Dr. Linwood glanced at the time. It was already time.However, the meeting had yet to start. Mr. Whitlock was nowhere to be seen either. “Oh, where’s Mr. Whitlock?”“Yes. We’re having a meeting. Isn’t Mr. Whitlock coming?” Dr. Jackson found it odd too. He happened to see Mo Stone pushing the food trolley into the room to pour some coffee for everyone. He asked, “Ms. Stone, where’s Mr. Whitlock?”“Dr. Jackson, I’m not sure where Mr. Whitlock is.” Mo Stone shook her head and served everyone a cup of coffee.“Wasn’t it Mr. Whitlock who asked us to attend the meeting?” Dr. Jackson asked with curiosity. "No. It was Mr. Crawford who informed me about the meeting. He didn't ask me to inform Mr. Whitlock to come for the meeting," replied Mo Stone. She was only following Luke's instructions and doing her job.“I see. That’s weird.” The big screen lit up as soon as Dr. Jackson finished his sentence."The meeting is about to start," said Mo Stone. She quickly handed the coffee to all the
“Yes.” Rhett and the researchers left the office together.Rhett did not return to the laboratory. He returned to his office instead.Mo Stone noticed a group of people walking into Luca's office a moment ago. She could not help but ask with curiosity, "Mr. Link, what happened? Why did Dr. Craw and the other professors gather all their researchers and assistants in their respective offices?"Luca was not the only one who did that in the whole building. That was why Mo Stone was curious about it.“Do you know about Mr. Whitlock being a corporate spy?” asked Rhett. There was no need to conceal the matter. The company would announce it when the time came.“He was a corporate spy?” Mo Stone widened her eyes. She never thought about it. “Yes. Mr. Crawford told the professors. That’s why the professors gathered their researchers and assistants to ask them whether or not they’ve ever revealed confidential information to Mr. Whitlock,” added Rhett.“That’s scary. The company has just s
Tommy was Luca’s child. She knew what it meant when she heard that. Luca noticed the hesitancy in his voice. She could not help but keep a straight face. “Did you get yourself into trouble?”“I didn’t…” Tommy sounded a little upset. He did not want to make this call, but the teacher insisted on asking his guardian to come to school.If Tommy asked his father to come to school, it was inevitable that he would be lectured when he went back home.Besides, his father was busy with work.Hence, Tommy discussed it with his teacher. His teacher knew who his father was too. Thus, the teacher agreed that it would be fine as long as it was his guardian.Tommy dared not to look for his great-grandpa either. He had no choice but to call her.After all, Luca was his mother!“Tell your teacher that I’ll be there in 30 minutes.” Luca glanced at the time and assumed that it would take 20 minutes for her to reach Tommy’s school.“Okay, Ms. Luca. I’ll be waiting for you.” Something crossed Tom
Mrs. Tuffey shook her head and apologized. “The surveillance cameras stopped working yesterday. That’s why there’s no recorded footage of what happened in the classroom.”“My child has never lied to anyone before. He said it was Tommy who pushed him. His statement is the best evidence,” yelled Mrs. Hudson.Luca ignored her and questioned Mrs. Tuffey, “Mrs. Tuffey, did you ask the other kids?”"They're still having class now," replied Mrs. Tuffey. The incident happened during recess. The kids were having class now.Mrs. Tuffey thought of making the decision after the two child’s guardians communicated with each other.“Mrs. Hudson chooses to believe her child, and I believe Tommy isn’t a child who’d hurt others. Mrs. Tuffey, I’d like to talk to Tommy.” Luca made a request. Now, the only way was to ask Tommy what had happened. Only then would she find out the truth.“Let me bring Tommy here. Please wait for a while.” Mrs. Tuffey rose to her feet and marched out of the office.Mrs.
“Why should I listen to you? I’m going to call the police if you don’t transfer the money to me. I’ll let the police officers arrest this little bastard.” Mrs. Hudson was anxious.Luca frowned and covered Tommy’s ears.“Madam, I’m recording our conversation. What you said is enough for me to look for a lawyer and file a complaint,” warned Luca with a serious tone. Who could accept their child being called a little bastard when the child had done nothing wrong? The look on Mrs. Hudson’s face changed. However, she remembered that looking for a lawyer was something someone did just to threaten the other party. Oftentimes, they would just let the matter be. She replied boldly, “Go ahead and look for a lawyer, then. I’ll call the police too.” “Fine. Go ahead. I believe in Tommy anyway. I’m sure he didn’t do anything wrong.” Luca had faith in him.Tommy would not lie to her to evade responsibility. Mrs. Tuffey could sense the tension in the air, and she immediately interrupted, “Mrs
“Mrs. Tuffey, I can understand if you’re reluctant to give me the information, but I’m guessing you know who Tommy’s father is. It’s a simple task for him to look into Mrs. Hudson’s background if he wants to. Besides, I have the audio recording on my phone. I’m not afraid of losing the lawsuit.” Luca made up her mind to sue Charlie’s mother. She could not stand others bullying her son that way.Mrs. Tuffey knew Tommy was Luke's son. She dared not offend Luke. Hence, she said, "Let me look for it. But I'll only give you her name and address."“Thank you. We’ll look into her background to search for the remaining information.” Luca sat there, waiting for Mrs. Tuffey to give her the information.Mrs. Tuffey opened the student handbook. Each student's parent's information was written down in it. She found Mrs. Hudson’s information and copied it down on a paper for Luca. “I can only provide you with this information.”Luca glanced at the address and name. With these two pieces of in
It was Tina who answered the call in the secretary’s office. “Hello, it’s Tina here.”"Hello, Ms. Tina. Dr. Craw is at the front desk, asking to see Mr. Crawford. May I know if Mr. Crawford is available now?" the receptionist asked. Visitors who came to the office seldom looked for Luke. They usually would only look for Jason and the secretaries working in the secretary's office.“Dr. Craw? Let her in,” replied Tina. Even though Luke was not in his office now, Tina dared not to stop Luca. “Alright. Got it.” The receptionist hung up the call. She smiled and looked at Luca, “Dr. Craw, Ms. Tina is upstairs waiting for you.” “Okay, thank you.” After Luca thanked her, she immediately headed upstairs and arrived at the floor where the president’s office was. Tina was waiting for her in the elevator hall."Dr. Craw, you're here," Tina smiled and greeted Luca when she saw her walking out of the elevator.“Yes. I have something to discuss with Mr. Crawford,” replied Luca."He's havin
Luca placed the magazine back and waited for Luke to come in.The moment Luke stepped into his office, Luca looked up, and their eyes met.“Mr. Crawford.” Luca broke the silence. Luke nodded and immediately closed the door behind him. “Give me a minute. I need to handle some documents first.” “Alright.” What Luca was about to discuss with him was not that urgent either. Hence, she picked up the magazine beside her and read it while waiting for Luke to deal with the documents.Luke quickly read through an urgent document. Eighteen minutes had passed when he finally signed it. He pressed the intercom number and said to Jason, “Come in.”Ten seconds later, Jason knocked on Luke’s office door. Then, he pushed the door and came in. “Boss, I’m here.”“It’s done.” Luke handed the document he had signed a moment ago to Jason. Jason quickly trotted toward him and took the document from Luke. Then, he turned around and left the office. He gently closed the door after he left.Luca pu
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