Luke was speechless…30 million dollars was a drop in the bucket for the Mallory family, but probably not in cash.Luke added, "The Island of Despair demands that one-third of the 30 million must be in cash."Who would keep ten million of cash at home these days?Gordan suddenly understood why they gave the Mallory family some time to prepare the money."When do we take action?" asked Gordan. It had been too long since he had done something like this. His desire to cause trouble was brewing.He had not done this kind of work in a long time!He had been prevented from carrying out any bloody missions ever since he stayed beside Vivian.Perhaps rather than that, it was not that Gordan was stopped from carrying out missions, but Vivian took the initiative to arrange for Ray's men to help him after she found out about it.He had no chance to prove himself.It seemed like his daily training had no other meaning other than to strengthen his body.Whenever he faced an opponent duri
Luca could feel the pain in her body intensifying with every cut. However, she could not stop. If she did, Luke would suffer...She could not bear to hurt Luke no matter how painful it was.The urging voice in her ear grew faster and faster. Luca's movements became quicker and quicker in her dream.Finally, she mustered up the courage to turn around and see the face of the person who urged her to do so.It was Abel…Luca continued to cut herself. The dream felt real. With each cut, there was blood gushing out, but she dared not to stop.There was pain, resentment, unwillingness…Luca felt trapped.She did not know if it was a dream. She only knew that she was instinctively afraid.She was afraid that Luke would be hurt, and she was afraid that she would lose too much blood and never be able to see him or their children again...However, the scene suddenly changed.She was brought to a different place.Luca found herself lying in a white place, seemingly on top of clouds. Ev
Lonnie had been to Old Master Bourne’s office before.Old Master Bourne’s office was luxurious enough as it was, but it still could not compare to Luke’s…The Bourne family’s assets and company were nowhere near as good as the Crawford family’s, hence their office…Although Luke’s office was grand, the design did not come off as flashy. Lonnie could not help but form an opinion as someone in the architecture industry.Lonnie froze for a few seconds until he felt an icy-cold gaze, and he was shocked when he saw Luke.“Have a seat, Mr. Jackman.” Although Luke was not fond of Lonnie, he was still a guest, so he kept his words short and simple.He still had to have the common courtesy of entertaining guests.Luke only invited him to sit down without asking the secretary to pour him a cup of coffee as he only intended to have him here for a few minutes.Then, Lonnie sat on the chair opposite him.Luke got straight to the point. “Mr. Jackman, is there something about Luca you wish t
After Lonnie left, Luke’s expression remained unchanged.He was not afraid of Old Master Bourne’s so-called revenge.He was not an idol who made a living with his youthfulness, so his partner would have little impact on the company.Besides, investors were not his fans. His investors valued the capability of the company’s leader.As long as he did not collapse and T Corporation was still growing, he was not afraid of how other people might look at him.Moreover, so what if everyone thought he had a mistress?It did not matter as long as he knew that Luca was not a mistress.In the business industry of A City, businessmen like Percy and Jim, who were loyal to their partners, were rare.It would be weirder for Luke not to have a mistress.Instead, people would think that it was normal for him to have a mistress.After a while, the landline on his desk rang again.Luke pressed the speakerphone with his right hand and said, “Yes?”“Boss, Mr. Mallory is here,” said Jason. The fr
"Okay, I'll send someone over to support you." Percy decided immediately.He had been thinking about what Gordan said to him all night.He was worried that Pierre might not return even after he gave them the money. However, he was left with no other choice at that time. He could not find where Pierre was. Hence, he had no choice but to accept the conditions of the Island of Despair, even if they might kill Pierre after getting the money. Handing off the ransom was risky.Still, he did not tell Old Master Mallory about it.Old Master Mallory was not particularly rational at the moment. If he said such things impulsively, others might misunderstand that he had no intention to save Pierre. However, Gordan gave him another choice now. Even though it was risky, it could ensure that Pierre would come out alive.Luke saw the look on Percy’s face and reminded him, "There are risks in this operation. You still have to prepare the cash, and it has to be more than before. You can use
Percy knew what they were thinking and remained silent. It was not until a while later that Luke finally asked Gordan, "Any ideas?""This area’s buildings are complex, but luckily, I have the floor plan. I came up with a plan, and I made an animation. Here, take a look." Gordan shared his screen with them and showed them his rescue plan.The plan to rescue Pierre was simple and straightforward. They were only going there to rescue Pierre.However, it was a difficult task too, considering the heavy weapons they possessed and the fact that they had Pierre as a burden, which could hold them back.Gordan spent the whole afternoon brainstorming, figuring out how to rescue him.After they finished watching the animation, Gordan asked, "This is my idea. Going in from this point can save a lot of trouble. We can avoid alarming them too.""I think it's a good idea," said Jim. They had also seen the nearby floor plan. Even though the room was messy, it provided Gordan with some convenien
“Even though I hate Pierre, I hope he’s okay.” Nina rested her head on Percy’s chest, feeling the warmth of his body and the strong thumping of his heart.Nina was no saint. The reason why she hoped Pierre was fine was because she did not want the days ahead to be difficult for Percy.Especially when both Karen and Old Master Mallory were concerned about his life.If they failed to save Pierre this time and if something happened to him, Old Master Mallory and Karen would definitely blame Percy. Their days ahead would get harder and harder.Therefore, even though Nina held a grudge against Pierre, she still prayed that nothing bad would happen to him. Percy cupped her face and planted a hot, wet kiss on her forehead.He was destined to not get any sleep tonight.After all, what happened to Pierre was different from anything they had experienced before.Previously, he could personally participate in it while knowing the scores. However, Pierre was being held captive in X City at
