Luca got out of the car after she parked the car. She closed the door quietly so that she would not wake Rainie up. Luca walked past the front of the car and opened the passenger seat’s door. She unfastened Rainie’s seat belt and pulled the jacket up as it had slid down Rainie’s body. Then, she carried Rainie in her arms. Even though Rainie was skinny, she was heavy. However, Luca managed to carry Rainie in her arms and walk into the villa without much effort.Aunt Neile was surprised to see Luca carrying Rainie back in her arms. Luca shook her head when she was about to speak, so Aunt Neile immediately shut her mouth. Luca carried Rainie up the stairs. Aunt Neile followed behind closely, worried that Luca could not carry the child. After all, Rainie was already a ten-year-old child, while Luca looked so skinny. What if Luca could not carry the child all the way to her bedroom?However, Luca carried Rainie in her arms and made her way up the stairs steadily. It showed that
Luca and Rainie were baking cookies in the kitchen, while Aunt Neile was tidying up the living room.The villa's telephone rang. Aunt Neile answered the call with a puzzled look on her face. After all, people nowadays used smartphones, and there was hardly anyone who would call the villa's landline number. The telephone was basically a decoration in the house. Besides, it was the first time the telephone rang after she started working here. "Hello, this is theCrawford family." Aunt Neile picked up the receiver. “Is Luca there?” Luke’s voice came from the other end of the line. Aunt Neile was startled for a moment, and she replied, “Mr. Crawford? You're looking for Ms. Craw, right?”“Is she in the villa?” Luke asked. "Yes. Ms. Craw is in the kitchen. She's baking cookies with Ms. Rainie. Do you need me to inform her to pick up your call?" Aunt Neile asked.“Never mind. If she’s at the villa, then it’s fine,” said Luke. He called Luca after the meeting ended, but no one was an
“Not many. Lanie, you should try.” Tommy was worried Lanie would not allow him to eat the cookies, so he moved the plate toward him. Lanie turned to look at Luca helplessly. Luca could feel Lanie’s gaze on her. She seemed to understand what he meant. It was like Lanie was telling her, ‘Look at your greedy little son…’Luca cleared her throat and said, “Lanie, take a few of them. Leave the rest for tonight.” Lanie nodded and took three pieces of cookies.Tommy was looking at them eagerly and asked, “Ms. Luca, can I take some too?” Luca looked at the cookie crumbs on the corner of Tommy’s lips, and the eager look on his face. It softened her heart. She glanced at the plate, and she briefly knew how many cookies Tommy had eaten. If Tommy continued to eat the cookies, he would not be able to have dinner later, or he might be stuffed. “Ms. Luca…” Tommy tried to act cute again when he saw Luca not saying anything. He wanted to win another chance to eat more cookies. Luca th
The expression on Luca's face was stern. She would agree to help Nina to improve her health so she could get pregnant if she was married and Percy and Nina wanted a baby. However, it was not the right time to do so now. “Nina, it’s not necessary to get the Mallory family’s permission if Mr. Mallory wants to marry you. You can get married abroad, then come back to sign the marriage license. Your marriage will still be legalized here. It’s the same,” said Luca.Getting married in A City would require a household registration permit. It might be difficult to get married if either side of the family disapproved of the marriage. However, it was different in countries abroad. Any couple could be legally married as long as the two of them had their passports and related documents."I know. I know that." Nina let out a sigh. "But I don’t want to see Percy be caught in the middle between me and his family. Luca, they're his family members. If they disagree with us getting married but he
Aunt Neile said, “It was rare to see you sleep in today. That’s why I didn’t wake you up. I didn’t expect you’d look so tired.”“I’ll be fine after drinking a cup of coffee,” Luca ate a mouthful of oatmeal. She thought she needed a cup of warm coffee to perk herself up a little.“Let me get you some coffee,” replied Aunt Neile as she walked into the kitchen.The kids finished eating their breakfast. Tommy glanced at the time and said to Luca, “Ms. Luca, we’re heading to school first.” “Okay. Be good and listen to your teacher,” replied Luca. Usually, it was Uncle Zander who picked the kids up and sent them to school. When Luca was making her way down the stairs, she glanced outside the villa and saw Uncle Zander’s car already outside and waiting for the kids. “Ms. Luca, see you later.” Rainie waved her hand at Luca and walked out of the dining room.Luca was watching the kids as they left and disappeared at the entrance of the dining room. Only then did she shift her gaze and c
Luca let out a sigh helplessly. Nina was so close to living a happy life, but someone stabbed her in the back at this time. Sue added, “I’m afraid that she might overthink now. After all, her past is her deepest wound. It’s cruel for someone to use this against her. That’s…”Sue felt helpless and angry at the same time. There were no words that could describe how upset she was.Luca did not know what to say either. Although Percy protected Nina well, after their conversation last night, Luca could sense that Nina was still sensitive. She would still feel worried and insecure. Now, such awful things had happened to her. “Luca, is there anything we can do for her?” Sue was overwhelmed.“Let’s show more concern for Nina. There’s nothing we can do about the reporters. Things aren’t as simple as they are. The reporters are looking for her now…” replied Luca. She knew what kind of people the Mallory family was. They were probably annoyed after getting exposed this time, thinking t
