After that, Vivian turned around to leave. Gordan, who had remained silent all this time, spoke up at this moment, "Vivian, who do you think you are?"Vivian's back stiffened. She knew that once Gordan spoke, he would definitely say such words. Yes, in his eyes, she was just an ugly monster. How could he possibly follow her?She pursed her lips, remaining silent.The moment Gordan spoke, the moment the familiar voice reached her ears, she felt defenseless. If she spoke, he would surely hear the tension in her voice. Hence, Vivian bit her lip tightly, refusing to speak and reveal her emotions.When Gordan saw her standing straight without uttering a word, the fire inside him burned even brighter. He intended to vent his emotions, but he recalled something from the past.Back when they were still married, Vivian used to cling to him all the time. There was one time when he was annoyed by her constant nagging and reluctantly agreed to go out for dinner with her. However, the
"Hmph, you sure as heck want me to be asleep, don't you? As long as I'm out cold, no one will be around to settle scores with you, right?" Old Master Mallory lifted his gaze ever so slightly, peering at her face adorned with an ingratiating smile. His gaze took on a subtle chill."Father, what in the world are you talking about? I can't make heads or tails of it." Karen's smiling face froze for a moment. Even though she claimed not to understand, deep down, she knew what he was talking about."Show her the documents." Old Master Mallory ignored Karen's act of ignorance and spoke to Mr. Bennet.Karen looked at Mr. Bennet, realizing for the first time that he was holding a stack of documents.Mr. Bennet handed the documents to Karen. "Madam, please take a look."Karen furrowed her brows and opened the documents. Just by reading the beginning, she knew what kind of information it contained.These were the documents Luke sent to Old Master Mallory. It was the evidence of Karen, alo
Old Master Mallory heard that Old Master Crawford had long kicked out another daughter-in-law. Now, he was the only one in the big Crawford Manor, but he did not feel lonely. Instead, he was enjoying his time.Old Master Mallory thought that maybe if Karen moved out too, he could be at peace without her bothering him. Hence, he decided to take this opportunity to ask Karen to move out.His idea of living together as a big family had undergone a change over time due to the constant whirlwind of affairs within the family.Karen tightly pursed her lips as she watched Old Master Mallory leave from behind. Even when Mr. Bennet returned, she still stood there with a defiant look.Mr. Bennet sighed and said, "Madam, you should rest early.""How can I rest?" Karen glared at him, thinking about the humiliation she endured at Crawford Manor and the incident with Nina. Even though she slapped that woman’s face, she felt embarrassed to be escorted out of the neighborhood by the security tea
”Okay.” That was all Luke said before he held her even tighter in his arm.Luca was awake now, and she opened her eyes a little. Her vision had adapted to the darkness, so she pressed her face against his chest and asked, “What did Nina say?”“When she was waiting for me downstairs, she asked me if you had another identity.” Luke gently caressed Luca’s back, and shivers went down her spine as his touch got increasingly sensual.Luca was half-asleep, so she did not notice the changes in Luke’s movements. Instead, she frowned and said, “I’ll tell her next time. The fewer the people who know about me, the better.”“Sure,” Luke said absent-mindedly.Luca finally realized what he was doing, so she turned to the side and said, “It’s late.”“We have to hurry, then,” said Luke. Although he would be disrupting her sleep, his desires made it impossible for him to just sleep next to her like a gentleman.As he said that, he leaned forward as things got heated up.…The next day, Luca was
Upon hearing that, Aunt Neile said, “Mrs. Mallory, let me help.”“She’s right, let her do it. That way, she can cover the entire area, and your hands wouldn’t be cold,” said Luca. She found that Nina had put ice on it yesterday, but she did not do it long enough.Her hands got too cold from holding the ice pack, so she did not do it for long.As Luca knew her so well, Nina had no choice but to say, “Alright then.”“Okay, Mrs. Mallory. Enjoy your breakfast. I’ll help you after you’re done,” Aunt Neile responded and went upstairs to deliver Luke’s breakfast.When Luca saw Nina eating breakfast, she said to her, “By the way, Nina, the children are going back to the manor today, so remember to lock the door after Aunt Neile gets off work.”Nina was taken aback. Did that mean that Luca was going to Crawford Manor too?If she was going back with the children, would Old Master Crawford cause her trouble?Nina could not ask too many questions since the children were here, so she just n
"Yes, Mr. Crawford is still busy upstairs," answered Aunt Neile."Then I'll go upstairs for a bit.” Nina rose to her feet and made her way up the stairs.She headed to the bedroom where Luke was. She knocked on the door without going in.Luke lifted the cup of Americano and glanced at the person standing at the door. He spoke in a cold voice, "What's the matter?""There's something I’d like to know. I heard Luca say that she'll go back to Crawford Manor with you tonight, is that true?""Yes." Luke withdrew his gaze and continued to look at the computer screen. After putting down the cup of Americano, he typed on the keyboard for a while."I don't care what you guys have been keeping from me, and I don't care how Old Master Crawford feels about whatever's going on between you two. But with this whole scandal thing, Luca might feel that she’s being treated unfairly if you take her back there. You'd better make sure to protect her,” said Nina.Even though Bianca was Luke's legal wi
