The thin man took a sip of beer and looked at him. "What do you have in mind?"The fat man got close to his ears and shared his evil plans.After he heard the fat man’s plans, the thin man smiled grimly, picked up his fork, and got himself a piece of popcorn chicken. "That’s a good plan. We’ll make this woman kneel in front of our brothers and beg for mercy!""That's right, Brother. A wise man does not fight when the odds are against him. It’s just a matter of time before this woman begs for your mercy." The fat man smiled wryly. The layers of fat on his face were squished together. As his smile was too big, his fat face was jiggling.Luca did not notice them and continued to walk forward.When she was tired, she sat at a food stall where she ordered two dishes and a bottle of beer.On the other hand in Crawford Manor.Bianca sat on the sofa in the bedroom. She looked at the photo on the phone and tightened the grip on her phone. Her veins were nearly bursting.She received an
"Even if I already have a godmother, I can still have a few more." Tommy was puzzled."Don’t you think that you’re being too reckless about this? She’s your father's employee. If she becomes your godmother, the hierarchy will be messed up." Bianca resolutely refused, the hostility in her heart growing more intense.Ivana was picking a fight with her. It seemed that she was going to take away not only Luke but also the children.She would never let this happen. If she failed the mission, she would be dead within minutes upon returning to the Island of Despair!Tommy pouted and said in a dissatisfied tone, "Why does it matter? Aunt Nina is my godmother and she’s also Dad’s employee."Luke noticed Bianca's resistance and said, "She has to agree to be your godmother before we can do that. We’ll talk about it later."Tommy pouted and glanced at the photo. He then sat back and replied, "Okay, I’ll ask Aunt Luca when the time comes. I'm sure she’ll agree."Bianca was furious when she h
"It's so late. Why haven't you slept?" Luke crossed his arms and sat in the chair. His expression was calm."I can't sleep." Bianca played with her fingers anxiously. Before he could say anything, she said, "Luke, I overreacted today. I didn’t mean anything else. But if you’re interested in her, I’ll leave. Since Tommy likes her too, you can be one happy family."As Luke listened to her sorrowful words, his expression was flat. Bianca could not see any joy, anger, sorrow, or happiness.Bianca waited for his answer by the door. Seeing how calm he was, she turned from confident to anxious."Don't think too much of it. Go to sleep," Luke said after he did not move for some time.He did not comfort her nor comment further...Bianca was dissatisfied but calmed down a little. At the very least, he was not going to divorce her for Ivana.She nodded. When she was about to turn around and leave, she heard Luke say, "Don’t worry about the reporter.""Aren’t you going to pay him off?" Bia
"Dr. Craw?" Talia was surprised. She could not help herself from talking to Luca again as she walked over. "You’re not an assistant? You’re a professor?""Yeah." Luca did not hide anything from her. Her expression remained neutral as she walked to the elevator with her ID in her hand."You look so young..." Talia could not help but utter what was in her heart. Realizing that she had said something wrong, she immediately covered her mouth and explained, "I’m not questioning your ability, it’s just...""It's okay." Luca did not take her words to heart.It was normal for a young person like her who had just entered the corporate world to be straightforward. It was a great thing that she had yet to be tainted by office politics. Luca thought of the days when she had just returned to the country. Suddenly, she felt a little sad because she realized that it was all in the past. It was difficult for her to live a normal life now.Seeing that Luca did not seem to mind her words, Talia b
Luca noticed that her heartbeat was accelerating. Luke, who used to be aloft, rarely looked at others like this.He did not care about others. Engaging in simple conversations would already be a test of his patience.He had always been someone others looked up to. He never lowered his gaze for anyone.Luke frowned. ‘She thinks she would be disturbed by sending Tommy back?’Luca knew him well.In the past, he would launch a thorough investigation into her life, but now, he had no such intentions."What are you hiding?" Luke put his hands in his pockets, his deep-set eyes staring straight at her."I’m sure Mr. Crawford has had me investigated." Luca's expression was calm. Luke did not suspect a thing."I didn't ask anyone to investigate you," Luke said.Luca was a little surprised, but it was not because she was afraid that he would find out anything about her. After all, Abel got a group of people to work meticulously to make sure that there was nothing about her that would rai
Rhett blushed and retorted, "Stop it with your nonsense. If Dr. Craw hears it, she might misunderstand.""Look at you blushing! Sigh, Rhett, I'm so disappointed in you. However, our company looks at capabilities, not appearance," Mo said. From the moment Luca stepped into the conference room, she noticed that Luke paid more attention to Luca than others.The private conversation they had made her think more of the situation as well.Rhett was reluctant to continue discussing this topic with her. "Let’s stop talking about it. It won't be good if others hear it. I’ve already asked for someone to come to clean up the room. I'll head off now."After he said that, he turned around and left.Mo crossed her hands in front of her chest and watched as he left. She muttered in her heart that all men were the same. When they saw beautiful women, they instinctively wanted to side with them.After Luca dismissed Mo, she closed the door and sat on the sofa again.She held her forehead, sighed
Talia smiled and nodded. "Alright." Luca returned the tray and left the cafeteria. Talia watched as she left and thought to herself, 'Dr. Craw doesn't seem very approachable.' She thought that she would get on her good side so she would have someone to rely on when she changed departments. Judging from the interaction earlier, she realized that it would be difficult to be Luca's friend. She would have to find other connections to get into the Technical Department. Back at the office, Luca switched on her computer and studied Shanks's formulae. It was a new type of antibiotic. If the research succeeded, it would be a blessing to many people. Research on the antibiotic was eighty percent done, so she would only have to complete the last part before they proceeded with the clinical trial phase. Luca dared not run any experiments yet in case there were certain risks. Instead, she decided that she would do the research again. After deciding on that, Luca printed out the form
The next day, news about Luke's scandal appeared on all major papers in A City. There were only two photos, but the reporter had whipped up a fancy story, so the entire A City was talking about it. Old Master Crawford read about the news. His face was ashen and grim as he read the article in the newspaper. He knew that Luke had no relation to the woman in the article, but he was unhappy to see the reporter deliberately tarnishing his grandson's reputation of being a loyal husband. "Mr. Griffin." The old man slammed the newspaper angrily on the table. "Do something for me." "Yes, Old Master Crawford," the butler said courteously. "Find the reporter of this article for me. You know what to do next." Old Master Crawford narrowed his gaze. There was a hint of viciousness in his clouded eyes. He had retired many years ago, but he was still as merciless and assertive as ever. "Yes." The butler nodded and left. Bianca happened to be walking down the stairs when the butler wa
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