Luca was doing experiments in the study the entire time. The kids did not come upstairs to disturb her either. Only when the alarm rang did Luca stop doing her experiment. She disinfected her hands and walked out of the study.Luca ran into the kids when they were making their way upstairs. “Ms. Luca, have you finished your work?” Tommy smiled cheerfully and came forward to hug her.Luca stroked Tommy's head and looked at Lanie and Rainie, "Come on. Go clean yourself up. It's time for bed." “Okay, Ms. Luca,” the three kids replied at the same time. Luca returned to her bedroom. She got herself cleaned up at the same time as the kids did so. Then, she tucked the kids into bed.Her phone rang when she was about to do some reading before heading to bed. Could it be Luke?Luca could not suppress the quiver in her heart. She picked up her phone and looked at it. It was Nina who called. She quickly answered the call and said, “Nina, what’s wrong?”Luca had a feeling that som
“Most of what the news articles wrote about me are true.” Nina took a deep breath as she was not afraid that Luca would know about her past.It was because she knew Luca would not do anything to hurt her even if she knew everything. “Mr. Mallory should already know about your past. He’s not making a fuss out because of the news articles, right?” said Luca. Percy knew Nina well, just like her.“No, he’s not. He’s been busy handling the matter the whole day. It’s still a hot topic on the internet, and it’s not because he’s not doing anything to stop it. He’s planning to find out who was the one to expose the information to the reporters and proceed with the next step.” A bitter smile swept across Nina’s smile. She agreed with Percy’s way of handling the matter. After all, only a few knew about Nina’s past. They should be able to find out who was the mastermind behind all these soon if they were to look into it. After that, they would implement the next plan. That would be the best.
After signing the agreement, Karen eagerly handed it over to the man she believed to be the lawyer.The moment the doctor took the shares transfer agreement, a syringe containing anesthesia slipped from his sleeve and was swiftly injected into Karen’s hand.“You...” Karen felt a sharp sting, but before she could speak, her consciousness faded.At the same time, the knife in her hand clattered to the floor.The doctor quickly steadied her to prevent her from hitting her head when she collapsed.“Luckily, the dose was strong enough, or she wouldn’t have been knocked out so quickly.” He gently laid her down, checked to make sure she was unconscious, and then hurried out of the office to notify the hospital director.Percy quickly stepped forward, gently lifting Nina’s chin to examine her wound.“I’m fine,” Nina said in a soft voice, lowering her head to hide the injury on her neck.“Let me take a look at you,” Percy insisted, gently lifting her chin again. After checking, he added
“Mr. Mallory, won’t you feel guilty if something happens to Nina?” Sue did not understand why he refused to call the police.“It won’t happen.” Percy furrowed his brows as his mind raced to find a solution.Sue was even more confused. “Just because you say it won’t happen, does that mean it won’t? Yes, Madam Mallory is your mother, but Nina is also your wife. If your mother harms your wife, shouldn’t you call the police? Instead of doing that, you’re leaving her in this dangerous situation. I honestly feel sorry for Nina.”Sue had always been straightforward. She thought Percy would protect Nina for life, but seeing him defend Karen at the cost of his wife’s safety, she was deeply disappointed.She felt she was in no position to feel sorry for Nina, but she could not understand Percy’s actions.Percy furrowed his brows. Calling the police was not an option.The Mallory family could not afford this kind of turmoil.If Old Master Mallory found out that he handed his mother over to
Nina trembled when she was touched. Her whole body was shaking.Karen’s touch was icy cold, and when her hand fell on Nina’s face, it carried a chill.“Don’t hurt her!” Percy’s voice was hoarse, his anger barely concealed in his eyes.He was furious but kept reminding himself not to provoke Karen.“Hmph, look at how nervous you are.” Karen's patience wore thin. Without another word, she laid out her conditions. “If you want me to let her go, fine.”“What do you want me to do?” Percy knew the conditions she was about to propose would not be as simple as keeping her out of the psychiatric hospital.It could involve Pierre.Perhaps even the company.Even though Karen had spoken to him about the high hopes she had for him, Percy did not believe a word of it. To her, from beginning to end, the only person who mattered was Pierre.Percy was merely a tool to secure her position in the Mallory family.“See? You still care about this woman. You’ve disappointed me!” Karen glanced at Ni
“Mr. Mallory, I didn’t dare to go in. Nina and your mother are still inside.” After Sue realized that Nina might be in danger, she had been waiting outside, unwilling to leave.She had been planning to rush in with the other employees if she heard Nina scream.Percy's expression darkened. He did not blame Sue for the situation, so he did not say anything. Instead, he quickly walked to Nina’s office door and pushed it open.The sight before him sent a chill through his veins, as though his blood had turned to ice.“You're here?” Karen fixed her eerie gaze on the person who had opened the door. A strange, sinister smile curved at the corners of her lips. She stood behind Nina with a knife tightly gripped in her hand.The sharp blade was pressed against Nina’s neck, already leaving a faint red mark.Sue gasped at the sight and instantly lost her composure.Karen frowned in dissatisfaction, moving the knife slightly and muttering, “Why is there another woman here? Tell her to leave!
