Sweet Subterfuge

“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!”

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

her name. The penmanship was one that she was most familiar with, and it did not seem like it

ago! After a bit of calculating, it must have been shortly after

been plotting against her since the beginning! And yet she had been kept

angry that she was trembling. She finally managed to speak through gritted teeth.

her into signing anything, but she could not recall seeing anything remotely like these papers about gifting property.

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

by the way—” Travis went on his phone for a moment before showing a photo to Larissa. “I’ve completed the property

only Travis’s

stared blankly at the image. In an instant,

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

said. Her voice was light but firm. Before she figured out

don’t sign it, the house is still mine. It’s impossible to give it

wasting time with you. Let’s see

gnashed

table. She then picked up her bag and rose from her seat. Before she could take two steps

this through carefully.” He lowered his voice, his expression savage. “You know what my parents are like. Aren’t you

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

mocking smile appeared on her face. “If they have decided to use their own lives in exchange for two million dollars?”

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

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

…

reason but that she simply did not want to have anything to do with him anymore.