"Are you here to wait for Ms. Craw too?" the maid smiled and said. She glanced at the time and presumed that Luca should be arriving soon.Leia did not respond to her and just stomped her feet on the side. She then took out her phone and called Mandy, "I've opened the backdoor. It's covered but not locked. Make sure the men pretend to hurt me when they come in. I don't want Luke to suspect anything after he sees the surveillance footage.""Will do," Mandy replied."Also, come in only after I send you some numbers. I’ll connect to the surveillance system at home and delete the footage of me opening the door," Leia said. She was familiar with doing this sort of thing because of Wayne Blatt."You’re asking for so much but okay." Mandy could not help but complain.Leia lowered her gaze and deleted all of their chats. After that, she glanced at the time before she exhaled hot air and complained, "Why is she taking so long?""It’s a Sunday. There might be a traffic jam on the road."
"Luca?" Queenie hurriedly stood up and looked at Leia reproachfully. She did not expect Leia to make trouble at such a time.Luca was about to leave, but she paused and eventually turned around to say, "Mrs. Norman, I'm sorry. Ms. Norman doesn't have any trust in me, so I think she should go to the doctors in the hospital. After all, they’re registered professionals with the license to practice."Leia watched her leave and hurriedly called out to her, "Stop! Who told you to leave?"Jack also stood up and said loudly, "I told her to.""Dear!" Queenie looked at him quickly. She expected him to say something to help with the situation or force Leia to apologize.However, she did not expect that he would support Luca leaving."Luca is right." Jack walked up to Luca. He could not bear to see his biological daughter being bullied by Leia.Leia was the one who needed help, yet her ridicule and suspicion made it uncomfortable for anyone to listen to her."Come on, Luca. I'll send you h
Leia's voice caught the leader's attention once more.He looked at Queenie and noticed the phone on the coffee table. The man walked over quickly, smashed the phone on the ground, and stepped on it with his foot before he slapped Queenie. "B*tch, you want to call the police?""Ah!" Queenie did not expect that they would notice. She shouted from the shock.Jack quickly got between the man and Queenie, so the slap landed on his head. The man snorted coldly and pushed him away.Jack fell to the ground in pain."Ah, dear! Dear, are you alright?" Queenie also fell to the ground in shock and wanted to climb over to check on Jack, but she lost all strength.Leia hid behind the sofa and smiled slightly when she saw how miserable the couple was. She looked toward Luca but could not see how Luca was doing because she was squatting.There were bursts of fighting. Although they were all men's voices, Leia believed that Luca could never beat 10 people on her own no matter how strong she was!
"Yeah." Rain picked up the phone and dialed for the ambulance.Luca still did not let go of the dagger in her hand. She walked toward the direction Leia was hiding.A drop of blood fell with every step she took.Leia was so frightened by Luca’s appearance that she did not dare to breathe. She fell to the ground."I know you let these people in." Luca stood up straight and looked down at her."I don't know these people." Leia frowned. The fear in Leia’s heart was infinitely magnified when she saw that Luca did not seem to feel any pain even though her hand was still dripping blood."You're a savage." Luca did not expect her to be so cruel.‘She shouldn’t do this no matter how much she hates Jack and Queenie. After all, Jack has been covering all of her medical expenses and Queenie has been all hands on deck taking care of her. In return, Leia opted to find someone to hurt them…’Luca felt chills when she thought of how Leia repaid their kindness with vengeance.Leia was unsure
The police chief looked at the handcuffed trespassers and then at the colleagues that Rain spoke of.All of those who invaded the house had bruised noses and swollen eyes. Their faces were injured to certain extents, while Rain's subordinates were not injured at all, at least not on the surface."Would good citizens beat up others so badly?" The police chief did not believe her."They were all armed with daggers and rods. We acted in self-defense," Rain explained while she looked at the stairs.Leia had come downstairs.Rain pointed to the direction of the stairs and said, "That's Mr. Norman's daughter in A City and behind her is the colleague we assigned to protect her."The police chief looked in the direction she was pointing, saw Leia, and nodded.He knew of Leia, naturally.After all, everyone knew of what happened previously. There were still ongoing gossip materials about her on the internet.Therefore, the police chief was familiar with such a ‘superstar.’He looked a
Rain explained it to him since the men were brought into the police cars.After all, in the eyes of these uninformed people, Luke was not single. His wife was abroad.No one knew Luca was Bianca.The police chief was taken aback by what she said. ‘What is this all about?’Rain knew he did not understand the situation, so she said, "The target of these people is Luca. Ms. Craw is our boss' subordinate. He knew that her life was being threatened, so he asked us to protect her.""So that woman is just your boss' employee?" The police chief understood."Mm, I work for Mr. Luke Crawford. Ms. Craw came over today because she was invited by Mr. and Mrs. Norman. We didn't expect those gangsters to dare to make a move here," Rain said.The police chief now fully understood the situation. He nodded and said, "Mm, follow us to the police station to record your statement in person.""Not a problem." Rain nodded in agreement.In the hospital…Jack and Queenie got out of the ambulance, and
Luke hurried over, and before she could speak, he picked up her bandaged hand and had a look.Luca blushed.Luke's outstanding appearance immediately attracted the attention of many people."Mr. Crawford, let's go over there..." Luca pointed to a corner where no one was around.Luke took her hand and walked over with a stern expression on his face."Does it hurt?" They stood in the corner. He did not look too good as he looked at her hand that was tightly bound by gauze."It doesn't hurt anymore," Luca said. Johann's stitching skills were top-notch. There was almost no blood oozing out after the sutures."You took too big of a risk." Luke frowned. Rain had already told him about what happened on the phone.She used herself as bait to keep Jack and Queenie safe."In that situation, I had no other choice. They were coming for me. If something were to wrong with Mr. and Mrs. Norman, I’d..." Luca paused and did not continue to speak.She thought that it was her fault for putting
“Okay.” Luca followed the police officers to the nurse’s lounge and made a detailed statement about what happened.The police officers listened to what Luca said and wrote the statement at the same time. The victims involved in this case were Mr. Norman and Mrs. Norman, and that was why he took it seriously.In the ward.Jack had already woken up.Luke came forward and asked caringly, “Dad, are you feeling better?”"I'm a little light-headed…" Jack narrowed his eyes and looked at his environment. After making sure that he was in the hospital, he recalled what happened before he passed out. When he saw Luca make herself a hostage to save Queenie, he became anxious and wanted to get out of bed right away.“Dad, please lie still.” Luke pressed the call bell.“How’s Queenie doing? What about Luca? She became a hostage. Was she taken away by them?” Jack asked anxiously. Queenie was his wife, and Luca was his biological daughter. How could he not be worried?“Luca is slightly injured
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,
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