Nina felt her consciousness fading when she heard that. To remain conscious, she clenched her hands into tight fists so her nails would dig into the flesh of her palms. “In your dreams! Pierre Mallory, why do you think I dared to appear here? It’s because it’s that time of the month for me. So you can continue dreaming about doing whatever your heart desires with me!” “What?” Pierre did not get the message and knotted his brows together as he asked. The bargirl sitting beside him got the memo and whispered to him, “Mr. Pierre, she means a woman’s time of the month.” Pierre immediately understood everything. His brows were furrowed together. He wanted Nina, but not under these circumstances. Nina glared at him. She seemed to want to say something else, but the drugs paralyzed her and rendered her unable to say even another word aloud. Finally, she lost consciousness and collapsed to the floor. Pierre ordered, “Put her on the couch.”When the two bargirls heard him, they stood
“Use anything you like. I haven’t touched any of the products before,” Luca replied. After a few times, she had come to terms with the fact that Luke would abruptly appear at her apartment to have meals with her and stay with her… Luke took out a suit that had never been worn before from the maid’s bedroom and walked into the bathroom. Soon after, he finished washing up and walked out. Luca was sitting at the dining table. When she noticed that Luke’s tie was crooked, she said, “Mr. Crawford, your tie isn’t tied properly.”Luke lowered his head and looked at his tie. He had done it on purpose. Walking over to her, he said in a low voice, “Help me.” “I’m not good at tying ties. You should do it yourself,” Luca said as she lowered her eyes, her hands clenching into fists unconsciously. There was a moment when she wanted to reach out and help him put on his tie properly. However, she immediately returned to her senses. She knew she could not do that. Luke glanced at the bre
"Nina’s not here?" Percy squinted and looked behind the door to confirm whether Nina was really not here or if she was just avoiding him. He wondered if Nina had gotten Jean to lie on her behalf because she did not want to see him.He thought about it for a few seconds and felt that it was impossible.Jean was the kind of man who wanted to make a fortune off his sister. He would never help her to hide. If Nina was here, Jean would offer her to him with both hands."She’s not here, Mr. Mallory. Nina has been living with you for the past few years and now looks down on our old house. How can she be here?" Jean said innocently. He spread out his hands to indicate that she was not there.He used these subtle movements to hide his panic.He thought that Pierre would just be having a chat with Nina. He did not expect him to be hiding her.A promiscuous woman came to the door and held Jean's hand, "Darling, who is it?""A friend," Jean explained cheerfully. He wanted to pull out his ha
Nina breathed a sigh of relief. Although she was imprisoned by Pierre, she was glad that her clothes were changed by the maid in front of her.He did not stay, which meant that he did not touch her.Nina suddenly felt alive, and the despair in her heart disappeared. She grabbed the sheets and looked at the maid. "I want to leave."When the maid heard that she wanted to leave, her expression did not change. "Ms. Nina, breakfast is ready. Do you want to eat here or in the living room?"Nina frowned. Although Pierre did not hire a few burly men to keep guard of her, the maid in front of her was not easy to deal with as well.She repeated herself, "I said, I want to leave!"The maid looked at her with a frown. Many women wanted to be with Pierre for the rest of their lives and were willing to do so even if they would not be acknowledged in public.The woman in front of her was an exception.The maid remembered that she was carried in by Pierre yesterday and realized that she might
Nina was so stubborn that she did not even bother to look at the breakfast on the coffee table.The maid did not say anything. She did not think that she needed to worry because Nina would certainly eat when she got extremely hungry. If Nina refused to eat, she would just report it to Pierre.After the maid left, Nina put on her shoes and opened the bedroom door.There was no one at the entrance. She walked to the end of the corridor and arrived at the stairs. She went down the stairs without a second thought.After she arrived at the living room on the first floor, she found that there was still no one around.Nina did not wander around. Her goal was clear, so she walked directly to the door.She walked out of the door and saw the garden. It was not big. Nina turned around and glanced at the villa. She had been in the architectural design industry for so long, so she knew at a glance that she was in a small villa in the suburbs. It was not luxurious, but it was perfect as a vaca
Listening to Luca's analysis, Percy frowned even more.Whenever Jean faced him, he was always submissive. It was the same when he saw him that day.If they did not employ special means, it was difficult to find out more.However, Jean was Nina's brother. He did not want to use those special methods to extract a confession from Jean if it was not necessary. If he did so, it might alert Pierre. "Jean acted normal. There was nothing out of the usual," Percy said.Luca shook her head and replied, "You can't get information from him through normal means. Why don't I give it a try?"She was in a hurry to find Nina, so she offered to help.She had an organization behind her, but to be on the safe side, she could not make use of those resources. As such, she could only help through these means."No." Luke objected without a second thought. He knew that Jean had bad intentions toward Luca.If she took the initiative to approach Jean to investigate this matter, she would be sending her
However, he was well aware that Pierre would never compromise because of her actions.Percy was worried that if Nina hurt herself like that, Pierre would double his efforts..."I'll find out Nina's whereabouts as soon as possible," Luca said. Her gaze was as firm as her tone.Percy looked at Luca and nodded.Into the night.Luca got off work, dressed up, and was on stand-by in the apartment. She was ready to head out as soon as she found out which bar Jean was in.After a while, Percy texted her a location.Luca glanced at the bar and frowned.Although this bar operated with a license, it was also infamous in A City. Those who frequented this bar did not go there to drink.Everyone who went in had an ulterior motive as the bar had in-house hookers and pimps.The men were the ones who paid for the hookers, while the women who went in were voluntarily selling themselves.This bar was not a fancy one either.Luca frowned. She did not expect Jean to frequent this kind of bar. I
The woman looked in the direction Jean was walking to and knew that he had been bewitched by Luca.She was jealous when she saw Luca. ‘She’s beautiful, but who isn’t if they’re willing to spend a little money?!’"B*tch!" The woman scolded as she knew that Jean would not return to her. The big fish she finally caught had gotten off the hook. The woman stood up, finished her drink, and turned around to leave.Luca was still paying attention to Jean even when she was surrounded by the men. She knew that he saw her when she saw him stand up.Jean came over with an eager gaze. He changed how he would usually greet her to get closer to Luca. "Luca, why are you here?"Luca acted surprised. She looked at Jean and said, "I have a lot of things stressing me out, so I just picked a bar at random to drink, but these people..."She looked helplessly at the men around her, acting like she did not know anything.Jean did not have much doubt and believed her. "Of course, you wouldn't know since
“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