Luca sat in the car driven by Luke, and they arrived at Norman Residence.After the maid opened the door for them, they each carried a bag and walked into the house.When they passed through the garden, Luca noticed the withered leaves of the climbing roses in the front yard and slightly frowned."What's wrong with these flowers?" asked Luca. The roses should be lush and in full bloom at this time, but they looked like wild grass in the mountains now. They were withering, not even a whisper of life could be seen in them.The maid glanced at the roses and explained helplessly, "The roses are sick. They're delicate and require careful care to bloom well. But Mrs. Norman hasn't been in a good mood lately. The flowers have been neglected, so they became like this."The maid did not know much about flower care either. Thus, she could not take care of the garden's plants for Queenie.Luca nodded, indicating that she understood.The Norman family initially had a gardener, but after Que
Although Jack agreed, this whole situation still made him distressed, and even the hair on his temples was turning white.Of course, Luca felt bad for him.“Alright, alright. I’ll be back for dinner more often.” Jack agreed twice with smiling eyes.Queenie noticed that Jack was happier seeing Luca than seeing his own grandchildren, which confused her.Luca may be kind to the Norman family, but that did not justify Jack’s behavior…Queenie did not comment on it. Instead, she said, “Dear, you promised Luca, so you have to come back for dinner more often.”Listening to his wife’s orders, Jack reassured her. “After Luca has done so much for us, I definitely won’t let her down.”Queenie smiled. Jack usually did not come home for dinner because of work, so it was nice that he promised to come back for dinner more often now.She was glad.Then, she stood up, carried the two bags of herbs, and said, “These herbs have to be kept away from moisture, so I’ll put them away first.”After
“Great.” Tommy smiled brightly. Although Lanie and Rainie did not say anything, the smiles on their faces were bright too.It was obvious that they wanted to go home too.It was not that the children did not like Old Master Crawford, but they missed their parents after staying there for so long.Especially their mother, Rainie could not keep her mother out of mind. She loved her mother very much, and she hoped that the matter could be resolved so their family could be reunited soon.Luca smiled at her as she sensed her gaze.Before she could say anything, the maid brought over the tea set and asked, “Sir, would you like to have tea in the living room or the garden?”Without a second thought, Jack said, “I’ll have it here. I still need to call the gardener to tidy up the garden.”Queenie was taken aback when she heard that. She then said, “You don’t need to call the gardener. I can take care of it.”“Don’t bother with it. Luca said that your body shouldn’t be overworked, so just
"It's only fair for a daughter to repay her father’s debt." Big Sis clenched her fist and aimed at Leia's abdomen."Ugh." Leia let out a muffled groan as the blow struck her in the stomach. It was so powerful that she immediately curled up on the ground, clutching her stomach.A few of them were puzzled when they saw Leia’s pale face.Was it not just a punch? Even though Big Sis was strong, it should not have been this severe."Get up," commanded Big Sis as she gripped Leia's clothes.Leia remained seated on the ground. Her face twisted in pain."Big Sis..." A faint voice came from behind the group.Big Sis turned to look at the woman behind her. "Are you trying to be the peacemaker? Wanna have a taste of my fists?"Mandy shivered for a moment and immediately shook her head. "Big Sis, I just wanted to say that Leia just had liver transplant surgery. Her body is weak. Her liver’s condition hasn't improved either. Others might be able to take your punches, but she might not..."
After Mandy finished talking, she let out a cold laugh when she noticed Leia was still ignoring her. Then, she turned her gaze to Big Sis, who was not far away from her.Big Sis seemed to be quite satisfied with what Mandy had said to Leia. The people around her chimed in, "If you don't have the demeanor of a rich, young lady, then don't act like one. Rich young ladies meet tragic ends here."Leia stared at the wall. Their words were constantly echoing in her ears. She clenched her fists tightly.When Leia was abroad, she had been detained for some minor issues and experienced life in detention facilities. It was true torment.However, Leia refused to believe they could do anything to her here.Her hands tightly clenched into fists. She did not react to the mockery and warnings at all.A woman nudged Mandy with her elbow and whispered to her, "Why isn't she moving at all? Could she really be dead?"Mandy felt a bit embarrassed by Leia's indifference. She snorted coldly and merci
As Ethan spoke those words, a sense of unease welled up within him, yet he also felt a certain relief. At the same time, he was glad that Matysh was not well-versed in this area.Addison had also gained knowledge of the past events. He was secretly delighted when he found out that he was able to take on the case after Shandra's dismissal. This indicated that his reputation was moving closer to lawyers like Shandra.Even though Matysh communicated with Ethan in Russian and Addison could not understand a word, he switched to fluent English to talk to Matysh after Ethan said that. "Mr. Matysh, rest assured. I'll do my utmost to fulfill your request. Please trust me. I've dealt with many similar cases, and I have ample experience in this."Matysh's blue eyes swept over him and then moved to Ethan. "This lawyer doesn't seem too capable," said Matysh in Russian.Ethan grew anxious when he heard that. The police had gathered substantial evidence, and changing lawyers would be unfavorabl
After Marcos gave his report, the elderly voice that came from the other end of the line said, "You're in charge of helping him escape."Marcos was not surprised when he listened to the aged and serious voice.The entire family showed Matysh understanding and forgiveness. The reason was that Matysh was Old Master Abaza’s only son. Now that the old master only had him left, he would support whatever Matysh did.As for Marcos, the old master never liked him because he carried the blood of an ordinary woman.Marcos lowered his gaze and replied, "Grandpa, although M Group has never ventured into the market of A City, I found out that the market in A City is massive after several rounds of assessments. If M Group can enter A City’s market, the family's business will become larger and larger. The Russian market is already saturated. We need to explore new markets. But if I help Uncle Matysh, I'm afraid we might end up on A City's blacklist."He knew that some members of the family alway
The truth was that Marcos disdained doing such things.Someone else should do the dirty work. Marcos was too lazy to get involved. Besides, ever since he took over the company, all the deals he handled had been clean.At the very least, they could stand up to scrutiny from others. Ethan's face turned pale. In the presence of Marcos’ watchful eyes, he could only nod reluctantly with a faint smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. He forced out the words, 'I'll make the arrangements.'"Old Master Abaza and Uncle Matysh have a lot of confidence in you, Mr. Ethan. Don't let them down." After that, Marcos shifted his gaze to the window and remained silent.Marcos did not intend to inquire or delve into how Ethan would arrange things. A City would not let Matysh succeed. The case involving Matysh had stirred up too much attention. Everyone was watching. A City would hand down a heavy sentence. The justice system would not let him off the hook easily.If Marcos knew Ethan's plans
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,