Louis was surprised when he heard this. He shook his head repeatedly and said, "No, Brother. This is your apartment, how could I...""This is a property developed by T Corporation. I bought a unit. It was actually meant for you from the start. But Grandpa arranged a villa next door for you after that. So, the apartment was temporarily left in my hands," explained Luke. "If you're down with it, just take it. If not, consider it a gift for Thea. Once she's 18, I'll hand the property to her."Louis was greatly shocked.Houses and properties were never a big deal for the Crawford family as everyone owned several of them.Even Susan, with a few villas and apartments under her name, had not moved into any of them. She used them for investment or rental purposes instead.Louis was an exception, having sold all his properties to fund his business for the company. Otherwise, he would not be in such a mess now."Even if it's for Thea, that’s future business.." Louis initially wanted to
"You kept staring at her just now." Yuri's tone was a bit sour. When they sat on the sofa, she went along with Louis, but she believed her observations were sharp.Louis sensed Yuri's jealousy and replied helplessly, "I don't have any intentions like that. Making eye contact while speaking is simply a polite gesture. Besides, Ms. Craw is my brother's woman. What kind of thoughts are in your head?"Yuri gave a little scoff under her breath. "Yes, Bianca went abroad, and this woman took her place right away. She's got some pretty cunning moves."Yuri knew that Louis used to be a playboy before he got married, but he toned it down after marriage. However, she was always worried and observant because of his past. Whenever she noticed that he was looking at other women for too long, she could not help but feel sour.Even in a situation like just now, with Luca being Luke’s mistress, she still could not help but feel jealous. Louis furrowed his brows when he heard what Yuri said. It
After the cartoon show ended, Luca urged the three children to go upstairs to wash up and rest. Today, the kids were in high spirits and did not listen to her. They chattered around Luca for more than ten minutes until Luke came downstairs and gave them a look. Only then did they reluctantly go upstairs to wash up."The kids are excited today," explained Luca."Yes, I know," replied Luke. He glanced at the time after he finished work and realized it was late. He noticed that Luca and the kids had not gone upstairs yet. He assumed Louis and Yuri had not left. Therefore, he went downstairs to check on them, only to find out it was the kids' excitement that kept them downstairs.Luca glanced at the time, smiled, and approached him. Grabbing his arm, she said, "Let's go upstairs. We need to keep an eye on the kids tonight. Otherwise, they'll be too excited to sleep.""Sure. Let's go," replied Luke as he held her soft hand. They made their way up the stairs together.Having already
Luca got Luke wrapped around her finger for sure. Before Luca confessed her identity, she used to be a bit cautious when she talked to him. Now, it was all out in the open. She had admitted her true identity, and things were just like before—except Luke felt like there was a slight decline in the position he held in her heart.It seemed that the kids were ahead of him now. As Rainie watched how her mother had his father wrapped around her finger, she grinned from ear to ear. She lay in the middle of the bed, claiming it for the night. Her mother and father would be on her left and right.She wondered if her brothers would envy her once they found out! When Luca saw Rainie lying down on the bed, she sat back in front of the dressing table. She applied skincare products on her face and dried her hair. "Rainie, mind if I finish drying my hair before we go to sleep?""Sure, Ms. Luca. No problem!" Rainie smiled, ready to climb down from the bed. "Ms. Luca, let me help you dry your
Tommy heard it and immediately exclaimed, "Ah!" He sounded a little annoyed."Rainie, why didn't you tell me last night? I want to sleep with Mo—Ms. Luca too!" He almost blurted out the word 'Mom'. He patted his chest and let out a quiet sigh of relief when he saw that no one was around.Fortunately, no one heard him. It seemed that what their mother said yesterday made sense. They needed to be cautious."You almost said it out again." Rainie heard it clearly. "We need to be more careful."Tommy stuck out his tongue and replied, "I got it, Rainie. I'm really jealous of you. You're Daddy’s only biological child, aren’t you?""What nonsense!" Rainie laughed, hugging a pillow as she walked back to her room."Daddy allowed you to sleep with them, but he never lets me sleep with Ms. Luca," grumbled Tommy, following her like a little duckling.Even though he was a boy, he had always been a mama’s boy since he was little.However, their father always told him that he could not keep cl
“I see. Will it be in the same school?” Luca asked as Lanie and Rainie’s current school had elementary, middle, and high schools.“Yes. That way, it’ll be more convenient for Zander to send them and pick them up.” Luke nodded. Although the elementary school was a little far from the middle school, it was closer compared to other schools. Plus, they had good teachers, so Luke had no intention of having Lanie change schools.Although it was a huge leap for Lanie to skip to ninth grade, Luca thought that it would not be that big of a deal for him because of his learning abilities.Thus, she kept quiet as Luke had always wanted the best for the children.Aunt Neile was tidying up the dishes when she said, “Young Master Blanche is a fast learner, and he’s very smart, so it’s good for him to skip to ninth grade. That way, he can graduate college earlier and help Mr. Crawford at work.”Luca nodded as what Aunt Neile said was right.Although she hoped that the children could grow up ca
”It seems like Luke has been treating that piece of trash like a king. How could he let him stay at a five-star hotel…” Karen’s voice sounded bitter as she instantly ordered people to capture him.After what happened, she had someone investigate the man.That guy had a decent education, but because of the Ruiz family, he had trouble building a life of his own as all he could get were low-paying jobs. After he got married, his wife even ran off with another man because of his dead-end job.He led a miserable life. Like an ant on the ground, anyone could step all over him.That was the same person who made her fall from grace!After giving out orders, she quickly got out of bed and freshened up.Did he think that she was the same woman she was before? No one could mess with her now!Karen secretly swore that she would make his life a living hell and make him regret ever messing with her just because of money!Hatred bloomed in her heart as she blamed every inconvenience in her li
Hearing the manager say that, the attendant who initially considered calling the police had second thoughts. After all, guests staying in their rooms had to cough up a hefty deposit, and once their expenses ran dry, they would be notified to replenish the deposit.Therefore, when that guy got taken away, the hotel would not lose any money."If that guy doesn't come back by tomorrow, just go ahead and check him out," instructed the manager."Yes, sir." The attendant nodded, jotting down the manager's words.…After being forcibly placed in the car, Silas was terrified. He was sandwiched between two men in the back seat. There were also people in the driver's and passenger seats, but he did not recognize any of them. Silas was utterly horrified. He never expected his first time riding in a luxury car to turn out like this. He even forgot to scream.Moreover, the car had excellent soundproofing. He knew even if he screamed, no one would come to his rescue. Silas regretted not
“That bag…” Nina pointed at the bag. “Your mom brought it over.”Percy walked over, picked up the bag, and opened it. When he saw what was inside, his brows immediately furrowed.“What’s all this?” asked Nina.Percy handed her the bag. “Just some stuff.”Curious about what it was, Nina took the bag and peeked inside. It was filled with car models and small toys.She suddenly remembered what Karen said earlier and asked hesitantly, “Are these your childhood toys?”“Yes.” Seeing these things again stirred something in Percy’s heart, but it still did not change his feelings toward Karen.Nina was surprised. She picked up a few of the items and said, “I didn’t expect these to be so well-preserved.”“I thought they would've been thrown out.” Percy still remembered these toys.Technically, they were his, but in reality, they ended up with Pierre. As the Mallory family’s heir, he was too busy to play with toys. Hence, they were his, but it never felt that way.Nina said, “Earlier, s
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