“Mr. Holston, you’re quite observant,” Jason mocked him before the other two said anything.“I was just looking out for Mr. Mallory by spying on them,” Jim said joyfully.“You could recognize a thousand-dollar watch? Has your taste in fashion downgraded after getting married?” Percy seized the opportunity and dealt him a mighty blow to get revenge on him for making fun of Nina for not being able to cook.Even if Nina did not know how to cook, she was still the best. They could just leave the cooking to the maid. As long as she stayed by his side, that would be way better than mastering any skill.“The year is ending soon, so I did my research because of employee benefits.” Jim noticed his uninterested expression and asked, “Are you really not going over there to take a look?”“After what happened between him and Pierre, there’s no way he would go over there.” Luke picked up his wine glass and slowly swirled it unlike the other two who downed theirs.Percy took a sip of wine and r
“If it’s not an internal decision, our chances of winning will be greater if we work together with the bidding. We have to secure the bid this time,” said Jim after analyzing the situation.“When the detailed announcement is out, we need to have a meeting to discuss it, and if there are no problems, the company will start working on the bidding document.” Luke took a sip of wine.Once the three of their companies joined forces, got their quotations, and T Corporation put together a proposal, the other participating companies would not stand a chance against them, whether it be in terms of price or quality of the project.Moreover, the other companies would have greater competition in finding partnering companies after the three of them joined forces.“Sure.” Jim nodded as Luke would always come to him when his company needed entertainment for his development projects.Vice versa, when he needed construction for his entertainment projects, he would also go to Luke’s company to cond
She had sold that house a long time ago, but the money was squandered before she was even put in jail.Hence, she had no money left at all.“You don’t have money? Then shut up!” Jean bent down with a sinister look on his face and slapped Marie’s face a few times with the cash in his hands. “In my house, I’m in charge. If you don’t have money, just shut the f*ck up!”His breath reeked of alcohol, and Marie looked at him full of hatred.“What’s with that look? Just looking at you makes me lose my appetite! If you don’t want to live here, get out. With that run-down body of yours, no one will take pity on you and give you a place to live!” Jean showed no mercy as he pinched her chin forcefully.Instantly, Marie’s face was bruised by the pinch.“It hurts!” She was in so much pain that her tears started overflowing.Jean grunted and let go. He was put in a good mood again upon seeing the cash in his hand.“If you still want to live here, be more honest with me. For old times’ sake,
Jean did not like coming to the hospital because of the germs.If there was money in her card, it would be more convenient for her to give money to Jean.“I don’t even have money for a taxi right now. Do you want me to walk to the hospital?” said Jean. Previously, when he ran out of money, he even sold his motorcycle.Now, he did not even have a way of getting around.“So what can you do? You can’t starve either. How about this? I’ll go ask that stupid girl for some money. Give me a moment,” said Anna.“Okay, I’ll be waiting to hear from you.” Jean hung up after that.Nina might not care if he were dead or alive, but there was no way she would ignore Anna.In the mansion.Nina was getting ready to go to work when she received a call from Anna.Nothing good came from Anna’s calls, so Nina sat in the car with a slight headache. She waited for the phone to ring several times before she answered it.“Yes?”“Add a few hundred dollars to my card. I need to use it,” Anna asked her
Besides, their home was as messy as a doghouse. Anna was not a fool. She knew that the hospital had a better environment than her home.Plus, she did not have to worry about food or clothing in the hospital. No matter how unhappy Nina was, she still had to pay.Jean could not help but fret. Not only did he not get any money, but he even got nagged at by Anna. Then, he said, “I don’t know how she saw me—”“So, you do have money?” Anna interrupted him. She always thought that Jean did not have much money, so he could not take care of her.However, he had the money right now. Not only did he not spend a single penny on her, he still asked her for money, which made Anna extremely unhappy.“I had money last night, but the money is all gone now. Mom, I don’t have money!” Jean said as he switched his phone to a different hand. When he saw his empty wrist, his rage started burning again.“How did you lose all the money in one night? Did you gamble it away? Or did you spend it on a woman?
