The policeman did not find any contraband after inspecting the trunk of the car, nor were there any problems with Amur’s documents, so he let him go.Amur then drove away.After returning to the apartment, he had to make sure that there were no messages from Abel. Then, he thought to himself that Pierre would have to be locked up for a few days before Abel would make a move.If he informed the Mallory family too soon, they would not be as anxious, nor would they hand over the money that easily.Therefore, Abel had to use Pierre to play against the Mallory family, which meant that he should be free for the next few days.Amur lay on the bed while thinking of the advice Luca gave him today before washing up and lying down again.After not sleeping at all last night, he practically fell into a deep sleep the moment he came in contact with the bed.At six o’clock in the afternoon, Luca kept the two reports in her briefcase before clocking off.Before she got off work, she told Aunt
Alice shook her head as she felt like Myra had been acting strange ever since she came back home.She was the one at fault, so why did she want someone else to come and approach her?“Alice, why aren’t you saying anything? Am I wrong?” Myra watched Luca leave, and her nonchalant demeanor made her furious.If it were not for Luca, she would not have had to go through all of this.Alice was afraid that Myra would go up and cause trouble, so she quickly patted her on the shoulder to comfort her. “Okay, fine. She probably didn’t recognize you, so that’s why she didn’t come over…”“What do you mean she didn’t recognize me? That woman treats everyone like this because she has Luke to rely on. Hmph. She’s just a mistress. What gives her the right to act that way? Mistresses don’t end well because they’ll eventually be replaced!” Myra got more worked up as she spoke and started getting looks from passersby.Alice felt embarrassed, so she hurriedly dragged her to the fruit section. “Myra,
"Why don't you ask around? Besides, what does your brother do for a living? I wonder if his job matches the girl's job," said Mrs. Selley. She wanted Luca to help.Luca felt helpless listening to what she said.Amur showed no interest in this. Why did Mrs. Selley sound like she had already decided for him? “It’d be better if you can ask him in person.” The moment Luca finished her sentence, she found the key in her pocket. When she was about to take it out and open the door, the door opened.“I have a crush. You don’t have to worry about that.” Amur looked straight into Mrs. Selley’s eyes with a mask on his face. Then, he took the bag that Luca was carrying and went into the house.Mrs. Selley was dumbfounded as she remained rooted to the spot. She did not know her voice was so loud that Amur, who was in the house, heard her.Was the soundproofing of the apartment that bad?Luca noticed the awkward expression on Mrs. Selley’s face. She smiled to ease the situation. “Mrs. Selley
“Do you know why he chose X City?” Amur shot her a glance and continued to clean the vegetables.When he first learned that Abel had chosen X City as the final destination, he was surprised.After all, their base was usually in A City.Luca picked up a slice of beef and placed it in the mixer. After she pressed the blending mode, she answered Amur’s question, “Well, if it’s just the Mallory family that bothers Abel, he wouldn’t have much reason to choose X City. But what if it’s a joint investigation by the Crawford family, the Mallory family, and the Holston family into Pierre’s kidnapping? If Pierre is still in A City, he can be easily found.”"Three families? How do you know that the Crawford family and Holston family are helping the Mallory family?" Amur frowned. He knew that Percy, Luke, and Jim were close friends.However, Percy and the Mallory family had fallen out, so how could the Crawford family and the Holston family help the Mallory family?Nowadays, the younger gener
Percy felt a sense of helplessness wash over him as they mentioned the kidnapping of his younger brother. He had to wait for Mr. Bennet to gather all the surveillance footage. They waited in silence for the manager to serve them the appetizer. It was not until the manager had finally left their room that Luke finally spoke, "It’s probably him.”Percy arched an eyebrow and picked the most expensive wine bottle, cracking it open. "Who do you suspect?""The Island of Despair," replied Luke. The name rolled off his tongue like a bitter pill. It was a name they were all too familiar with.Percy’s expression darkened at the mention of the Island of Despair. When he had first heard about his brother's kidnapping, he, too, had suspected them. However, he could not fathom why they would target Pierre.That was why he did not continue thinking about it."Pierre bought the bidding document of the T Corporation from them back then. Then, he ended up worse when he tried to take advantage o
He insisted on meeting Luke in person before revealing any information about the Island of Despair.In addition, Marcos received news about his mother living here. That was why he planned to make a trip to A City. He claimed to the people on his side that he needed to come here to do business, then he would take a charter flight to travel to A City."The remnants of the Island of Despair need to be eliminated," Percy said in a sinister tone. On the other hand, after Luca had dinner with Amur, Amur took the initiative to clean up the table. Luca took out the dough that had been left to rest and the marinated filling. Then, she walked to the dining room to prepare pot pies and croissants.Amur sat beside her and watched Luca divide the flour for the croissants and pot pies. He waited to see how she did it.Luca's fingers were slender. She was skilled when she rolled the dough. It only took a while before a beautifully shaped croissant appeared in her hands."You’re good with you
[I’ll be right back.] After Luca replied to his message, she lifted her head and smiled at Amur. “I'm going back now. Take care of yourself.”"Okay." Amur nodded.Luca did not let Amur escort her to the lobby, so he walked her to the door instead. As he watched her step into the elevator and heard the doors slowly close, he closed the door.Mrs. Selley walked out carrying a bag of garbage. She glanced at Amur as though she wanted to ask him something. However, she sighed and shook her head at the thought of what he had said before. Mrs. Selley gave her relative’s daughter a call after Amur rejected her.The girl could not help but burst into tears after she heard what Mrs. Selley said on the phone.Mrs. Selley felt sorry for bearing bad news. Thus, she spent some time comforting her before reluctantly ending the call.She ran into Amur when she was about to take out the trash.Amur did not bother to greet her and closed the door right away.Mrs. Selley could not help but mutt
Percy knew what Luke was thinking, so he patted him on the shoulders. “Once the Island of Despair is eradicated, she can finally be with you for good.”“Yeah.” Luke’s voice was hoarse, and he was getting dizzy from anger.It was the anger he had toward the Island of Despair.The thugs from the Island of Despair were actually brave enough to pick on him back then.This time, after the resurgence of the Island of Despair, they picked on Luca.There was no way he would ever let them get away with it!“Come, let’s have a drink. The surveillance footage will probably be sent over by the time we’re done drinking.” Percy opened another bottle of wine.His subordinates were drinking in the room next door, and they began investigating Pierre’s whereabouts while waiting for the footage to be sent over.They drank until dawn.When there was finally a knock on the door, the three of them simultaneously put down their wine glasses. “It’s here,” Percy said.Jim turned off the music in the
“Mr. Mallory, won’t you feel guilty if something happens to Nina?” Sue did not understand why he refused to call the police.“It won’t happen.” Percy furrowed his brows as his mind raced to find a solution.Sue was even more confused. “Just because you say it won’t happen, does that mean it won’t? Yes, Madam Mallory is your mother, but Nina is also your wife. If your mother harms your wife, shouldn’t you call the police? Instead of doing that, you’re leaving her in this dangerous situation. I honestly feel sorry for Nina.”Sue had always been straightforward. She thought Percy would protect Nina for life, but seeing him defend Karen at the cost of his wife’s safety, she was deeply disappointed.She felt she was in no position to feel sorry for Nina, but she could not understand Percy’s actions.Percy furrowed his brows. Calling the police was not an option.The Mallory family could not afford this kind of turmoil.If Old Master Mallory found out that he handed his mother over to
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