The Carter Group was going down!
The news recently went viral in Gabbs. It had been a topic of conversation at every business cocktail party lately, including the one Mike was attending today. He smoked at the banquet. He loathed such gatherings, yet no matter how much he disliked them, he had to put up with them. "I have something to do. I'll take my leave now," Mike said and was about to leave. He opened the door of the room and wanted to go out. Before he walked out, he stopped, because he saw a familiar figure in the corridor. He couldn't be sure and called out tentatively, "Mrs. Hammond?" The person didn't respond. The men at the table in the room all stopped what they were doing. Instead, they all turned around and looked in one direction. They thought, 'No way! It can't be Patrick's mate, right?' Mike ignored the group of half-drunk men behind him. He looked at the woman's back. She was limping slightly t"Patrick! You bastard! You promised me!" Gloria's eyes turned red. The pain in Patrick's eyes almost froze. He focused on doing what he was doing. Suddenly, Gloria's eyes widened in fear. Her body was shivering all over. She felt a sudden chill down her back since her pajamas were lifted. She screamed with all her strength, and her voice was harsh and unpleasant, "Patrick! I hate you!" Patrick's eyes were full of pain. He lowered his head abruptly and kissed her passionately on the scar on the back of her waist. He would rather dig out his heart to fill the missing flesh on the scar. Gloria struggled even harder, but the more she struggled, the more passionately Patrick kissed her. "Patrick! I hate you! Can't you hear me?" She twisted her waist frantically, trying to avoid his endless kiss. Patrick remained silent. What he wanted was not just her body. He wanted her to respond to him. He admitted that he
Mandy, who was in the driver's seat, opened her mouth, only to find that she couldn't utter a word to comfort Gloria. She knew Gloria too well, which was why she felt no need or words to comfort Gloria. The Carter Group had many problems. Maybe they had been overlooked, or maybe Alger didn't think they were serious. Mandy was a little distressed for Gloria, who was in the back seat. When Gloria was busy, she was working in an almost suicidal way. Mandy figured that she was supposed to hate Patrick. After all, he was the one who forced an outgoing woman bit by bit till she was cornered. In all of Gabbs, Patrick was the only person who could drive Gloria into a corner. But now, Mandy felt grateful for Patrick. At least he would come in time to pick Gloria up for lunch and dinner, or Gloria would be too busy to eat at all. Mandy accompanied Gloria to work for several days, and Patrick did not appear during this time. Gloria knew that h
Although Gloria's voice had long been broken, currently, her voice had reached a new limit. Listening to her speak made one feel like hearing two pieces of coarse sandpaper rubbing against each other. Anyone would get a sore throat and an itchy mouth while listening to her. "What do you want?" Stewart frowned and asked in dissatisfaction. Gloria didn't care about his attitude. She casually took the face powders out of her bag, opened it, and started to touch up her makeup as if no one else was around. "Seriously? You are still in the mood to fix your makeup now?" Stewart sneered. In fact, he was already dissatisfied. Gloria turned around and asked him, "Do I look good?" "Don't go too far!" Stewart clenched his fists. "If he sees me, he won't be able to move his eyes away from me, right?" Gloria lowered her head slightly and muttered to herself. Immediately, Stewart felt a lump in his throat and something bitter in his heart.
Gloria looked stiffly at Patrick in her arms who was asking for help. The others froze on the spot, watching the strange scene. "Is that Patrick?" Stewart said skeptically, and everyone present shared the same doubt. Sean's face suddenly darkened, and he said sternly, "Go! Get the pack doctor." The pack doctor came, but Patrick refused to cooperate. He clutched Gloria's clothes with both hands and refused to let go. Thus, all the people present looked at Gloria. "He only listens to you now," Sean said calmly. Under the gazes of everyone in the room, Gloria compromised and coaxed the child-like Patrick. After giving Patrick a checkup, the pack doctor said, "Alpha Patrick seems not to remember the past." Sean was also a medical worker, so he instantly understood what the doctor meant. "Are you saying that he lost his memory?" "No. Alpha Patrick's IQ and cognition are now no different from that of an eight-year-old
Gloria drove back. Sitting in the driver's seat, she laughed at herself for having an illusion. Otherwise, how could she see Patrick? Suddenly, she realized something. Gloria stepped on the brakes, her body leaning forward instinctively. She stared forward. The next moment... She unbuckled her seat belt, got out of the car, and limped forward. "Patrick! Where have you been? Everyone is worried about you. Do you know that?" Gloria shouted at him with her coarse voice. Her chest heaved violently. Patrick seemed frightened and stared at her blankly. "Gloria," Patrick explained, "Hank said that if I behaved, you would come to see me. I waited for a long time, but you didn't come. I miss you so much!" He looked at a loss and was about to cry. "Have I done something wrong?" Gloria's heart skipped a beat. An indescribable pain spread through her heart and she was caught off guard. Before she could say anything, Patrick
The secretary suddenly stood up. "Sorry, Mandy. Our president said that he wanted to meet Miss Carter alone to seek cooperation this time." Gloria, Mandy, and the other representatives from the Carter Group all looked at each other in confusion. What a strange request it was! Mandy was about to say something, but Gloria stopped her. "Take the others out of the meeting room." "But..." Mandy was worried. Gloria looked at Mandy with determination in her eyes. "Mandy, you know how important this cooperation is to me." It was important to her, as well as the Carter Group. "Let's go," Mandy said to others and took the lead to leave. In the conference room, only Gloria was left. In front of the floor-to-ceiling window, a man stood silently. Gloria changed her expression and put on a standard smile. She walked over and stopped three meters away from the man. It was the best social distance. "Hello, Mr. Norman, nice to see you.