“That’s your own problem. My only obligation is to take care of Mom, not you.” Nina hung up the phone and told him firmly that it was impossible for him to try to get money from her.Jean gripped the phone in his hands tightly with murderous eyes as he listened to the busy tone on the other end of the call.With his stomach in constant pain, he had no other choice but to call Pierre.After the phone rang six times, Pierre’s tirade could be heard. “What’s the matter with you? Why are you calling so early?”Jean recoiled and apologized in a hurry. “I’m sorry, Mr. Pierre, but I have a favor to ask you.”“If you have something to say, spit it out.” Pierre was impatient. If he were not Nina’s brother, he would not even go close to people like him.“Uhh… All my money got stolen. Can you lend me some temporarily?” Jean bit the bullet and asked him for money, hoping that he would help him solve this urgent matter for the sake of Nina.“It’s none of my f*cking business if your money got
It was just a thought, though. Jean still refused to work.He crossed his legs while sitting on the couch, then he looked at the receptionist and asked, “Do you have anything to eat or drink here?”“Yes, Mr. Langdon. Have a seat while I go prepare something for you,” the receptionist said politely.Jean nodded arrogantly as he was just here for the money, but unexpectedly, he could freeload on some food too.After a while, the receptionist brought a cup of coffee and some snacks over.Jean ignored the receptionist’s gaze as he grabbed the snacks and ate them right away. Although they were small, they still tasted great. Just a few more of these would be enough to fill him up.When the receptionist saw Jean wolfing down the food as if he had not eaten for days, she frowned slightly and brought more snacks over after some consideration.The company’s purchasing department had bought these snacks to entertain the guests. They were quite pricey because practically everyone who came
“Lend you money?” Percy raised his eyebrows. It turned out that this was Jean’s true motive.His tone sounded like he was reluctant to lend him money, so Jean had to summon up the courage and say, “Mr. Mallory, even if one provides clues to the police, one will still get an informer’s fee. Although you already know that Marie was the one who betrayed Nina, I still intended to tell you anyway, so there has to be an informer’s fee, right?”“How much do you want?” Percy did not agree. Instead, he answered him with a question.“Isn’t that up to you? How much do you think Nina is worth?” Jean rubbed his hands together and gestured to Percy.“Nina is a priceless treasure. She can’t be compared to a woman like Marie,” said Percy with a cold gaze. He picked up his phone and instructed his assistant, “Come in.”The door to the reception room was pushed open.Jean was worried that Percy was going to chase him out until he heard him say, “Give Mr. Langdon a hundred dollars in cash.”A hund
“I heard from the boss that he's coming because of Vivian.” Gale paused for a moment before adding, “But never mind, you don't seem interested in her affairs anyway. I'm just letting you know he's on his way.”Gordan frowned. Ray was coming for Vivian?What could that ugly woman possibly need?“What do you mean by that?” asked Gordan.Gale smirked. “If you and Ray meet, that’s bound to end in a fight. And since you can't win against him, you might want to mentally prepare yourself, or better yet, find somewhere else to stay. It’d be safer that way.”Gordan's expression darkened. “If you have nothing nice to say, just zip it.”Gale grinned, clearly pleased with himself like he had just hit a sore spot.Gordan exhaled sharply. “Of all times, why is he coming to A City now? He’s just making things worse.”“It can't be helped. Vivian's situation is urgent.” Gale covered his mouth mockingly after he said that. “Oh, right. I forgot you don’t like hearing about her.”Ray wanted to br
Luke sat in the villa, staring at Luca’s message.He was worried.For a moment, he considered calling her, but then he remembered that there were surveillance cameras everywhere on her side. He dismissed the idea immediately.Her safety came first.Luke reminded her: [Take care of yourself. Don’t worry, I’ll handle everything. Just focus on keeping yourself safe.] The worry in his heart refused to subside, but at this moment, there was no better solution.“Boss, you’re worried about your wife, huh? If you really can’t stand it, we can sneak you in again during the next shift change, just like last time,” said Gale.It had been his idea last time.Now, the real Lucius was still locked up in the basement of the villa.It had been nearly a month. Luke had forced him to take the antidote Luca had recreated. The man was still alive, proving the antidote worked perfectly.“That plan is too risky.” Luke put his phone away. His gaze was dark and thoughtful.“Risky, sure. But at lea
Luca had not expected Abel and Shanks’ relationship to be like this.It seemed Abel still did not trust Shanks.Shanks continued, “Abel isn’t someone who trusts people easily. He doesn’t trust anyone. You think he’s devoted to Kassy now, right? That’s just his obsession. He's allowing Kassy to receive my treatment, but if it were him… No matter if he were blind or crippled, his safety would always come first. If he were seriously injured, maybe he’d accept treatment, but he definitely wouldn’t do it right away.”Luca stayed silent. Shanks really understood Abel well.Abel did not trust anyone—not even Kassy.Calling him paranoid would not be an exaggeration.Luca felt like they were getting off-topic, but she had never seen this side of Shanks before.In her mind, he was always buried in his work at the lab, only leaving for meals and sleep. Other than that, he was practically never outside.The lab was like his home…“Are you troubled by Hera’s situation?” Luca asked directly
Hera was startled by Luca's words.The refusal that had been on the tip of her tongue suddenly got stuck in her throat.“I…” Hera hesitated, feeling conflicted. Leaving Abel might not be such a bad idea. At least she would not have to live in constant fear.She was finally realizing how unpredictable his moods were. At first, she thought it did not matter as she could still look at other men. She just had to ensure there was no physical contact. In reality, even if she so much as glanced at someone, Abel's expression would darken with anger.It was frustrating. Now, the only person she was allowed to look at was Gerald. Still, what was the point of just looking at Gerald?At that thought, she lifted her gaze to Luca.Luca added, “I’ll give you five minutes. If you refuse treatment after that, I’ll take the medicine back to Mr. Shanks and won’t try to convince you again.”Hera's heart tightened. She did not even need five minutes. She had made her decision within 30 seconds.“I’
“If Abel finds out that Hera's body isn't suitable for organ donation to Kassy, what do you think he'll do?” asked Shanks.He already knew the answer, but he still wanted to hear Luca’s thoughts.“He has invested a lot of time and money in Hera. If he gets nothing out of it, he won’t let her off easily,” Luca said bluntly.Luca and Shanks were on the same page.They did not have a good relationship with Hera, but they had no intention of ruining her either.Hera’s personality was unpleasant, but that was not enough for them to hate her so much that they wanted to see her suffer.“What methods do you think he’ll use?” Shanks asked again.Luca was silent for a long moment.Shanks already knew the answer, yet he still wanted her to say it out loud.After thinking it over, she finally said, “There are plenty of ways he could go about it, but no matter what he chooses, Hera’s fate is sealed. She’s as good as dead…”She lowered her gaze, her tone firm and certain.Shanks nodded.
