"Yes, Miss. I promise that I won't leave the house!" Tommy held up both of his hands and promised solemnly. His father would not find him so easily if he did not step out. "Good boy!" Luca patted his head. Of course, she knew her son very well. Tommy was not someone who could sit still. To ensure that he could stay with her for a longer period, Luca decided to tell him to stay in the house. If she let Tommy out, Luke's subordinates would easily find him. Tommy thought for a while and continued asking, "How would you know that I'd be discovered by my Daddy's subordinates if I go out? Do you know who my Daddy is?" "Who is your Daddy?" Luca pretended that she did not know. "He is…" Tommy paused and grunted angrily. "Never mind, let's not talk about him. He's a big baddie." "Don't say that. I'm sure that your Daddy loves you very much. Who knows that it might only be a misunderstanding? As for how I know that your Daddy has subordinates, I can tell that from your clothes."
After Tia closed the bedroom door, she sat down on the couch and waited for Bianca to wake up. She felt quite bored. She looked around the room and chuckled slightly. Nothing in the room indicated that Luke stayed in the same room as Bianca. Tia was quite happy to find out about that. As loyal as Luke might be, he would not be able to accept the woman with such a tarnished past. It was a miracle that Bianca remained in the Crawford household despite what she had been through. After all, her existence was a humiliation to Luke. The more Tia thought about it, the more indignant she got. Bianca, lying on the bed, did not hear any movement and decided to be done with her act. She slowly opened her eyes and groaned in pain to tell Tia that she was awake. "Ugh…" When Tia heard that, she stood up and looked at Bianca on the bed. "You're awake, Mrs. Crawford." She might have utter contempt for Bianca, but she did not show that on her face. Bianca sat up and looked at Tia. She
Luca went to the kitchen and made dinner for Tommy. She did not have many food ingredients left, so she had to be extra creative with the eggs. She remembered that Tommy was not very fond of eggs, and she had to be very meticulous so that Tommy would eat. An hour later, the fragrance of food wafted out of the kitchen. Tommy wore the slippers that Luca had prepared for him and ran toward the kitchen. He stood at the door and blinked. "It smells really good, Ms. Luca." Luca was wearing an apron. She turned her head and smiled. She was standing in front of the window, and Tommy could only see her silhouette because of the lighting. Tommy was stunned. 'Why does she look so familiar…' Luca did not notice the change in his expression. She said, "Go and wash your hands, Tommy. Dinner will be ready soon." "Yes, Ms. Luca!" Tommy's eyes were like crescent moons when he smiled. He bumbled over to the bathroom and washed his hands. Luca brought the food out of the kitchen. Tommy wa
Luca came out of the kitchen with a plate of sliced apples. Tommy was sitting on the couch wagging his legs while watching the cartoon on the television. He behaved as though he was at home instead of a stranger's house. Luca smiled and put the plate on the coffee table. "I only have apples in my fridge. I'll go to the supermarket tomorrow and buy your favorite fruits." "Thank you, Ms. Luca!" Tommy said. He picked up an apple slice with a toothpick but did not eat it. Instead, he handed it to Luca. "You should eat some too!" Luca smiled sweetly seeing how sensible Tommy was. She took the toothpick and said, "Thank you, Tommy." Tommy could see the warm glow in Luca's eyes and could not help but lean closer. "Ms. Luca, can I lean on you?" Luca was taken aback, but she soon knew what Tommy wanted. She smiled and nodded. "Of course." Tommy inched closer to her carefully in case she was uncomfortable. Luca ate the apple and picked him up with both hands. "Come and lean on me
Tommy did not get a response from her. He asked again, "Ms. Luca?" Luca came to her senses and made up an excuse. "I'm sure that a cute boy like you must have a godmother. Any woman would want you to be her godson." Tommy grinned. "Why don't you be my godmother, Ms. Luca?" Luca did not know how to react to that. It was quite ridiculous to think that her biological son would become her godson. "You'll have to ask your parents about that," she tried to stall with an excuse, hoping that Tommy would forget about the issue in a couple of days. "Alright, I'll ask Daddy about it then." Tommy nodded and committed it to heart. The woman in front of her gave her an inexplicable sense of familiarity. He wanted to see her more often. Luca pinched his plump cheek. "Didn't you say that you're sleepy? Why aren't you sleeping yet?" "Good night, Ms. Luca." Tommy curled up in Luca's embrace and closed his eyes. Luca did not move. As she heard the child's breathing become calm and rhyth
