Luca could tell what he meant by his words. He wanted her to quickly set a time to attend the class instead of considering whether to take it on. She was a bit puzzled, wondering why Luke had recruited this person, Evan Turner.He put on a smiling face and spoke in a gentle tone, but he was a hard man to refuse."Dr. Craw?" Noticing that Luca was keeping silent, Evan called her again.Luca looked at him and asked, "Have we met before, Mr. Turner?""I don’t think so," Evan replied without much thought. He added, "But Dr. Craw, you're well-known in the industry. I've heard of you for a long time. Students at Capital University who have the chance to attend your classes will surely benefit greatly."Luca had not seen anyone lay on the flattery so thick. She realized there was no use in dwelling on it. She rose to her feet and said, "Mr. Turner, I’m going downstairs to continue with my experiments.""Sure. I hope you can set a time soon," Evan said with a smile and waved her off.
Luke was a family man.Still, what would he do if Old Master Crawford was upset about their relationship?Would he give up or keep on going? Would he figure out a way to cheer her up?If she were Bianca, she would not doubt for a moment that Luke would choose her. After all, such situations had occurred before, and Luke’s choice was always her from the beginning.However, her identity was Luca now. Would Luke still make the same choice?Luca was not worried that Luke would give up on her. She had been feeling down because Luke had been quietly shouldering everything, and her beloved family was suffering because of her reluctance to be honest.She was Bianca, and she was also Luca.How should she tell them the truth without feeling sad, anxious, or agitated? Luca really wanted to tell them that her true identity was Bianca, but she remembered Nyla and Eler, who were still on the Island of Despair. She had the antidote, but she had not found the right time to tell Luke about t
Rhett often heard other assistants complaining about their professors. They were always saying they were understaffed and the company would not allocate more research positions.On the contrary, Luca never uttered a word of complaint. It seemed like her research was able to proceed smoothly no matter how many researchers the company assigned to her.After all, having worked on two research projects together, Rhett had not seen Luca face any difficulties yet.He said these words as a piece of advice for Mo Stone. Perhaps the chances of her becoming a professor’s assistant would be higher if she chose a different research professor. His good intentions, however, were misunderstood by Mo Stone. She forced a faint smile and said nothing more. Then, she returned to her seat. Choose a different professor? That had never crossed her mind! Luca had always been her choice. If she could become Luca's assistant, she could learn and gain more.Mo Stone thought Rhett's advice stemmed fr
”The people you hired couldn’t find anything either…” said Myra. She was not aware that Old Master Mallory had given Karen a deadline, but she knew that the longer this dragged on, the more damage it would cause her.Karen clenched her fists as she never expected the people she hired to be so useless.He was just a person Luke kept in hiding, but even after a whole day of searching, they could not find a single trace of him!“Mrs. Mallory, isn’t your eldest son very powerful?” Margaret suddenly uttered. She was not aware of how bad Karen’s relationship with her son had gotten. She just remembered that Percy’s power was neck and neck with Luke.Not to mention, Percy and Luke were good friends, so there might be some room for maneuver if he helped out.Karen’s expression sank at the mention of Percy.She never told them about Percy as she did not want to air her dirty laundry in public.However, they should know that they had a falling out because of his marriage with Nina.Myra
Karen glanced at the steaming black coffee and looked up at Ms. Tucker, who was standing beside her.Ms. Tucker was staring at her as if she was scrutinizing her.Karen felt uncomfortable being looked at, so she frowned and said, “Go do what you have to do. Don’t stand there and look at me.”Ms. Tucker was startled at her suggestion as she could not leave the office when Karen was inside. If anything went missing, she would be in trouble.Ms. Tucker knew that Karen favored Pierre and much preferred him to be the CEO.“Mrs. Mallory, do you need anything else?” Ms. Tucker did not respond to her previous statement, nor did she leave the office.Karen rolled her eyes as she knew that she was keeping an eye on her, so she ignored her question. She thought to herself that once Pierre was in control of Mallory Corporation, the people who worked for Percy would have to scram.The thought of that made her feel as if that day would be coming soon. She looked at the photo frames on the tab
The mixed-race kids from abroad were only a few years younger than Percy. That was why when Percy and Pierre were young, Karen often instilled the idea into the two brothers that the foreign woman and her children were their biggest enemies. They had to excel so that Old Master Mallory would continue to value them. That way, the foreign woman and her children would not have a chance to come back and fight for their family property. Karen believed her brainwashing was effective.Moreover, Percy would not be willing to let his years of hard work become the dowry for Daryl Mallory and his mistress’ children. Percy stopped his busy work and turned to look at Karen.Karen said, "Send some of your men out to help me find that man, and I'll handle the rest myself." If it were not for Old Master Mallory giving her a deadline, she would not have come to look for Percy. He married that woman, Nina, against her will. Karen initially planned to ignore him in the future. However, she
"Boss, do we really not need to worry about Madam Mallory's rumors anymore?" After Jason had taken down his notes, he inquired about his boss' thoughts.After all, they had been controlling public opinion. They had people commenting on unfavorable comments about Percy and the Mallory family, shifting the focus back to Karen herself.Therefore, this matter did not have much impact on Percy and the Mallory family.Instead, some people were beginning to sympathize with Daryl Mallory, who had been absent from the public eye for over a decade."Don't worry. Percy has already asked for him," said Luke. Once Percy asked for the man, Karen's news would come to an end. They would have to find bigger news to overshadow that report.Jason nodded, indicating that he understood. Then, he asked, "Will the scandals of those two celebrities be dropped all at once, or will they be spaced out?""Space out," said Luke as he glanced at the project proposal."Understood!" Jason picked up the documen
The man hit by the cigar could not help but shiver. The cigar did not hurt when it hit him, but it was the grim expression on Abel’s face that made him question life. All he did was make a suggestion. He did not expect Abel to have such a big reaction.He picked up the cigar, wiped it clean, and wanted to hand it back to Abel. However, he was afraid of getting beaten, so he hesitated. He stammered as he explained, "Boss, it’s just Percy Mallory. We're not even afraid of Luke Crawford, so why would we be afraid of a guy like him?"Abel narrowed his eyes.If it were the old Island of Despair with decades of history, they certainly would not have been afraid of the Crawford and Mallory families. Even if the two families joined forces, they still would not be a match for the Island of Despair. The reason the Island of Despair had been wiped out by Luke and Percy was that they had teamed up with the Russian government and launched a devastating surprise attack. If they had receiv
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,