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
Gordan had no intention of confronting these terrifying members of the Island of Despair. After all, they were armed with guns and grenades. He was a law-abiding citizen who would not bring these things into A City. Plus, Luke's idea was to avoid conflict if possible. After all, the Mallory family would be affected if things escalated.Sometimes, Gordan would feel that Luke was too kind to Percy, to the extent that their close relationship could easily be misunderstood by others. However, both of them had women whom they loved. He sometimes even suspected that there were certain intimacies between them, but he could not think further about it.Gordan pulled a cigarette out of his pocket. This was no ordinary cigarette. It was a kind of drug. The kidnappers had used it to drug Pierre before taking him here. Gordan wanted to see how it would work on them this time.Even though Gordan wanted to go head-to-head with them, Luke reminded him not to cause a disturbance or attra
Seeing that Pierre could figure this much out after seeing Leroy, Gordan knew that Pierre was not a fool.It was his tactics that were brutal.He did not even blink twice about using such dirty tactics to deal with someone.He was even willing to go that far.“What are you blabbering about? Just knock him out and take him away.” Leroy noticed that Pierre’s leg was bandaged and fixed with two pieces of wood.He was actually a cripple now.Even if he decided to follow them, their people would have to carry him on their shoulders like a princess.“Is it really worth wasting my drug on him?” Gordan said as he gave a karate chop to Pierre’s neck, and he instantly fainted.Leroy patted his dizzy head and said, “Why did that move of yours help me blow off steam?”“Why don’t you try?” Gordan joked.“Alright, the police will probably be here soon. Mr. Mallory was right, he must be sent to the hospital. You guys carry him away,” Leroy ordered his men.Two strong men carried the uncons
”Hey, help me push the bed into the X-ray room. I need to see how badly his leg is broken,” Johann ordered.Although it was his friend’s clinic, it was a good thing it had an X-ray room. Otherwise, he would not know exactly what happened to Pierre’s leg.The two of them pushed Pierre toward the direction Johann pointed at.“This is going to be hard. I didn’t expect him to come in with a broken leg. I’m the only one in the clinic, so I can’t operate on him…” Johann said resignedly.Even if the doctors and nurses here were given a day off, so all he could do was help dress Pierre’s wounds.The clinic here did not have the license to perform surgeries, so they would not have any of the tools needed for it either.However, if Pierre went too long without surgery, he might have to get his leg amputated instead of having it just be impaired.Johann was put in a tough spot.“Let’s take an X-ray first. I believe Mr. Mallory will have a solution.” Gordon smirked out of spite. What did P
Luca deliberately cracked her knuckles, making a loud 'pop' sound.Gerald immediately shrank back, pulling his neck in.“Ms. Craw, I’m sorry! I was being nosy. Please don’t be mad. I’ll just go take a nap,” he quickly apologized.“Hold on.” Luca stopped him.“What is it?” Gerald looked at her in confusion.“Do you know how to remove an IV yet?” asked Luca.“I’ve seen it done a lot, but I haven’t actually tried it myself.” A glint of eagerness flashed in Gerald’s eyes. “Ms. Craw, are you asking me to give it a shot?”“Do you want to try?” asked Luca.“Yes!” Gerald nodded enthusiastically. “I may not be a medical genius, but I can at least do something useful.”“Come with me. Let’s start with changing the IV bag,” instructed Luca.Gerald followed her, and under her guidance, he clumsily went through the steps but managed to replace the IV bag successfully.“This is so cool! I think I could totally be a nurse.” Gerald flashed a victory sign. “What do you think? Would I make a g
“Yeah, something came up with my family, so they got delayed. They just brought me my meal,” answered the volunteer.Luca glanced at his food, which consisted of meat and vegetables. It was clear that his family treated him very well.“That’s quite a feast,” remarked Luca.“Heh, they know I need the nutrition, so they always give me this much. Ms. Craw, have you eaten yet?” the volunteer asked cheerfully. Now that his health was improving, his appetite had returned, and his mood was much better too.“I have. You should eat more. I just came in to check how much IV fluid is left. There’s still quite a bit, so I think it won't be done before the guys are done eating," replied Luca.The volunteer chuckled. “They eat fast. You guys are amazing, taking such good care of me. I haven’t suffered at all since being here.”“Your recovery is our biggest wish,” replied Luca.“Mm, I’ll definitely cooperate with the treatment,” replied the volunteer.“Alright, I’ll get back to work. Enjoy yo
Abel's hand paused for a moment before he continued stroking her eyelids.“What’s wrong?” His voice was eerily low, carrying a chilling edge.Hera could not see his expression, but just the sound of his voice was enough to send shivers down her spine.“Thank you.” Hera forced herself to smile, summoning what little courage she had.“No need for thanks. Just be good from now on.” Abel’s fingers continued their slow, deliberate caress. It was like he was handling a priceless treasure.Hera remained still, letting him touch her without protest. More than anything, she did not dare to speak. She was terrified that if she broke the moment and interrupted whatever was going through his mind, he would be displeased.At that moment, Luca brought the food to the table and asked, “Mr. Abel, Ms. Sanchez, lunch is ready. Would you prefer to eat here or in your room?”“I’ll go with whatever my baby wants.” Hera smiled sweetly, masking her fear behind a bright smile. For some reason, she ha