The footage from the surveillance cameras showed that Tommy was seen in the area. Jason had brought the bodyguards from Crawford Manor to look for him. After Luca walked far away, she turned around to look at Jason and the bodyguards busy at work. She turned away and hastened back home. Back at the apartment, Tommy had already woken up and washed his face. He was sitting in the living room, waiting for Luca to return. When he saw Luca come in through the door, he exclaimed in surprise, jumped off the couch, and ran toward her. "You're back, Ms. Luca!" Luca was holding things in both of her hands, and she had to close the door with her foot. Her heart warmed when she saw that the child was so excited to see her, and she led Tommy to the dining table. "You must be hungry. I bought a little bit of everything, so you can eat whatever you like." She could not tell what Tommy liked to eat, so she took the extra effort to make sure that he received enough nutrition. "I'll eat anyt
"I love them!" Tommy nodded his head. Luca smiled and patted his head. She was Tommy's birth mother, and it was not surprising that they loved the same things even though it had been so long. Luca brought the shopping cart to the checkout counter. She had a shopping bag in each of her hands, while Tommy also carried one bag. The two people left the supermarket. "Where are we going now, Ms. Luca?" Tommy asked. His shopping bag was not heavy, and one of his hands clung to the hem of Luca's clothes in case he wandered away. "We're going home." Luca saw that his eyes were the only facial feature that was not covered. She was worried that he might not be able to take the late morning heat. "Okay!" Tommy smiled and nodded. The supermarket was a short walk from Luca's apartment. They arrived at the gate after walking for five minutes. Luca saw several men in black suits interrogating random people not far away. She felt nervous and lowered her head to look at Tommy. Tommy a
Tommy looked at the snacks in his hands and pouted. "Ms. Luca, after I go home, will I ever get to see you again?" Luca thought for a while. She wanted to meet the child in the future too. She took a piece of notepaper and wrote her phone number on it. "This is my phone number. If you miss me, you are welcome to call me any time. We can also have a video call. What do you think?" "This is great!" Tommy grinned. He had a phone, but he did not bring it in case they were able to track his location with it. Luca was reluctant for Tommy to leave, and she knew that her reluctance was growing by the minute. She opened the door and said, "Let's go." Tommy held her hand, and the two people went downstairs. When they stepped out of the elevator, Luca noticed the bodyguards in black suits. She asked Tommy, "Is that one of your Daddy's men?" Tommy could recognize a few of them. He nodded and said, "Yes!" "Go then. Be a good boy, alright?" Luca could guess that his father would scold
For Shanks, no matter how skilled the two ophthalmologists were, they could not compare to Luca. The key was their smooth coordination. They were used to working together. If it were other doctors, they would probably start asking questions once they entered the operating room, making it impossible for Shanks to focus and perform the surgery calmly.Shanks believed this was a groundbreaking procedure, not just another teaching surgery for ophthalmologists.Abel understood Shanks’ concerns, but he still insisted, “They’re not just any doctors. They’ve signed agreements, and they won’t interrupt you with questions during the surgery. They’ll cooperate fully.”As Luca listened to Abel, she realized what he was really worried about. Besides the risk of the surgery failing, he was not confident in her.This surgery was important, and Abel was worried she might sabotage it in the operating room.Shanks furrowed his brows and looked at Luca.Luca gave him a faint smile. Whether or not
As Gerald shook his head furiously, it was not difficult for Luca to figure out what was going on.She glanced at Hera's irritation and figured it all stemmed from Luke being reassigned. Not being able to see him was clearly driving her to act like this.Luca secretly let out a sigh. They said women were the cause of trouble, but honestly, men could just be the same.Even with Luke disguised as an ordinary man, his cold and commanding air still captivated Hera.She glanced at the bowl nearby. The food Gerald brought Hera was barely touched.It seemed like she was so consumed with thoughts of Luke that she had lost her appetite...Luca’s expression remained unchanged. She was long accustomed to keeping her emotions in check around others.“Ms. Sanchez, you’ve misunderstood. I’m not close with Mr. Lucius, so I don’t have his contact information.” Luca kept her face impassive.“You’re lying!” Hera narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “You’re so close to him. How could you not have it?”