As Leroy coughed, tears streamed down. Gordan chuckled. "This cigarette is strong, but it really wakes you up. Don't smoke too much, or you'll get addicted to it. Once you try other cigarettes, you won't be able to get used to it anymore."His smile faded after that. He remembered how Vivian had bought him this brand of cigarettes as he had always looked for excuses to make her angry.He even got angry when the cigarettes he smoked did not taste good enough.A few days later, Vivian handed him this particular brand of cigarettes.She told him that it had a cool taste that most people could not handle, and some could not even tolerate it. Gordan tried smoking the cigarette. He initially found it difficult to smoke. However, the look on Vivian’s face when she thought he would not be able to handle it compelled him to keep smoking it until he became accustomed to it.He was hooked after smoking a few packs of cigarettes. Other cigarettes tasted bland when compared to it. He w
“Alright.” Percy turned and walked toward the physician's office.When he stepped out of the psychiatric hospital again, his gaze fell on a black car parked by the side of the road.It was a special vehicle for the disabled.Apart from the hospital's own vehicles, no other cars were allowed inside the psychiatric hospital's grounds. This was to prevent patients from using vehicles to escape or harm others.Therefore, cars visiting family members were generally parked along the road on either side of the hospital.Hence, seeing a car parked by the side of the road was perfectly normal.Percy smirked slightly and stared at the car for a while before getting into his own car and leaving.Inside the black car, the driver let out a long sigh of relief.“Mr. Pierre, we almost got spotted by Mr. Percy just now,” said the driver after watching Percy get into the car and drive away.Percy’s eyes darkened. “What's the big deal? Even if he finds out, so what? I'm here visiting my mom. I'
Once Percy was dead, everything would belong to Karen and Pierre.That thought alone made Karen stop her outburst. Instead, a twisted smile spread across her face as she stared at him.“Percy, you're lying to me,” Karen murmured under her breath.Her words made Percy pause his work. He looked at her calmly and said, “Aside from that share transfer agreement, I’ve never lied to you about anything.“As your son, I believe I’ve done nothing wrong. If you think I’ve deceived you, that’s just your perception. In reality, I’ve lived up to my role. But you… You’ve used me as an excuse to harm the person I love. Who told you to do it?” Percy only came here for the answers.Was it Old Master Mallory’s tacit approval that gave Karen the confidence to act, or was it Pierre who pushed her to this point?Karen let out a cold sneer, “Harm her? Yes, I won’t deny it. That cheap tramp, Nina, has no right to set foot in the Mallory family! I’ll see to it that she's dead before that happens, and Ol
Karen’s subordinate had always thought Pierre was not someone to be messed with.With his temperament, he was clearly unfit to be an heir.That was also why her subordinate could never understand why Karen always favored her youngest son.Still, at the end of the day, Karen was the one signing his paycheck, not Percy—and certainly not Pierre. Hence, whatever Karen wanted him to do, he did without question.Thinking about it now, the subordinate figured it was not his place to say anything. If even Pierre did not think Karen deserved respect, what right did a mere employee like him have to comment? There was nothing he could say.Pierre, meanwhile, was stewing over Karen’s latest schemes. His expression darkened as he muttered bitterly, “She couldn’t even use that woman to threaten Percy properly. Now, she’s been sent back to the psychiatric hospital? She’s absolutely useless.”The subordinate hesitated for a moment as he wanted to say something. He almost pointed out that t
“That bag…” Nina pointed at the bag. “Your mom brought it over.”Percy walked over, picked up the bag, and opened it. When he saw what was inside, his brows immediately furrowed.“What’s all this?” asked Nina.Percy handed her the bag. “Just some stuff.”Curious about what it was, Nina took the bag and peeked inside. It was filled with car models and small toys.She suddenly remembered what Karen said earlier and asked hesitantly, “Are these your childhood toys?”“Yes.” Seeing these things again stirred something in Percy’s heart, but it still did not change his feelings toward Karen.Nina was surprised. She picked up a few of the items and said, “I didn’t expect these to be so well-preserved.”“I thought they would've been thrown out.” Percy still remembered these toys.Technically, they were his, but in reality, they ended up with Pierre. As the Mallory family’s heir, he was too busy to play with toys. Hence, they were his, but it never felt that way.Nina said, “Earlier, s
After signing the agreement, Karen eagerly handed it over to the man she believed to be the lawyer.The moment the doctor took the shares transfer agreement, a syringe containing anesthesia slipped from his sleeve and was swiftly injected into Karen’s hand.“You...” Karen felt a sharp sting, but before she could speak, her consciousness faded.At the same time, the knife in her hand clattered to the floor.The doctor quickly steadied her to prevent her from hitting her head when she collapsed.“Luckily, the dose was strong enough, or she wouldn’t have been knocked out so quickly.” He gently laid her down, checked to make sure she was unconscious, and then hurried out of the office to notify the hospital director.Percy quickly stepped forward, gently lifting Nina’s chin to examine her wound.“I’m fine,” Nina said in a soft voice, lowering her head to hide the injury on her neck.“Let me take a look at you,” Percy insisted, gently lifting her chin again. After checking, he added
“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