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
As for Luca, her beauty was the most striking among all the women on the Island of Despair. If it were not for Abel's order forbidding anyone from touching her, Luca might have become everyone's plaything by now.Amur heard the man being all creepy, having some dirty thoughts about Luca. He tightened his clenched fists even more. He charged forward and delivered a fierce punch to the man's abdomen.The smile on the man's face had not disappeared yet when the dull pain struck him. He staggered back, grimacing in pain.Amur did not hold back with that punch. He put his full force into it. "You're asking for trouble!" The man barely managed to stand straight and angrily yelled at Amur."Nobody's allowed to have any ideas about her," warned Amur."Ha, as soon as she returns to the Island of Despair, besides the boss, who can really keep her safe? Boss said he'd give her to you, but he didn't say we couldn't have a piece of her. When she returns to the Island of Despair, I'll be th
It was because of Abel's intervention that their fight came to an abrupt halt.Amur's gaze went past Abel. He fixed a deathly stare on the man whose face he had battered and bruised.Abel first glanced at the man then looked at Amur. "I don't care about your personal grudges. If you cause any trouble here that results in loss of life, I won't let you off easy!"He did not like having dim-witted subordinates. Those who fumbled and caused him trouble had already been eliminated. The remaining ones were those who could bring him profits. However, if they disobeyed his orders or caused him losses, he would not hesitate to get rid of them.The two men continued to lock eyes.The man who received the worst beating gave in first, clutching his face and crouching in pain.If Abel had not shown up, he believed he might have been killed by Amur. The ferocity of the attack could have been fatal."Why haven't any of you brought him upstairs for some medical treatment yet?" Abel scowled at
Abel had more missions for her…Luca’s heart sank as she had a bad feeling about this.She knew that T Corporation had been busy preparing their suburban development project bidding, and this project was crucial to T Corporation.If they succeeded in winning the project, T Corporation would get to work closely with the government, and their sales would sky-rocket.Luca felt apprehensive about this. Could it be that Abel had the same idea?Last time, she deceived Luke and stole his bidding document, but it did not cost him much damage. This time, however, she was much more reluctant to do it.At that time, Luke prepared an extra copy because he knew that Pierre had other motives, but what about this time? Was he aware that the Island of Despair was waiting for the opportunity to pounce on him?“Amur…” Luca felt how dry her throat was.Amur silently waited for her to continue.“Do you know his plan?” Luca asked, eager to find out what Abel was up to as she theorized his ultimate
Seeing how Lanie interrupted her, Luca reckoned that Luke had told the kids something.Was he trying to hide the fact that he was going to the hospital?Before Luca could voice her doubts, Aunt Neile seemed to have just remembered something. She nodded and quickly said, “Yes, Mr. Crawford is at the company. He’ll be working until late at night today, so he won’t be back for dinner. Ms. Craw, why don’t you have dinner first?”“Okay.” She nodded without questioning further.Even if the children were deliberately hiding it from her, there was nothing she could do. Besides, she would feel bad exposing the children’s lies.“Let’s eat, then. Young Master Blanche, Young Master Tommy, and Ms. Rainie, go wash your hands.” After saying that, Aunt Neile turned to walk into the kitchen to prepare the food.Luca followed Aunt Neile into the kitchen to help.“Aunt Neile, are you hiding something?” Luca asked.Aunt Neile was startled. Then, she smiled and shook her head. “Ms. Craw, I’m not hi
“As long as he stays out of your sight, I won’t make a move,” said Ray.If Gordan were not one of Luke’s pals, he would have been long gone.Anyone who dared to mess with someone Ray cherished would not be let off easily. The only reason Gordan was still breathing was thanks to Luke.“Alright, Ray. Just let it go. I’ve moved on and started a new life. Plus, I’m studying at Capital University. We have mutual friends, so running into him is inevitable. If that happens, we’ll just be strangers. There’s no need to step in for me or act impulsively.” Just as Vivian finished speaking, the doorbell rang.“Is it the clothes delivery?” asked Ray.“No, while you were talking with Mr. Crawford, I asked someone to buy some medicinal cream. The ones here work better than the ones in Russia. A little massage with it should help you heal faster,” Vivian said, grabbing a mask and hat before heading to the door.“Miss, is the boss alright?” asked one of Ray’s subordinates.“He’s fine. Did you ge
When Ray heard that there was a 90% chance of success, he could not help but ask, “Can you walk me through your plan?”“The prison where Kassy is being held actually has an underground passage. I’ve already spoken with the prison officials, and we can use that passage to transport her out. It connects to the sewage system, which leads directly to another detention facility. "The only catch is that this facility’s underground pipes don’t connect to the outside world, so the remaining 10% risk lies in moving Kassy onto the main road and securing her at the new location.“This whole operation can be done without anyone noticing, which is why I’m confident it’ll work.” As Luke explained, he pulled out a detailed map of the sewer system. “Here’s the layout I had someone retrieve. This is the starting point, and this is the destination. If we take this route, we can move Kassy without alerting Abel’s people.”Abel’s men were keeping a constant watch outside the prison now. That was prec