Hera heard that Luca had returned and immediately went to find Shanks. She narrowed her eyes.That woman went to see Shanks. Could she be talking about her?The thought made Hera uneasy. She had a nagging feeling that something was wrong with her medical report.However, when they left the medical center earlier, Abel asked Luca when the report would be ready, and she said it would be available tomorrow.Hera turned to Gerald and said, “Take these back for me first.”“Alright.” Gerald carried the bags as he walked away. He could not help but wonder what exactly Hera bought. These bags were really heavy!Only after Gerald went upstairs did Hera slowly make her way up as well. Her room was on the third floor, but she stopped when she reached the second floor. She glanced around to make sure no one was watching before heading toward the laboratory.The door was closed.Instead of knocking, Hera pressed her ear against it, trying to eavesdrop.However, the laboratory was special
“This cup of coffee is from that gentleman for this lady.” The waiter smiled as he explained, placing the cup in front of Luca.Hera followed the waiter’s gaze and immediately recognized the man Luca had been looking at earlier.Her eyes darkened. She had noticed the man glancing in their direction. However, she had assumed he was looking at her.After all, she was dressed seductively, had put on makeup, and was undeniably beautiful. Any man who saw her would be attracted. If a man’s eyes lingered on her, it was not surprising at all.Realizing that the man had been watching Luca the whole time instead of her, Hera suddenly felt annoyed.Luca noticed her displeasure, glanced at Gordan, then smiled and said to the waiter, “Please thank the gentleman for me.”“Of course, miss. Enjoy your coffee.” The waiter, sensing the tension between the two women, quickly grabbed his tray and left before Hera’s sour mood could affect him too.“Hmph, feeling proud of yourself?” asked Hera.Luca
Although Luca did not know the exact value of the clothes, she was certain that anything Luke had specially sent over would not be cheap.So, when she caught the sales associate’s skeptical glance, she felt a bit helpless but did not bother to explain. The truth would speak for itself. Besides, she had no intention of justifying herself to a sales associate.Hera, despite her love for luxury goods, did not actually know much about haute couture. So, when she noticed the sales associate still sizing up Luca, she immediately snapped, “What are you looking at?”“N-Nothing.” The sales associate quickly averted her gaze and turned her full attention to Hera, smiling brightly. “Our esteemed guest, what can I help you find today?”Hera thought for a moment before saying in a serious tone, “Show me your new handbags.”The sales associate’s eyes lit up when she heard this. Anyone who could afford so much designer clothing had to have deep pockets. This meant a solid commission for her!
The sales associate nodded and said, “Yes, we do. I’ve already placed them in the fitting room for you. Would you like some assistance?”Hera shook her head and pointed straight at Luca. “No, I want her to do it.”Luca shook her head helplessly. It seemed that Hera was determined to make her play the role of a sales associate today.Luca asked, “Ms. Sanchez, where’s Mr. Abel?”“What does that have to do with you?” Hera shot her a wary look. “Where he goes isn’t important. What matters is that you’re spending the day shopping with me. And if I’m not happy, be prepared to face his punishment.”Then, Hera strutted toward the fitting room like a proud peacock.Luca had no choice but to follow.Inside the fitting room, Hera closed the door behind them and commanded, “Help me unzip the back.”“Alright.” Luca lowered her gaze. Since they were both women and Hera clearly had no reservations, there was no reason for her to feel uncomfortable. She placed her hands on the zipper.Hera re