Rainie nodded her head earnestly. "You look nice, Aunt Vivian. Mommy said that we shouldn't lie, so I'm not lying to you. Isn't that so, Lanie?" Lanie was not as talkative as his sister, though he nodded and said, "Mm." Vivian's smile became wider as she said to Bianca. "I love your children, Sis." They were true angels. "Tommy knew that you're in A City since yesterday. He's been saying that he wants to meet you," Bianca said. Her children seem to be very friendly toward Vivian. "I miss him too," Vivian said with a smile. Her heart felt warm as she took the milk bottle in her hands. Bianca drove the car back to the mansion. She did not see Luke's car in the garage and knew that he was not back yet. As she unfastened her seatbelt, she gave him a call. The call was answered after two rings. "Bea." Luke's resonant voice came in through the phone. "Are you still in the company?" Bianca asked. "I'm on my way back," Luke said. "There's a bit of traffic, so I'll be delayed.
"Vivian?" Gordan instantly frowned when he heard that name. "Why can't she leave me alone?" Bianca and Vivian were bringing dinner out of the kitchen when they heard what Gordan said. Vivian's smile froze on her face. She knew that Gordan did not like her, but her heart ached when she had to hear him say that. She seemed dejected as she placed the dishes on the table. Bianca looked at the two and sighed. "Gordan, I've invited Vivian here for dinner." Gordan might not be happy, but he dared not offend Bianca. After all, she was the woman he respected the most. He looked at the dishes that Vivian brought out and said mockingly, "Can that be eaten? Did you drug the food?" Vivian shook her head and explained, "I didn't." Ray had drugged Gordan in Moscow because he wanted to help his elder sister hasten her relationship with Gordan. Even after Gordan was drugged, he locked himself in the room. From then on, he thought that Vivian had drugged him. Vivian tried to explain
Vivian, standing behind the door, felt dejected when she heard Gordan's room door close. She hoped that Gordan would care for her, even just a little bit… There were no sounds beyond the door. The sound insulation between the rooms of the presidential suite was great. She could not hear what was happening in the other room. … By the next day, the news that Luke had enlisted Gordan's help had spread in the Crawford family. Allison also knew about it. She did not know who Gordan was, but she knew that he was a very capable investigator! Gordan was a notorious figure in the international scene. If he helped Luke, he would bring unwanted trouble for her! Also, she was running out of money. She hoped that the incident would soon blow over so that she could sell those antiques. The more she thought about it, the more flustered she got. She drove to Bianca's office to find her. The front desk assistant instantly gave Bianca a call on the internal line when she saw the arro
"You…" Allison's face changed several shades of red because of her anger. She glared at her son, and the signs of old age appeared on her face. Deep wrinkles appeared on her face, and she seemed to have aged several decades instantly. That shocked Bianca. It was the second time she had seen Allison's skin change so drastically, but Allison seemed oblivious to it. Luke was Allison's son, but ever since he reunited with Bianca, he did not ensure that her whims were satisfied, and sometimes he had even sided with Bianca to bully her. Allison felt more and more like an outsider and a burden, and her hatred toward Bianca grew. She thought that it was the wrong decision to leave her with Kevin Rayne. She should have tossed the baby Bianca into the sea! That would have saved her a lot of trouble in the future. The atmosphere in the office was tense. Neither the mother nor the son was willing to back down. However, Luke was a more composed person than Allison, and Allison found h
Queenie held Rainie's hand and smiled. "Are you sure? I thought that we're eating out because you're tired of my cooking." Jack coughed lightly and said, "You did mention that you were craving bouillabaisse yesterday." Bianca was warmed by her parents' interaction. "Didn't Leia come along with you?" Queenie explained, "Leia is busy making preparations for her wedding, so she couldn't come along." Bianca nodded in understanding. "Luke reserved a private room for us. Do you want to join us for dinner?" She invited them. "Is it a business dinner? Then we shouldn't disturb you," Jack said. He gently pinched Tommy's face; he was very fond of his youngest grandchild. Bianca smiled and shook her head. "I wouldn't have brought the children along if it were a business dinner. It's just a normal family dinner. You should join us." Tommy was happy to see a bigger crowd around the dining table. "Grandpa, Grandma, I'm also inviting you to join us!" Jack and Queenie looked at each ot
Queenie put her hand gently on the back of Leia's hand and said softly, "Leia."Leia snapped out of it. Dark thoughts filled her head the moment she saw Luke. If Queenie did not call out to her, she might still be staring."Mom, what's the matter?" She deliberately acted as though she was aggrieved to gain pity from Queenie. Queenie asked, "Aren't you supposed to be on your way to look for the wedding planner to go through the itinerary with Brody? Did you get into a fight?""It's nothing. We just had a mild disagreement about the wedding." Leia wiped the corner of her eyes and pretended to tear up.Queenie sighed. Leia was pregnant but Brody left her downtown because of a small fight. It was clear to Queenie that Brody was not a dependable man. "Why didn’t you try to talk things through? It won’t do your marriage any good if you get into a fight every time there’s a disagreement. Look at your sister and brother-in-law! They always talk their way through issues. I don’t remember