Luke had no idea what kind of mindset the person who poisoned Vivian had. However, he found Gordan’s current behavior quite intriguing.“Luke, what’s with that look?” Gordan felt uneasy under his gaze.“You seem pretty concerned about Vivian,” Luke leaned back on the couch and said thoughtfully.Gordan froze for a moment before laughing it off. “What? No way! Why would I care about her? Come on, Luke, don’t say stuff like that. If she hears it, she might start getting ideas.”Luke could not be bothered to expose his act and got straight to the point. “Why are you here?”“Speaking of that, I almost got sidetracked by that woman.” Gordan quickly pulled out his phone, grimacing. “Man, Ray really didn’t hold back. I need to get some treatment for these bruises later.”Luke took the phone and tried to unlock it. It needed a passcode. He handed it back. “Unlock it.”“All set, boss.” Gordan unlocked the phone and went back to pressing an ice pack against his face.Luke scanned the scr
It was the sound of a body slamming onto the ground.Gordan’s furious curses rang out. “Damn it! You're really going all out, huh? Do you think I'm scared of you?”Another loud thud followed.Vivian frowned. What the hell were they doing? Were they really going to fight until one of them won?Both of them were skilled fighters. If they kept this up, neither would walk away unscathed.“Enough!” shouted Vivian.The two men locked in the fight froze for a moment.“Vivian, stay out of this. I’m beating him to a pulp today,” growled Ray, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth. He was not in great shape, but neither was Gordan.“Ray, I don’t want to see him,” said Vivian. She did not want Ray fighting him. It was not to protect Gordan but because she did not want Ray getting hurt.Also, she definitely did not want Gordan to see her like this. She could already picture his smug face, his sarcastic remarks and his gloating.“Fine. If you don’t want to see him, I’ll just beat
After returning to the hotel from the hospital, Vivian felt much better.To her, the fact that Ray had taken her to the hospital meant there was hope for the future, which lifted her spirits. She picked up an apple from the fruit platter the hotel had provided and took a bite.“Ray, this apple is really good. Want to try one?” asked Vivian.Ray shook his head. “You go ahead. By the way, can I take a look at the luggage you brought from Russia?”Vivian nodded. “I only hung up my clothes. Everything else is still in the suitcase. You can just take the things out.”Ray walked into the bedroom, pulled out her suitcase, and opened it. Inside were just books and a few other small items, nothing unusual.“You didn't bring any food with you?” asked Ray.“I haven’t really been in the mood, but the food here is way better than Russian food, so I didn't feel the need to bring anything.” Vivian’s tone was lighthearted now that she was in a better mood.“That's true.” Ray agreed, then asked
Ray's tone turned serious. “Alright, I'll make the arrangements immediately. Dr. Craw, once the toxicology report is out, we’ll still need your help.”“For toxicology cases like this, I recommend combining both modern medicine and traditional herbal medicine. Don’t worry, if I can help, I definitely will,” Luca assured him.“Alright, thank you.” Ray expressed his gratitude and ended the call before updating Luke on the situation.Luke reassured him, saying, “If Vivian was really poisoned, don’t worry. Previously, Luca discovered that her biological mother had been poisoned with a slow-acting toxin. She prescribed herbal medicine and used purely traditional herbal medicine to detoxify her. It didn’t take long for all the toxins to be expelled, and her health fully recovered. So, rest assured. If it’s something she can fix, she’ll do everything she can.“Besides, once we identify the exact problem, the doctors will be able to step in and help, right?”“Yes. Thank you both in advance
Gerald walked over. “Ms. Sanchez, what's wrong?”He was eager to get back upstairs and stash his cigarettes before someone noticed and took them.Hera yanked open his bag, glanced at the cigarette brand, and scoffed. “I thought it was some expensive brand. But it's just this? And you’re acting all deferential to her over this?”Gerald was rendered speechless. “I knew Ms. Craw was going out, so I asked her to bring these back for me. This is the brand I’m used to. Maybe it’s not expensive to you, but for me, it’s what I can afford.”Realizing she had misspoken, Hera felt a bit awkward. She quickly changed the topic. “Still, is a pack of cigarettes really worth you being so grateful to Luca? How much could it have cost?”“It’s not about the money,” replied Gerald. “It's just a nice surprise. I never expected to get anything out of helping Ms. Craw, and this kind of unexpected gift has nothing to do with the price. Besides, I'm not being overly grateful. I'm just happy.”He was ba
Luca’s lips were already swollen and flushed from Luke's kisses.That deep shade of red, reflected in Luke’s eyes, was utterly captivating. It tugged at his nerves, stirring an uncontrollable desire within him.At that moment, he had only one thought, and it was to completely lose himself in her.…The two of them stepped out of the bedroom.Vivian quickly turned her back and greeted Luke when he saw him coming out, “Hello, Mr. Crawford.”“Vivian, don’t worry. Everything will get better,” replied Luke.Vivian simply hummed in response.Ray gave them a grateful nod as Luke took Luca’s hand and led her away.It was only after hearing the door close that Vivian finally turned back around.Ray glanced at her and said, “Vivian, they’re your friends. You don’t have to act this way around them. They won’t judge you.”“I know they won’t…” Vivian let out a soft sigh. “I just feel like I look terrifying right now. I didn’t want to scare them, so I avoided facing them directly. But it’
“I once treated someone who had been slowly poisoned over a long period of time. Their pulse was similar to Vivian’s. Given that your family has good genetics, yet Vivian is different from the rest of you, and her skin improved after leaving her original environment, all of this confirms my suspicion.“Could it be that someone in your family has been poisoning Vivian? That would explain why her skin ended up like this.”“If she really has been poisoned, then would staying away from that environment or identifying the person responsible help her get better?” asked Ray.Luca shook her head.“The poison I’ve encountered before was a slow-acting toxin that kept the victim’s skin dark. I don’t know exactly what it was, but long-term exposure to any poison has an effect on the body. It's just a suspicion now. I need to consult someone I know. And honestly, I can’t be sure what’s really causing Vivian’s condition.“Is her skin deteriorating so quickly because she was poisoned once more a