Late at night. Xavier called Pierre and asked him, "You've released Nina?" "My brother called to tell me to let her go, and I can't disobey him. Don't worry, I've already taken her nude photos. Just let me know if you need any help," Pierre said lazily. "Whatever. We'll talk later." Xavier hung up the call unhappily. Nina was an important pawn in his plan. He could use her to threaten Bianca. Now that he had lost a pawn, his power over Bianca decreased. Luke was closing in on his family business as though he wanted to raze Tanner Corporation to the ground. That had troubled him greatly. He had ended the call when his phone suddenly rang again. He frowned hard when he saw the call notification. It was from his father. There could be no good news. Xavier did not want to pick up the call, but the phone continued to ring. With no other choice, he braced himself and answered the call. "Hello, Dad…" "How many problems must you bring me, you scoundrel?" Daniel's angry voic
When Bianca went to work on Monday, she realized that her colleagues were looking at her in a variety of expressions, including sympathy, pity, disdain, and glee. Some people were whispering behind her back, but only Sue was the one who cared for her. Sue could not take it anymore. She pulled Bianca to a corner and asked her about the post on Xeddit. "Bianca, I've read the post, and I think that it's a false rumor. I know your character, and I don't think the woman in the post is you. Don't worry about it. You only have to focus on your work." Bianca was moved. She had a colleague who believed in her when everyone else was doubtful. She said that she was fine and asked Sue about Nina. "Nina was in low spirits. Her illness seemed to be quite serious, and she didn't talk much," Sue answered, not quite sure what was going on. Nina used to be a positive and energetic young woman. No matter how sick she was, she had never been so lifeless. Bianca felt guilty when she heard Sue
Soon, Bianca made a cup of coffee and served it to Louis. "This is the coffee that you requested, Vice President Crawford." She returned to her desk and continued working seriously. Louis took a few sips. Indeed, the coffee was fragrant and at the right temperature. It was different from how other people made it. Louis gestured a thumbs-up at Bianca and asked curiously, "Your skills are pretty good. Have you been a barista before?" His appreciation toward Bianca was genuine. Not only was she beautiful and amiable, but she could also make the most delicious cup of coffee. "For a while, yes," Bianca answered as her eyes were transfixed on the computer screen. That was when she went overseas after giving birth to two children. Back then, she had to work part-time at a cafe to make a living even though she was suffering from depression. Before she knew it, it had already been five years. Louis nodded and rubbed his chin as though thinking of something. "Do you know how to c
"How Envious! After Ten Years of Courting His Sweetheart, Luke Crawford of T Corporation Claims A Beautiful Woman and Two Cute Twins!" The title of the article from JK Media was incredibly eye-catching. The contents of the article were incredibly cliched. However, Eugene had a gift for writing, and the subject was Luke Crawford of T Corporation. The article created shockwaves once it was published in newspapers and magazines! The article was roughly like this: About ten years ago, Luke Crawford went to a school in a small town because of his ill health. There, he met with Bianca Rayne and fell in love at first sight. The two young lovebirds dated each other in school and shared many good times together. Later, Luke was forced to return to A City because he had to take over the family business. However, he promised Bianca that he would take her as his wife. Many years later, Luke had grown into a handsome man, and Bianca had become a beautiful lady. When they eventually met agai
The boss looked as intelligent and noble as usual. A single glance from him could instantly change how people treated him. Jason walked over with a respectful expression on his face and handed a thick stack of documents to Luke. "I've almost completed everything that you've asked of me, Mr. Crawford. Among those who had abducted Bianca's grandfather, one of them, going by the name of Dawson Lynch, remains in A City. Perhaps he thought that the best place to hide is in plain sight. Dawson bought himself a fake identity and managed to stay hidden for so long. However, he is a habitual gambler, and our men found him at a casino a few days ago. Now that we have Dawson in our hands, we can reopen the case of Bianca's grandfather's abduction. We can use Dawson to accuse Xavier of being the mastermind instead of Yvonne. That way, he'll be locked away for a long time. Also, I've managed to uncover a lot of evidence of Xavier's crimes over the past few years…" "Thank you for your hard work.
