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
“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
Karen’s subordinate had always thought Pierre was not someone to be messed with.With his temperament, he was clearly unfit to be an heir.That was also why her subordinate could never understand why Karen always favored her youngest son.Still, at the end of the day, Karen was the one signing his paycheck, not Percy—and certainly not Pierre. Hence, whatever Karen wanted him to do, he did without question.Thinking about it now, the subordinate figured it was not his place to say anything. If even Pierre did not think Karen deserved respect, what right did a mere employee like him have to comment? There was nothing he could say.Pierre, meanwhile, was stewing over Karen’s latest schemes. His expression darkened as he muttered bitterly, “She couldn’t even use that woman to threaten Percy properly. Now, she’s been sent back to the psychiatric hospital? She’s absolutely useless.”The subordinate hesitated for a moment as he wanted to say something. He almost pointed out that t
Once Percy was dead, everything would belong to Karen and Pierre.That thought alone made Karen stop her outburst. Instead, a twisted smile spread across her face as she stared at him.“Percy, you're lying to me,” Karen murmured under her breath.Her words made Percy pause his work. He looked at her calmly and said, “Aside from that share transfer agreement, I’ve never lied to you about anything.“As your son, I believe I’ve done nothing wrong. If you think I’ve deceived you, that’s just your perception. In reality, I’ve lived up to my role. But you… You’ve used me as an excuse to harm the person I love. Who told you to do it?” Percy only came here for the answers.Was it Old Master Mallory’s tacit approval that gave Karen the confidence to act, or was it Pierre who pushed her to this point?Karen let out a cold sneer, “Harm her? Yes, I won’t deny it. That cheap tramp, Nina, has no right to set foot in the Mallory family! I’ll see to it that she's dead before that happens, and Ol
“Alright.” Percy turned and walked toward the physician's office.When he stepped out of the psychiatric hospital again, his gaze fell on a black car parked by the side of the road.It was a special vehicle for the disabled.Apart from the hospital's own vehicles, no other cars were allowed inside the psychiatric hospital's grounds. This was to prevent patients from using vehicles to escape or harm others.Therefore, cars visiting family members were generally parked along the road on either side of the hospital.Hence, seeing a car parked by the side of the road was perfectly normal.Percy smirked slightly and stared at the car for a while before getting into his own car and leaving.Inside the black car, the driver let out a long sigh of relief.“Mr. Pierre, we almost got spotted by Mr. Percy just now,” said the driver after watching Percy get into the car and drive away.Percy’s eyes darkened. “What's the big deal? Even if he finds out, so what? I'm here visiting my mom. I'
The director let Pierre stir up trouble, calmly watching as the chaos unfolded until it got so out of hand that the police showed up.The police checked Karen's medical records, confirmed that her mental state was problematic, and then reviewed the hospital’s policies. They verified that the person who admitted Karen was an immediate family member. Later, they told Pierre that this was a family matter they needed to resolve themselves as the hospital had not done anything wrong.Then, the police left.Pierre had no choice but to leave as well.While the commotion unfolded at the hospital, things were not exactly peaceful on the Crawford family’s side either.Allison had been staying at Luke’s villa.However, Luke had not been home for several days. She tried asking Jason for information, but he just told her that Luke was away on a last-minute business trip abroad. At first, Allison believed him. After all, T Corporation had projects all over the world.However, after waiting fo
“What are you spacing out for?” Allison waited a few seconds, but when she saw that Sophian still had not taken the scarf, she turned to look at her, only to find her staring blankly at Lanie. She was clearly displeased.Of course, she knew Lanie looked like Luke, but did she really have to stare at him like that?Sophian came back to her senses and quickly took the scarf, fumbling to explain, “I just think Young Master Blanche looks a lot like Mr. Crawford.”Allison rolled her eyes. “Well, duh. They’re father and son. How could they not look alike?”Sophian let out an awkward chuckle and said nothing more.Turning back, Allison softened her expression as she looked at Lanie. “Lanie, dear, tell me—what are you reading?”Lanie held up his book and replied, “Grandma, I'm reading a medical book.”Allison froze for a moment. A medical book?A bad feeling crept up on her. “Why are you reading medical books?”“I think they're interesting,” answered Lanie, a little confused by her re
“Wouldn't it be better to ask me directly if you want to know about these things?” Old Master Crawford's voice echoed from the staircase.Allison froze for a moment. Her face turned pale before she quickly turned around and forced a smile. “Father.”“What are you doing here?” asked Old Master Crawford as he walked over, leaning on his cane with Mr. Griffin supporting him.“I came to visit you,” Allison replied sweetly, stepping forward to help support his arm.Old Master Crawford shook his head, signaling her to stop. “Let Mr. Griffin handle that.”Left with no choice, Allison could only follow beside him, still wearing her forced smile.Mr. Griffin helped Old Master Crawford settle onto the couch. His sharp gaze flicked between Allison and Sophian. He had already heard from Luke that this woman had returned with Allison, and now, seeing her in person...Old Master Crawford studied Sophian carefully. They said a person’s face reflected their inner self, and he had taken a keen
“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