It was a long distance between General Hospital and the outskirts of A City. Coupled with the heavy traffic downtown, by the time Marcos arrived at the hospital, it was already past 10:30 p.m.There was only half an hour left before visitors were prohibited from entering the ICU.“Where's my mother?” Out of breath, Marcos trotted over without even greeting Luke and Luca. He just wanted to see his mother's condition and confirm whether they really found her.Luca looked at the sweat dripping from Marcos' forehead and pointed to the entrance of the ICU. “Mr. Marcos, I’ve already informed the nurse, so you can go in once you put on the isolation gown. The name your mother registered here is Sarah Poplar. Let the doctor know when you go in, and he’ll take you to your mother’s bed.”Without further ado, Marcos put the isolation gown on.After disinfecting, the nurse let him in.The professional doctors and nurses inside asked Marcos for the patient’s name and brought him to Sarah’s be
Marcos clenched his fists.Luca stopped talking, knowing that he already knew what lay ahead.Sarah had been leading a difficult life. Marcos believed this to be true."Let's go back," murmured Luke, who had remained silent all along. Gale was there to take his place, but he could not return to the hotel in Marcos' place. Ethan would knock on his door at any moment.Marcos nodded. Sarah was still in the intensive care unit. There was nothing he could do by staying at the hospital.Moreover, Luke and Gale had helped him so much. It would not be right to stop them from going home to get some rest...Marcos took a deep breath. After he calmed himself down, he expressed his gratitude to Luca, "Thank you, Ms. Craw."Luca shook her head. She could not find the words to comfort him. Even though her past living conditions had been poor, at least she had people who loved her.It was the same for Luke. Even though Allison only saw him as a tool, the Crawford family and Old Master Crawfor
Marcos frowned. Contemplating between acknowledging Sarah and her well-being, he chose the latter."How long do I have to wait to meet her?" Marcos compromised.The brief encounter from last night hardly brought him any comfort.Moreover, Sarah's condition was too worrisome yesterday. He was still concerned."A week," replied Luke. "A whole week?" Marcos clenched his fist, feeling impatient about the long wait.Luca sat beside Luke, listening to Marcos' voice coming from the other end of the line. She whispered, "Why don’t you let me talk to Mr. Marcos?"Luke nodded and handed her the phone without a second thought.Luca placed the phone near her ear and spoke in a soft tone, "Mr. Marcos, this is Luca. Regarding your mother, it was Dr. Park who suggested the patient rest for a week for her well-being. If you don't mind, I can visit Ms. Poplar when I head to the hospital and take some videos to keep you updated on her daily condition. Is that alright for you?"Marcos only said
The police officer ignored him and said to his colleague, "Look, he speaks fluent English."Then, he said to Amur with a stern expression on his face, "Do you think this is self-defense? You almost beat that person to a pulp. Come on in and cooperate with us for your statement."Amur did not seem to care. In the interrogation room, two police officers took turns questioning him about what had happened. He had already prepared his statement and did not admit to assaulting anyone, insisting that it was self-defense.The police officers questioned him for over an hour, but Amur only maintained his stance of acting in self-defense. There was nothing they could do about it.Furthermore, Amur did not request a lawyer."Lock him up first," said one of the police officers. He thought that detaining someone like him, a foreigner, behind bars for a little while would make him cooperate. They had other matters to attend to, and they could not waste all their time on an inconclusive interroga
While Hoffman listened to Amur’s question, his ears were buzzing. He bit his lip, desperately trying to throw a punch at Amur. However, the man deftly sidestepped the oncoming blow.In the blink of an eye, Amur dodged, while Hoffman stumbled and lost his balance. As he fell forward, Amur raised his leg and kicked him in the leg once again.Hoffman had a chance to use his hands to prevent himself from falling flat on his face, but Amur's blow caused him immense pain, and he crashed to the ground. Writhing in agony, he felt something in his mouth. He spat it out, and two of his teeth fell out.Looking up at Amur, Hoffman realized that this person was not to be messed with. He trembled with fear. He was someone who picked on the weak and feared the strong, but now, he was terrified of being taught a harsher lesson by Amur. He cried out in distress, "Help, murder! Help, save me!"His cries for help attracted several police officers, who were stunned upon seeing Hoffman being beat
"Save this segment and send it to the encryption expert at headquarters," instructed Officer Larsen, who was highly alert. This was just a small local branch. They did not have such experts at all.The staff members of the computer technology team immediately complied.In the detention cell...Amur looked at Alexsei and Kazimir, who had already resigned themselves to their fate. He knew his mission was complete. Therefore, he moved to a corner and hid in the blind spot of the surveillance cameras. He threw two pills in the opposite direction.Then, he sat back down and looked up for a moment to glance at the surveillance camera. He tapped the wall with a nonchalant expression on his face. "Once you take the pill, Boss won't come looking for the people you care about the most."Alexsei and Kazimir both looked toward the corner.They believed that the Island of Despair was a disciplined organization, but now they realized that this discipline was dictated solely by Abel.Whoever h
After the children left, Luca sat even more upright because she knew that Old Master Crawford had something to say.She waited for him to speak.Old Master Crawford noticed her sitting up straight. He shook his head and laughed. “Luca, don’t be nervous.”Luca thought to herself, ‘How can I not be nervous in front of such a wise man like Old Master Crawford when I'm guilty?'“Old Master Crawford, did Mr. Jackman and Old Master Bourne come here for work-related matters last time?” She wanted to confirm with Old Master Crawford.Margaret was still in the police station’s detention center.It was not a serious offense, but she still had to be detained for 15 days as a punishment.“Yes. They weren’t here for Mrs. Jackman's situation but because Jackman Corporation wants to work with T Corporation,” said Old Master Crawford. There was no need for him to hide.“However, they went to the wrong person. Unlike Old Master Bourne, I’m no longer in charge of the company, so I had them find
Luca let out a long sigh. She missed her child, but she had to be separated from her because of Abel.The next day, Sarah’s vitals were looking good, so she was transferred out of the ICU and into the VIP ward.Sarah looked at the beautifully decorated private ward as it was completely different from the environment at Mercy Hospital.After being awake for a day and a half in the ICU ward, Johann was doing basic check-ups on her, and she learned that Luca was the one who contacted the doctor and insisted on getting her transferred here.Sarah was familiar with the name.She had been working hard to pay Luca back.Sarah was surprised that Mercy Hospital would contact Luca. It must be because she had Luca’s business card in her wallet.There was no other contact information for anyone else at Mercy Hospital, so they could only contact Luca.Sarah was very grateful to Luca.She watched the nurses take her to her ward, and although she was lying down, she could see the word 'VIP’
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
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,