Late at night.After Jack and Queenie went to bed, the Norman Residence was in complete silence.Leia pressed her face on the door of the master bedroom, and after confirming that there was no sound inside, she tiptoed back into her bedroom. After closing the door, she turned on the lights. She was instantly caught off guard by the sudden appearance of a man!"Ah—" As soon as she wanted to say something, her mouth was covered by Wayne. A familiar sense of fear invaded her heart.Wayne pushed her against the door, smiled evilly, and warned her. "Don't yell. If you yell, this knife will slice through your neck in an instant!"Leia's eyes widened and she felt the pain from being slammed onto the wall. She nodded and shook her hands to gesture that she would not scream.Wayne glanced at Leia’s bulging belly. After letting go of her, he grabbed her slightly chubby face and asked, "Is the child mine?""No, it's not yours!" Leia denied as the fear in her heart slowly took over her body
Leia endured her fear, and with his sharp gaze locked on her, she nodded.When a knock suddenly sounded from her door, Leia was shocked. She looked at the door and was not sure if she had locked it just now. "Yes?"Queenie's voice came from outside. "Leia, why are your lights still on at this hour? Why aren’t you asleep?""Mom, I just took a shower and I’m going to bed soon." Leia turned her head and looked at Wayne warily. He was still holding a knife in his hand.She was afraid that he would lose control and rush out to stab Queenie. She could not afford for that to happen. At least, not yet.Queenie's voice sounded again from outside. "Okay, sleep tight! Remember to blow dry your hair before you go to bed so you won’t catch a cold.""I will, Mom. Good night!" Leia could not relax for fear that Wayne would act irrationally.Queenie headed to the master bedroom after she heard Leia’s reply.Leia's nerves relaxed slightly when she heard the sound of footsteps going farther and
“You don’t need to remind me. I was going to check anyway.” Abel shot Luca a chilling look.She took a step back and stayed silent.Abel turned to the pale-faced Hera and said, “If you’ve got low blood sugar, get up and eat something.”“I’ll eat now,” Hera replied, sitting up.Luca handed her the takeout.Abel glanced at the food and then frowned at Luca. “Why didn’t you make breakfast this morning?”“I was busy,” Luca explained with a calm indifference, her expression unwavering. She showed no fear, even under Abel’s questioning.Hera suddenly found herself admiring Luca. Everyone feared this man, yet Luca remained composed even when facing potential punishment. Not just anyone could pull that off.At the thought of this, Hera opened the takeout and kept quiet.Abel narrowed his eyes, glancing between Hera and Luca. His gaze was not exactly gentle as he muttered, “Stop eating this junk. It’s bad for you.”“I know, babe. Just this once. After this, I’ll have what Luca cooks f
Hera panicked the moment she heard that. “I trust her!”Luca and Shanks were both watching her.Hera repeated herself, saying, “I trust her, okay? What kind of treatment does she need? I’ll cooperate with anything. But what about Abel…”“I’ll tell him it’s just to help improve your overall health,” replied Shanks. Then, he turned around, opened the medicine cabinet, and started preparing the prescription.Hera let out a sigh of relief. As long as Abel did not find out about her health condition, that was all that mattered.If he knew she was unwell, he would send her back to A City. Without free medical help and no way to make extra money, she would be in serious trouble.“Thank you,” said Hera.“Wait outside,” instructed Shanks.“Okay.” Hera carefully stepped out.Luca, however, remained where she was, waiting.While preparing the medicine, Shanks asked, “Do you know which acupoints to target for her?”“Yes,” Luca replied confidently. As long as she checked Hera’s pulse, sh
“There are a lot of issues.” Luca did not hide anything and handed Hera the phone.Hera looked at it and frowned.“I can't understand any of this.” Hera felt dizzy just looking at the text, let alone the long list of medical terms. It was giving her a headache.“Look at these summaries and indicators. Compare the values on top with the normal values at the bottom, and you'll see what I mean,” explained Luca.Hera did not trust her. Therefore, Luca decided to let her see for herself. Seeing it with her own eyes would prevent any doubts later.Luca pointed out how to read the test results, and after a moment, Hera managed to understand the report. Her face turned pale. “How can there be so many problems?”She looked at Luca and questioned, “Did you fake this?”“I don’t have the power to make the medical center fake anything. Besides, the report has the medical center’s official stamp. If you don’t believe me, you can go directly to the medical center and ask for the official cop