Time ticked by. Gloria raised her wrist and glanced at her watch for the third time. Patrick's eyes were fixed on her. The ringing sound of the phone broke the strange atmosphere in the room. Gloria pressed the answer button. She asked, "Have you arrived?" On the phone, she could hear Sean's voice together with hurried footsteps. "I can't go. I'll leave Patrick to you for the time being." Gloria became anxious and called out, "Wait a minute. Leave him to me for the time being? Isn't Hank there?" "Hank is not free. All his men are busy now." Gloria laughed out of anger. "What do you mean by that?" Sean sneered and asked Gloria, "He was shot in Italy. Don't tell me you think it was a coincidence." "What do you mean?" "Stewart will stay in Hammond Group. Hank and I are going to Rome. Think about it. He is not short of bodyguards, but why did he still get shot?" Sean said quickly. Gloria was silent. Although
The bedroom door suddenly opened. Gloria looked up and saw that Patrick had a poker face and returned with a blanket in his hand. Without a word, he threw the blanket onto the floor beside her bed and unrolled it silently. "What are you doing?" She was even more puzzled and asked. Patrick lay down on the floor and turned his back to her deliberately. "You are not allowed to sleep here," Gloria said coldly. Patrick remained silent. Gloria shouted, "Patrick, go out!" Patrick got up from the blanket and turned to yell at her, "Just send me away tomorrow! I don't care! Don't even think about chasing me away tonight!" Gloria didn't expect that he dared to yell at her. "Gloria wants to drive me away. She is sick and no one will take care of her. She is unreasonable!" Patrick shouted again. Gloria was stunned and didn't know what to say. It was the first time that the eight-year-old Patrick had shouted at her. She look
Eva saw that she couldn't hide the truth anymore, so she told Clarissa what had happened, but she didn't mention the heart failure, only saying that Luana was in a coma.Hearing that Luana was in a coma, Clarissa nearly lost her balance and fell.She steadied herself against the door frame and said in a trembling voice, "Dr. Woodward, please tell me the address of the hospital..."Eva gave Clarissa the address and tried to calm her down. "Don't worry, she's in my hospital and I'll keep an eye on her. You should prepare some clothes for her to change into. She'll probably need to be hospitalized for a while."Eva's calm voice gave Clarissa some strength.She steadied herself, thanked Eva, and hung up the phone. Then she stumbled into Luana's bedroom.She quickly packed a few pieces of clothing, grabbed some toiletries, and hurriedly drove to the hospital.Eva was in the middle of giving Luana a detailed examination when she saw Clariss
Clarissa, Clarissa…Luana heard Clarissa's crying voice in a daze. The sound tugged at her heart, making it impossible for her to keep going.She stood in the mist, slowly turning her head, just in time to see Clarissa running toward her."Luana, don't leave. Come back. I still have so much to tell you…"Luana opened her mouth to respond to Clarissa, but no sound came out.Then, fresh oxygen flowed in, easing her suffocated heart.Gradually, the mist dissipated and Clarissa vanished. Luana fell into a deep coma."Dr. Woodward, her heart has started beating again!""Hurry, keep her on oxygen!"Eva saw the flickering data on the ECG monitor and felt her legs go weak.This was the first time she had been so anxious about a patient, fearing that she might die.Her hands were still trembling, too weak to even lift."Dr. Roffe , how's the situation with the back of her head?"Dr. Roffe
Cline stared coldly at Sidney, his face full of dissatisfaction."Cline, you used to... protect Valda like this too," Sidney said, eyeing him suspiciously up and down.In this world, the only person who could make him lose control of his emotions was Valda.Back then, he had stood up for Valda just like this, even going to any lengths to defend her!Sidney's words hit a sore spot for Cline, making his expression even darker and more irritable."What do you want to get out of this?""I want her dead! Either that, or sell her to a club and make her life a living hell! Otherwise, I'll tell Auntie that you have a special relationship with her!"Upon hearing this, Cline slightly tilted his head and reluctantly slapped Luana.The moment the slap landed, Luana, who was unprepared, lost her balance and fell straight backward—This time, she wasn't so lucky. There was a nail where she fell, which pierced right into the back
The man had a face with sharp angles, like it was chiseled out of stone, and eyes that were impossible to read.He wore a black suit that accentuated his lean and upright figure, exuding an aura as dazzling as the stars yet tinged with melancholy.After steadying Runa, he didn't immediately remove his hand from her waist. Instead, he looked down at Luana coldly."You dare to lay a hand on my fiancée? Who the fuck are you?"Luana's heart, which had been racing and nearly suffocating with tension, suddenly chilled at the man's indifferent voice.Drenched, with a swollen cheek and disheveled hair, she felt more humiliated by his words than by her appearance.She hugged her shivering arms, lowered her head, and stared lifelessly at her toes, awaiting judgment from these powerful, condescending people."Cline, what are you doing here?"Runa asked, surprised yet more shocked that Cline hadn't let go of her.Cline was always so busy handling affairs—why would he show up at a mall, and in the
