“I’ll get changed later,” replied Luke. He would always put his principles and habits aside in front of her. What mattered was that she was happy.Luca placed the chicken wings in front of him and asked, “Do you know how to cut small crosswise slits?”“Huh?” Luke seldom entered the kitchen. He did not know how to cook either. It was his first time hearing the words she said. Luca picked up one of the chicken wings and a knife. Then, she cut small crosswise slits on the front and back of the chicken wing and said, “Something like this. It’ll let the marinade cover more of the surface of the meat.”“Easy.” Luke took the knife from Luca and began to do his job seriously.Luca watched Luke cut the slits on the chicken wing. After making sure he had no problem with it, she started cleaning the beef ribs and marinating them.It was supposed to take around an hour to finish marinating the ingredients, but Luca was able to finish it in half an hour with Luke’s help.Luca let out a si
Luke sat on the sofa and shot him a cold glance.Percy was still showing off to him that he and Nina were officially married. It was clearly an act of provocation.Luke was very unhappy with that. "Mr. Crawford, you should do what a host should do. You weren't thinking of letting Dr. Craw help me, right? The suitcases are quite heavy." Percy smiled and looked at him with that scheming look on his face.Of course, Luke would not let Luca do such things. He immediately stood up and said, “I’ll do it.”Percy picked up two suitcases and said, “As your friend, I’m thoughtful enough to carry the heavy ones for you. You can carry the lighter ones.” Luke picked up the rest of the suitcases. The suitcases were not that heavy either. Hence, it was easy for him to pick them up.Percy turned to look at him and said, “Let’s go. Lead the way.”Luke headed upstairs without saying a word.Nina watched the two of them make their way up the stairs until they went out of sight. Then, she looke
Percy turned to look at Luca worriedly and said, “Dr. Craw, is she alright?” “It’s not a big deal. That’s what white-collar workers face these days. If she nurses her health, nothing bad is going to happen to her.” Luca knew what Nina was thinking about. Hence, she helped Nina to conceal it.Percy let out a sigh of relief. He held Nina’s hands and said in a low voice, “It’s my fault. I didn’t take good care of you.”Nina shook her head. She could not blame him for that.If she were to blame someone, she only had herself to blame. She did not take good care of herself back then, and that was why she had health issues now.Fortunately, Luca said her health could be nursed. Nina was no longer afraid.Luke looked at the two of them. He cleared his throat and reminded them that they were not in a private space now.Nina’s face reddened. She withdrew her hands and said, “Besides, Luca gave me a prescription. My health will recover after I take the medicine.”“That’s great.” Percy se
Fortunately, there was a person like him in Nina’s life to soothe her pain and drive away the shadows in her life. Living a life like this was not that bad.Nina was an easily satisfied person. It was enough for her as long as she could spend the rest of her life with Percy and live in peace.Luca looked at the blissful smile on Nina’s face, and she could not help but smile too.She hoped Nina could live happily forever.Luca had this feeling that even though Nina was already married to Percy, their together would not be an easy road. Nina must continue to live happily.The two of them talked about other stuff and chatted with each other for a while.Two hours later, Tommy ran downstairs looking for them. He grabbed Luca's hand with one of his hands while he took Nina's hand with another hand. He said helplessly, "Ms. Luca, Ms. Nina, hurry up upstairs. Daddy and Mr. Percy are about to fight."Luca raised her brows. Were Luke and Percy fighting with each other? She refused to
Nina smacked her tongue. She could not help but mumble, “The two of them are truly prodigal.”"Wine is meant to be drunk. Of course, it’s perfect to enjoy a glass of good wine during happy times. Besides, Mr. Crawford and Mr. Mallory are people who can afford the wine," said Luca with a smile. She shot a glance at Otto and nodded at him.Otto nodded and left.Nina could not help but exclaim, “That makes sense.” "Are you worried that there’ll be a dent in Mr. Mallory’s wallet?” Luca could not help but tease her. She picked up the cattail leaf fan and fanned the grill so that the charcoal could burn evenly.Luca turned on the ventilating fan in the gazebo too. It was to prevent the concentration of carbon monoxide from getting too high.Luca would not have chosen a charcoal grill if it were not for the kids who wanted to try the traditional way of barbecuing.Nina blushed. She immediately shook her head and said, “No. Stop talking nonsense.”"You're blushing. Even so, you're Mrs
Luca heard what Luke said and turned to look at him. Her heart skipped a beat as she asked, “Mr. Crawford, are you going to scope out the location tomorrow?”"Yes. I'll try my best to come up with a design," said Luke as he spread a layer of BBQ sauce on the grilled meat."Do you mind taking me along with you when you're going there? I'm interested in such things," said Luca. Although she had learned many things over the past few years, it seemed like architectural design was still her favorite. She would like to participate in the process of designing the ancestral hall.Even though she could not show that she knew architectural design in front of Luke, at least she could show that she was interested in it.“Sure.” Luke agreed to it. Then, he turned around to look at Percy and Nina, “Mrs. Mallory, do you have any plans tomorrow?”Luke addressing Nina as ‘Mrs. Mallory’ made Nina’s face turn red again. It took a while for the redness on her cheek to go away.Although she had alr
“I’m giving you the chance to learn how to take care of the kids,” explained Luke.Percy and Nina were married. The two of them would have a baby soon.It finally dawned on Percy. He nodded and looked at Nina while pretending to put on a stern expression. He said, "Looks like we've got a lot to learn.""We haven't even held a wedding ceremony. Don't even think of it," Nina smiled and pretended to reject him.It did not matter to her whether Percy held a wedding ceremony for her or not. She once imagined herself putting on a wedding dress to marry the man she loved when she was in high school back then.However, she realized that it was difficult for them to hold a wedding ceremony. That was why she would not expect too much as long as she could stand beside him legitimately. She was already satisfied with that. “We’ll hold a wedding ceremony after the New Year,” Percy promised her. Although the Mallory family did not allow them to be together, Percy could still hold a wedding ce
Luke walked out of the bathroom to see Luca hiding under the blanket like an ostrich. He could not even see her head.Luke chuckled and asked, “Isn’t it hard to breathe under the blanket?”It was suffocating…Luca could hear her heart pounding fast under the blanket. She was nervous, like a child who was about to do something bad. She could not get used to it.Luke noticed that she was pretending to sleep, so he said, “Don’t worry, I won’t do anything to you tonight.”They had work to do tomorrow, and Luca had to help him. If he indulged himself tonight, she would be tired tomorrow. Luke could not bear to see her tired.Luca slowly stuck out her head and looked at him, “Is that true?”“I’ve never lied to you,” said Luke. He picked up the hair dryer and dried his hair.Luca listened to the whirring sound of the hairdryer. It reminded her of the past. Luke would not let her go that easily. However, it seemed like Luke would still succeed in conquering her heart when she t
“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