“I heard from the boss that he's coming because of Vivian.” Gale paused for a moment before adding, “But never mind, you don't seem interested in her affairs anyway. I'm just letting you know he's on his way.”Gordan frowned. Ray was coming for Vivian?What could that ugly woman possibly need?“What do you mean by that?” asked Gordan.Gale smirked. “If you and Ray meet, that’s bound to end in a fight. And since you can't win against him, you might want to mentally prepare yourself, or better yet, find somewhere else to stay. It’d be safer that way.”Gordan's expression darkened. “If you have nothing nice to say, just zip it.”Gale grinned, clearly pleased with himself like he had just hit a sore spot.Gordan exhaled sharply. “Of all times, why is he coming to A City now? He’s just making things worse.”“It can't be helped. Vivian's situation is urgent.” Gale covered his mouth mockingly after he said that. “Oh, right. I forgot you don’t like hearing about her.”Ray wanted to br
Luke sat in the villa, staring at Luca’s message.He was worried.For a moment, he considered calling her, but then he remembered that there were surveillance cameras everywhere on her side. He dismissed the idea immediately.Her safety came first.Luke reminded her: [Take care of yourself. Don’t worry, I’ll handle everything. Just focus on keeping yourself safe.] The worry in his heart refused to subside, but at this moment, there was no better solution.“Boss, you’re worried about your wife, huh? If you really can’t stand it, we can sneak you in again during the next shift change, just like last time,” said Gale.It had been his idea last time.Now, the real Lucius was still locked up in the basement of the villa.It had been nearly a month. Luke had forced him to take the antidote Luca had recreated. The man was still alive, proving the antidote worked perfectly.“That plan is too risky.” Luke put his phone away. His gaze was dark and thoughtful.“Risky, sure. But at lea
Luca had not expected Abel and Shanks’ relationship to be like this.It seemed Abel still did not trust Shanks.Shanks continued, “Abel isn’t someone who trusts people easily. He doesn’t trust anyone. You think he’s devoted to Kassy now, right? That’s just his obsession. He's allowing Kassy to receive my treatment, but if it were him… No matter if he were blind or crippled, his safety would always come first. If he were seriously injured, maybe he’d accept treatment, but he definitely wouldn’t do it right away.”Luca stayed silent. Shanks really understood Abel well.Abel did not trust anyone—not even Kassy.Calling him paranoid would not be an exaggeration.Luca felt like they were getting off-topic, but she had never seen this side of Shanks before.In her mind, he was always buried in his work at the lab, only leaving for meals and sleep. Other than that, he was practically never outside.The lab was like his home…“Are you troubled by Hera’s situation?” Luca asked directly
Hera was startled by Luca's words.The refusal that had been on the tip of her tongue suddenly got stuck in her throat.“I…” Hera hesitated, feeling conflicted. Leaving Abel might not be such a bad idea. At least she would not have to live in constant fear.She was finally realizing how unpredictable his moods were. At first, she thought it did not matter as she could still look at other men. She just had to ensure there was no physical contact. In reality, even if she so much as glanced at someone, Abel's expression would darken with anger.It was frustrating. Now, the only person she was allowed to look at was Gerald. Still, what was the point of just looking at Gerald?At that thought, she lifted her gaze to Luca.Luca added, “I’ll give you five minutes. If you refuse treatment after that, I’ll take the medicine back to Mr. Shanks and won’t try to convince you again.”Hera's heart tightened. She did not even need five minutes. She had made her decision within 30 seconds.“I’
“If Abel finds out that Hera's body isn't suitable for organ donation to Kassy, what do you think he'll do?” asked Shanks.He already knew the answer, but he still wanted to hear Luca’s thoughts.“He has invested a lot of time and money in Hera. If he gets nothing out of it, he won’t let her off easily,” Luca said bluntly.Luca and Shanks were on the same page.They did not have a good relationship with Hera, but they had no intention of ruining her either.Hera’s personality was unpleasant, but that was not enough for them to hate her so much that they wanted to see her suffer.“What methods do you think he’ll use?” Shanks asked again.Luca was silent for a long moment.Shanks already knew the answer, yet he still wanted her to say it out loud.After thinking it over, she finally said, “There are plenty of ways he could go about it, but no matter what he chooses, Hera’s fate is sealed. She’s as good as dead…”She lowered her gaze, her tone firm and certain.Shanks nodded.
Hera heard that Luca had returned and immediately went to find Shanks. She narrowed her eyes.That woman went to see Shanks. Could she be talking about her?The thought made Hera uneasy. She had a nagging feeling that something was wrong with her medical report.However, when they left the medical center earlier, Abel asked Luca when the report would be ready, and she said it would be available tomorrow.Hera turned to Gerald and said, “Take these back for me first.”“Alright.” Gerald carried the bags as he walked away. He could not help but wonder what exactly Hera bought. These bags were really heavy!Only after Gerald went upstairs did Hera slowly make her way up as well. Her room was on the third floor, but she stopped when she reached the second floor. She glanced around to make sure no one was watching before heading toward the laboratory.The door was closed.Instead of knocking, Hera pressed her ear against it, trying to eavesdrop.However, the laboratory was special