“I’m just making plans with a friend. No need to go into all that, right?” As Luca said, she lifted her gaze to meet Shanks.His eyes were as deep as the ocean, and in that split second of eye contact, she felt like she was being pulled in. She suddenly felt like she had just exposed herself.Awkwardly, she cleared her throat and said, “Mr. Shanks, I’ll head downstairs to make lunch.”Shanks did not call her out on it, nor did he press further. He simply returned to his experiment.Downstairs, Luca saw Abel sitting on the living room couch. Ignoring him was not an option.Luca greeted him politely, “Mr. Abel.”Abel took a slow drag from his cigar, his blue eyes scanning her from head to toe. He was deep in thought.He remained silent, seemingly deep in thought. His dark and brooding expression sent a chill down Luca’s spine. Without saying a word, she turned around and walked straight into the kitchen.Gerald was already inside.When he saw her, he mouthed, “You’re here?”Luc
If Shanks’ prescription could help Hera sleep earlier, that would not be a bad thing.“Then I need to be treat…” Hera paused for a moment, realizing she could not say the word treatment. That would imply she was sick, and she could not let people know that. Instead, she corrected herself and asked, “How long will I need to take this herbal medicine?”“You can stop when your test results are back to normal,” replied Luca as she picked up the medical waste and headed out of the room.Gerald followed closely behind and asked with curiosity, “Ms. Craw, how long is that?”“How long is a standard treatment cycle?” Luca asked in return.Gerald pondered for a moment. “Usually about a month?”“The average endocrine cycle for women is three months, so the minimum duration for proper regulation is three months,” explained Luca.Although Abel could take action at any time, there was no way Hera could endure three full months of treatment. However, until Abel made his move, she would have
Luca’s head was slightly tilted, her cheek burning with pain.Abel had not held back at all. The force of his slap was merciless. A numbness spread across her face at an alarming speed.From the next room, someone peeked out again and asked in a low voice, “You okay?”“I’m fine.” Luca’s expression remained calm. This kind of injury was nothing to her.Back on the Island of Despair, she had endured far worse during training. She survived, did she not?Without another word, Luca pushed open the lab door and stepped inside.The man watching shook his head. Her face was already that swollen, and she still said she was fine… What a tough woman. She took a slap that hard and brushed it off like it was nothing.Shanks lifted his head when he heard the door open. When he saw it was Luca and noticed how swollen the side of her face was, his brows furrowed.“Abel did this?”“Who else?” Luca let out a bitter laugh, only to wince as the movement tugged at the pain. She sucked in a sharp b
“No.” Shanks’ tone was cold and firm with no trace of hesitation.Abel still looked doubtful.Shanks added, “Would you like to see her medical report?”Abel was startled for a moment. How did Shanks know he had been thinking about that report?Now that Shanks brought it up, the idea lost its appeal.Abel shook his head. “Even if you showed it to me, I wouldn’t understand it. Shanks, Kassy’s life is in your hands. If you can give her a second chance, I’ll provide as much research funding as you need."Shanks remained silent. He could save Kassy. In fact, his research had always been for Kassy.However, he did not expect Abel to be so ruthless as to insist on using a living person as a donor for Kassy. That was something he could not accept.Kassy’s condition could be treated with organs from a brain-dead patient. Why destroy a perfectly healthy life?Shanks was not acting out of mercy. He simply refused to go against his medical ethics.He was not someone who had to save lives
“You don’t need to remind me. I was going to check anyway.” Abel shot Luca a chilling look.She took a step back and stayed silent.Abel turned to the pale-faced Hera and said, “If you’ve got low blood sugar, get up and eat something.”“I’ll eat now,” Hera replied, sitting up.Luca handed her the takeout.Abel glanced at the food and then frowned at Luca. “Why didn’t you make breakfast this morning?”“I was busy,” Luca explained with a calm indifference, her expression unwavering. She showed no fear, even under Abel’s questioning.Hera suddenly found herself admiring Luca. Everyone feared this man, yet Luca remained composed even when facing potential punishment. Not just anyone could pull that off.At the thought of this, Hera opened the takeout and kept quiet.Abel narrowed his eyes, glancing between Hera and Luca. His gaze was not exactly gentle as he muttered, “Stop eating this junk. It’s bad for you.”“I know, babe. Just this once. After this, I’ll have what Luca cooks f
Hera panicked the moment she heard that. “I trust her!”Luca and Shanks were both watching her.Hera repeated herself, saying, “I trust her, okay? What kind of treatment does she need? I’ll cooperate with anything. But what about Abel…”“I’ll tell him it’s just to help improve your overall health,” replied Shanks. Then, he turned around, opened the medicine cabinet, and started preparing the prescription.Hera let out a sigh of relief. As long as Abel did not find out about her health condition, that was all that mattered.If he knew she was unwell, he would send her back to A City. Without free medical help and no way to make extra money, she would be in serious trouble.“Thank you,” said Hera.“Wait outside,” instructed Shanks.“Okay.” Hera carefully stepped out.Luca, however, remained where she was, waiting.While preparing the medicine, Shanks asked, “Do you know which acupoints to target for her?”“Yes,” Luca replied confidently. As long as she checked Hera’s pulse, sh