Gale clenched his teeth and said, “Boss, hang in there.”Then, he hit the accelerator and sped off. In the villa.Allison watched Gale drive off with Luke in the car through the security camera. She gritted her teeth in anger and stared angrily at Sophian.Sophian was frightened. Allison was looking as though she wanted to devour her. A chill went down her spine, and she could not help but shudder for a moment. Then, she said in a soft voice, "Ms. Allison—"“Shut up!” Allison interrupted her menacingly, “If it weren’t for you dawdling there, how could Gale have brought him away?” If Sophian had mustered her courage and brought Luke upstairs, Allison would have had a way to stop Gale.They would not have ended up with Luke being taken away by someone else when they were carrying out their plan.“Mr. Crawford was so frightening. I was scared…” Sophian quibbled for her cowardice with embarrassment. It was normal for her to feel frightened when Luke stared at her like he would
He called out her name the entire drive here.Luca’s face turned red upon hearing that.Luke was wide awake, but he used the drug as an excuse to hug Luca like a raccoon and bury his face in her neck. Then, he repeated softly, “Luca…”Luca was not wearing a scarf, so she could feel his hot breath as he exhaled directly on her neck.Luke had placed his entire weight on her body.Luca could not hold him up much longer, so she looked at Gale and said, “Carry Mr. Crawford inside.”Gale nodded, and when he was about to pull Luke away from clinging to Luca, he heard his objection. “Just support me.”“Boss…” Gale was speechless. Did he fake his loss of self-control just now?Doing this in an open-air garden in the middle of winter was not a good idea.The drug may have raised his body temperature, but he and Luca were freezing right now.“Prop me up…” Luke said with his eyes closed. The kids were in the living room, so he did not want to embarrass himself by letting Gale carry him.
Two hours later, the room quieted down.Luca closed her eyes and leaned against Luke’s chest.Allison drugged him so hard that she had to sacrifice herself in the end.The scent of their breaths intertwined and made Luca’s heart flutter uncontrollably as she had become his woman once again.“Luca…” Luke wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly like he wanted to become one with her body.“Mhm,” she answered dreamily.Luke hugged her close without saying a word.This hug was more real than a thousand-word-long profession of love.The next day.Gale sent the three children back to the mansion.Luca was preparing breakfast, and when she saw that Gale had brought the children back. She walked out in her apron to welcome them. “Mr. Gale, have you had breakfast yet?”Gale shook his head with a smile and looked at Luke. “Boss, I did what you ordered me to do.”“Okay.” Luke closed the newspaper. He was a man of few words as usual, but he was in a good mood today.Gale also
“I can’t do anything about it.” Luke’s expression was dull, indicating that he could not care less about Rain’s hobbies.She was doing it for fun after work, and it would not affect her efficiency at work at all.Gale grimaced. Comparison was indeed the thief of joy.Both were women, yet Luca made delicious food, whereas Rain’s cooking would require him to get gastric lavage.The point was that every time Rain cooked, she would let him try first, and he would get a punch in the face if he refused.He had to be a gentleman, so he had no choice but to eat those unappetizing dishes after taking a beating.Gale felt bitter. If not for the fact that he had known Rain for so many years and she had never tried to hurt him, he would suspect that Rain was trying to poison him.“Boss…” Gale looked at him pitifully.Rain obeyed Luke the most. If he asked her not to cook, she would listen to him.“You have your own house. If you don’t want to be treated as a lab rat by Rain, you can move
Luca furrowed her brows as she was not the only one who was not willing to go. Gale refused to go as well.“Mr. Crawford, if all of us go, what about the children at home?” she asked. There would be many guests at Crawford Manor as it was the new year, so Luke would not send the kids there.He had a hard time convincing those people not to visit his place, so he would not send the children back there to suffer.“Don’t worry, Aunt Neile will come over to work later,” said Luke.“Aunt Neile? Isn’t she coming back to work next week?” Luca was surprised.“Her son and daughter-in-law took their children on a trip but she didn’t go as she was tired, so she said she can come work anytime,” said Luke. He had arranged for Aunt Neile to come back to work this morning.Either way, he would still have to make a trip to Allison’s place.“In that case…” Luca knew that she had no more excuses to stay at home.The children had someone to watch over them, and no one could change Luke’s mind onc
Allison rolled her eyes at her. “He already came in.”Sophina felt like there was thunder and lightning above her head. She had only one thought—she was doomed…Allison would certainly not protect her. “Ms. Allison, didn’t we change the password? How did he get in…”Before Allison could even answer her, Luke’s voice came from outside the door. “Fingerprint lock.”Clang! Sophian was so frightened that the bowl in her hands fell to the floor, and white mask liquid spilled all over, staining her long skirt.Luke pushed the door open and walked in while holding Luca’s hand.He even had Gale behind him.Allison looked toward the door and noticed that they were holding hands, so she looked Luca up and down.Was this the woman Susan was talking about?The reason why Allison knew that Luke had another woman was that Susan had mentioned it while quarreling with her. She accused Luke of being ungrateful like her.That was how she found out.Allison frowned and asked, “You came in with
