Larissa's Game of Thrones (Larissa) novel Chapter 413

Larissa produced a bottle of massage oil she’d concocted from rare medicinal herbs. She poured a little onto Haskell’s legs.

“This is the first time I’m trying therapeutic snake massage,” she explained. “The idea is that the initial fear response causes the pores to open, allowing the medicinal oils to be absorbed more effectively. Plus, Sage and Snowy understand my instructions, so they’ll be far more effective than any human masseuse.”

Haskell glanced at the two snakes coiled around his feet, then quickly looked away, fighting down his discomfort. “…Right,” he managed.

After a few minutes, Larissa asked, “How does it feel?”

“Cold,” Haskell said, trying to keep his composure and avoid looking down. “And a little tingly… How long does this last?”

“Half an hour each day.”

“…Okay.”

Larissa noticed Sage slacking off. “Sage, no loafing.”

The snake flicked its eyes up at Haskell before grudgingly tightening its coils around his leg.

Haskell closed his eyes. “Fine”, he thought. “Whatever it takes to heal my legs.”

While the snakes worked, Larissa went into the adjoining room to rest.

Sage took the opportunity to lift its head and stare intently at Haskell’s face.

Haskell raised an eyebrow. “Yes?”

If only Sage could talk. It would tell this man that its job used to be simple: look cute and laze around. But now, because of this human, it had to work. It was exhausting.

Haskell, of course, had no idea what the snake was thinking. But knowing it understood him, he decided to be polite and offered a small smile. “Hello, Sage. My name is Haskell.”

Sage froze for a second, then quickly turned its head away. But it couldn't help a grudging thought.

“No wonder my owner likes him. That smile is something else. One look and my head is spinning. My owner sees it every day. She never stood a chance.”

An hour later, Larissa emerged from the break room. Sage was sprawled lazily on the sofa, while Snowy was exploring the top of the air conditioning unit.

“Time to go.”

“Me too.”

“Wait, did Gale Entertainment send an offer to everyone? Is this some kind of scam? Why would they hire all of us?”

“You haven’t heard? Our new CEO apparently pissed off the Lincoln family, one of the top families in Regal City. They’re coming after her, and they’re starting with Starlight Media.”

“What? So if the company goes under, we’ll all be out of a job?”

“Looks that way.”

“The Lincolns must be really determined to destroy our new CEO if they’re willing to spend this much to poach our entire staff.”

“So what are you guys going to do? Are you leaving? Gale Entertainment is an established company. It’s probably not a trap, right?”

A heavy silence fell over the group.

Finally, someone spoke up. “Do you really think these corporate giants are charities? Offering such high salaries? They’re just trying to lure us over. Once Starlight Media is dismantled, they’ll find excuses to fire all of us. Then we’ll be left with nothing.”