The maid hurriedly came to open the door after a while.Percy held his phone and tried to ask the maid not to open the door. The door was still opened in the end. He sat in the car and put his phone back into his pocket.Maybe he should have told her that he was still staying in the villa they used to stay in.He dismissed the servants at the villa after she insisted on leaving. There was only one maid left there who was responsible for occasionally cleaning the house.Percy sat in the car and listened to the conversation between Nina and his maid. “Hello, your young master is in the car. He’s drunk, and his legs are not working now. Please come over and help him into the house.” Nina did not forget to taunt him when she was talking to the maid.Percy wanted to show her that he could walk, but she had a soft rather than hard temperament. It was better for him to pretend to be weak now.The maid shot a glance at the person in the car. It was indeed her young master. She walked o
"This is what I need." Luca was calm. She knew that pissing off the kidnappers would not do her any good. Nonetheless, she wanted to fight for more opportunities to see if she could find out more information from them.The man rolled his eyes and mocked her. "You’re being kidnapped, you’re not on vacation.""I know. You can let me die of thirst and tell your boss that I died because I was too weak to withstand your beatings." Luca looked at the hideous mask on his face without any fear."Will you die if you drink two fewer glasses of water? Do you think I'm a three-year-old child?" The man pinched her chin. If he was not afraid of hurting her again, he would have already taken action."I was beaten until my forehead bled yesterday and I'm very weak now. You can refuse to meet my demands. However, when the person behind you asks you for a handover, you need to figure out how you’re going to explain it to him." Luca still appeared tough even though her chin was being gripped by the k
Luca was certain after she saw him evade her question.It was Pierre!"Didn't you find out more before you kidnapped me? I was rumored to be romantically involved with Luke Crawford. Also, I work in T Corporation. If I don’t show up to work, they’ll know that I'm missing and call the police." Luca reminded him in a casual tone.The man knew that Luca's kidnapping had been announced on the news.The kidnappers thought that even if a passerby who was around when they kidnapped her called the police to report it, it would take a long time for the mindless police officers to find out Luca's identity.They never expected that on the second day of the kidnapping, the police already knew who Luca was and issued a notice.‘Could it be… that what she said is true?’They had been involved in multiple kidnappings of prominent figures but they had never dared to provoke the Crawford and Mallory families.Everyone in their line of work knew that the businesses those two families were involv
"Of course, your wedding gift will be different from other people's. Let's put it this way. You can have whichever of Mallory Corporation’s subsidiaries you fancy. We’ll go through the transfer procedures. You can build your career and won't have to work for me anymore," Percy said."Subsidiary? I don't want any of them, Brother. I'm happy with how things are now. I get to take the company's dividends and occasionally do what you tell me to do. My life is leisurely." Pierre turned Percy down when he heard that he wanted to give him a subsidiary company.Even though Percy was his brother, he would never hand over Mallory Corporation to him.What he wanted most was Mallory Corporation, not any of its subsidiaries. Nevertheless, he was not stupid. He knew that if he said something, he would be turned down. Maybe he would even reveal something, so he chose to keep it to himself.Percy listened to Pierre, who positioned himself as a hands-off shopkeeper. If he had not investigated him a
"No, we didn't say anything. She was the one who asked us if someone from the Mallory family was involved." Eric did not dare to mention that she guessed it because of what he said for fear of being scolded.Pierre did not expect Luca to be so smart. He yelled into the phone, "Good-for-nothings! How did she act after she asked that?""Nothing. She's very calm," Eric replied as he made a helpless look at his companion."Stay away from her. I'm going to find a way to divert her suspicions," Pierre said. He then hung up the phone and drove to the villa.Percy's men followed behind him, but Pierre did not notice because they were skilled.When Pierre was halfway there, Luke's men met up with Percy's. They talked and changed positions so Pierre would not notice that something was wrong.He drove to the villa. Luke's men arrived and knew that this was not Pierre's usual address, so they sent the location to Luke.At the same time, Percy was also updated on their location.He sent Luk
Pierre clenched his fists when he heard her mock him. ‘Is she really not afraid or is she putting on an act? She’s still making fun of me in the situation she’s in now?’Pierre felt that he had to teach her a lesson so that she would not think she was on vacation.When he thought of that, he raised his hand and slapped Luca in the face.Luca knew that he was going to slap her so she prepared herself. She could not let herself bang her head on the bed like the night before. Even though she was mentally prepared, Pierre did not hold back and gave her a tight slap across the face.Her neck was twisted to the side. She was in pain.‘Does Pierre want to kill me?’Blood spilled from the corners of Luca's mouth. She turned her head and stared at Pierre. "What do you want from me?"Pierre noticed the wound on her forehead and asked Eric, "You did this?""It was an accident. We didn't mean to do it," Eric explained.Pierre did not condemn them. He looked at the blood spilling from