The entrance of the mall was crowded with people coming and going.If someone took a photo or a video, it might harm Luana's reputation.Although the Moriarty family had enough PR skills to deal with the public opinion, it was better not to cause trouble.Thinking of this, Sidney immediately withdrew her hand and gave a signal to the bodyguards behind her.The bodyguards quickly took out a handkerchief, covered Luana's mouth with it, and dragged her towards the restroom.Luana was almost thrown into the toilet stall by the bodyguards. They didn't give her a chance to escape and pinned her down tightly.Sidney and Runa walked in gracefully in high heels.They looked down at Luana as if they were symbols of power."Sidney, is she the one who disrespected you at the hospital?" Runa asked."Yes, she dared to mock me and even threatened to call the police on me. How dare she!" Sidney replied.Runa also glared at Luana fiercely."Luana, I didn't expect you to be so foolish. Do you want to d
When she saw Gath come out with an angry look on his face, completely different from the cheerful appearance she had seen before, it seemed as if there was a deep-seated hatred between them.Luana did not ask about their relationship, pretending to know nothing, and took out the swelling-reducing medicine to give it to Eva."Eva, apply this. You're so beautiful. You don't want to be scared, do you?" Seeing the injury on Eva's face, Luana felt guilty, as if she were the reason Eva got hit."Thank you," Eva accepted the swelling-reducing patch and applied it to her face, then looked at Luana, who was pretending nothing had happened."You know Gath, don't you?" Eva thought that since Luana and Calvert seemed to have a good relationship, and Gath was Calvert's friend, Luana must know him.Luana nodded but did not ask any more questions.Eva, however, did not mind and openly said, "He's like my brother, but without blood ties. However... the grudges between us run deep."As for how deep th
After getting some anti-inflammatory and pain-relief medicine from the nurse, Luana returned.She pushed open the door to the dean's office just in time to see Gath pinning Eva against the wall. Luana froze for a moment before quickly backing out and closing the door behind her.She sat down on a chair outside, propping her chin on her hand, her mind racing but unable to make sense of the tangled relationships between them.Inside the dean's office, Eva had regained her composure the moment she saw Luana. She forcefully pushed Gath away."Stay away from me..."Gath, pushed back, straightened his disheveled clothes but kept his eyes fixed on Eva."Does it hurt?" he asked, touching the swollen cheek where she had been slapped, though his eyes held a mocking smile."I thought you'd be quite capable after leaving the Tittlington family, but it turns out you've just latched onto Cline. Though the price seems a bit too high."Eva was
When Luana heard Sidney's words, she felt insulted, while Eva was filled with fear.Eva quickly stepped forward, blocking Luana and apologizing on her behalf, "Miss Preston, this patient didn't know who you were, which is why she spoke to you like that. I'm really sorry. Please, just let her go."Eva's submissive pleading made Luana feel even more guilty, and she started to say, "Eva..."She wanted to tell her not to lower herself for her sake, but Eva interrupted her, "Miss, you're just here to see me for treatment. We're not close. If you say anything else that upsets Miss Preston, I won't treat you anymore!"Eva was trying to distance herself from Luana, seemingly to protect her.Luana understood her intentions and kept quiet.Although she thought the woman in front of her was too arrogant, Eva seemed terrified of her. To avoid causing more trouble for Eva, Luana gritted her teeth and endured it.Seeing this, Sidney's lips curled i
Luana nodded in agreement. "The key issue still lies with his family."This realization struck Clarissa, who hurriedly said, "I'll go to his hometown and ask some neighbors. That should clear things up."Luana quickly grabbed her hand, warning, "Don't go alone. It's too dangerous."Who knew what the situation was like in Albert's hometown? If Clarissa went alone and got into trouble, what would happen?Luana tried to calm her down, saying, "Don't worry. I think Angela can't keep her cool for long. When we find a chance when Albert isn't around, you just provoke her a bit. She might just lay all her cards on the table."Clarissa thought about it and found it made sense.In the ward just now, Angela had almost lost her temper several times. If it weren't for Albert holding her back, she might have already jumped up and confronted Clarissa.It would be safer to approach Angela when Albert wasn't around than to go to his hometown alone.