Luke looked indifferently at Allison. There was no trace of affection. It was as if he was looking at a stranger.He knew that Allison said that to wash her hands off the matter.However, she brought Sophian back, and she would not dare to do anything without Allison’s permission."Since you say that, you’re telling me that she did it of her own volition?" Luke gave Allison another chance to admit to what she did although he knew that she would never."I didn't do it. I thought you were just drunk last night." Allison crossed her hands in front of her chest to try to make herself look more assertive.Luke's gaze turned cold, and he did not bother to look at Sophian. "Gale.""Boss, what do you need?" Gale stepped forward and knew that he was about to be given instructions.He knew that Luke would not have brought him along for no reason."Send her to the police station," Luke said.Allison frowned. ‘Why is he involving the police?’Sophian was taken aback. She staggered and ut
Allison picked up the nail file on the coffee table and filed her nails. She rolled her eyes when she heard what Sophian said."New Year holidays aren’t over yet. Why are you rushing to go back?""I'm worried that Mr. Crawford will retaliate against me..." Sophian had no choice but to express her worries."If I can save you once, I can save you the second time. You weren’t sent to the police station today, and you won't be sent to the police station any time soon. The living conditions in A City are much better than in South Korea. I don’t want to go back so soon." Allison did not intend to give up celebrating the new year in A City.Moreover, she had a much more comfortable life here than abroad as she had a maid to take care of her.Since Allison was unwilling to return to Korea, Sophian had to give up the idea as she had no extra money to buy the expensive international airline ticket.Allison touched her dry face and commanded Sophian, "Go and prepare a mask for me. My skin f
“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,
Hera let out a cold sneer, feeling that Gerald's apology was not sincere.Hera did not want to press the issue at the moment. She gave him a sharp look. “Come with me.”Gerald knew that Hera was up to something again. If it were a normal order, she would have just said it in the living room. Whenever she called him aside, it meant whatever she had to say could not be overheard by others.Reluctantly, Gerald followed her out.It was midday, and as soon as Hera stepped out of the living room, a wave of heat hit her face.The intense warmth made her feel uncomfortable.Hera got straight to the point, turning to Gerald. “What did Luca say to you just now?”“She just asked me to help keep an eye on the volunteer,” Gerald answered honestly. This was not something that needed to be kept secret.Hera frowned. “Is she going out”Gerald hesitated for a moment, unsure whether to say anything.“I’m talking to you, not the wall. Are you mute?” Hera threatened. “If you lie to me, I’ll te
Gordan was puzzled. At most, it was just brotherly camaraderie. After all, they had been through thick and thin together. Their bond might be stronger than usual, but falling in love? That was a bit of a stretch.Luke said, “The way you acted just now, doesn't really seem 'straight' to me. Also, if you're into women, maybe you should consider finding one. Otherwise, if you're always single, people might start misinterpreting your feelings for me.”“Luke, actually, you're not bad at all. In fact, you're probably better than a lot of women,” Gordan replied with a sly grin.As a man himself, he honestly thought Luke was a great guy. If he were a woman, he would be utterly captivated by him.“Shut up!” Luke knew he was joking, but he still felt a chill run down his spine. He seriously worried that Gordan might do something inappropriate when he turned his back on him.Shivering from the thought, Luke put down his glass and headed upstairs.Gordan let out a deep sigh.The night w
“Anyway, I'm saying it here—I'm not going to Russia because of that ugly woman, Vivian. If I go to Russia, it's for you. I've already divorced her. Besides, I’m already trying to avoid her, how could I possibly go to Russia for her?” Gordan took a sip of red wine, then continued his rant. “And, Ray is still in Russia. I really can't go. His men are all brutal, and I've had enough of being beaten all these years.”“Then why did you buy an apartment in Vivian's neighborhood?” Luke continued to tease him. His sharp eyes glinted with intelligence.Gordan denied it, but whether he believed it or not was his own business.“It was just a coincidence!” Gordan raised his voice, trying to convince Luke.Or maybe himself.“Coincidence?” Luke sipped his wine, every gesture as graceful as a nobleman.“Of course, it’s a coincidence, Brother Luke. You wouldn’t know, but that apartment is in a school district, surrounded by college towns. There are a ton of hotties there, I picked the place just