“Of course, you’re welcome. Have a seat. Do you want tea or juice?” Luca asked. She knew that Nina had trouble sleeping, so she forwent coffee as an option because it was already late in the afternoon.“I’ll have juice,” said Nina.“Alright, one moment. I’ll go to the kitchen to see if there are any snacks I can bring you.” Luca nodded and walked into the kitchen. She had the maid squeeze some juice, while she brought out some snacks to the living room and placed them in front of Nina.“The juice will be done in a bit. Why don’t you try the snacks first?” she said.“Sure, I haven’t had lunch yet, so I’m a bit hungry.” Nina picked up a piece and helped herself.“Why didn’t you have lunch?” Luca asked out of curiosity.Nina swallowed a mouthful of the snacks before taking her time to explain, “I planned to go to Mr. Louis’ house directly so that we could make it for the luncheon, but Percy had an emergency meeting, so we stopped by the Mallory family’s place. The meeting went on fo
She knew them too well.Anna knew how to manage her finances. She would make some investments and keep the money in the bank to earn some interest. That way, it would be enough to support Jean and Anna for the rest of their lives.However, if the money fell into Jean's hands, it would be easily squandered. Even though they had signed an agreement, Jean probably felt that he had the Mallory family backing him up after Nina and Percy announced their marriage to the public. Therefore, he had no idea how to manage his money wisely. Nina knew them too well."Anyway, you’re finally living a new life," exclaimed Luca. It had been so many years, and Nina had been through a lot. "By the way, how’s your wedding preparation?""I'm still going through the details with the wedding planner, but I also plan to take my wedding photos. Oh, and can I have Tommy be my ring bearer?" asked Nina. She had friends who had kids, and she planned to choose either Kari or Teri to be her flower girl. In th
Abel was determined to win this game.It was not just about achieving a crushing victory. He also wanted to win decisively and get everything he wanted. Luca understood that, but she could not help Percy this time. Luca knew that Abel had Pierre locked up in X City. She could easily find Abel's stronghold if she wanted to. However, she would only expose herself if she did that.Luca was relieved when she knew Abel was busy with other things at the moment. He did not have time to interfere with her affairs. She did not want to put herself in the forefront again just because of Pierre. After all, she had her motives. She wanted to spend as much time as possible with Luke and their children. Furthermore, Abel still needed Pierre to get money. He would not kill him.Also, Pierre needed to be taught a lesson. He had done so many evil things and evaded his responsibilities knowing that the Mallory family would back him up. It would be unfair if he was unpunished. Luca would ha
"They’re in A City, just like what Percy said. But with everything looking so good, I've been quite busy lately. There's a big project coming up at Brilliant, and I simply don't have the time to try on the wedding dresses. I can't even pick which dress to wear just by looking at the photos," Nina said in anguish. The wedding planning company had been urging her to come in and try on the dresses. The wedding dresses were expensive and not easy to move around. On top of that, the makeup was quite complicated, so she had to go to the wedding studio to try on the dresses.“Don’t you happen to have some free time today?" Luca smiled."Can you come with me?" Nina blinked her eyes. The dresses had arrived for quite some time, but she had yet to try them on. Aside from being busy, she could not find the time to go there with Percy. Nina did not want to try on the dresses alone, but she had no idea who she should look for to accompany her.Nina had the thought of having Luca accompany her
As Nina's eyes fell upon the beautiful wedding gowns and dinner dresses before her, her gaze brightened with excitement. Micheal, the world-renowned wedding dress designer, had crafted each one to be uniquely stunning. The pieces in front of her were so captivating that she could not shift her gaze away."These are truly amazing," Luca exclaimed in awe as she looked at the dresses and gowns shimmering in the soft light.Yancie noticed that Luca was wearing the latest season's Chanel dress under her coat after she took her coat off. Those who could afford to buy such dresses were usually wealthy. Then, she noticed that Luca was not wearing any jewelry. Therefore, she assumed that Luca was not married yet. Hence, she said, "Miss, feel free to look for us if you decide to get married in the future. Our company collaborates with Micheal. He specializes in wedding dress designs." Luca smiled and remained silent.She married the man she loved in the most beautiful wedding dress.She
When Luca heard Luke mention Mrs. Jackman’s name, she knew that he had looked into her background. "What did the police say?" asked Luca. She could not help but feel a rush of heat through her body as Luke held her tightly in his arms."It’s not a serious situation, so she won't get any severe punishment," Luke told her what the police said. Even though Luke was dissatisfied with the outcome, he had no choice but to let the police handle it since that was how the law worked."Well, this is normal.” Luca understood the laws of A City. If she was willing to reconcile, Margaret would not face any trouble. "Margaret's husband, Lonnie, has a project that he wants to collaborate with T Corporation with. He wants us to provide the design drawings,” Luke continued. "Did it happen?" Luca furrowed her brows as she was worried that Mrs. Jackman's situation would affect their collaboration. "No. The project manager didn’t think highly of that project. Besides, the company has been busy l
“It looks like you’ve taken a turn for the worse after her,” said Luke. The old Gordan was not anything like this. He was always ready to risk it all, yet now he needed help.Gordan jumped and said, “This has nothing to do with that woman!”He paused at the thought of Vivian and ignored the strange feeling in his heart. “It’s because I’m getting older, and they have guns. I even saw them transporting stuff inside. After some thought, it’s possible that it could be things like grenades.”Luke looked at the address on the computer screen and fell silent for quite a while.When Gordan was about to doze off, he heard Luke say, “Have Rain send people to help.”“Rain? Forget it. I’ll just give you a name.” Gordan recalled the person who helped him move last time.“Who?”“Someone called Leroy. He helped you find Pierre last time,” said Gordan. He practically knew every order Luke had given others.Including the fact that Leroy had dropped by Oswald’s place before he went to help him m
“Send the children there?” Luca was surprised as she had never heard him mention this.She looked back and forth between Luke and the computer and started to feel that the phone call last night must not be good news.“It’s just a week, and I’ve already told Mr. Griffin. Mr. Zander has other plans today, so you’re the only person I can ask,” said Luke as he could not leave.He had so much left to do.“Alright, I’ll send the kids over when they wake up,” Luca knew that she could not offer to take care of the children herself, so she complied with his request.“The maids will also work there, so I can have them drive if you don’t want to,” said Luke.“I can.” Luca shook her head slightly. Now that Matysh had been arrested, no one would follow her on the road.Luke looked at her legs.The length of Luca’s pants was up to her ankles, so he could not see how the wound was looking.“How’s your ankle wound?” he asked.Luca looked down at her feet and lifted her pants slightly. “The b
“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