Xavier's words did not cause the slightest change to Luke's expression. Luke's grip on his teacup tightened a little. "You can always give it a try. I'd like to see if you've learned anything in your five-year stint in prison." Xavier's expression was extremely unpleasant. He knew that the evidence in the folder was enough to lock him away for a long time. He could not hide the burning anger in his eyes. "Do you think that you're innocent, Luke? T Corporation must have many illicit deals behind the scenes, right? Don't think that I don't know that you've manipulated the stock market and nearly caused an economic crisis in A City from which you've gained a lot. Do you think that you can deceive everyone? Should I guess how you'll end up if I manage to find any evidence of T Corporation's crimes?" Any company would be involved in under-the-table deals, especially a multinational company like T Corporation. There was no need to elaborate on what would happen to Luke if those
"Aunt Shakira, Mom says that my sister was stillborn, and that must be true. Just think about it. Would anyone lie to my Dad and Mom?" Leia said with a sorrowful face. Shakira thought about it and decided that it was the case. Back then, Jack might not be the influential politician he was now, but he was a rising star in the political world who had made a name for himself. No one would dare lie to him or steal his child. However, somehow Shakira felt uneasy about it. "Don't worry, Aunt Shakira, if my sister is still alive, I believe that I will eventually find her someday. My sister is my adopted mother's birth daughter, which means that she is my elder sister. I'll ask other people to look for her too," Leia said, which made Shakira feel comforted. "You're a good girl, Leia. Your mother is lucky to have adopted you, you're so kind and understanding…" Shakira felt emotional when she said that. She had always been satisfied with Leia's intelligence and maturity. "You're joki
Eventually, Leia managed to extricate herself from the mob. When she found Xavier in his room, he was drunk as a fiddler, which gave her a buzzing headache. 'Why is Xavier so useless? Not only he can't manage his marriage with Bianca, but he's here drinking his worries away!' Leia took her sunglasses off and angrily kicked Xavier, who was slumped in a pile. "Get up!" Xavier lifted his head from amid a pile of empty beer bottles. When he saw that Leia was in front of her, his unfocused gaze seemed to have cleared up a little. "Say, aren't you busy all day, you big movie star? Why do you have time to visit me?" He said impatiently. "Don't you know why I'm here? I thought you already have a marriage certificate with Bianca, so why would she appear in front of the media as the birth mother of Luke's twins?" Leia asked exasperatedly. Leia thought that the birth mother of the twins was only a tool for childbirth and was no one important to Luke. However, she did not expect that
“'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,
Hera let out a cold sneer, feeling that Gerald's apology was not sincere.Hera did not want to press the issue at the moment. She gave him a sharp look. “Come with me.”Gerald knew that Hera was up to something again. If it were a normal order, she would have just said it in the living room. Whenever she called him aside, it meant whatever she had to say could not be overheard by others.Reluctantly, Gerald followed her out.It was midday, and as soon as Hera stepped out of the living room, a wave of heat hit her face.The intense warmth made her feel uncomfortable.Hera got straight to the point, turning to Gerald. “What did Luca say to you just now?”“She just asked me to help keep an eye on the volunteer,” Gerald answered honestly. This was not something that needed to be kept secret.Hera frowned. “Is she going out”Gerald hesitated for a moment, unsure whether to say anything.“I’m talking to you, not the wall. Are you mute?” Hera threatened. “If you lie to me, I’ll te
Gordan was puzzled. At most, it was just brotherly camaraderie. After all, they had been through thick and thin together. Their bond might be stronger than usual, but falling in love? That was a bit of a stretch.Luke said, “The way you acted just now, doesn't really seem 'straight' to me. Also, if you're into women, maybe you should consider finding one. Otherwise, if you're always single, people might start misinterpreting your feelings for me.”“Luke, actually, you're not bad at all. In fact, you're probably better than a lot of women,” Gordan replied with a sly grin.As a man himself, he honestly thought Luke was a great guy. If he were a woman, he would be utterly captivated by him.“Shut up!” Luke knew he was joking, but he still felt a chill run down his spine. He seriously worried that Gordan might do something inappropriate when he turned his back on him.Shivering from the thought, Luke put down his glass and headed upstairs.Gordan let out a deep sigh.The night w
“Anyway, I'm saying it here—I'm not going to Russia because of that ugly woman, Vivian. If I go to Russia, it's for you. I've already divorced her. Besides, I’m already trying to avoid her, how could I possibly go to Russia for her?” Gordan took a sip of red wine, then continued his rant. “And, Ray is still in Russia. I really can't go. His men are all brutal, and I've had enough of being beaten all these years.”“Then why did you buy an apartment in Vivian's neighborhood?” Luke continued to tease him. His sharp eyes glinted with intelligence.Gordan denied it, but whether he believed it or not was his own business.“It was just a coincidence!” Gordan raised his voice, trying to convince Luke.Or maybe himself.“Coincidence?” Luke sipped his wine, every gesture as graceful as a nobleman.“Of course, it’s a coincidence, Brother Luke. You wouldn’t know, but that apartment is in a school district, surrounded by college towns. There are a ton of hotties there, I picked the place just
As Luca listened to his tone that was full of regret, she felt a slight pang in her heart. She recalled when she had a child and continued pursuing her education. If she had given up on herself back then, perhaps she and Luke would not find themselves here today.Luca felt she was much more fortunate than the volunteer. Even though she loved her father, she also understood the importance of education and did not let her father’s illness cause her to give up. She was also fortunate to have a father who supported her education.At the thought of this, Luca could not help but ask, “Do you regret it?”“No, I don’t regret it,” the volunteer smiled. “Actually, I always look at it in a positive light. Back then, several boys in my class liked her. If I hadn’t confessed, she might have become someone else’s girlfriend. If there’s anything I regret over the years, it’s that I was too selfish and it affected her studies.“I never thought that being in a relationship at a young age would