As soon as Luca returned to her bedroom after dinner, she received a video call request from the kids.It had been a long time since she last saw them. When she saw the call request, she locked the door, put on her headphones, and immediately answered.“Ms. Luca!” As soon as the call connected, the faces of all three kids appeared on the phone screen.“Sweethearts!” Luca blew them a kiss.“Ms. Luca, we miss you so much!” Tommy was the first to express how much they missed Luca.Luca's heart stirred with waves of longing when she heard them. She had been so busy recently, hoping to finish everything here quickly so that she and Luke could reunite with the kids. That was why she had not contacted them much.Plus, with Old Master Crawford taking care of them, she felt at ease.Now that Luca saw the faces of the three kids, her longing for them instantly surged and overwhelmed her.Her eyes reddened. “I miss you all so much too.”Rainie, always the thoughtful one, noticed her em
The men in the room were wincing in pain, but when they heard Gerald’s words, they were so furious they almost wanted to lash out at him. However, all their strength had been sapped by the excruciating pain, so they could only groan helplessly.As Shanks made his way upstairs, he paused halfway up the staircase and asked, “Is Luca cooking?”Gerald glanced at the kitchen and replied, “Yes, Mr. Shanks. It’s their fault. Ms. Craw was delayed in making dinner because of them.”Shanks' expression remained unchanged as he simply said, “Let me know when it's ready.”“Yes,” answered Gerald.After Shanks went upstairs, Gerald hesitated for a moment but decided to help the men to their feet, placing them one by one on the couch or chairs. As they slouched, groaning in pain, Gerald shook his head. “Do you guys now understand what happens when you mess with the wrong woman, especially Ms. Craw?”One of the men winced and asked, “Why did she have to be so brutal when throwing down?”“She
Lucius was different.He did not care about getting close to anyone, whether man or woman. Even when Hera’s attempts to seduce him were blatantly obvious, he still remained unmoved and even showed signs of rejection.Gerald could not help but marvel at Luca’s sharp observations and incisive remarks. He could not help but clap his hands lightly, genuinely impressed.“Lucius truly is exceptional,” said Gerald.Luca came downstairs.When she took the last step off the stairs, the men in the living room immediately fell silent.They held their breath as they watched the woman in front of them. Her hair was straight, not like their boss' companion.The men's gazes grew intense.Luca’s expression darkened.Gerald stood beside her and said, “See, I told you—you’re like a piece of meat dropped into a pack of wolves. Be careful.”One of the men heard Gerald and asked unhappily, “Hey, kid, what are you saying? What wolves? We’re gentlemen. We’d never dream of doing anything inappropr
When Gerald heard this, his face fell. “Huh? Ms. Craw, you're not cooking anymore?”Luca said nothing. Luke had already left with the others. She turned her gaze back before walking inside.Gerald realized that Luca had only been cooking breakfast because of Lucius. The thought puzzled him. Had they taken a liking to each other from the very start? That did not seem right.In this fast-paced modern world, even if they had, using something as old-fashioned as cooking to win someone over did not add up.Still, the timing was too coincidental to ignore. Luca started cooking for everyone when Lucius arrived, and she stopped as soon as he left. That realization gave Gerald an eerie feeling.Thinking they might have known each other back on the island, it all suddenly made sense. Of course! They must have met before. How else could this all line up so perfectly?With that thought, Gerald quickly caught up with Luca. “Ms. Craw, my cooking is terrible. Why don’t you keep doing it?”
Kassy’s eye donor was Hera, the one Abel had brought over.Even though Hera’s eyes resembled Kassy’s, they did not meet the criteria for a transplant. However, Hera’s blood type matched Kassy’s exactly.Hence, Abel decided to use Hera’s eyes. His belief was that her eyes were specifically meant for Kassy.Shanks knew he would not be able to change Abel’s mind, so he did not try. Abel’s stubbornness was something even Kassy herself could not sway.Luca remained silent for a while, not saying anything further. She understood that using a cadaver was the best option as it would not harm anyone.However, the eyes Abel wanted for Kassy were not from a cadaver. He intended to take them from Hera.Luca certainly would not participate in such a surgery. It was too cruel.“What are you thinking?” Shanks suddenly asked.Luca shook her head. “I’m just thinking about the volunteer’s situation.”“You’re wondering if this solution will be marketed, aren’t you?” Shanks suddenly asked.L
“I’m still a bit worried. Let me take a look in your room and change the dressing while I’m at it.” Luca knew Luke would not want her to worry. Therefore, she needed to see for herself that everything was fine before she could feel at ease.“Alright.” Luke knew she was worried about him, so the two of them headed into the room.He took off his shirt, revealing the bandage wrapped around his torso.Luca could not help but chuckle at the sight. The wrapping was done by Gerald, and it was hilariously sloppy. It was haphazardly bound—overly tight in some places and entirely uneven. It looked like it was just meant to cover the wounds, with no thought for neatness.“Stop laughing.” Luke was clearly rendered speechless by Gerald’s lackluster bandaging skills as well.If it were not for the fact that it was difficult to bandage himself, he would never have let Gerald do it.“With it wrapped like this, how are you supposed to sleep at night?” Luca asked as she began unwrapping the ba
Abel chuckled. His voice was low and gravelly.“Hera, let’s agree on something. Don’t use threats of leaving to manipulate me anymore, or I won’t be happy,” said Abel in a low voice.What might have sounded like a plea or a compromise came across to Hera as a veiled threat.The cool sensation of his fingers brushed against her eyelids, and she could not help but shiver. His touch felt as cold as death itself. She could not feel a trace of warmth.Her hands clenched tightly together. The tension in her grip was the only thing keeping her from trembling further.“Alright,” Hera murmured obediently.Abel withdrew his hand. Hera opened her eyes. A strange unease stirred within her. For reasons she could not quite explain, Abel’s behavior filled her with an unsettling dread…“Will you stay at the hospital with me tonight?” Hera could not help but crave some semblance of comfort.Abel frowned slightly. “Stay here with you? And what about Luca?”“You could just send her home. I onl