“'ll contact someone in A City to investigate,” said Gale.“Let Percy know while you're at it,” added Luke. “He needs to be aware of this.”“Got it.” Gale hurried off to handle the matter.…After taking Gale's call, Percy hung up and stared icily at the middle-aged man standing before him.Under Percy's chilling gaze, the man nervously dabbed at the sweat on his forehead with a handkerchief.“Mr. Mallory, my sincerest apologies…” The man, the director of the psychiatric hospital, had come to personally apologize to Percy today.Karen had escaped.Two days ago, Percy admitted Karen to the psychiatric hospital. After an evaluation, the doctors determined her condition warranted hospitalization, so she was admitted.Even though Karen was against it, given her mental state and with the consent of an immediate family member, the hospital was legally authorized to proceed.Percy had even informed the hospital to take special care of Karen. He had explicitly instructed them not to
When she opened her eyes again, the sky outside had already darkened slightly.Luca mumbled, feeling the warmth beside her. She instinctively curled closer. “What time is it?”“It's a little past five.” Luke gently rubbed her back, offering a quiet comfort to help her feel at ease.Since he could not be there beside her, he could only make these small gestures to bring her some peace of mind.“An entire afternoon just passed like that…” Luca was reluctant to leave at the moment. Her slender fingers lightly pressed against his chest.Luke took her hand in his, bringing it to his lips for a soft kiss, holding it as if it were something precious and tenderly stroking it.Luca's hands had once been delicate and smooth, but during their time in the small villa, they had become much rougher.“You've got calluses.” Luke felt sorry for her.Luca gently traced her finger over his lips, leaning in to plant a soft kiss on him. “It’s just from the needlework and the experiments I’ve been d
Luca walked over to another couch and sat down. “I think I’ll stay here. How about letting Luke come down so that we can all catch up? It’s been a while since we’ve seen each other.”Gordan’s face fell. “Ms. Craw, are you doing this on purpose?”Luca pretended not to know anything. “Doing what on purpose?”Gordan quickly shook his head. “Nothing. Just go upstairs already. Brother Luke’s been waiting for you.”Luca had intended to tease Gordan a little longer, but after not seeing Luke for the past few days, she found herself missing him deeply. Standing up with a smile, she said, “Alright, I won’t tease you anymore. Oh, by the way, Mr. Gale, could you help me pick up a few things? Someone over there asked me to get them, and I couldn’t refuse.”“Sure, no problem. What do you need?” Gale agreed immediately.After handing him the list, Luca turned and headed upstairs.Gale watched Luca leave from behind, nudging Gordan’s arm. “Let’s go. We should leave and give the boss and Ms. Cr
The security guard remained completely unfazed.This was because the village chief was his uncle, and in their tight-knit community, they always stuck together and never favored outsiders.With directions from the people inside the ancestral hall, Hera found the village chief.“You’re the village chief, right?” Hera looked at the man in his fifties in front of her and spoke with an arrogant tone, completely unbothered.“And you are?” The village chief, seeing her attitude, was puzzled. He had no idea whether she was an investor or someone looking to discuss a major partnership to bring development to their quiet village.“It doesn’t matter who I am. I see you have surveillance here, and I need to review your footage,” replied Hera.The village chief was even more confused. “Are you a police officer?”“No.” Hera frowned. She thought reviewing surveillance footage was no big deal. Why was this village chief being so difficult?The village chief gave her a look as if she were a fo
“Wait a little longer. By the way, what kind of ancestral hall is this?” asked Hera.“It's a local family's ancestral hall. I heard it's been designed by the owner of a large company, and now it's also one of the tourist attractions.” The taxi driver was not from around here, so he did not know all the details, but he knew it had become a popular spot. “Now, thanks to the reputation of that boss, many architects come here as one of their reference points.”Hera frowned deeper. What was Luca doing here?The driver suggested, “If you're interested in sightseeing, the attractions inside are pretty good. But for outsiders, they charge an entrance fee. Maintenance costs a lot of money, so they charge tourists from outside.”“I'm not here for sightseeing,” replied Hera, “Don't worry. I'll pay you for however long I stay here. You’ll get your money.”The driver heard that she was paying, and did not press her further and remained quiet.Hera stared at the entrance of the ancestral hall,