Old Master Crawford had already figured it out, but when Old Master Mallory stated his purpose, he still put on a surprised expression. "Apology? This is..."Old Master Mallory knew he was intentionally exaggerating his expression, but it was the Mallory family's fault. No matter what expression Old Master Crawford made or what he said, Old Master Mallory was left with no choice.He could either take the initiative to explain and offer an apology or simply turn around and leave.Karen hoped for the latter, but Old Master Mallory knew that an apology was necessary. "Yes, Karen misunderstood Luke back then. She talked nonsense and shared some news with the media, which has caused a lot of trouble for Luke. Crawford, Karen is here to apologize to you today.""Ah, Mallory, so you're talking about this..." Old Master Crawford shook his head and looked at Karen's expression. He knew that even though Old Master Mallory had brought the conversation to this point, Karen still refused to apo
"Yes, Master Luke called last night and said he and his family will be coming back for dinner," replied Mr. Griffin with a smile on his face."Alright. Have the kitchen get ready," said Old Master Crawford. This would be the first family dinner after Luca revealed her true identity.Even though Susan, Allison, and Louis and his family were not present, it was still considered a family feast. Old Master Crawford attached great importance to it."Don't worry, the cook and the maids went out early this morning to get the ingredients," assured Mr. Griffin. He knew how much Old Master Crawford prioritized this family gathering, and he had emphasized it to the cook when he informed her.Knowing that Old Master Crawford paid a lot of attention to this, the cook would undoubtedly put in 200% effort to prepare tonight's family dinner."Good. Have the chauffeur prepare the car. I’d like to go to the park for a while," said Old Master Crawford as he rose to his feet."Yes," replied Mr. Grif
“You don’t need to remind me. I was going to check anyway.” Abel shot Luca a chilling look.She took a step back and stayed silent.Abel turned to the pale-faced Hera and said, “If you’ve got low blood sugar, get up and eat something.”“I’ll eat now,” Hera replied, sitting up.Luca handed her the takeout.Abel glanced at the food and then frowned at Luca. “Why didn’t you make breakfast this morning?”“I was busy,” Luca explained with a calm indifference, her expression unwavering. She showed no fear, even under Abel’s questioning.Hera suddenly found herself admiring Luca. Everyone feared this man, yet Luca remained composed even when facing potential punishment. Not just anyone could pull that off.At the thought of this, Hera opened the takeout and kept quiet.Abel narrowed his eyes, glancing between Hera and Luca. His gaze was not exactly gentle as he muttered, “Stop eating this junk. It’s bad for you.”“I know, babe. Just this once. After this, I’ll have what Luca cooks f
Hera panicked the moment she heard that. “I trust her!”Luca and Shanks were both watching her.Hera repeated herself, saying, “I trust her, okay? What kind of treatment does she need? I’ll cooperate with anything. But what about Abel…”“I’ll tell him it’s just to help improve your overall health,” replied Shanks. Then, he turned around, opened the medicine cabinet, and started preparing the prescription.Hera let out a sigh of relief. As long as Abel did not find out about her health condition, that was all that mattered.If he knew she was unwell, he would send her back to A City. Without free medical help and no way to make extra money, she would be in serious trouble.“Thank you,” said Hera.“Wait outside,” instructed Shanks.“Okay.” Hera carefully stepped out.Luca, however, remained where she was, waiting.While preparing the medicine, Shanks asked, “Do you know which acupoints to target for her?”“Yes,” Luca replied confidently. As long as she checked Hera’s pulse, sh
“There are a lot of issues.” Luca did not hide anything and handed Hera the phone.Hera looked at it and frowned.“I can't understand any of this.” Hera felt dizzy just looking at the text, let alone the long list of medical terms. It was giving her a headache.“Look at these summaries and indicators. Compare the values on top with the normal values at the bottom, and you'll see what I mean,” explained Luca.Hera did not trust her. Therefore, Luca decided to let her see for herself. Seeing it with her own eyes would prevent any doubts later.Luca pointed out how to read the test results, and after a moment, Hera managed to understand the report. Her face turned pale. “How can there be so many problems?”She looked at Luca and questioned, “Did you fake this?”“I don’t have the power to make the medical center fake anything. Besides, the report has the medical center’s official stamp. If you don’t believe me, you can go directly to the medical center and ask for the official cop
