked, "What do you want in return?""Hmm …" Kevan frowned. After a moment, he said, "My head hurts."Then, he looked at Larissa. "Give me a massage." That was much easier than a kiss, a hug, or anything of that sort. Anyway, Larissa felt it was something she could handle. "Okay." Larissa walked over to him, knelt on one knee on the sofa, and leaned over to massage his forehead. Her movements were gentle, and she happened to apply pr
Sweet Subterfuge Chapter 276
The meeting lasted the whole morning. After Kevan left the meeting room, his assistant handed him his phone. As Kevan glanced at the screen, he saw the chat history between his assistant and the Human Resource Department manager of Regal Dynasty Hotel. He had requested the other party to transfer Larissa back to Covenford as per Kevan's instruction, but the request was denied. The other party replied, "Old Mr. Rogers ordered the transfer. If Mr. Rogers has any objection to this, he should discuss it with Old Mr. Rogers directly. We can't do anything about it." Kevan narrowed his eyes. He had thought this was Edmund's arrangement and that Bernard and his family were involved. He hadn't expected his grandfather's involvement in this. If that was indeed the case, the situation had become even more complicated. "Got it," Kevan said. Then, he returned to his office and called his grandfather. Roland answered the call and asked, "You're calling me because of Lari?" His grandpa was