Percy knew how determined he was and opted to support him. "I’ll help you with anything you need.""Let’s go in," Luke said. His head felt clearer after being out in the cold for so long.Since he had determined his next step, Luke had to double his efforts to get Luca back to his side.The two brought some cold wind with them as they walked into the living room on the second floor. After Percy closed the door, he could not help but complain, "I’m lacking training."When he went under special training, he was forced to wear a singlet as he did various drills in the snow. At that time, he did not feel cold at all.Now, he was unable to bear the cold when he stood outside on the balcony for a while.Luke gave him a cool look and reminded him, "You’re weak.""Nonsense, I'm not weak at all. If you don't believe me, ask Nina." Percy corrected him sternly since it was a matter involving his male ego. "I’m sure Nina will protect your ego, but to be honest, if you feel weak, you can a
"Uncle Luke's mother," Sue answered for Jason."Let's eat." Jason urged the children. It was best for the children not to be involved with adults’ matters...On the other hand.Allison called Jason the moment she received his text.The call could not get through, and she realized that she had been blocked again.She threw the spoon on the table.Sophian, who was sitting across from her, was startled. "Ms. Allison, what's wrong?""Jason blocked me!" Allison had a stern expression. She could not get over her being scammed and would not have a peaceful sleep if she could not resolve it.That was why she called Jason first thing in the morning.After that, she waited for an answer.She was not satisfied with Jason’s answer, so she asked Sophian, "Where's the SIM card we bought earlier?""You said that the blocked number was useless, so I canceled the number and threw the SIM card away." Sophian took out a napkin and wiped her mouth.Allison reached out her hand and said, "Give
Sure enough, Allison frowned as she was repulsed. "It’s so plain. Others might think that we can't afford to eat meat.""Madam Allison, we only have vegetarian food at home today. This is all we have," the butler whispered. He could not do anything even though Allison was dissatisfied.There were other ingredients in the refrigerator, but Old Master Crawford made it clear that they all had to eat vegetarian food today. He could not make an exception for her as Old Master Crawford would be furious when he found out.The Crawfords could eat meat, just not at Crawford Manor.Allison could not help but mutter, "I chose a bad time to come back.""Madam Allison, do you still want to eat breakfast?" the butler asked. He did not give her other choices. She could either choose to eat or not. "Of course! I'm starving. Bring it to my room," Allison said."Okay, Madam Allison." The butler looked at Sophian. He had to treat her like a guest even though what she did had spread throughout Cra
"Don't tell her yet," Old Master Crawford said immediately. He then glanced at Susan, who was next to him. He wanted to have a peaceful lunch."Will do." The butler knew what Old Master Crawford meant.Susan raised the corner of her mouth with pride. Her efforts had paid off.During the past few days, many guests came by the house. As the hostess of Crawford Manor, she entertained each guest in good taste and many praised her.It had shifted Old Master Crawford’s opinion of her.It was clear that he now favored her..."Is lunch ready?" Old Master Crawford asked. He intended to leave Allison’s matter aside until he had lunch."The cook has gotten everything ready. She prepared all vegetarian dishes as per your instructions. You can have lunch anytime." the butler said."Inform the kitchen to serve lunch now." Old Master Crawford walked into the dining room with the help of his cane."Got it." The butler hurried to the kitchen.When Thea heard that they were eating vegetarian f
"Don't blame Luke for getting scammed. Luke didn't make you invest your money with dubious people." Old Master Crawford felt repulsed by what she said.Allison was startled. It felt like her throat was stuffed with a mouthful of phlegm that she could not cough out. It felt uncomfortable.She did not expect Old Master Crawford to speak up for Luke like that."I—""Although Luke and you don’t have the best relationship, he has never skimmed on your daily expenses as well as your treatment in South Korea. You had so much money to invest because Luke gave you that money. Don’t blame others for your stupidity," Old Master Crawford lectured Allison with a stern expression."Dad, I know that it’s my fault..." Allison realized that blaming it on Luke would not work.It would not work even if she wanted to shift some of the blame to Luke.Old Master Crawford was too smart and partial to Luke for that."I won't help you." Old Master Crawford said. Luke did not short Allison on her food a
"It's none of your business. Get out!" Allison was ticked off by Susan. She stared at Susan with her bloodshot eyes.Susan was taken aback by her indignant expression.When she snapped out of it, Susan sprayed her saliva all over as she shouted, "If anyone’s to leave the mansion, it’ll be you! You’re the shameless mistress. You’re someone who destroys families!"Allison raised her hand and wanted to slap Susan.Susan took a step back and looked at the butler next to her. "Go and get Dad here to throw this crazy woman out!"When she heard that she was going to be kicked out, Allison withdrew her hand as she knew that she could not leave the house just yet."Madam Susan, Old Master Crawford has allowed Madam Allison to come back to live here. Why don’t you leave the matter alone?" The butler bit the bullet and reminded her.‘It makes sense why Old Master Crawford asked Susan to move to Louis' villa after the New Year.As long as Allison was around, Crawford Manor would never find
"Something happened at Crawford Manor." Luke did not tell the kid about what happened with Allison. He just made up an excuse."Did something happen to Great-grandpa?" Tommy asked nervously."No, it’s just some things have happened at home, so we'll go back tomorrow." Luke's expression was serious. If it was not that late, he would surely head back to A City on the same day.He did not expect Allison to act so foolishly...The children stopped talking when they saw Luke's expression.Percy exchanged glances with Nina, but neither of them said anything.Luke said to Percy, "Percy, feel free to continue staying here. Just let Mr. Muller know when you want to leave.""Okay, thank you. If you have anything that you need help with, I’m a call away.""It's not a big deal," Luke said. He did not need anyone else to be involved with Allison-related matters.Her problems could only be solved with money.Luca looked at Luke worriedly. If it were not because of Old Master Crawford that
Percy’s hands fell on her waist and pulled her toward him."You're holding too tight. What's wrong?" Nina could feel Percy's strength on her waist. She could not help but lower her head and glance at his hand.“You’re not allowed to have sympathy for other men in front of me,” Percy said in a domineering manner.Nina did not know whether she should cry or laugh. She replied, “He’s Luke, your friend! Besides, I’m not feeling sorry for him. I’m just letting out a sigh.”She had no idea what Percy was jealous of.“I won’t allow you to even let out a sigh. If you continue to do this, he’ll no longer be my friend.” Jealousy filled Percy’s heart, and even his expression showed that he was jealous. Nina found it rare to see Percy in such a state. She picked up her phone and seized the chance to focus her phone camera on his face. There was a click."What are you doing…" Percy could not help but feel puzzled when he saw Nina do that."It's rare to see you getting jealous. I have to ke
“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