Maxine turned away from Bianca and looked at Allison once more. She pointed at the two exquisite gift boxes on the coffee table and said, "I bought these presents for you and Grandpa, Aunt Allison. I hope you'll like them." The sweet smile on Maxine's delicate face made Allison smile. "You didn't have to bring any presents, Maxine. The climate in A City is very different from the capital. Are you used to it?" Maxine stuck out her tongue and began to unwrap the gift box. "I'm used to it. I can adapt to different environments easily. I've even gone on an expedition to the North Pole with my friends. I'm fine here." Bianca glanced at Maxine again. She did not expect that the young woman who seemed frail and delicate dared to explore the North Pole. Allison exclaimed in surprise, "As expected of a girl who grew up overseas. Your courage and constitution are exceptional. What… did you bring?" Maxine smiled sweetly and carefully detached the ribbon. The first box contained a ca
Allison could feel anger rising when her son had embarrassed her in front of a guest. She was about to open her mouth when Maxine gently tugged her elbow and smiled sweetly at Luke. "If that's the rules of T Corporation, then I shouldn't ask for special treatment. I'll apply to the company and go through the interview process. If I succeed, I'll do my internship at T Corporation. If I fail, I won't give you any trouble." "Mm." Luke looked at Maxine with some surprise. He did not expect her to say that. He had no recollection of that cousin at all. He did not care about her supposedly influential background either. In fact, he was not fond of any of his mother's relatives. They had never helped Allison when she needed them the most. After he took over T Corporation and brought the company to prosperity, Allison's relatives started sucking up to him. He hated materialistic and opportunistic people like those. Maxine's heart started beating faster when she saw Luke looking at
Bianca's vision was becoming blurry. She tried to curl up as much as possible, but her lower abdomen still hurt. The pain was becoming more and more intense. Her tears were threatening to fall. Bianca felt that she was becoming more and more affectatious. She used to grit her teeth and bear with it even when she was at her lowest point. Ever since Luke returned, her tears fell a lot more easily. She would find herself crying every few days. Her womb used to be a lot healthier. She had never experienced period pains. She attributed the decline in her health to her depression in response to Luke's disappearance while she was pregnant with Tommy. She could not snap out of her despair, and she lost a lot of blood when she delivered the baby. Ever since then, her health declined, and her period pains would cause her much agony. Even so, Bianca did not regret giving birth to that precocious child. The child brought hope to her life. He was the proof that Luke and Bianca had o
Luke reached behind him and felt his back. Those scratch marks were rapidly swelling up. 'How vicious!' He gasped softly and looked at Bianca in his arms with a cold and profound gaze. 'Does she have cat claws for hands? They’re so sharp, and she doesn't hold back!' He decided that he would cut her fingernails soon. He would not give her any "tools of punishment" because he would be the only one to suffer! Luke gazed into Bianca's eyes, and his voice was as gentle as spring water. "Does it make you feel any better? If you're still angry, you can scratch, claw, and pinch me however you want. I'll do anything for you if it makes you happy…" He laid sideways and bared his chest at her. Then, he placed her little claws on his flat stomach. Of course, Bianca saw her "handiwork" when the man showed her those bloody gashes on his back… She turned away guiltily. She did not mean to use so much strength. After all, the man deserved it for deceiving her! "What should I do s
Seeing that Bianca was about to cry, Luke reached behind her and gently massaged her back. "It's already in the past. I didn't want you to see my scars because I don't want you to worry. It's fine, the scars don't hurt anymore… I would give up everything just to see you again." Hearing those words, Bianca suddenly hugged his neck tightly, and tears welled up in her eyes. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have given you the silent treatment, and I shouldn't have suspected you. You've treated me so well, and maybe it's because of that that I can't bear any imperfections in our relationship. I'm at fault too. Sorry." Luke smiled gently and tousled her hair. "You don't have to apologize to me, silly girl. I…" He did not finish his sentence because he felt a pair of soft and supple lips on his bare back. "Bea…" 'Does she know what she's doing?' "What are you doing?" Luke growled softly, "You're playing with fire." Bianca gently held his shoulders and kissed every hideous scar on his bac
Jason did not understand why the boss did not want that young woman named Maxine to pass the interview. According to the preliminary assessment, Maxine's results were considered one of the best among the candidates. Jason knew that his boss did not like other people questioning his decisions. He nodded and said, "I know what to do, Mr. Crawford." It was all too easy to sabotage an undesirable candidate. "Mm," Luke replied. He noticed that Jason's arm was bandaged and asked him, "What happened? How did you hurt yourself?" Jason smiled awkwardly and made up an excuse. "It's nothing. I got into a minor car accident while I was driving. I'll be fine in a few days." He did not tell his boss that he was hurt when his ex-wife brought a bunch of hooligans to the bridal boutique to beat him up. It would have been hard to explain. Luke did not ask too many questions either. "If you're injured, then you should rest at home and come back when you're feeling better. Don't worry, I won
Bianca instantly hung up. She seemed angry as she did so. Luke gently held her cheeks and kissed her. "Why are you so angry? You should control your emotions, my wife. It's not worth it to lose your temper over someone else's business." Bianca nodded and tried to calm herself down, though she could not help but say, "I thought that Mr. Doyle is an assertive man looking at how he is at work, but I didn't expect him to be so unreliable. He's been dragging his feet when it comes to the problem with his ex-wife, and Sue is the one who has to suffer. Sigh… Sue is unlucky to marry him." "It's up to them to sort it out, and there's only so much that we can do for them. If Jason can't remove the biggest obstacle between him and Sue, then he won't get anything in the end." "Mm. I'll try to contact Sue," Bianca replied, then went through her call records. She received a call from an unknown number earlier in the afternoon, and she guessed that Sue must have changed her number. There
Sue was not a naïve young girl. She was familiar with the sounds of love-making. That was the sound of a woman gradually sinking into the bed. The woman sounded like she was trying to hold back from screaming in pain. Obviously, the voice belonged to Nina. What about the man? Was the man Percy Mallory, her supposed boyfriend? Did Sue happen to walk into them while they were making out? Sue frowned awkwardly. She was about to put her hand down. Just when she was about to tiptoe away, she heard Nina begging weakly from inside the bedroom. "Please… no… please…" Sue blushed. She wanted to get away quickly. Just when she turned around, she heard a deep and hoarse masculine voice. The man seemed to be enjoying his presence inside the woman, and his voice carried a hint of mockery. "Heh, are you begging me? How many times have you begged me over the past two years for that broken family of yours and your materialistic mother? You've sold your soul for money!" The grunts