Nina nodded. She said, “Yes, I need to wear it, but it's just so heavy. That's why I was thinking of getting some high-quality fakes. It's lighter, and most people wouldn’t be able to tell.”Luca let out a chuckle.“I get it now. You and Percy are on the same team, both thinking I should wear the real stuff, huh?”“For the sake of Mr. Mallory’s reputation and for your own sake, just bear with it. What kind of CEO’s wife wears fakes at her wedding? Even if no one says anything at the event, someone will notice. "Think about it. Mr. Mallory's guests and the reporters surely know a thing or two about jewelry. They’ll definitely catch on if you wear fakes,” Luca said.The power of the press was limitless. If they found out Nina was wearing fake jewelry, it would be all over the news.Nina nodded. “He said the same thing. That’s why I gave in. But I tried on the whole set, and it felt like a ton of bricks around my neck.”Then, she continued with a sigh, “And I have to wear it all
Nina pinched Tommy's chubby cheeks. “So, you're only worried about whether I'll come just because you want to make Luca happy?”Tommy laughed and shook his head. “Of course not. We like you too, Ms. Nina!”“Yes, we like Ms. Nina,” Rainie chimed in.“Aww, I trust Rainie more. Tommy, I don't believe you anymore” Nina teased him.“Ms. Nina, I'm being sincere! We all really like you!” Tommy quickly responded with a big smile.Nina laughed and played along with the kids.…Meanwhile, upstairs, Luke and Percy were discussing business.However, they were not talking about Pierre and Karen. They were discussing the upcoming bid.The government had already announced that the bidding would take place next week.After going over the remaining details and confirming there were no issues with the bid proposal, Percy asked, “How do you plan to deal with them?”“They're your mother and brother,” Luke reminded him helplessly. The simplest solution would be to send Pierre and Karen to the po
After Tommy lay down and covered himself with the blanket, he looked at Luke at the door and said, “Goodnight, Dad.”“Goodnight. Sleep well,” replied Luke, closing the bedroom door behind him.His phone buzzed. He glanced at it but did not return to the master bedroom. Instead, he headed to the other room and made a couple of phone calls.Once everything was sorted, Luke went back to the master bedroom.Luca was already sitting up in bed, holding a tablet.“Is the child asleep?” asked Luca. She looked up, assuming Luke had been putting Tommy to bed.“Yeah, he's asleep,” answered Luke, getting into bed and sitting next to her. He glanced at the screen filled with dense text and asked, “Looking at more research?”“Yeah.” Luca nodded. “Every study needs data to back it up. Look at this herb. It's poisonous but also has properties that can regenerate flesh.”She pointed at the document to show him.“I’ve been wondering why Shanks would use these herbs for research. Is he trying to
Ray felt a bit disoriented. It had been a long time since he had heard Vivian act affectionately with him.As he listened to Vivian’s voice, he called out, “Sis.”Vivian smiled and replied, “Ray, I miss home.”“If you want to come back, you can do it anytime,” replied Ray. He did not agree with her decision to study in A City initially. However, Vivian was feeling down back then, and he could not argue with her, so he let her go.“I’m not planning to come back right now. I'm just saying I miss it. A City is great, the university is great, and my classmates are great. I’m doing well here, but I’m not used to not having family around,” explained Vivian. She genuinely loved A City. That was why she chose to come.“When’s your next break?” asked Ray.“Well, in A City, the next break isn’t until February next year, so I have a while before I can go back. I just wanted to hear your voice because I miss home, that’s all.”“I’ll make time to visit you,” suggested Ray.Running a famil
Old Master Mallory stood up with his cane. “To Mallory Estate.”“Yes, sir!” Mr. Bennet jogged out to prepare the car.…At Mallory Estate, Karen had been anxious ever since Gale took Luca and Vivian away yesterday. She had been watching Dr. Schwartz, who had been up since early morning studying surveillance footage, and finally lost her patience. “When will you figure this out?”Dr. Schwartz trembled. He wanted to master this strange dry needling technique quickly, but it was not something an old man like him could learn overnight.Pierre, who was pushed into the living room in his wheelchair by a maid, heard Karen’s comment and mocked, “Look at the useless doctor you hired.”Karen’s expression changed. “He’s a well-known naturopathic physician in A City. Many people seek him out for dry needling.” She did not choose him without a reason.Dr. Schwartz was indeed talented in this area and had his own clinic. Locals praised his dry needling skills. Yet, he could not handle Luc
“You're still lying to me at this point!” roared Old Master Mallory. He grabbed the documents from the coffee table and threw them down again.Karen jumped, finally realizing she should pick up the papers and take a look. Old Master Mallory let out a cold snort when he saw that. “If no one had told me, I wouldn’t have known that Pierre's injury affects his fertility!”Pierre frowned. How could this possibly affect his fertility?Karen furrowed her brows and quickly explained, “Dad, this is all a misunderstanding. It doesn’t affect fertility.”“But they say it does!” Old Master Mallory trusted Luca's expertise and believed her assessment.Karen said, “Dad, look. It’s just a slight issue. It won’t affect fertility, and Pierre has been feeling much better after the dry needling treatment yesterday. With continued treatment, he should return to normal.”“Yes, Grandpa. I’m aware of my own condition,” added Pierre. With so many people around, if word got out, would he still have an
Pierre looked at the person speaking. “He’s speaking up for you?”Karen remained silent.The subordinate who had spoken up also fell silent. Even though Karen had made many mistakes, the current issues were all because of Pierre. The subordinate could not stand seeing Pierre provoke Karen and risk making her emotional, so he intervened.Pierre pointed at the subordinate. “What’s his relationship to you?”Unable to hold back any longer, Karen stepped forward, raised her hand, and slapped Pierre across the face.“No matter what, I’m still your mother. I endured all this scolding from Old Master Mallory for you. You’re the one who had me kidnap Luca. I took all the blame for you, and this is how you treat me? Pierre, I’m your mother, not your tool! Are you out of your mind?” said Karen with a fiery tone.She had taken all the blame for him, only to be treated this way!Feeling deeply hurt, Karen felt she could not stay any longer. “Pierre, wake up! I owe you nothing! In fact, I’m
It felt like being part of an experiment. Both he and Pierre were test subjects under different educational methods, and the outcome was yet to be seen.Karen was startled for a moment, but she understood what Percy meant. “It’s not that I’m biased. It’s just that your grandfather specifically chose you as the heir, so you had a heavy burden and no time to laze around.”Percy nodded.Karen continued, “You see, my strictness is what helped you achieve what you have today, isn’t it?”Percy nodded again.Karen felt reassured that she had not done anything wrong when she heard that. It was not about favoritism; it was about raising an heir.“So now, despite how different we are, I still don’t understand why your heart always seems to be with him—even though I am obviously more capable.” Percy wasn’t particularly needy for maternal affection. However, he wondered why, despite his efforts, he never received her approval.Karen was stunned for a moment.She knew she had been bia