As soon as Eric heard that, he immediately praised Pierre, "That’s smart! When will this matter end?"Based on the industry standards, they had to complete everything before they could receive any money.Pierre glared at him. "If Luke cares about this woman, he’ll act soon. Why are you in such a hurry?"Eric was speechless when he heard that Luke Crawford was involved.He was not afraid because Luke was involved. There were not many people who could get Luke’s attention. If he compromised because of a threat, he would have to compromise a lot.What worried him was if Luke treasured the woman in the room.The two seemed to be romantically linked… If he and Derek were not able to escape in time, both of them would be sent to jail!"What? Are you feeling dissatisfied? Do you think I’m not paying you enough?" Pierre asked when he saw Eric keeping quiet.Eric wailed in his heart. If he had known that this woman was involved with Luke, he would never have kidnapped her no matter ho
Luca stared at the ceiling and could not think of any ideas.Her only option was to obediently go with their arrangement lest she suffered again. A woman against two men was not a fair fight to begin with. On top of that, her hands and feet were bound.Eric opened the door and walked in. When he saw how desperate Luca looked, he thought about the connections she had.He felt uneasy, so he opened the door and walked in with some medicine."Does it hurt?" He looked at Luca's swollen face. He did not hold back when he slapped her earlier. After all, he did not dare to disobey Pierre’s orders in front of him.Luca glanced at him and said nothing.It hurt for her to open her mouth, let alone speak.Eric was not bothered that she did not respond. He took out the medicine in his pocket. When he went to purchase merbromin and iodophor, the pharmacist recommended it after she learned about the patient’s wound.She told him that if he was unsure of the depth of the wound, it was best if
“Don’t worry, it won’t affect you in the slightest,” said Abel.The villa was bought under Shanks’ name.So while it appeared to be the Island of Despair’s property, it was, in fact, Shanks’ personal asset.Abel shot a glance at his subordinates, who stood beside him. Without hesitation, they grabbed the doctor and hauled him away.As Hera watched the scene unfold, she felt a sudden pang of unease. She was well aware of Abel's methods. Punishment was never off the table. However, seeing the way things were unfolding, Hera could not shake the feeling that Abel might actually take the doctor’s life.Still, they were in A City, a country with strict laws. Would Abel really go that far?As Abel turned to leave, Hera said almost nervously, “Darling…”“I have some matters to take care of. Be good and stay here. Don’t wander around, okay?” Abel’s mood was apparently lifted by the successful surgery. His voice was unexpectedly gentle.Hera’s unease only deepened. She grabbed the slee
All three of them stepped out of the vehicle.Hera realized that the surgery might already be over and could not wait to hear the results.Abel, equally eager, immediately asked as soon as he saw them, “Is the surgery finished?”“Yes, the surgery was successful. The transplant was completed, and all the nerves we could connect have been repaired. Now, it’s up to the follow-up treatment,” answered Shanks.The doctor who had been kicked out earlier stared in disbelief.They actually succeeded in the transplant? How was that even possible?“Great, fantastic!” Abel let out a sigh of relief before bursting into laughter.What had seemed impossible in modern medicine had achieved a different outcome in Shanks’ hands.Unlike others who might celebrate the medical breakthrough, Abel’s joy came from a more personal place—Kassy would soon return to his side. His delight was unmistakable.“T-This can’t be!” muttered the dismissed doctor, who was still in shock. “A surgery this revoluti
After returning to her room, Luca told Luke about the surgery that day.She explained that she had not been able to participate in the operation and was uncertain if Abel would prevent her from being involved in the future. If she was not allowed to take part, she might lose her excuse to stay here. Also, she would not be able to help with what was to come.Luke replied to her message quickly, assuring her that everything was already planned out and she did not need to worry.Luca frowned slightly as she read his message. She wanted to ask about his plan but hesitated for a moment and decided against it. Knowing too much about Luke's men might backfire.Luca deleted their chat history but soon received another message from him.He told her that T Corporation had successfully won the bid and that he had already found someone to replace Lucius’ role.Luca let out a sigh of relief. Finding a replacement for Lucius meant that he was out of danger for now. The worry that had been we
