Leia reminded her in a hushed tone, "I'm going to take a nap. Don't open the door no matter who rings the doorbell later. Just pretend that no one is home."The maid nodded in agreement and replied, "Yes, Ms. Norman."As Leia stepped into the bedroom, she turned around and reminded her again, "Keep in mind that I don't want to be disturbed during my nap. So, don’t open the door to whoever rings the doorbell.""Got it," replied the maid. Even though she found it strange, she refrained from probing further.After Leia closed her bedroom door, the maid picked up her phone and sent a message to Jack: [Ms. Norman was discharged from the hospital today. She told me not to open the door no matter who rings the doorbell.]After a while, Jack replied to her message: [Okay.]It was noontime.The apartment's doorbell kept ringing.The maid stood hesitantly in front of the smart doorbell camera, unsure of what to do.Leia's instructions were clear. She told her not to open the door for an
"Yes, yes. It's me." The caretaker grinned."What's your name?" asked the maid.The caretaker scratched the back of her head and awkwardly replied, "My name sounds plain, and it’s not very catchy. Just call me Sura."Her code name was Surabaya, which sounded nice. However, there was no way she could tell the maid that her name was Surabaya in such a situation."Okay, Sura. The luggage is heavy. Come on. Let's put it on the bed first. I'll clear up the space in the wardrobe for you later," said the maid. The caretaker could help her to lighten the burden of taking care of Leia without encroaching on her interests. Sura replied cheerfully, "It’s okay... You can use the wardrobe. I didn’t bring many clothes with me. I only have three sets of clothes. I’ll just leave them in the luggage bag. The luggage bag won't take up much space even if I place it on my bed.""Why do you need to put it on the bed when there's a wardrobe? This side of the wardrobe is yours," said the maid. She did
Rain could feel her patience being worn thin because of Mandy.She intended to probe Mandy into confessing her and Leia's crime.It would be difficult to deal with Leia if Mandy refused to expose them.The main issue was that Mandy and Matsyh were already involved in an illicit affair, and the money in Matsyh's account appeared to be legitimate. With just the illicit affair and the monetary exchange, the police would not have enough grounds to apprehend anyone.As for the money that had been transferred from Mandy's account to Leia's, it would be even more difficult to use it as evidence. They were friends, after all. Financial transactions between friends could not be considered illegal activities, right?That was why Rain kidnapped Mandy. However, Mandy was not a fool either. She continuously revealed immoral acts she had committed, trying to find out Rain's true identity.She did not mention a word about any illegal activities.Rain sneered, "You won't talk, huh? Mandy Sa
On the other hand, Leia was annoyed. She could not get through to Mandy's phone. Every time she dialed, it would say that her phone had been turned off. "Why would she turn off her phone at this time?" Leia dialed her number again, but her phone was still turned off. She gave up the thought of calling her, but she could not help but feel a pang of unease.Could it be that Mandy had run away? Leia thought for a moment and concluded that it was actually possible! Mandy had American citizenship. Hence, she could head there without dealing with the hassle of getting a visa and such. If she ran to New York, there was no way the local police would arrest and apprehend her even if Matysh exposed her. Moreover, Mandy did not commit a serious crime. Even though she might have to go to jail, she could live peacefully in the future without returning to the country.Leia felt anxious. Even though Mandy had escaped, it was unlikely that she would be caught by the police. Matysh knew n
“I’ll go get them for you.” The maid did not pocket the supplements. Instead, she took them out of the cupboard.Then, Leia picked out two things.When the maid realized that she was going back to Norman Residence, she could not help but wonder if Leia had any manners. If she was going home right now, she should know enough to bring something back home.However, the things she took were all given to her by Queenie.People were not that forgetful. If Queenie saw those supplements, she would know that they were the ones she had brought here before.If Queenie found out, she would be upset.Leia was being too perfunctory!“Ms. Norman, these were all given to you by Mrs. Norman. If you send them back, she'd be very upset…” Surabaya said softly. No daughter would do something like that.Leia rolled her eyes. “My mother likes thrifty people, and I can’t finish the one she brought here. If I send them back, she doesn’t need to get new ones, no?”Surabaya stood aside and almost burst
On the other hand, Jack—the more rational one—saw through Leia long ago.He was not moved by Leia’s performance at all, and he even felt a little repulsed.Leia’s face looked somewhat similar to Dexter’s greedy face.“Fortunately, your mother and I were rescued,” he said.Leia froze. Rescued?She seized the opportunity to say, “Dad, Mom, were you badly injured at the time? I wanted to run upstairs to look for you every day, but the nurses, doctors, and even security guards stopped me from entering, so I had no choice. I even asked Grandma about you two, but she had no clue. What happened?”Queenie let out an awkward smile as it was hard for her to lie with Leia holding her hands so tightly. “Actually, it was nothing serious…“We were just in a coma for a few days. It didn’t look good, so my secretary issued an order to the hospital to not allow any visitors,” Jack answered because if he let Queenie continue, she would definitely slip up.He did not burden Luke with the matter b
Queenie showed Jack the markings on top and said, "The owner reserved these for me and made these markings."Jack snorted coldly and deliberately said, "We bought these for ourselves!" Returning the things Queenie had given to her only meant that they had bought these for themselves! Leia's words were well said. If it were someone else’s parents, they would be touched by their children giving such nice gifts.However, the truth was, this was truly nothing.These supplements were Queenie's sincere intention. They were bought at a high price, yet Leia had the audacity to spout such nonsense.Did she think that no one would notice since the packaging was more or less the same?Sura stood beside them, lowering her head innocently.Sura initially wanted to remind them, but she did not expect Queenie to notice the anomaly. After all, the supplements had the same packaging and were from the same store.No one would have thought that there would be markings left by the store owner
It was when a sharp pain shot through her hand and it felt as though a needle was piercing her vein did Mandy finally realize that Rain was giving her an injection!A sense of fear rose from the soles of her feet and ascended to the top of her head.Could it be that this woman was really capable of murdering someone?Did she run out of patience and decide to poison and kill her?Rain skillfully completed the procedure. Then, she chuckled and patted Mandy's cheek. She did it gently this time. "Do you think that starving yourself can force us to release you? Don't worry, I have IV drips that can sustain your life. You won't die! If you refuse to tell me the truth, I’ll continue to give you drips until they aren’t enough to keep you alive. Then, I'll insert a feeding tube through your nose and give you liquid food. That’s how patients in vegetative states survive. You're destined to live."Mandy felt despair. She did not expect Rain to be so cruel.The idea that she just came up wit
“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