At the Crawford Manor.A huge spread of Chinese-style breakfast was laid on the dining table.The old man had not been sleeping these few nights. He woke up easily whenever he heard tiny movements in the middle of the night. That grandson of his seemed to make a good show out of it. Every time he drove back in the middle of the night, there was always a lot of noise when he parked his car in the garage. It was hard for the old man to ignore his grandson when he had a spring in his walk and brought a breeze when he drove. However, the problem lied there. A diligent workaholic who only cared about his company had not been working overtime in the company recently and was not at home either. ‘So where does he go in the afternoon till night time?‘Especially last night when he came back even later than usual!’The old man secretly took his little great-grandson to ask him about it. The honest kid gave him some bad news."Great-grandpa, Daddy tosses and turns in his sleep when he’s
Louis’ face also seemed to say that if he did not do it, he should bring the woman over to prove it…Louis had always been intrigued by the psychology of a strange man like his brother who had been abstinent for more than five years. A man like him could live a normal life without touching a woman? It was unheard of!"You think she’s unworthy to meet us? Do you know how bad that would make her feel..." the old man asked. After he asked that question, he stared at his grandson’s face to observe his expression. He was afraid that his grandson was an unfaithful lover who slept with someone every night but had disdain for them.Luke figured that his grandpa had no other choice. His grandpa probably thought that he did not discipline his own son enough when he was alive. Even though that man was not worthy of his respect at all, his grandpa was still his sensible grandpa.It was probably because he was anxious for Luke to get married, so he had to ask. "I'm afraid that you guys will s
"Uh…"Jean closed the frosted glass bathroom door with the back of his hand to enjoy what was happening with a peace of mind. He looked down and saw Marie's pale and well-proportioned thighs as well as her round and supple toes.She stood on her tiptoes and leaned forward. Her body pressed against him and they got busy."Uh, hurry up..."Jean pressed the back of Marie's head and thrust forward.He urged her without a hint of gentleness at all. "Hurry up. Ah… You're a naughty girl, aren't you..."…Bianca got out of the taxi and walked into the neighborhood.It was a very old neighborhood in A City. Many years ago, her dad bought a house in that neighborhood that had two bedrooms and one living room.In the house, it was littered with many of Bianca's memories, but most of them were bad ones. When Bianca walked in, she looked at the old corridor that she had not walked through for more than five years. She remembered how she moved in to live with Marie before she graduated fr
"But……"Bianca was hesitant and had many concerns.Today was the second day that she and Luke were officially dating. It was too soon to meet his family for dinner. To be honest, she had not mentally prepared herself yet.In addition to that, another very realistic and cruel problem was that Luke was way over her league in terms of their background."Don't feel pressured. In terms of our family, I’m actually no better than you. If you look into my family, we’re basically the same." Luke guessed what she was concerned about."..."Since he put it that way, there was no way Bianca could deny it. Since getting the call from Luke, Bianca felt as if a big rock was pressed against her chest. She felt out of breath and assumed that weight would only be lifted once she met his family. Her phone rang a few more times again. Bianca saw that they were all from Jean.She did not answer nor decline.She merely ignored the calls as if she never heard them.At that moment, Bianca was g
When the two little kids went down, they saw a luxury car parked in front of the manor. 'A black Range Rover! Daddy's back!'"Aunt Bea, we missed you…" The two kids ran out. The first thing Rainie did was hug Bianca who just came out of the car. Bianca almost lost her balance. She squatted down to pat Rainnie's chubby little cheeks. "I missed you too." When the old man saw the perfect family scene, he was overjoyed. It seemed to him that his grandson's marriage was imminent. If the adults agreed and the kids did not hate the stepmother, then there was nothing stopping them. "The two of you, stand properly over there. Don’t drag Aunt Bea that way.” Luke stepped down from the car with his long legs and stared at the two clingy little kids with a serious face. Rainie pursed her lips, snorted, and muttered, "Why is that you can hug her, but not us? Last time, you hugged Aunt Bea so hard that she cried..."Luke, "..."Bianca blushed awkwardly."So you’re the Aunt Bea that t
"Are you... Luke’s girlfriend that he brought to introduce to us?" Susan asked with tears in her eyes. "How’s your family background? If you’re wronged by your future husband after your marriage, will your family be able to support you?"Bianca did not know how to answer her. When Louis introduced himself, he said that he was Luke's half-brother and that they shared the same dad.That might mean that the middle-aged woman wearing the Gucci custom-made qipao once shared the same man with Luke's mother, Allison. Susan looked at the big family gathered together and walked toward Bianca with the stench of alcohol on her."Be careful." Bianca quickly propped Susan up with agility when she was about to fall. Susan leaned on the sofa while being supported by Bianca. She frowned uncomfortably and said, "By the looks of your appearance, I can tell that you probably come from an average family. I advise you to know better and not to marry into the Crawford family.""Go back to your roo
"Oh, it's nothing. I just think that it's a rare surname." Allison was a woman who had seen the world. Even though she was turbulent internally, she looked as if nothing was bothering her on the outside. 'Bianca Rayne.'Allison repeated the name in her head. Bianca looked at Allison one last time. She did not think too much about it. There were many people with her surname in her country, but a typical person would not know too many people with that surname. Since elementary school up to her working life, the people around her only knew one person, which was her, with her surname. Allison looked at her son leaving with Bianca. After his car left, Allison was the only one left standing in the garden of the manor. After a while, Allison took her phone out. She looked back to make sure no one was around her before Allison walked far away toward the swimming pool. She called the person she hated the most. "Sorry, the number you have dialed is unavailable…" When she heard
After recovering from the violent coughs, Kevin said, "Can you apply for leave these two days... To visit Luojiazhen? Your grandfather is in the old house, and Marie’s mom might also be going there...""Grandpa?" Bianca was surprised.‘Didn’t Grandpa go to Japan with Dad’s sister? When did he come back?’Kevin held his daughter's hand because he was worried that she would get angry. He coughed and told her everything weakly. After he told her everything, the doctor came in just in time.The doctor was there to do the daily monitoring and examination."Dad, I have to go first," Bianca said.Kevin nodded.She was lost in her thoughts as she tried to digest what her dad told her about Grandpa. She walked out of the hospital.In the ward, Kevin stretched one arm over to let the doctor draw his blood while his other picked up his ringing cell phone. "Hello, this is Kevin." Kevin was focused on the needle sticking into his arm and did not see who was calling before he picked up.
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
“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,