“I heard from the boss that he's coming because of Vivian.” Gale paused for a moment before adding, “But never mind, you don't seem interested in her affairs anyway. I'm just letting you know he's on his way.”Gordan frowned. Ray was coming for Vivian?What could that ugly woman possibly need?“What do you mean by that?” asked Gordan.Gale smirked. “If you and Ray meet, that’s bound to end in a fight. And since you can't win against him, you might want to mentally prepare yourself, or better yet, find somewhere else to stay. It’d be safer that way.”Gordan's expression darkened. “If you have nothing nice to say, just zip it.”Gale grinned, clearly pleased with himself like he had just hit a sore spot.Gordan exhaled sharply. “Of all times, why is he coming to A City now? He’s just making things worse.”“It can't be helped. Vivian's situation is urgent.” Gale covered his mouth mockingly after he said that. “Oh, right. I forgot you don’t like hearing about her.”Ray wanted to br
Luke sat in the villa, staring at Luca’s message.He was worried.For a moment, he considered calling her, but then he remembered that there were surveillance cameras everywhere on her side. He dismissed the idea immediately.Her safety came first.Luke reminded her: [Take care of yourself. Don’t worry, I’ll handle everything. Just focus on keeping yourself safe.] The worry in his heart refused to subside, but at this moment, there was no better solution.“Boss, you’re worried about your wife, huh? If you really can’t stand it, we can sneak you in again during the next shift change, just like last time,” said Gale.It had been his idea last time.Now, the real Lucius was still locked up in the basement of the villa.It had been nearly a month. Luke had forced him to take the antidote Luca had recreated. The man was still alive, proving the antidote worked perfectly.“That plan is too risky.” Luke put his phone away. His gaze was dark and thoughtful.“Risky, sure. But at lea
Luca had not expected Abel and Shanks’ relationship to be like this.It seemed Abel still did not trust Shanks.Shanks continued, “Abel isn’t someone who trusts people easily. He doesn’t trust anyone. You think he’s devoted to Kassy now, right? That’s just his obsession. He's allowing Kassy to receive my treatment, but if it were him… No matter if he were blind or crippled, his safety would always come first. If he were seriously injured, maybe he’d accept treatment, but he definitely wouldn’t do it right away.”Luca stayed silent. Shanks really understood Abel well.Abel did not trust anyone—not even Kassy.Calling him paranoid would not be an exaggeration.Luca felt like they were getting off-topic, but she had never seen this side of Shanks before.In her mind, he was always buried in his work at the lab, only leaving for meals and sleep. Other than that, he was practically never outside.The lab was like his home…“Are you troubled by Hera’s situation?” Luca asked directly
Hera was startled by Luca's words.The refusal that had been on the tip of her tongue suddenly got stuck in her throat.“I…” Hera hesitated, feeling conflicted. Leaving Abel might not be such a bad idea. At least she would not have to live in constant fear.She was finally realizing how unpredictable his moods were. At first, she thought it did not matter as she could still look at other men. She just had to ensure there was no physical contact. In reality, even if she so much as glanced at someone, Abel's expression would darken with anger.It was frustrating. Now, the only person she was allowed to look at was Gerald. Still, what was the point of just looking at Gerald?At that thought, she lifted her gaze to Luca.Luca added, “I’ll give you five minutes. If you refuse treatment after that, I’ll take the medicine back to Mr. Shanks and won’t try to convince you again.”Hera's heart tightened. She did not even need five minutes. She had made her decision within 30 seconds.“I’
“If Abel finds out that Hera's body isn't suitable for organ donation to Kassy, what do you think he'll do?” asked Shanks.He already knew the answer, but he still wanted to hear Luca’s thoughts.“He has invested a lot of time and money in Hera. If he gets nothing out of it, he won’t let her off easily,” Luca said bluntly.Luca and Shanks were on the same page.They did not have a good relationship with Hera, but they had no intention of ruining her either.Hera’s personality was unpleasant, but that was not enough for them to hate her so much that they wanted to see her suffer.“What methods do you think he’ll use?” Shanks asked again.Luca was silent for a long moment.Shanks already knew the answer, yet he still wanted her to say it out loud.After thinking it over, she finally said, “There are plenty of ways he could go about it, but no matter what he chooses, Hera’s fate is sealed. She’s as good as dead…”She lowered her gaze, her tone firm and certain.Shanks nodded.
Hera heard that Luca had returned and immediately went to find Shanks. She narrowed her eyes.That woman went to see Shanks. Could she be talking about her?The thought made Hera uneasy. She had a nagging feeling that something was wrong with her medical report.However, when they left the medical center earlier, Abel asked Luca when the report would be ready, and she said it would be available tomorrow.Hera turned to Gerald and said, “Take these back for me first.”“Alright.” Gerald carried the bags as he walked away. He could not help but wonder what exactly Hera bought. These bags were really heavy!Only after Gerald went upstairs did Hera slowly make her way up as well. Her room was on the third floor, but she stopped when she reached the second floor. She glanced around to make sure no one was watching before heading toward the laboratory.The door was closed.Instead of knocking, Hera pressed her ear against it, trying to eavesdrop.However, the laboratory was special