However, Abel was not fooled by her words.He asked again, “Who are you looking for?”“Oh, I'm looking for Gerald. I've noticed that most people are here, but Gerald is missing, so I was just curious,” Hera replied honestly, knowing that Abel was naturally suspicious.“I’m starting to feel like you’ve become quite close with Gerald recently,” Abel asked suspiciously.Hera froze for a moment, then laughed and explained, “I often ask him to help with little things. He might not have many qualities, but he’s pretty diligent.”Abel did not respond right away, as though he was considering her words carefully.Hera lowered her voice and teased, “What's the matter? Are you jealous?”Before he could answer, she quickly added, “You’re so outstanding. How could I ever be interested in some ordinary man?”As soon as she said that, a flicker of unease crossed her mind.Abel was far superior to Lucius in looks and wealth. However, she seemed to be more drawn to Lucius.Despite her actions
For Shanks, no matter how skilled the two ophthalmologists were, they could not compare to Luca. The key was their smooth coordination. They were used to working together. If it were other doctors, they would probably start asking questions once they entered the operating room, making it impossible for Shanks to focus and perform the surgery calmly.Shanks believed this was a groundbreaking procedure, not just another teaching surgery for ophthalmologists.Abel understood Shanks’ concerns, but he still insisted, “They’re not just any doctors. They’ve signed agreements, and they won’t interrupt you with questions during the surgery. They’ll cooperate fully.”As Luca listened to Abel, she realized what he was really worried about. Besides the risk of the surgery failing, he was not confident in her.This surgery was important, and Abel was worried she might sabotage it in the operating room.Shanks furrowed his brows and looked at Luca.Luca gave him a faint smile. Whether or not
As Gerald shook his head furiously, it was not difficult for Luca to figure out what was going on.She glanced at Hera's irritation and figured it all stemmed from Luke being reassigned. Not being able to see him was clearly driving her to act like this.Luca secretly let out a sigh. They said women were the cause of trouble, but honestly, men could just be the same.Even with Luke disguised as an ordinary man, his cold and commanding air still captivated Hera.She glanced at the bowl nearby. The food Gerald brought Hera was barely touched.It seemed like she was so consumed with thoughts of Luke that she had lost her appetite...Luca’s expression remained unchanged. She was long accustomed to keeping her emotions in check around others.“Ms. Sanchez, you’ve misunderstood. I’m not close with Mr. Lucius, so I don’t have his contact information.” Luca kept her face impassive.“You’re lying!” Hera narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “You’re so close to him. How could you not have it?”
As soon as Luca returned to her bedroom after dinner, she received a video call request from the kids.It had been a long time since she last saw them. When she saw the call request, she locked the door, put on her headphones, and immediately answered.“Ms. Luca!” As soon as the call connected, the faces of all three kids appeared on the phone screen.“Sweethearts!” Luca blew them a kiss.“Ms. Luca, we miss you so much!” Tommy was the first to express how much they missed Luca.Luca's heart stirred with waves of longing when she heard them. She had been so busy recently, hoping to finish everything here quickly so that she and Luke could reunite with the kids. That was why she had not contacted them much.Plus, with Old Master Crawford taking care of them, she felt at ease.Now that Luca saw the faces of the three kids, her longing for them instantly surged and overwhelmed her.Her eyes reddened. “I miss you all so much too.”Rainie, always the thoughtful one, noticed her em
The men in the room were wincing in pain, but when they heard Gerald’s words, they were so furious they almost wanted to lash out at him. However, all their strength had been sapped by the excruciating pain, so they could only groan helplessly.As Shanks made his way upstairs, he paused halfway up the staircase and asked, “Is Luca cooking?”Gerald glanced at the kitchen and replied, “Yes, Mr. Shanks. It’s their fault. Ms. Craw was delayed in making dinner because of them.”Shanks' expression remained unchanged as he simply said, “Let me know when it's ready.”“Yes,” answered Gerald.After Shanks went upstairs, Gerald hesitated for a moment but decided to help the men to their feet, placing them one by one on the couch or chairs. As they slouched, groaning in pain, Gerald shook his head. “Do you guys now understand what happens when you mess with the wrong woman, especially Ms. Craw?”One of the men winced and asked, “Why did she have to be so brutal when throwing down?”“She
Lucius was different.He did not care about getting close to anyone, whether man or woman. Even when Hera’s attempts to seduce him were blatantly obvious, he still remained unmoved and even showed signs of rejection.Gerald could not help but marvel at Luca’s sharp observations and incisive remarks. He could not help but clap his hands lightly, genuinely impressed.“Lucius truly is exceptional,” said Gerald.Luca came downstairs.When she took the last step off the stairs, the men in the living room immediately fell silent.They held their breath as they watched the woman in front of them. Her hair was straight, not like their boss' companion.The men's gazes grew intense.Luca’s expression darkened.Gerald stood beside her and said, “See, I told you—you’re like a piece of meat dropped into a pack of wolves. Be careful.”One of the men heard Gerald and asked unhappily, “Hey, kid, what are you saying? What wolves? We’re gentlemen. We’d never dream of doing anything inappropr